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12 of the most anticipated debut books of 2024

The Book of Doors

Addictive, brilliantly written and utterly irresistible, The Book of Doors is a spell-binding, mind-bending, heart-pounding new adventure that is perfect for fans of The Binding, The Midnight Library and A Discovery of Witches . . . 
 
‘Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure' STUART TURTON 
 
‘A clever and beautiful novel about the power of books’ SUNYI DEAN 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
Because some doors should never be opened. 
 
New York bookseller Cassie Andrews is not sure what she’s doing with her life. She lives quietly, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Izzy. Then a favourite customer gives her an old book. Full of strange writing and mysterious drawings, at the very front there is a handwritten message: 
 
This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door. 
 
Cassie is about to discover that the Book of Doors is a special book – a magic book. A book that bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever possesses it. And she is about to learn that there are other magic books out there that can also do wondrous – or dreadful and terrifying – things. 
 
Because where there is magic there is power and there are those who will stop at nothing to possess it. 
 
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is Drummond Fox who has a secret library of magical books hidden in the shadows for safekeeping, a man fleeing his own demons. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . . 
 
Because this book is worth killing for. 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
‘A stunning fever dream of a story’ LEE CHILD 
 
‘Full of magic, wonder and heart’ ANITA FRANK 
 
‘A magical, mesmerising adventure from the very first page’ A. J. WEST 
 
‘A beautiful, unputdownable love letter to books’ BETH LEWIS 
 
‘A real page-turner – incredibly ambitious and inventive’ ROSIE ANDREWS

Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure. This book is as magical as those it celebrates.

STUART TURTON, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

A stunning fever dream of a story that feels completely real – don't miss this fantastic thriller debut.

'A real page-turner - incredibly ambitious and inventive, The Book of Doors is a great read.'

A brilliant page-turner - a clever and beautiful novel about the power of books, and a tribute to those who champion them.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is so good! A brilliant concept executed with mind-blowing precision, this intricately plotted book is breathtakingly clever, cinematic in scope and full of magic, wonder and heart.

The Book of Doors has everything — magic books, fascinating time loops, dreadful villains and likeable protagonists. Yet this is no children’s book, this is a book aimed squarely at adults. It’s clever, fast-paced and so very, very dark. I absolutely loved it.

M. W. CRAVEN, author of the Washington Poe series

A magical, mesmerising adventure from the very first page. This is an extraordinary debut, rich with atmosphere. I think we've discovered something special. I dare you to step inside The Book of Doors, you won't want to leave.

A. J. WEST, author of The Spirit Engineer

The Book of Doors is a beautiful, unputdownable love letter to books and the power they hold in their pages. I loved it

Magical . . . a genius concept, brilliantly realised and beautifully written. If you enjoyed The Night Circus or Addie LaRue, you’ll be all over this . . . it’s gonna be HUGE!

A stunning adventure story. I loved it . . . fantastic storytelling.

CHRIS FROST, author of The Killer's Christmas List

Deftly written, a fascinating exploration of causality and choice.

GENEVIEVE COGMAN, author of The Invisible Library series

The Book of Doors is a stunningly visual read. Engaging, poetic, and beautifully phrased, it’s evocative imagery and well-thought-out characters lend to an adventurous tale brimming with possibility. The fight against a truly sinister villain will keep readers turning pages all the way to the end!

CHARLIE N. HOLMBERG, author of Keeper of Enchanted Rooms:

This whimsical, magical adventure will sweep you away from the first page to the last. Utterly unputdownable.

FRANCES WHITE, author of Voyage of the Damned

What begins like a joyous daydream soon becomes a suspenseful thriller . . . a truly magical book: exciting, intricately plotted and emotionally compelling.

Twists and turns galore . . . this story, for one, moves at breakneck speed . . . it's the work of an author who shows considerable promise and has a sure grasp of how contemporary fantasy works.

A twisty good vs evil contemporary fantasy that's a testament to the multi-layered magic of books.

An escapist time-travelling read with life-affirming messages, it's perfect for fans of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library.

The adventure which unfurls is mesmerizing to read.

An ambitious work that starts slowly and builds into a compelling story . . . plenty of literal page-turning moments, and some clever plotting that leads to a satisfying ending.

You can't slam the door on this one...

A book this brilliantly written is a rare thing indeed; it kept me utterly transfixed from first page to last. Simply sublime storytelling.

MENNA VAN PRAAG, author of The Sisters Grimm

Born in Falkirk, Gareth Brown wanted to be a writer from a very young age. He wrote his first (unpublished) novel when in his teens and short stories while at university. For the last twenty years he has worked in the UK Civil Service and is currently Director of Screening for NHS Scotland. An inveterate traveller, he particularly relishes the experience of arriving somewhere new: those first few hours of culture shock and noise and bustle in an unfamiliar city - a passion that influenced the writing of his Sunday Times bestselling debut, The Book of Doors. Gareth Brown lives just outside Edinburgh.

Addictive, brilliantly written and utterly irresistible, The Book of Doors is a spell-binding, mind-bending, heart-pounding new adventure that is perfect for fans of The Binding, The Midnight Library and A Discovery of Witches . . . 
 
‘Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure' STUART TURTON 
 
‘A clever and beautiful novel about the power of books’ SUNYI DEAN 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
Because some doors should never be opened. 
 
