The Library After Dark

by Ande Pliego

A bookseller must escape the infamously haunted library that holds her darkest secrets, but with a murderer in her tour group, escaping alive is not as simple as it seems, in this twisty locked-room thriller from the bestselling author of You Are Fatally Invited.

Not all fairytales were meant for children.

Aria Stokes is finally feeling settled—she lives in a tiny New York apartment, works as a bookseller at a local shop, and has even taken a leap of faith in love by indulging her attraction to bookstore regular Jasper. And he seems to already know her so well.

As a Valentine’s Day surprise, Jasper gets the two of them tickets to an exclusive, after-dark tour of the Daedalus Library—the grandiose establishment famed for its immersive genre-based reading rooms and, more notoriously, its rumored hauntings. While Aria normally loves all things ghastly, this place holds more dark secrets than she’d prefer Jasper to know. Like that the last time she was here, she left a body behind.

But when the automatic-door entry malfunctions and Aria, Jasper, and the five other people in their tour group become trapped in the library, they are forced to venture through the storied rooms and hidden passageways of the Daedalus in search of escape . . . and Aria quite literally has nowhere to hide from the shadows of her past. Then the group learns there’s a murderer in their midst.

Now, as she tries to break out of the library’s intricate reading rooms, Aria has to decide who she can trust—and what secrets are best kept buried—if she wants to make it out alive.

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

Kindle Edition

Expected publication 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]

Full review to come closer to publication date, but I really quite enjoyed this haunted library murder mystery!

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 this, using Christ as a swear word, is a BIG no for me, 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.

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

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

[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. 🥀

[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!!

[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.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved You Are Fatally Invited, but The Library After Dark is what officially adds Ande Pliego to my auto-read author list! It’s like The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (one of my favorite books of all time), House on Haunted Hill, and Clue had a baby. The mysterious patron with a wealth of familial secrets. The setting with its gothic atmosphere, eery fairytales, and deadly history. The guest list full of suspects — everyone is lying, everyone has a secret. The perfect recipe to keep me reading late into the night! Every time I thought I knew what the guests were hiding, there’d be another shocking reveal. This story is perfect for lovers of thrillers, books about books, and mysteries that keep you on your toes. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam Books, Ballantine Books, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Anton Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

It's been a while since a mystery could truly grab me, and damn if this didn't do that. The story unfolds like a gothic novel for the modern age, with believable melodrama, scares, and an atmosphere that needs to be experienced to fully appreciate.

The library itself was its own character, reading like some strange sleeping beast you were waiting, tensed, to wake up. Gosh do I wish this horrifying place existed in real life, I'd never have money.

I loved the different POV switches, it's always been one of my favorite storytelling devices, and I can't imagine a better story to use it than a compelling whodunnit. Each character was well fleshed out, no matter how little of their POV you got. And when someone dies, you feel it. The deaths are abrupt and the story grasps with both hands the sobering reality that life continues on for everyone else.

If there was one thing I'd have tweaked, it's the reveal. There are no exposition dumps here, everything is organic in its discovery, but the end reveal, the mystery we've all been amping up to, fell kind of flat. The first 95% of the book is done so well with it's multiple twists and turns that I think this is a case of the bar being set high early on. Rushed is the best way I can describe it, but thankfully it was at the end and wasn't terrible, so it doesn't ruin the story. For me at least.

I loved the quasi epilogue, and while I'd like to see more stories orbiting this location, its gentle open ending is hopeful instead of stressful.

A must read for book lovers, library lovers, conspiracy theorists, paranormal enthusiasts, and good old fashioned "Clue" style mysteries.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ande Pliego is quickly becoming the queen of a locked room thriller! I loved this book!

The creepy and haunted library setting where no one is who they seem was perfection. I was fully engaged from the beginning and this book kept me guessing until the very end. I love a good plot twist and this book really delivered.

A super fun read and I can’t wait to see what else she puts out!

[Ryan Pote · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Twisty, atmospheric, and wickedly clever—The Library After Dark is Ande Pliego at her absolute sharpest. A locked-library bloodbath laced with dark romance and secrets that cut deeper than any blade; I devoured it in one breathless, brilliant sitting.”

