The Library After Dark

by Ande Pliego

Discover this brand new, puzzle-box murder mystery that's guaranteed to keep you hooked until the very last page... perfect for fans of Sarah Pearse and Eight Detectives.

'Irresistible - bright, sharp and rife with danger.' A.J. FINN

'Devilishly clever and gripping right until the end.' IAN MOORE

In the centre of New York stands the city’s most notorious library.

It has a history of mysterious disappearances and freak accidents. But tonight, it opens its doors to welcome a group of strangers for an exclusive after-hours tour.

The famous author. The journalist. The professor. The bookseller. The architect.

They are here to see a legendary book – one of the most valuable in the world. But each visitor also has other, more sinister reasons for being in the library after dark.

As the tour takes them deeper into the building, one of the guests meets a gruesome, inexplicable end – and the others realise they are living on borrowed time.

The search for the murderer forces them to confront awful truths about themselves and decide which secrets are worth dying – or killing – to keep.

Readers can't put down The Library After

'Atmospheric, chilling and brilliantly clever' -Sian Gilbert, author of She Started It

'Stephen King meets Agatha Christie in this brilliant thriller - a triumph. Do not miss this' - Hank Phillippi Ryan, bestselling author of All This Could Be Yours

'‘Richly imagined and wonderfully atmospheric… a fast-paced, locked room thriller’ - Mary Watson, Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Cleaner

'The Library After Dark is Agatha Christie by way of the Brothers Grimm’ - Kelsey Cox, bestselling author of Party of Liars

'I devoured it in one breathless, brilliant sitting' - Ryan Pote, author of Blood and Treasure

'Smart, edgy, and utterly unique, The Library After Dark will beckon you in… but it might never let you out’ - Tare Goedjen, author of Please Enjoy Your Stay

'A chilling and highly addictive locked-room thriller. Get ready for a ride!' - Darby Kane, international best-selling author of Pretty Little Wife

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Horror, Fiction, Books About Books, Adult

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2026

About the author

Ande Pliego began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good. A lover of stories with teeth, she writes books involving mind games, dark humor, general murder and mayhem, and most importantly, finding the hope in the dark.

When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library. Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, she is settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her little son. Ande Pliego is the bestselling author of You Are Fatally Invited and The Library After Dark .

Reviews

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining murder mystery novel that captivated me most with its unique setting, because the possibly haunted library really was such a vibe. The Daedalus Library, also nicknamed the Library of Death, is a former mental hospital that was expensively renovated to house a vast collection of books, maps, antiquaries and plenty of other exhibits. The library is already infamous for its eccentric founder and for multiple mysterious lethal accidents that happened over the years, but on top of that it's also rumored to be haunted and full of hidden passageways. It's home to a variety of death masks and books that are poisonous and books bound in human skin, and it's most well-known for housing the only remaining copy of a possibly cursed collection of fairytales. I would totally visit this place if it existed in real life and I was kind of jealous of the characters in this book who are all invited onto a special after-dark tour through the library's halls. But the jealousy ceased quickly when people started to die one by one and everyone accused everyone of being a serial killer. The tour group consisted of a bookseller, an architect, a professor, an author, a journalist, a teacher and a retired nurse, and all the characters had a deeper connection to the library and were following their own agenda. There are chapters from all of these characters, but we mostly follow Aria, the bookseller, who was dragged on this tour by her new boyfriend. She probably had the most unpleasant history with the library out of all the characters, but basically everyone was mysterious and it was super interesting to unravel all their secrets and hidden goals. The characters weren't exactly deep, but they were also far from the annoying stereotypes of the genre. The book had me hooked in just a few pages and I also liked that there was a little bit of mixed media included. Some pages were good to keep track of everything, like the floor plan and the guest list and a newspaper article, but the included fairytales were actually connected to the plot and that was fun too. I do have to say that the reveals at the end lost me a bit, though. Some things were positively wild, but others were really stupid, like people just not recognizing each other for the entire novel. I also think that the book was missing a detective character who at least tried to figure out what was going on, because the reader is left alone with all the information from like 7 POVs. I'm also criticizing the random and pointless Neil Gaiman / Coraline reference and I don't understand why it would be included in a novel publishing in 2026. I actually hope that it gets removed for the final version. Other than that, I had a really good time with this book. I was reading with great interest for the entire time, theorized alongside it, admired the cool library and enjoyed the inherent bookish love of it all.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine / Bantam for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Samantha | samanthakreads]

DNF

I was intrigued by this book, and it had all the things I would enjoy: a bookseller, a mysterious library, and a locked-room mystery sounded right up my alley. But unfortunately, I had to DNF this one.

