I enjoyed this novel tremendously. I like a mystery and I love bookbinding: neither element disappointed! The storyline is a bit farfetched perhaps, but is suitably bookish, held my interest throughout, and ultimately doesn't take itself *too* seriously (for example, the elusive author is an Abel Bell... and the writer of this fun and intelligent historical mystery is... A D Bell...). We learn a fair bit of the bookbinding scene at the turn of the 20c and of the bookbinding craft itself in a convincing manner, which is a joy. The writing style is excellent, with economic yet apposite descriptions of place and characters, and a wonderful way of intermingling fact and fiction - real pubs and streets, adapted shops (I loved how an imaginary bookbinder's premises are set in Rochester Row, SW1 where in point of fact one of the best bookbinders in London, Shepherds, has their own!). I hope it is clear I loved this recreation of Oxford, London and beyond!!! in search of the elusive books containing.... but that would be to spoil a good story.... let's just say I am totally looking forward to the next adventure (hinted in the last paragraph of the book) of Miss Delaney. Her career, love interests, mentors and acquaintances have been laid out in such a way that I very much hope have a long life. After all, she is just 25!! An intelligent entertainment indeed. Hope it gets a proper, beautiful cover.

A.D.Bell ...the author of this tale has named her book well, but should perhaps have added an "s".
This gothic style novel, and it's author are full of various kinds of secrets.
Isobel and William's secret doomed love story,
Lilian's secret search for six books, each hiding a secret themselves.
Lilian's secret she keeps from her loyal friend Harry
Bookbinders with secrets they hide from society.
And book collectors who have secrets of their own abd various secretive reasons for seeking titles to collect.
A twisty tale of murder, revenge and obsession, The Bookbinder's Secret is crammed full of incident, threat and a whole lot of train travel as Lilian crosses the country searching for six books, their author and the secret story held hidden in their pages.
It certainly is a fast moving and intriguing tale, and I read through it very fast, quite caught up in it's plot.
It's a great book to pick up on a murky night and immerse yourself in an over the top gothic mystery.
Not one to live on in the mind, but good fun at the time!
Thank you to HQ stories Harper Collins and NetGalley for an earc of this title in return for an honest review.

Set at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1901, this is the tale of Lillian Delaney, living in Oxford with her widowed, bookshop owner, father.

In a world traditionally dominated by men, Lillian goes against the norm and is working as an apprentice bookbinder for the fabulous but elderly Mr Caxton. She is sent to go and meet a prospective client, and whilst there, she aquires a book that will change her life.

Burnt badly and smelling as bad as it looks, Lillian can't help but prioritise this book over all others. It seems to call to her. Only, when carefully lifting away the cover, she finds a letter, or maybe a love story, one that has no beginning or end. She soon realises, by its markings, this is one of six, so where are the other five?

From that moment on, Lillian is pulled into a dangerous world, one she has never had to navigate before, let alone on her own.

On her search, which sends her gallivanting across the country, she meets all walks of life, the good, the bad, and the ugly! And when she is threatened, she knows she has no other choice but to carry on her search, no matter what the consequences.

The atmosphere this tale elicited was phenomenal. It felt like I was walking the backstreets of the set of 'Oliver'. The detailing of every sight and sound literally had me there, walking alongside Lillian.

The characterisation was perfectly executed, and one character in particular, Ambrose Fane, had me wanting to be his friend, I adored his eccentricity.

It's quite obvious just how much research into the magical profession of book binding and restoration the author went to, it added an amazing element to the whole plot, not jist glazing over it but actually explaining it that gave that extra layer of interest.

A mix of mystery, intrigue, romance, suspense, and emotion, this is a must read!

I honestly can't explain just how much I enjoyed this book. It gripped me completely from the very beginning, and I carried it around with me to read at every given opportunity.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

This book increased my knowledge of book binding, which was very interesting. The actual story, built around six books each of which contained a hidden letter / diary plot device, caused the heroine to gallivant across the country and this was engaging too. I was slightly disappointed with the ending, as I hoped all parties would be reunited, but tantalisingly, they weren’t.