[char !!]

need this arc approved coz Ande Pliego's first book was my first ever arc 🥲

[Lauren Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ARC via NetGalley. After about halfway through I didn’t want to put it down. The first couple of chapters took some commitment to get through (as most do!) but the plot and characters kept me guessing til the end. The author’s choice of vocabulary and sentences in the beginning wasn’t very reader friendly, but that did get better as the book continued.

[Elizabeth Edquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ande Pliego does it again. From the very first page I was hooked and I couldn’t put this book down. I love multiple perspectives, especially in a thriller where you don’t know who to trust, and Pliego does that so well. Each character and voice is so unique. The twist at the end totally blew me away and I never saw it coming. Pliego has a way of distracting you from the truth with her prose and she reels you in only to completely surprise you. I also absolutely loved the fairytale element of this book. The stories really added an additional layer of mystery and magic. An easy five stars!

[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.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Perhaps I'd just forgotten that fairy tales were cautionary tales."

I feel like this book the way I did about Marisha Pessl's Darkly- excited to devour the book but finding it a) hard to get into and b) a suspension of disbelief over the object (in this book, a collection of fairy tales) causing such a cult following. There are so many characters and all of them sound the same, from a young woman to an old Scottish professor to a retired nurse (this is a major pet peeve of mine when an author chooses to write everything in first person). Many times I had to remember whose chapter I was in as to what secrets this particular character had.

The story is clever but because I read Pliego's last book, I was ready for gruesome deaths, murders that might not be fatal, a large cast of characters who all have something to hide, and tricks of how she uses language. I had a hard time understanding the library's layout (at one point a couple of the characters just seemed to be going down a ton of different hallways with a wrecking ball made of marble).

The fairy tales that were sprinkled in were an interesting touch and I kept trying to figure out if or how they tied into the "real" story happening.

I knew that Aria wasn't Evangeline's actual granddaughter and I knew a character would fake her own death because at one point, no one else could have been the killer. (In this case, Piper is actually the lost granddaughter Eden and Aria's stepsister who she calls "Rory" and she fakes her death in front of Jasper and Aria). Everyone is killed because they hold information that could prove catastrophic to the Riordan fortune that Piper is set to inherit. Meanwhile, Jasper, an architect who Aria has been dating for 4 months, turns out to be a detective? Oh wait that's a trick to0 -he's actually the grandson of Evangeline's rival Grant Iverson and Wes is not just the "prep school teacher" but an Iverson cousin. Everyone, from Michelle (former author in residence) to the nurse (accused of killing Evangeline) is trying to sabotage something here. Turns out that Aria does kill Alice, Rory's mother, but only because Alice herself is a killer (this is not detailed very clearly but we get that from both Aria and Evangeline at the very end).

The language is descriptive but repetitive. I think that's where I started getting impatient. The author uses it to drive tension through the characters' physical and mental fear (of secrets being revealed, of being trapped, of being killed, take your pick) but again, all the different characters describe it the same way. "My teeth grind" is a description used at least 4 different times by at least 3 different characters. Everyone's "ribs are hooked into their mouths" and the use of the word "serrated" to describe breath and throats is such an unusual description I noticed it each and every time it was used. (Speaking of throats, in the beginning, there were so many references to character's throats that I thought this might be a book about vampires.)

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ambitious thriller, playing with timeline and characters' identities and motivations in interesting ways. And it was delightfully atmospheric; as creepy and bizarre as the Daedelus Library sounded, I would love to take my chances on a visit to it.

The basic story is that a handful of people are trapped in the library during a nighttime tour: Aira and Jasper, who are on a date; Callum, an academic specializing in rare books; Piper, a journalist; Michelle, a children's/YA author who'd once studied at the library; Saskia, a librarian tasked with leading the tour; Ruth, the home nurse for the library former owner; and Wes, a random teacher. Spooky things start to happen virtually as soon as the tour starts, with the first death happening shortly thereafter. Is there a killer in their midst, or is the library as haunted as people have said it is? What are the secrets each of them are carrying? And with the bodies piling up and the library seemingly determined to keep them trapped, will any make it out alive?