There are multiple characters and perspectives that were hard to keep track of, and I felt the book could have used another round of editing. I found myself initially interested, but slowly not wanting to read it. But what led me to DNF was the use of "Christ" in vain. I checked my Kindle ARC and saw it was said 8x. I can handle some language, but that was too much, and I'm surprised, as I believe (I could be wrong) the author is a Christian.

It took me out of the story, and I just didn't want to push myself to continue a book I knew I wasn't going to enjoy or rate highly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC. All thoughts are 100% my own.

[Paris (parismaereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Genre 📚 thriller
- Language 🤐 moderate
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 none
- Content 🤔 graphic on page death/murder

Is Ande Pliego ruining thrillers for me?!

I have so much to say about this thriller, but I’ll keep it brief. It is an atmospheric mashup of thriller, fantasy, and a dash of horror. It is CREEPY, I read it at night before bed and got spooked a few times. I don’t remember the last time I couldn’t read a thriller at night, I loved it 😅

Everyone’s a suspect with a secret in this locked room thriller. If you love knives out mysteries and clue, with a Grimm’s Fairy Tale twist, this is the move.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Library After Dark starts with Aria, a bookseller, and Jasper, one of her bookstore regulars, going on a Valentine's Day date. It seems they're new in their relationship, but if the date that Jasper has planned is any indication, he knows Aria quite well already.

He's gotten them tickets to an exclusive, after-dark tour of the Daedalus Library. For a Book Lover, a dream date!



The Daedalus is an imposing establishment known for more than its book collection. It's also filled with immersive genre-based reading rooms and rumored hauntings.

Even though Jasper believed it was going to be a private tour, it's not long before other guests end up arriving and they've all got tickets for the tour as well. Though initially disgruntled, apparently he needs privacy to be romantic, there's not much to be done about it.

Meanwhile, we learn from Aria's perspective, that she has a personal connection to the Daedalus that she'd rather keep secret from Jasper and everyone else.



This was the section of the book that stuck with me the most. The other group members were Wes, Piper, Michelle, Callum, Ruth and Saskia, but Saskia worked at the Daedalus and was their tour guide.

Not long into the tour, the automatic doors seemingly malfunction, trapping the group inside the library. From there, it's a fight to find a way out, but when bodies start dropping, it turns into a fight to survive the night.



I was pretty invested in this at the start. Meeting Aria and Jasper, as well as learning about the Daedalus was fun and engaging. Then all the other characters start rolling in, and we're getting ALL of their perspectives.

We're hopping around amongst them, learning about their connections to the Daedalus and trying to keep track of all the action going on in the library. It quickly became a lot.



Around 60%, my interest was gone entirely. It should've kept my attention. Everyone had secrets and their own motivations for being there, but the way it was tossed together, it made it unpleasant to try to track.

After that point, it was as unenjoyable for me as the author's first book, You Are Fatally Invited. So, unfortunately, even though it did initially have a lot of promise, I was entirely let down by the second half.

It was sooooo convoluted by the end. I think this is my last go with this author. I gave their first book 1.5-stars and this is getting a 2. I just don't think they're for me. Good concepts, poor execution.



Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm sure I'll be in the minority opinion on this one, but I'm always honest about my experience with the books I read.

Sadly, this author isn't for me.

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

out of all the 2026 synopses i've read, this one is my favorite :]

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I loved You Are Fatally Invited so I was super excited to read the authors new book. A locked room murder mystery in a library at night that maybe haunted.. that is one intriguing storyline.

This story does take quite a bit to get going. It was really slow and dragged in for almost half the book until something really happened. Once it did not let up. There are a lot of characters to get your head around and it was difficult to keep track of them all and seperate them. As well as this there were characters who were not who they said they were and that confused me even more.

