The Bookshop Below
The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers combines two of my favorite things: bookshops and murder. That definitely doesn’t sound right, but you get it. They’re probably two of your favorite things, too.
The Bookshop Below is a fantasy novel about a hidden world beneath London, where there’s a secret network of magical bookshops. One of these shops is inherited by Cassandra Fairfax who becomes embroiled in a mystery while investigating mysterious disappearances of bookshops and their owners.
Cass is surprised when Chiron leaves her his bookshop considering she left in disgrace long ago - and she’s not the only one who’s surprised. Lowell Sharpe - an unfortunately handsome and excessively irritating rival bookseller - also thinks that not only is she ill-equipped to own the shop but that, in fact, it should have been left to him.
While she’s trying to get the bookshop fixed up and even become a respectable bookstore owner, she - and her shop - are also being pursued by Roth, a nefarious collector she’s dealt with before.
Then there’s the question of Chiron’s murderer…
In this (mostly) cozy fantasy mystery with a low-key enemies to lovers romance, Summers has built a world filled with book magic where ink is a medium for spell casting and bookshops have opinions - perfect for anyone who loves either books or magic but especially for those who love both.
While the world building is strong, the characters are a little two-dimensional, but the world they inhabit is so fun and the mystery engaging enough that it doesn’t detract from how much I enjoyed reading this, and I would happily read anything else Summers sees fit to write about this magical book world.
I listened to the audiobook alongside the e-book, and Gabrielle Nellis-Pain narrated it perfectly, imbuing each word with the appropriate inflection and emotion and definitely adding to my enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hachette Audio for the advance copies for my honest review. Pub. Date 11/18/25
Support your favorite indie bookstore (and me) by using my link to order the audiobook from https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm60355 OR if you prefer using your eyes to read, support your favorite indie (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.