All in all, the makings of a great thriller. Execution is where this falls short. It was all a bit too much.
- Too many perspectives: we get first-person perspectives from every living character, plus at least one dead one.
- Too many mysteries being revealed, many of which I didn't realize were mysteries I should be looking out for. Several of the characters have secret identity reveals, including one whose identity changes a few times after that. It's like we, the readers, are several steps behind the characters, and we only begin to catch up all the way in the final pages. This is not to say we need to be aware from the jump about all the mysteries about to be solved over the course of the story. However, some early exposition might have given context to events as they were unfolding, allowing us to speculate as to how present events connected to past ones. The constant revising of what I thought was happening in the plot was tiring by the end. And I don't think I could actually say whether the central killer's motivation was founded in fact, based on the evidence we got.
- Layered on top of the actual events was a coded book of dark fairy tales, which are interspersed throughout the book. What do they mean? You may think you know, but honestly, it doesn't even make a ton of sense by the end when they are explained.

This could have been so good with the literary equivalent of Coco Chanel's advice; instead of removing a few accessories on the way out the door, maybe using fewer first-person perspectives, or not including the dark fairy tale chapters, or streamlining some of the motivations.

In spite of how extra this whole book was, I think I liked it. It was creepy and inventive, and I was compelled to keep seeking the library's answers--and exits--with the dwindling group of characters. I just wish I could have been a bit more in on their motivations along the way.

Rating: 3.5/5

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

[Peyton Wydick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I opened The Library After Dark expecting a spooky adventure through the haunted Daedalus Library. Instead, I was met with a thrilling and paranormal night at the library, with a touch of horror and fantasy. Never once did I know what was going to happen next. Every theory I had was torn to shreds through every twist and turn, and I loved it.

Seven "strangers" come together at the renowned Daedalus Library for a private nighttime tour. Meet: Saskia, the librarian in charge of leading the tour; Jasper, an architect that surprised his date with the VIP tour; Aria, bookseller and Jasper's date, who very much does not want to be on this tour; Michelle, a best selling children's author who was once in residence at the Daedalus, her career taking flight after her paranormal encounter in the library; Callum, one who specializes in rare books, and close friend of Michelle's; Ruth, the home nurse for the library's former owner who has recently died under mysterious circumstances; Wes, a high school teacher that is a Daedalus Library enthusiast; and Piper, a young journalist who has come in place of her boss.

The tour begins through the exquisite, gothic library. Its themed rooms and secret, hidden passageways make one wish it was a real library. Pilego does an incredible job bringing the library's details to life on the page. I felt like I was alongside the guests on the tour as Saskia guided them along. Not long after the start of the tour, spooky things begin to occur. Everyone is on edge, worried that the notorious paranormal rumors of the library were in fact true. When suddenly, the first death has occurred. All eyes turns on the other person, and thus begins a terrifying night locked in the Daedalus Library. Sprinkled among the events of the night are the tales from a highly sought after, rare book, The Dark Hearth Tales, which is housed in a private section of the library. One will find that the terrifying moments they experience happen to lead right back to the warped fairytales.

We receive first point of view chapters from each of the characters throughout the book, with Aria being the main focus. I really enjoy multiple POV's, but I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea. Between the changing point of views and the fast paced plot, readers are taken on a wild ride. My one qualm with the book was the amount of secrets that were revealed. I am all for the shocker of a secret reveal, but I felt it became clunky towards the end. There were so many layers to so many secrets that it was hard to keep track. However, I don't feel it takes away from the shock-value or ending of the book.

Overall, this is a book any thriller fan, library enthusiast, or anyone looking for a spooky thrill will enjoy. I've already started telling people I know to shelve this book on their TBR and to prepare for the release in May.

[ReadTheHotline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Library After Dark: A Novel | Ande Pliego
🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

This book hit me exactly where I live. A haunted, gothic library. A locked-room nightmare. A messy cast of strangers, each with their own motives, secrets, and sharp elbows, all trapped together and very willing to crawl over one another to survive. "The Library After Dark" felt like the perfect spiritual follow-up to "You’re Fatally Invited"…proof once again that Ande Pliego absolutely thrives in the realm of twists, revenge, and deliciously paced murder.