The point of view jumps around so much and so fast that I did have a hard time following who we were hearing from and when. This is one big library, so many rooms to explore and possibly die in. The deaths were quite shocking, in fitting with the library that held so many secrets.

I really did like the concept of this story, and the details of the library itself were so vivid. The conclusion was completely unexpected and very interesting, once I got my head around it all.

A fun read for the most part, thanks to Ballantine, Bantam for my early copy to read on NetGalley. Publishes on May 5th

[Manon (mysterymanon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loveeee an ambitious premise and, for the most part, this one paid off. A labyrinthine library, cursed and deadly secrets, a possible serial killer ghost, and an after-hours tour group in peril. Lots to enjoy here!

I do think this got quite cluttered in the end, with a lot of plot elements large and small scrambling for attention as they wrap up. The book is still enjoyable, but I wish it was more polished in its denouement.

Fans of bibliomysteries with dark themes will find something to enjoy here.

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood-drenched and brilliant, THE LIBRARY AFTER DARK is a story of survival…and what happens after you’ve done the worst things imaginable.

While the first 30% takes some time for set-up and character introduction, after that mark I was absolutely tearing through the pages, breathless with horror and hope.

Just like with YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED, Pliego manages a beautiful balance of devastation and delight. Her characters are flawed, entirely human—and yet, light exists past the darkness of their deeds. I also really loved the romance subplot with all its twists and turns.

I cannot wait to see what Pliego writes next—she has become an auto-buy author. For those craving folkloric horror that carves out your heart yet uplifts your starving soul, this is for you. 🖤🥀

🥀 Note: I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and the author as part of her Street Team. I was not required to leave a positive review. 🥀

[Chelsea | thrillerbookbabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Ande Pliego and Random House for my copy of this book. It's about Aria, a girl who feels like everything is going right, and she has finally escaped her past. As a surprise, a man she has been seeing gets her tickets to an after dark tour of a famous library, known for it's grand architecture and rumored hauntings. While normally this would be something she would love, Aria has a dark past tied to the library. Then the doors malfunction and trap them inside, forcing them deeper into the library and its literal and metaphorical traps.

Thoughts: This book had a lot going on. I think it had an amazing premise and the storyline sucked me in. It was slow to get into, but mysterious, and I didn't know the direction the story would take. There was a lot of symbolism and meaning behind the fairytales, which was an interesting way to break up the chapters.

I personally felt like there was way too much going on and it became hard to keep track of. There were too many first person POV and too many weaving connections that felt a bit messy and confusing. I did like the book, but it was a bit too dark and complex when I didn't feel it needed to be. 3 stars for me.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hooo, this was a hot mess. The idea of the library was great, but the execution failed. I feel this book's existence is a symptom of the pressure on genre authors to publish a book a year. It might have been good if given more time to cook. She had a good story in her first book, and now this one is entirely made up of thriller and mystery cliches, all to the tune of overblown figurative language that makes no sense and does not belong in a mystery book. Very little substance, lots of melodramatic language.

Some examples:

"A memory flickers in a blink, pebbling my arms in goose bumps: Evangeline's skin-covered finger bones guiding a pen over a notebook page" — just say "fingers"!!!!

"The lights go out, and beneath our feet, the elevator drops to our screams" — there has to be a better way to phrase this. Also, this is how most of the chapters end like this, on a cheap cliffhanger.

"My entrails cinch together" — this is not a thing

"The name inches a little deeper through my chest, and I flick it off like a spider." — anytime an author starts talking about things in the chest you know you're in trouble, it's an image authors without much to say often come back to

"Something bit at my core." — Just let the story speak for itself! we don't need physical reactions from POV characters, we can figure it out on our own

"But the rage that had pupated inside me for so long metamorphosed into grief when I walked through the hall of death masks." — sigh

I'm not saying goodbye to this author, but I certainly won't be paying full price for one of her books again until she has more books under her belt, and after I've read it first from the library.

Also, authors: resist the impulse to have multiple narrators unless you can differentiate voice, and your plot is under control. And please note the first person present tense narrative here. Always a mistake when your craft isn't working.

