The Library Thief: A Novel

Written by Kuchenga Shenjé

Narrated by Cora Kirk

A strikingly original and absorbing mystery about a white-passing bookbinder in Victorian England and the secrets lurking on the estate where we she works, for fans of Fingersmith and The Confessions of Frannie Langton

The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained.

1896. After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame—and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester.

Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the remote, forbidding Rose Hall to restore its collection of rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets—but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife.

Then one night, the library is broken into. Strangely, all the priceless tomes remain untouched. Florence is puzzled, until she discovers a half-burned book in the fireplace. She realizes with horror that someone has found and set fire to the secret diary of Lord Belfield's wife–which may hold the clue to her fate…

Evocative, arresting and tightly plotted, The Library Thief is at once a propulsive Gothic mystery and a striking exploration of race, gender and self-discovery in Victorian England.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9781488230882

Kuchenga Shenjé

KUCHENGA SHENJÉ is a writer, journalistand speaker with work on many media platforms,including gal-dem, British Vogue and Netflix.She has contributed short stories and essays toseveral anthologies, most notably It’s Not OK toFeel Blue (and Other Lies), Who’s Loving You andLoud Black Girls. Owing to a lifelong obsessionwith books and the written word, Kuchengastudied creative writing at the Open University.Her work is focused on the perils of loving, beingloved and women living out loud throughout theages. The Library Thief is the ultimate marriageof her passions for history, mystery and rebels.She currently resides in Manchester, where sheis determined to continue living a life worthwriting about.