The Dark Library

A Novel

Mary Anna Evans

$29.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Poisoned Pen Press
02 September 2025

Historical dark academia meets Rebecca in a new psychological suspense novel set during WWII

""A fascinating and intelligent WWII home front story."" -Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author for The Physicists' Daughter

Can a family's dark history repeat itself?

Estella Ecker has returned to Rockfall House, the last place on earth she wants to be. Years after she ran away from her overbearing father, she has been forced back home to walk in his footsteps, teaching at the college he dominated and living in the fabulous home where he entertained artists and scholars for decades-and perhaps she owns it now, because her mercurial mother has disappeared. At the center of everything-the whispers, the rumors, the secrets-is her father's library of rare books, which she had been forbidden to touch while he was alive to stop her.

Everyone in town is watching Estella, with her dead father's name on their lips, and no one seems to care about her missing mother. Who were her parents, really, and is the answer hidden somewhere in the depths of Rockfall House? And who will Estella be, if she gathers enough courage to find that answer? What she discovers is that no one can escape the secrets hidden in this dark library.

Suspenseful and unsettling but ultimately triumphant, The Dark Library by acclaimed author Mary Anna Evans is a compelling tale of mystery, family secrets, and the quest for truth.

By: Mary Anna Evans
Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 209mm, Width: 141mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 391g
ISBN: 9781728293677
ISBN 10: 1728293677
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 02 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Mary Anna Evans is the author of the Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries, which have received recognition including the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Mississippi Author Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals. She is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches fiction and nonfiction writing. Winner of the 2018 Sisters in Crime (SinC) Academic Research Grant

Reviews for The Dark Library: A Novel

""Evans delivers an elaborate historical mystery...fans of gothic suspense will be delighted.""--Publishers Weekly ""Unexpected allies, false and true friends, and bitter revelations about the past and present all lead to the dramatic 'act of God' ending that such a story requires. Great fun!""--firstCLUE ""An immersive and fast-paced historical thriller, with a sophisticated twist. E is a main character with a fabulous voice who you would want as a friend."" -- Stacie Grey, author of She Left and She Didn't Stand a Chance ""Mary Anna Evans plunges us into a deceptively peaceful Hudson Valley village in the midst of wartime where all is not what it appears and the intrepid and bookish heroine must decipher a labyrinthine trail of secrets and lies. As stunning and breathtaking as a walk along the Hudson Highlands, The Dark Library had me reading late into the dark hours."" -- Carol Goodman, two-time winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Prize and author of Return to Wyldcliffe Heights