Buzzword Reading Challenge 2026: a border/frame

[Chrystal Schleyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love books and libraries and stories in stories, you’re going to LOVE this book. A fast-paced, stay up all night thriller that keeps you guessing! I loved Jasper’s character, and love the way Ande wrote Aria’s character growth! This was such a FUN, thrilling ride with all my favorite things!! I need a private, fancy library tour now—sans a killer.

[Hannah Stob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was overall entertained and engaged throughout this book! I am a fan of thrillers that keep me guessing and The Library After Dark did just that.

I loved the added twists of the fairy tales throughout. I liked reading them and then seeing how they played out in the main story. Fairy tales in their nature are very grim and they followed that same formula in the real story so that was a bit gruesome at times. I could have done without a lot of the bloody scenes but overall, they were easy enough to read though.

I would highly recommend reading this book with as few breaks as you can. Picking the book up and then putting it down for a few days at a time did not serve me well with all the characters and their interconnected stories. I think I would have enjoy it more (and understood it more) if I had read it in one or two sittings.

Overall, I really enjoyed the characters, the plot twists, the setting, and the ending. I would highly recommend if you like thriller/mysteries with multiple points of view!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Library After Dark promised a lot, and more or less failed in the execution, but it was also fun at times. Multiple first person POVs wasn’t a terrible idea, but all of the characters felt flat, a lot more telling instead of showing, and I often had to go back and see which character was telling the story as none of them had a distinct voice from the others.

The library itself was supposed to be a major character here, not just the setting, and I never really felt a strong sense of place or that the setting was used to serve the story.

I can’t put my finger on it, but the writing had a vibe I was not enjoying, it wasn’t quite YA, but it never felt adult either.

I did like the fairy tales that opened a large number of chapters and I did want to stick with the story to find out who got killed, how they were murdered and who the killer was….in the end though the kills weren’t very inventive and there weren’t too many surprises.

[Tiffany]

Thank you, Ballantine | Bantam, for sending me this ARC. I absolutely loved You Are Fatally Invited, so I am very excited to read this one.

Pub Date May 05 2026

[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
Audiobook narration was fantastic though

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A literary setting that feels so original and unique, a must read for lovers of libraries! This was tense and atmospheric all while being familiar, it made the read so fun. I enjoyed the various characters we got to know and they were all crucial to uncovering the full story. Really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend to thriller fans!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect follow-up to You Are Fatally Invited—which I binged and adored—Ande Pliego’s sophomore novel is every bit as lush, imaginative, and chilling as her first. Picture a tour group trapped in a mysterious (and likely haunted) library with a dark history, but throw in a series of frightful fairy tales for added atmosphere and symbolism. The result is a playful mystery with major appeal for lovers of Agatha Christie, Gothic fiction, and knife-edge suspense. The fun of this novel isn’t only in its breadcrumb trail of clever clues, but also the literary Easter eggs Pliego plants in the library’s one-of-a-kind reading rooms and characters’ conversations. Everyone is hiding something, and their secrets might just kill them. This is my kind of book.

[Katie | katieturnsthepage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to @netgalley and @bantambooks for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! 💚 But sheesh loueesh, this book was an absolute SLOG to get through…. I almost DNFed it several times because I was so bored and confused!

I really enjoyed this author’s first book, YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED, and it had a similar vibe to THE LIBRARY AFTER DARK (multiple potential suspects, characters who aren’t what they seem, a locked room mystery, etc.), but whereas her first book was somewhat memorable and easy to follow, this one was just messy. Firstly, there are a LOT of characters, and even those characters seem to go through multiple secret identities, to the point where I was having a hard time keeping track of who was who. In addition, the setting was so confusing as well that I had a hard time actually picturing what was going on. I think Pliego was trying to make the Daedalus Library a lot like the Winchester House in California (stairs that lead to nowhere, rooms that just go on and on….that kind of thing) but as a library/museum instead of a house, and it just didn’t work for me. There were so many random things packed into it and multiple different floors and tunnels that I really question how big this building actually is. 😆

But I think my main problem is that I really didn’t understand what the whole point of the story was? It all centers around this book of dark fairy tales, and I guess you’re just supposed to suspend disbelief that something like that would have like a cult following (to the point where people would kill to get their hands on it)….but there are also many murders that have taken place in the building (prior to our story) and possibly some ghosts thrown into the mix as well. I spent about 98% of this book struggling to understand what was happening or even CARING about what was happening. I saw most of the “twists” coming from a mile away too, so that didn’t help much. 😑