What begins as a romantic, after-hours visit to the legendary Daedalus Library spirals into a night of terror when a select tour group is sealed inside its shadowy halls. As paranoia mounts and violence erupts, bookseller Aria Stokes is forced to reckon with long-buried truths while navigating secret corridors, unsettling folklore, and the growing certainty that one of them is a killer. In other words, we’ve gotta survive the night, baby!

Now, the Daedalus Library itself is a character, and possibly my favorite one. Ornate, eerie, and dripping with atmosphere; its themed rooms, hidden corridors, and whispery folklore vibes had me wishing it were real so I could book my tour. It's the perfect setting for Pliego to weave dark fairy tales and warped folklore throughout the story in a way that feels both sinister and strangely magical. The stories from The Dark Hearth Tales (book within a booook!) spider through the plot, mirroring the horrors unfolding in the present and giving the whole story that delicious “nothing here is accidental” energy.

Beyond the library itself, we get multiple POVs (my catnip), and watching these characters circle one another (suspecting, scheming, unraveling) was dangerously fun. Everyone has a reason for being there, everyone has something to hide, and nobody feels safe for long.

Yes, the secrets pile up fast, and toward the end it gets a little stacked with layers on layers on layers, but honestly? It didn’t dull the impact for me. The reveals were an absolute trip, the ending is a high note, and the ride getting there is wildly entertaining.

Tropes & Vibes ✨
🗝️ Locked-room thriller
📚 Haunted library
👀 Multiple POVs
🏰 Dark folklore & twisted fairy tales
🫢 Secrets upon secrets
🩸 Murder mystery
🫣Trust no one
💀 Atmospheric & gothic

If you love clever thrillers with teeth, this one deserves a prime spot on your TBR… preferably read after dark. 🖤

Thank you to NetGalley and the wickedly talented Ande Pliego for the opportunity to read and revel in this twisted tale.

[Emily Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an addictive little book! I may or may not have stayed up past midnight to finish it....

When I first started reading it I was under the impression I'd be reading a locked-room mystery novel. And it was, and I did. However, at about the 40% mark, this turned into a non-stop twisty thriller that was so much fun to experience! The story is told through multiple POVs that change as the narrative progresses, so you get a sense of what the bigger picture is very slowly. Our main POV is Aria, and I'm glad for that because she was my absolute favorite. Her growth and realizations throughout were what kept me coming back.

I have to admit, I was slow to get into it. The book spends the first 30-40% setting up the plot, introducing the characters, and giving some choppy information drops. There were some reveals here that could have served the story better by being smoother, or more intentional. For instance... there was a minor twist in the last chapter, where it was revealed that Evangeline was an undercover author. I don't think this was set up well from the beginning. Why does it matter that she was this other mystery writer? The Book itself was her diary entries, and they were using lore of the real Book to cover for this? It came out of nowhere, and while it was cool to learn that about her, I don't think it was a deserved twist. .

There were multiple twists throughout the book, most set up well, some so out of left field that I had a hard time believing that the characters earned their reveals. But was it fun? Oh yes, what a fun story! Especially once it started picking up the pace, and the reveals kept coming. The setting was also awesome - I'm a big fan of the Winchester house, and Daedalus Library is an outright (stated in the book) homage to its twisty, turny, labyrinth of an existence. Aria, as our main character, was engaging, human and a real pleasure to watch come into her own throughout all the mayhem in the library. Jasper was also a fun POV, and when I realized exactly what was going on, it surprised me, but also made perfect sense.

If there was one thing I would change, it is the repetitiveness of each and every character claiming "but if only they knew.....", or "the secret buried inside of me, it can't get out but what if..." or some variation of it. I get it, you're trying to set up intrigue for the reveals later, but so much of the early sections of the book were teasers like this, and I was already aware that each library tour participant was more than what they presented on the surface thanks.

