The Book Of Doors by Gareth Brown

 

Cassie Andrews is living in New York City with her friend, Izzy.  She works in a bookstore and she's not sure if that's what she wants to do but it's great for now as she loves to read and has customers who come often enough that they are familiar.  One of those, an elderly man she always talks with, unfortunately dies in the bookshop, his heart giving out.  He leaves a book behind for Cassie.

Cassie loves the book which is full of pictures and strange writing.  But soon she notices that another man seems to be wherever she and Izzy go.  He finally introduces himself as Drummond Fox, a Scotsman who tells her that her book is special, one of a set of special books.  Hers is the Book Of Doors and with it, she can be transported to anywhere that has a door, even back or forward in time.  Cassie doesn't believe him until she uses it to do just that, go somewhere else without trying.

But Fox warns her there are people who will want her book.  Some buy the books they are able to locate but there are others who will kill for them.  There is a woman who has killed all of Fox's friends and another evil man who will do whatever it takes to get books.  Soon Cassie and Izzy are being chased all over the world by these evil people.  What will it take to be safe?

I can hardly believe this is a debut novel as it is one of the best standalone fantasy novels I've read in a long time.  Gareth Brown is a Scottish author and I really hope he is working on another book.  Cassie grows from a young woman who is pretty aimless to a strong character willing to do whatever it takes to protect those around her and keep her book.  The other characters are imaginably drawn and I wonder if a romance could happen between Cassie and Drummond.  I can highly recommend this book to fantasy readers.