So yeah, I wish I had just DNFed it, but it was honestly one of the ARCs that I was MOST looking forward to. 😩 But it genuinely took me nearly a week to finish this, because I just wasn’t excited to get back to it! Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mindset for it right now. 🤷🏼‍♀️ My reading slump continues! 😢

[Erin McInnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars overall. When i first got into this book, i loved it! i loved the mystery, haunted library vibe and was excited to see where the story was going. i do enjoy different character POVs but towards the end of this book it got very confusing. Ultimately, there were too many characters... they were pretending to be other people and in some cases pretending to be/or thought to be multiple different people so when some of the reveals were made, i was like wait who is that?? ultimately very confusing. i also felt like the book was a bit too long... towards the end, i was ready for it to wrap up.

[Jessa Layne • readwithjessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aria Stokes finally feels like life is falling into place with her New York apartment, her job at a local bookstore, and her growing connection with regular customer Jasper. For Valentine’s Day, Jasper surprises her with tickets to an exclusive after-dark tour of the mysterious Daedalus Library, a place known for its immersive rooms, rumored hauntings, and a dark secret from Aria’s past. When the group becomes trapped inside after the doors malfunction, they must navigate hidden passageways and twisting rooms while realizing there is a murderer among them. As danger closes in, Aria has to decide who she can trust if she wants to make it out alive.

I enjoyed this book so much, and the creepy haunted library setting where no one is who they seem was perfection. I love a locked room mystery, and having it take place in a library with everyone as a suspect made it even better. Once the story picks up, it never slows down, with so many twists, characters, and scenes that were vivid enough to leave my mind spinning. I was very invested in all the characters, their stories and everything in between. This was such a fun read, and I honestly think it would make an amazing movie.

Thank you to Ballantine/Bantam for the gifted ARC and to PRHaudio for the gifted ALC!

[Samidha; समिधा · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, suspenseful locked room murder-mystery! This author is quickly becoming a favorite for me. The cast of characters often sounded the same due to the multiple first person perspectives, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
There’s also a mystery for the reader within the mystery.
As an aside, if anyone has been able to correctly guess the order of the tales, please share because I am dying to solve that one!

[Caitlin Bunting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read from this author and I am intrigued to read more. This one was very easy to read and had a really good murder mystery throughout, I really enjoyed the flow of this one which kept me hooked.

[megan ◡̈]

tldr: too confusing, too boring

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This is a fun thriller set in a creepy gothic library with a whole cast of unreliable narrators. There are more twists and turns than I could count, and it definitely kept me guessing. I loved the macabre “Library of Death” setting, as well as the “Dark Hearth Tales” sprinkled throughout the story. A page turner for sure! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine/Bantam for the ARC.

[Shona · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️💫 In the centre of New York stands the city’s most notorious library. It has a history of mysterious disappearances & freak accidents. But tonight, it opens its doors to welcome a group of strangers for an exclusive after-hours tour: The famous author. The journalist. The professor. The bookseller. The architect. They are all here to see a legendary book – one of the most valuable in the world but each visitor also has other, more sinister reasons for being in the library after dark. As the tour takes them deeper into the building, one of the guests meets a gruesome, inexplicable end – and the others realise they are living on borrowed time.

After loving ‘You Are Fatally Invited’ last year I was keen to read more by this author, and this second title is definitely packed with all the mysterious punches!

Told from several different character POV’s throughout, it is evident from the beginning that nothing is quite what it seems with this invited group of people. There are a lot of character involved here and it did take me a while to get my head around everyone, the differing character viewpoint chapters sometimes causing a little confusion as to who was who.

This takes a darker and more gruesome turn than previously, the graphic descriptions of some events leaving little to the imagination, the author truly enrapturing the tension created throughout. The insertion of ‘Fairy Tales’ from the legendary book were intriguing but felt a little disjointed at times but the reader is kept guessing at every twist and turn, unaware of just what fate meets the next guest. Honestly at points there were shivers down the spine moments!

The twists are definitely unexpected, snippets of clues been dripped through the prose at relevant sections, causing enough misdirection for the reveals to have the impact they deserve. Whilst I was a little underwhelmed with the conclusion, and the pace sagging a little in the middle section, it was still a cleverly written story.