New York bookseller Cassie Andrews is not sure what she’s doing with her life. She lives quietly, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Izzy. Then a favourite customer gives her an old book. Full of strange writing and mysterious drawings, at the very front there is a handwritten message: 
 
This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door. 
 
Cassie is about to discover that the Book of Doors is a special book – a magic book. A book that bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever possesses it. And she is about to learn that there are other magic books out there that can also do wondrous – or dreadful and terrifying – things. 
 
Because where there is magic there is power and there are those who will stop at nothing to possess it. 
 
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is Drummond Fox who has a secret library of magical books hidden in the shadows for safekeeping, a man fleeing his own demons. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . . 
 
Because this book is worth killing for. 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
‘A stunning fever dream of a story.’ LEE CHILD 
 
‘Full of magic, wonder and heart’ ANITA FRANK 
 
‘A magical, mesmerising adventure from the very first page’ A. J. WEST 
 
‘A beautiful, unputdownable love letter to books.’ BETH LEWIS 
 
‘A real page-turner – incredibly ambitious and inventive.’ ROSIE ANDREWS

Gareth Brown

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a dazzling, globe-trotting thriller with a spectacular dash of magic. Like Michael Crichton at his finest, but with fantasy. Brilliant stuff!

Huge fun; a fast-paced globetrotting tale.

Endlessly inventive, Brown transports the reader to new worlds filled with adventure and magic.

A. J. WEST, author of The Betrayal of Thomas True

The Society of Unknowable Objects utterly demolishes the difficult second book syndrome. A thrilling, globe-spanning adventure that wrong footed me at every turn, and like The Book of Doors, features a truly memorable villain.

Filmic, fast paced and brilliantly imaginative, Gareth Brown’s The Society of Unknowable Objects is a thrilling read that will leave you eager for the next instalment of this hugely entertaining fantasy series.

Fantastical . . . so begins this quirky adventure with echoes of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and The Da Vinci Code.

A fast-paced flight of magic, mystery and whimsy, whisking readers on an around-the-world adventure alongside a lovable cast of characters tasked with protecting the world’s most valuable secret — and perhaps keeping a few secrets of their own.

The Da Vinci Code meets magic in a rollicking tale of secrets and espionage. I loved the international settings, the diverse cast of characters, the edge-of-your-seat plot . . . a pacy, action-packed joy of a read!

FIZA SAEED McLYNN, author of The Midnight Carousel

Gripping, fantastical story . . . whisking readers from a cosy bookshop in London to the bustling cityscape of Hong Kong to a forgotten town in the deep south of America. It’s full of impossible magic, damning secrets and ordinary characters wrestling with extraordinary objects. But the best element of this story is its dark, cinematic heart, which explores what happens when god-like power is placed in the wrong hands . . . Brown weaves an intriguing mystery.

Brown’s propulsive plot and plucky heroine keep the pages turning. It’s good fun.

Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure. This book is as magical as those it celebrates.

A stunning fever dream of a story that feels completely real – don't miss this fantastic thriller debut.

A real page-turner - incredibly ambitious and inventive, The Book of Doors is a great read.

Get ready to be spellbound by the new, fantastical novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy sensation The Book of Doors . . . 
 
'A dazzling, globe-trotting thriller with a spectacular dash of magic. Like Michael Crichton at his finest, but with fantasy. Brilliant stuff!' SUNYI DEAN, bestselling author of The Book Eaters 
 
The world of unknowable objects - magical items that most people have no idea possess powers - has been quiet for decades . . . 
 
But three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world - and keep the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artefact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends the Society's newest member, author Magda Sparks, to investigate. 
 
Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artefact that not even the rest of the Society knows about. 
 
Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States - not in pursuit of an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps. 
 
Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful: the truth. 
 
Praise for Gareth Brown's The Book of Doors: 
 
'Joyful, exuberant, and crackling with adventure. This book is as magical as those it celebrates.' STUART TURTON, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle 
 
'A stunning fever dream of a story that feels completely real – don't miss this fantastic thriller debut.' LEE CHILD 
 
'A real page-turner - incredibly ambitious and inventive, The Book of Doors is a great read.' 
ROSIE ANDREWS, author of The Leviathan

Gareth Brown

Praise for The Society of Unknowable Objects

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a dazzling, globe-trotting thriller with a spectacular dash of magic. Like Michael Crichton at his finest, but with fantasy. Brilliant stuff!

Huge fun; a fast-paced globetrotting tale.

Endlessly inventive, Brown transports the reader to new worlds filled with adventure and magic.

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a dazzling, globe-trotting thriller with a spectacular dash of magic. Like Michael Crichton at his finest, but with fantasy. Brilliant stuff!

Huge fun; a fast-paced globetrotting tale.

Endlessly inventive, Brown transports the reader to new worlds filled with adventure and magic.

The Society of Unknowable Objects is a dazzling, globe-trotting thriller with a spectacular dash of magic. Like Michael Crichton at his finest, but with fantasy. Brilliant stuff!

Huge fun; a fast-paced globetrotting tale.

Endlessly inventive, Brown transports the reader to new worlds filled with adventure and magic.

Books by Gareth Brown

Articles featuring Gareth Brown

12 of the most anticipated debut books of 2024

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