When apprentice bookbinder Lilian finds a letter hidden in a burned book she is cast into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that puts her life and those of her loved ones at risk.

She becomes obsessed with the series of books by A D Bell which have false titles and other hidden letters and tell the story of a rich debutante locked away by her family to keep her away from her lover.

As Lilian becomes gradually more obsessed with the books and their story, she must solve the mystery, outwit the people on her tail, and take firmer control of her own future before she loses everything.

A bibliophile mystery set in turn-of-the-century Oxford.

This story is set in 1901 and is the story of Lilian Delaney, an apprentice bookbinder. As well as developing this skill, she also works and cares for her elderly father, a professional bookbinder

Bookbinding is literally Lillian’s life so when she finds a badly burned book she gets involved in a dangerous secret. Someone has worked hard to keep this a secret

I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit of a slow burner to begin with but I liked getting to know the characters. Lillian was a good strong and likeable female lead. She’s learning her craft in a male dominated workplace.

There’s mystery and love and murder, a highly recommended read

This book is well worth the reading time

A trudge to get thru the first chapters. Far too much detail on bookbinding that drained the life out of the story.
After that the story moves on a pace. There is something off about the behaviours of the main protagonist as if a 21st Century girl was living in 1900’s. It removes a lot of the authenticity.

I enjoyed this story, it’s a period piece which got my attention and I liked the detailed research the author had obviously done. It flowed really well.

The idea behind this book, the secretion of letters in book bindings is a good one. However, although this is set in 1901, it is full of anachronistic descriptions - mugging for example. The female protagonist speaks and acts if she is in the 21st century rather than the 20th. Alas this really distracted me from the story and finishing the book.

This book is well deserving of five stars. It's a story within a story and kept me hooked. I never wanted to put it down. It's a tale of tenacity by a young book binder called Lilian. I was routing for her all the way through. It's a mixture of romance, death, sheer will power and so much more. It's fabulous

Set in 1901, this immersive story follows Lilly as she uncovers a trail of hidden letters which tell of forbidden love, the consequences of following your heart, and the still present danger of a long-kept secret. All of which mirror the conflict Lilly feels in her own life.

The book’s setting and premise are just perfect: a bookshop in Oxford together with a bookbinder’s establishment is exactly where you would find secrets hidden in the bindings of books. I loved all the references to book-binding and learnt so much. The details are well described and you certainly feel Lilly’s passion for her skill.

The book is a slow burner, which I like, before it races off and the tension builds. It’s a roller-coaster of a ride with a plethora of well-rounded characters and exciting reveals: I enjoyed the chase and I enjoyed the ending though I wasn’t as invested in Lilly as I would have liked to have been.

The Bookbinder’s Secret is well-plotted and beautifully written. It’s wonderfully atmospheric and full of adventure. I hope it does very well.

My thanks to HQ and Netgalley for the chance to read and review The Bookbinder’s Secret by A.D.Bell.

Set in 1901 this is the story of Lilian Delaney

Lily is working as an apprentice book binder, she is also caring for her elderly father

When she finds a badly burned book she uncovers a secret. The secret is both a love story but also incredibly dangerous and she is tasked with dicovering the facts.

This is an incredible read and one I really enjoyed. It is a superb tale and Lily is a character I warmed to. Her job is unusual of the times as it is seen as mans job and she works well within the confines of her workspace.

This book is well worth the reading time

Thank you HQ for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Wow I can’t really put into words how much I enjoyed this book, it was simply stunning. It has everything I look for in a book, mystery, suspense, romance, adventure, secrets and murder. This book set in Oxford 1901 is told from the point of view of Lilian Delaney who is an apprentice book binder, Lilian feels the struggle of being a woman in man’s world and profession. Lilian comes into possession of a badly burnt book when undoing a commission. Hidden beneath the bindings of the book is the beginning of a mystery that others will kill to keep buried.