If you like thrillers with a side of mystery, are a bibliophile, and like to follow multiple POVs, give this one a try! A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Hannah Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! I present to you the ultimate mystery for bibliophiles. A page turning, heart racing, lose sleep over, locked room murder mystery for lovers of literature. I have never read a book quite like this one, which is a compliment. There is a supposedly haunted library, a potentially cursed book, false identities, betrayals and so much more. The book has a very gothic undertone that I just ate up. It paired beautifully with the atmospheric writing and descriptions. This book would be perfect anytime of year but especially in the winter. There are plenty of descriptions of snow and cold. The nature of this book itself is chilling and the atmosphere only enhances that more. This story is full of untrustworthy characters. There are multiple POVs and all of them are unreliable. The story takes place during an after hours tour of an infamous library and the way the story is told/written it makes the reader feel like we ourselves are taking the tour and watching everything unfold. We learn everything as the characters do. Each one has something to hide from one another. I simply could not stop reading. I didn’t want to. It was so unpredictable and full of twists, even at the very end! It had me questioning anyone and everything. What was real? Who really were these people? There are interwoven folklore/fairytale stories throughout that are important to the story. I enjoyed them very much on their own. I’m really glad the author included them in the book. It made the experience that more immersive. Even though so many horrible things happened in the library, I so wished it was real. It was a mesmerizing setting filled with themes reading rooms, bookshelves shaped like trees, secret passages, hobbit holes, wardrobes to Narnia, and so much more. Truly it was a book lovers dream and at times a nightmare. If you couldn’t tell, really loved this book. (Despite giving me whiplash and mild motion sickness.) I don’t know how it would work but I would love to read more from this world. I won’t stop thinking about this book for awhile.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*

[Madison Feldhahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You can bargain for love by shoving parts of yourself out of sight under the floorboards, but to be know, and seen, past the worst thing you’ve ever done…it is both agony and peace, and I don’t understand how.”

I’ve been very eagerly awaiting Ande Pliego’s sophomore novel since I finished, and loved, You Are Fatally Invited. And I can confidently say she’s written some of the best locked room mysteries I’ve read to date.

The Library After Dark brings us to the Daedalus Library, a renowned gothic library known for its themed rooms and secret passages. Pliego is a master at writing settings and I am truly sad that this library isn’t real. Do you know how fun it would be to be on a behind the scenes tour there?! Assuming it goes better than it did in the book that is…

Our cast of characters, who arrived with the expectation of touring the library and seeing the rare and maybe cursed book The Dark Hearth Tales, quickly find themselves in a fight for their lives. I loved how much Pliego leaned into the paranormal aspect. It made for a unique reading experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book flips between each of the characters perspectives and I enjoyed reading all of them. I was also very grateful for the list of characters provided at the beginning of the book - it came in handy multiple times. We also got a sprinkling of stories from The Dark Hearth Tales throughout and I loved the addition of them.

As the book progressed, more and more secrets were reveled. I particularly liked how Pliego would reveal a secret in the last sentence of the characters’ chapter and then immediately fling us into another POV. I had a lot of “wait, what?!” moments that led to me racing through to their next POV chapter. The ending had quite a few twists that I thought were well laid out. I enjoyed how everything wrapped up in the end and I liked the timeline jump to solidify the story.

Thank you to Ande Pliego, Bantam Books and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review! Out May 5!

[Ande Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was jump-scared by reviews going live (hello! Thank you early readers!), so before I sign-off Goodreads, a quick word about The Library After Dark.

Crack open the first page, and you might notice that this story dances right off the edge of a knife (or, guillotine blade). The Library After Dark sparked to life during one of the darkest seasons of my life, and as a fun result, was the hardest book I’ve ever crafted. Writing is a staring contest between your soul (sanity?) and your paper, and I’ve never so badly wanted to blink (quit) than with this book. And yet.

Everything snapped into focus once I (exasperatingly belatedly) remembered why I bleed ink in the first place: monsters in life may abound, but books—the echoes of people long past, made immortal through pen on paper—can be a lifeline. Sometimes, we find courage in a book. I know I have.

And there it was, the theme of the book. Duh, Ande.

