The Booksellers of Camden Lock

Imprint: Bedford Square Publishers

Category: Adult & contemporary romance, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

The Booksellers of Camden Lock

The Booksellers of Camden Lock

John L. Williams

A picaresque 1980s bookshop romance, rife with music and mayhem, by the acclaimed biographer and author of Heatwave.

In the summer of 1982, the year of the Falklands War, Ellen Moore arrives in Camden Town determined to shake off the past. She starts a job at Leviathan Books, where the boss wanders around in Aleister Crowley’s old dressing gown and conducts a secret upstairs salon.

Soon she’s settled into a rackety new life, living in a local squat with a bunch of post-punks and singing in a synth-pop group with bold ambitions – but will her plans be derailed by a beautiful young junkie, his malevolent older lover and a book with seeming magical properties that’s been stolen from her sinister boss at Leviathan?

  • A darkly comic coming-of-age novel in the vein of Donna Tartt and Rachel Kushner, set amid the bookshops, squats and synth-pop scene of 1980s Camden.
  • Full of mystery and occult intrigue, featuring a stolen magical book, complicated relationships, and a young woman’s reinvention against the backdrop of the Falklands War.

Paperback

RRP: £10.99

ISBN: 9781835016268

Published: January 28, 2027

Extent: 300 pages

Ebook

RRP: £6.99

ISBN: 9781835016275

Published: January 28, 2027

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "The Booksellers of Camden Lock" about?

A picaresque 1980s bookshop romance, rife with music and mayhem, by the acclaimed biographer and author of Heatwave.

In the summer of 1982, the year of the Falklands War, Ellen Moore arrives in Camden Town determined to shake off the past. She starts a job at Leviathan Books, where the boss wanders around in Aleister Crowley's old dressing gown and conducts a secret upstairs salon.

Soon she's settled into a rackety new life, living in a local squat with a bunch of post-punks and singing in a synth-pop group with bold ambitions – but will her plans be derailed by a beautiful young junkie, his malevolent older lover and a book with seeming magical properties that's been stolen from her sinister boss at Leviathan?

  • A darkly comic coming-of-age novel in the vein of Donna Tartt and Rachel Kushner, set amid the bookshops, squats and synth-pop scene of 1980s Camden.
  • Full of mystery and occult intrigue, featuring a stolen magical book, complicated relationships, and a young woman’s reinvention against the backdrop of the Falklands War.
Who wrote "The Booksellers of Camden Lock"?

"The Booksellers of Camden Lock" was written by John L. Williams.

Who would enjoy "The Booksellers of Camden Lock"?
"The Booksellers of Camden Lock" is perfect for readers who enjoy books about adult & contemporary romance and modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945).