[Freya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year!!

Welcome to Daedalus Library AKA “The Library of Death!”

Home to the “The Dark Hearth Tales”, a book of horrific fairy tales that predates the Brothers Grimm. Some say the book is cursed and that the author is unknown.

We have 7 attendees for the after dark tour led by Librarian, Saskia.

Everyone has secrets. Everyone is lying. Everyone is connected. Not everyone is who they say they are. Not everyone will make it out alive.

So many rooms and so little time. Please be sure to visit the Anthropodermic book room and the Hall of Death Masks. You just might see a face you recognize.

Please do not bring any water into the Rose Room. Arsenic becomes airborne once activated. Books are poisonous, as are the walls.

Let’s not forget the hall of Mary Shelly paintings or the passageway with the guillotine. You must pass underneath the blade to continue through. Rooms will seal themselves shut at certain times of the day. Security measures, surely you understand?

What an extraordinary book!! This story kept me on the edge of my seat. So many twists turns! Like they just kept coming. Just when you think everything is revealed, something else comes. The library created by this author is the most spectacular beautiful macabre place ever written. Blown away by the creativity.

Thank you to the author, @bantam and @netgalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[faria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly loved this so much. It was such a spontaneous pick up, I last minute needed a book to take for my train journey and grabbed this out of my locker and I'm so glad I did because otherwise I'm not sure when I would've gotten round to it.

It was such an interesting, fun read. The library being this old building in the middle of new york, associated with ghost stories and haunting and mysterious deaths, housing numerous rare books with one being basically the darker grimm's fairy tales that has a history of deaths surrounding it - doesn't everything about that draw you in? Then the owner of the building, Evangeline, dies under mysterious circumstances and the library is set to have an open viewing of the fairy tales book but a few people are invited to see it in a private tour before that happens. A little while into the tour one of the guests dies gruesomely and the others are locked in with no way out. I literally loved every single part of this book, I completely devoured it. I now need to read Ande's previous book because I am obsessed with her writing!

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this hoping, and somewhat expecting, something a little atmospheric and mysterious, but wow! This was so much more than that! I loved how the story balanced the quiet, almost eerie library setting with an undercurrent of tension that just kept building. There’s something about secrets unfolding in a place that’s supposed to feel safe that really worked for me. The connections, the unease, the sense that not everything is what it seems, it all came together in a way that kept me hooked. And that creeping feeling of something lurking beneath the surface? So well done. Loved it!

[Katie (Katieeatsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

04/23/2026-04/24/2026

Thank you Bantam for the gifted digital and physical copies of “The Library After Dark” by Ande Pliego 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Coming 05/05/2026)

Hello?!

Just when you think you’ve figured out this murder mystery “party” you’re proven wrong every single time and it’s gut wrenching! 🩸

Though I’d have really loved to see what happened one year after 🤭

This little thriller/horror had me on the edge of my seat going “WTF” and “oh my god that’s disgusting” every five seconds 😂 💚

[Lindsey (endless_tbr_list) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - A locked door, who-done-it mystery set in a labyrinthine library after hours? It's like Pliego was speaking directly to my soul with this one.

If you enjoy the idea of spending the night in a haunted house, visiting macabre museum exhibits, and/or Clue in any of its forms, this book is for you, my friend. The cast of characters is wonderfully varied - an architect, a nurse, a writer, and a journalist just to name a few - and composed of individuals who all seem to have their own, private reason for stepping into The Daedalus Library that night. And we all know, the best way to make sure things run smoothly is to have as many secrets as possible to work with.

Aria Stokes was determined to leave her past behind her, but when her boyfriend, Jasper, presents her with tickets to a tour of the one place she never wanted to see again, she finds she can't say no. So when elevators start breaking and lights go out, Aria realizes she must face everything she's been running from if she's going to make it out of these walls alive.

As with all satisfying thrillers, this novel is fast-paced, exciting, and full of twists and turns - not just regarding the library's layout. Add in the unsettling vibes encompassing the book of fairy tales around which this story revolves, and you have a recipe for murder-filled mayhem that would make Agatha Christie proud.

Thank you to Bantam for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.