The Book of the Most Precious Substance

'Compulsively readable' Sunday Times

by Sara Gran

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Pub Date Nov 03 2022 | Archive Date Nov 04 2022

Faber and Faber Ltd | Faber & Faber

Horror | Mystery & Thrillers

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Description

A book with all of life's answers, if only you can find it...

DAILY MAIL BOOKS OF THE YEAR
MARIE CLAIRE BOOKS OF THE MONTH
'Palpably seductive.' New York Times
'Extravagant, sexy and compelling. I loved it.' LAUREN BEUKES
'A marvellous, magical novel.' Irish Times
'Clever, sexy, insightful and exciting' Guardian
'A riot.' Marie Claire

Rare book dealer Lily Albrecht has just been given a tip-off about The Book of the Most Precious Substance, a 17th century manual rumoured to be the most powerful occult book ever written, if it really exists at all.

With some of the wealthiest people in the world willing to pay Lily a fortune to track it down, she embarks on a journey from New York to New Orleans to Munich to Paris.

If she finds it, Lily stands to gain more than just money. This could erase the greatest tragedy of her life. But will Lily's quest help her find some answers, or will she lose everything in search of a ghost?

What readers are saying:

***** 'Erotic, thrilling, and tense all the way through. There is nothing like this on the shelves.'
***** 'Devilishly delightful. . . THE BEST TWIST ENDING of the year!!'
***** 'I'm a bit obsessed with this book. . . it's sexy and mysterious and cool, like nothing I've read before.'
***** 'My only complaint is that I wanted more!'

Advance Praise

'So good!' – CrimeReads, The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of '22

'Gran’s plotting is hairpin in its curvature, her descriptions of desire sexy and subtle. Like Lily Albrecht, readers have little choice but to follow the book to its sinister conclusion.' – New York Times

'This is an astonishingly good literary thriller, subversive, sexy and written with huge heart. I loved it to bits.' – Doug Johnstone, author of The Great Silence

'Extravagant, sexy and compelling, I loved it.' – Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls

'The Book Of The Most Precious Substance is a mix of book buying mystery, erotica, and a pinch of Clive Barkerian obsessive existential horror, but it’s all Gran. And it’s all brilliant.' – Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin in the Woods

'So good!' – CrimeReads, The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of '22

'Gran’s plotting is hairpin in its curvature, her descriptions of desire sexy and subtle. Like Lily Albrecht, readers have little...