The beginning is slow to begin with but not for long, the author does a wonderful job of building the suspense up until the gripping conclusion. I really felt for Lilian she was truly up through the wringer in this book, she went all over the country and encountered many unique and interesting characters along the way. Ambrose Fane he was a rake but I loved him. I was truly gripped by this book, once I started reading I really did not want to put it down. It was a testament to the authors skill that this book had me hooked. There is romance in this book and I was guessing what would happen with Lilian and Harry and whether they would get pass their differences. Overall a truly gripping, amazing book and one I would not hesitate to recommend.

The Bookbinder's Secret by A.D. Bell is wonderful period adventure.

This is the story of Lillian Delaney living in Oxford at the start of the 20th century - a bookbinder of excellence in world traditionally dominated by men- who finds herself trapped in world caring for her father in his bookshop whilst working as a bookbinder for the elderly Mr Caxton. Her life changes when she acquires a book that is burnt on its edges and within its endpapers she discovers fragments of a story- a love story of a couple who are separated from one another through the possibility of a murder. This mysterious book is one of six each containing a piece of the story hidden within its cover.A puzzle to be solved.


From this moment Lily finds herself pulled into a world of danger as some people will go to any length to retrieve this book and the remaining five. A story that moves between Lily's journey to track down the remaining novels and the tale of a couple whose love and lives are threatened fifty years earlier. Lily encounters a variety of book sellers and collectors- is everyone who they seem? And when tragedy strikes close to home, she knows that she must compete this challenge to find the truth and fight against the evil that wants to ruin her life.

A. D. Bell's research in to the process of book binding and restoration and the world of book collectors and the desire to acquire rare tomes is fascinating; in many senses this is the key to the book's enjoyment.

The pace is good and Lily is a strong and determined lead protagonist. Although set in 1901, it could easily have been earlier as it had a slight Dickensian feel. Not as gothic or dark in tone as it could have been ( think Shadow of the wind) but certainly a great brooding read for an autumn evening ( with Lily's love life added into the plot for extra intrigue).

An enjoyable race against time adventure

I really enjoyed this book. I do love stories involving books and one with a mystery is always good. The writing was easy to read and follow. The characters felt developed. I did work out the 'real identity' reveal quite early on, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. I would say my only complaint about the main character was that she only concluded about 75% of the way though the book that the bad guys were after the secret pages hidden in the books... Like, of course, Lillian! That was very obvious from the get-go and I assumed the character was aware of that, but she makes a sort of proclamation about it well into the book. Apart from that one sort of odd lapse in judgement, I enjoyed the book. As someone who has lived and worked in Oxford, it was nice to be familiar with the various landmarks as well. I think the mystery was built up well and I was just as motivated as Lillian to solve the story - I read this in one afternoon. I also enjoyed the detail about the bookbinding. If you like stories about stories and a little bit of mystery, then I would definitely recommend this book. I hope they give it a cool cover.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read a copy of this book.

The Bookbinder’s Secret is set in Oxford in 1901 and the story follows Lilian Delaney, an apprentice bookbinder navigating her constrained life as a woman in a male-dominated profession. Lily comes across a burned book with a hidden, fifty-year-old letter that reveals a tale of forbidden love, fortune, and murder. This discovery sparks her journey to uncover more hidden books that deepen the mystery. Her search takes her from eccentric London booksellers to private libraries and dusty archives, facing increasingly dangerous opposition from others vying for the books. This historical novel combines elements of mystery, romance, and intrigue, exploring the lengths one might go to uncover the truth and what sacrifices might come with it.

The story uncovers a tale of forbidden romance and the consequences of love, shedding light on how relationships can come at a price. Books are not just objects in this story—they're carriers of secrets, mysteries, and profound connections, emphasizing how literature can hold both beauty and danger.

This was an enjoyable read and one i would recommend adding to your 'to read pile'.