Fans of the Glass and Steele and The Glass Library series will delight in the new magical historical mystery by USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, C.J. Archer. Set in the years between the two series, the first volume of Professor Gavin Nash’s memoir features beloved characters on a quest for a rare book.


When Gavin travels to Edinburgh with his good friend Oscar Barratt, he’s eager to acquire a centuries-old book on witchcraft for the soon-to-open Glass Library. Even with ruthless railroad magnate John J. Defoe in the bidding, the victory comes easily. Perhaps too easily.


Hours later, the book is stolen.


A single clue links the theft to the recent abduction of two women, both magicians. Desperate to recover the book, Gavin and Oscar find an unexpected ally in Defoe’s enigmatic assistant, Miss Wheeler. But as they delve into the mystery, they uncover far more than they bargained for: a secretive sect, a descendant of the Witchfinder General, and forbidden love letters. 


With time running out for the kidnapped women, can the unlikely trio untangle the lies from the truth before the magicians—and the book—are lost forever?