With this story, I strived to capture both the horror and whimsy of fairytales because the best ones—in my opinion—have a bit of both. After all, life itself is a balancing act of wonder and terror, isn’t it? If You Are Fatally Invited is about want and what you do with it, this book is about fear. It’s about the nightmares that reduce us to our most terrified, child-like selves, and the stories that give us the courage to bare our teeth back and say “do your worst.”

The Library After Dark is for the adults who once lost and found themselves again in fairytales, who crave that nostalgia of being swept away into a beloved story for the first time. And perhaps most importantly, it’s for anyone who has ever found exactly what they needed between a book’s pages. Beneath the bizarre book history bits, the glint of a knife and the haunting rooms where silence is thick as smoke, I hope you find something that’s a comfort to you, as it was to me.

-A

[S Mille · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Valentine Day’s surprise to his bookworm girlfriend Aria, Jasper has acquired two tickets to an exclusive tour of the famed Daedalus Library. Aria is hesitant, not just because the Library is rumored to be haunted, but because the last time she was there, she left a body behind. She finally agrees, but soon the tour runs into … issues - the automatic door getting stuck locking them in for the evening is just the beginning.

This is one of those books that, from a Watsonian point of view, is great, but from a Doylist perspective, fall apart. As an example, we get to see how important this tour is to a character, that what will be lost to them if they’re not able to get into the records room. We see the tension as they plan how to get the key card, how to sneak away from the group, their dread of getting caught. From the Doylist perspective, however, there’s the question of what exactly does this person hope to find in the records room? A note stating, “I did it. The Villain”? Another character is trying to steal something to avoid going to jail, never mind there was no crime was actually committed and they were a minor when the event occurred.

But from purely Watsonian perspective, this book was lovely. The cover is absolutely gorgeous! The setting is amazing, locked in a haunted Library which is part Winchester House, part Smithsonian where a number of people have already died under suspicious circumstances, deadly exhibits around every third corner - like a room full of books made with poisonous materials or a random guillotine in the middle of a room. Every character has a hidden agenda or motivation or both. There’s lots of twists and turns; I think Aria’s leaving a body in the Library ending up being one of the most straightforward.

Highly recommend. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

[Hope Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent an alarming percentage of my life fantasizing about being locked inside a massive, mysterious library overnight, preferably with secret passages, suspicious strangers, and a murder to solve between the stacks.

Thanks to The Library After Dark, Ande Pliego has finally given me the closest thing I will probably ever get to fulfilling that lifelong dream, minus the actual danger, which frankly feels like a reasonable compromise.

This book is a twisty, gothic, locked room mystery set in the infamous Daedalus Library, where an after hours tour goes very, very wrong and the guests realize there is a killer among them. Hidden passageways, secrets, suspicious characters, and a library with a deadly reputation? Yes please.

The atmosphere is deliciously creepy, think Agatha Christie meets a dark fairy tale with a dash of haunted library energy. The cast of characters is full of people who are absolutely hiding something, which means every conversation feels like a clue and every chapter makes you rethink who the murderer might be.

I kept doing that classic mystery reader thing where you smugly think you have solved it, only for the story to pull the rug out from under you five pages later.

Also, I now desperately want an after dark private library tour, ideally one that does NOT include a murderer.

If you love dark, clever thrillers, books about books, and the eternal fantasy of prowling through an enormous library at midnight looking for clues (just me?), this one is an absolute blast.

Five stars, one slightly concerning lifelong dream fulfilled, and approximately 17 separate moments where I wished I could grab a flashlight and help solve the mystery myself.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Show of hands, how many of you would love to tour the Daedalus Library after hours, even knowing what happens in this book? Pliego makes the building sound amazing, especially for bookworms. Twisted, dark, original and utterly fantastic, the titular library is home to incalculable treasures, like a combination of the Winchester House, the Smithsonian and the Natural History Museum. Aria knows more about it than she’s willing to admit, but she’s moved on and just wants to forget everything about the Daedalus and its founder, the recently deceased Evangeline. Dream guy Jasper has other ideas, planning a romantic date around a visit to the library, after dark. They are joined by a group of people who have secrets related to Evangeline, the Daedalus or the centerpiece that it was built to protect: a collection of dark fairy tales that may have influenced great works like Pinocchio or Alice in Wonderland. The visitors are soon trapped in the library, getting injured, or worse, trying to navigate the labyrinth and find out many different secrets from various timelines. The plot is suspenseful and full of unexpected twists that made me go back and rethink the whole book. The characters are likable, so it was easy to root for them all, and suffer along with them. I especially enjoyed the stories, interspersed with the main plot, as well as the description of the Daedalus. The novel is full of creepy passages and the twists were not what I was expecting. I love it!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Ballantine | Bantam.

[Jacquelyn Dohoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely loved this story! I love anything that is even loosely related to locked room mysteries or escape rooms. This one had a little bit of both while still staying a pretty unique story. I love an unreliable narrator, and Aria is definitely that. I also loved the characters, because you have to have a group of completely untrustworthy and shady characters to make a story like this work. You want to trust at least a couple, but can you really? Realizing I had to trust Aria’s character at least a little seeing as how she was the main POV, I didn’t trust Jasper from the get go. Anyone that perfect has to have some hidden flaws, and usually the more perfect they are, the bigger those flaws. I had his flaw pegged from the get go, but it was still fascinating to watch it all play out. The only one I didn’t have pegged was Poppy. That was a twist that surprised me. The reveal of each character’s connection to the library was a nice way to add tension to the story. This story was an absolute pageturner for me. Again, I love the locked room (or museum) mysteries. I can’t get enough of them. I loved seeing what each different room would bring, and having the map to follow was a pretty great bonus. Unfortunately, I could only use it for about a third of the rooms because a lot of the rooms weren’t included on it. So I could only guess the general area I was in, and half the time I was totally wrong. In any case, this is a fantastic book and I would absolutely read more from this author!

Huge thanks to Ballantine | Bantam and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to start by saying that I adored You Are Fatally Invited, and gave it 5 stars, so I was incredibly excited to start reading The Library After Dark.
I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery, and the idea of it being set in a reportedly haunted library in New York sounded right up my street. But, unfortunately, this fell incredibly flat for me.
Even though I did quickly get to grips with the different and distinct characters, it felt quite confused throughout.
Of course, each individual was going to have their own motivations for being there, apart from Aria, but the reasons felt a bit nonsensical and we don't really get an answer as to what really happened to each of the people who were murdered.
For example, was Ruth poisoned? When exactly was Callum stabbed?
Even when the truth is revealed, I was left with more questions than answers and not in the way I would usually expect with a book or story like this.
The Rory twist wasn’t all that shocking either, as I have a feeling if you’ve watched a single episode of Gilmore Girls, you would have likely predicted that Rory was a girl. And as there was only one woman of a similar age in the library, it had to be that person.
We also know that Aria wasn't a blood relative, too, so that's not a great reveal either.
I also got quite bored as they made their way through the library, and even though I didn’t mind some of the characters, I wasn’t really willing any of them on to survive and escape.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Library After Dark is exactly the kind of mystery I love: a locked‑room setup, a cast of strangers with secrets, and a setting so atmospheric it practically becomes a character. A notorious New York library with a history of disappearances? That alone had me intrigued before the plot even kicked off.

The story brings together five very different visitors for an after‑hours tour, each with their own hidden agenda. Watching their motives slowly surface as the tour winds deeper into the building is half the fun. The other half is the creeping tension — that delicious sense that something is very wrong long before the first body drops.

Once the murder happens, the book shifts into a sharp, puzzle‑box mystery. Every character feels like a suspect, every conversation has an edge, and the library’s eerie history hangs over everything. It’s twisty without being confusing, and the reveals land in a satisfying way.

The atmosphere is a standout: dark corridors, whispered legends, and that claustrophobic feeling of being trapped with people you absolutely cannot trust. It has the vibe of a classic whodunnit but with a modern, slightly sinister flair.

A smart, entertaining mystery that keeps you guessing and gives you plenty to chew on. Perfect for readers who enjoy their thrillers with a gothic touch and a cast full of secrets.

My thanks to Ande Pliego, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC