{ "item_title" : "The Book of the Most Precious Substance", "item_author" : [" Sara Gran "], "item_description" : "The highly anticipated new thriller from internationally renowned author Sara Gran, author of Come Closer and the Claire DeWitt series.Gran's writing, like the grimoire, is palpably seductive. The search for pleasure and magic is an aphrodisiac, one that pulses on the page. - Danielle Trussoni, The New York TimesGran perfectly captures the eccentric world of antiquarian bookselling while portraying a profound and magical reckoning with loss and the possibility of going on. She has outdone herself. - Publisher's Weekly, Starred ReviewWhile Lily's hunt propels the story forward, it is Gran's frequently exquisite prose that demands investment from its audience. - Bookpage, Starred ReviewSara Gran's 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 at the End of the WorldExtravagant, sexy and compelling. I loved it. - Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining GirlsThere's two types of magic at play, here. There's what these characters are trying to do, mixing books and sex and spells, and then there's the magic Sara Gran is doing to us, as we compulsively read this literary thriller. And there's a third magic we only wish we could do: pay in blood to go back, read this book again for the first time. - Stephen Graham JonesA mysterious book that promises unlimited power and unrivaled sexual pleasure. A down-on-her-luck book dealer hoping for the sale of a lifetime. And a twist so shocking, no one will come out unscathed.After a tragedy too painful to bear, former novelist Lily Albrecht has resigned herself to a dull, sexless life as a rare book dealer. Until she gets a lead on a book that just might turn everything around. The Book of the Most Precious Substance is a 17th century manual on sex magic, rumored to be the most powerful occult book ever written--if it really exists at all. And some of the wealthiest people in the world are willing to pay Lily a fortune to find it-if she can. Her search for the book takes her from New York to New Orleans to Munich to Paris, searching the dark corners of power where the world's wealthiest people use black magic to fulfill their desires. Will Lily fulfill her own desires, and join them? Or will she lose it all searching for a ghost? The Book of the Most Precious Substance is an addictive erotic thriller about the lengths we'll go to get what we need-and what we want. ", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/57/894/709/0578947099_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "18.95", "online_price" : "18.95", "our_price" : "18.95", "club_price" : "18.95", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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In Sara Gran’s sexy and captivating thriller The Book of the Most Precious Substance, a rare books dealer embarks on an epic hunt for a shadowy tome that could change the trajectory of her life. A few years ago, Lily Albrecht had it all: a once-in-a-lifetime love and a thriving writing career. Now Lily’s brilliant soul mate, Abel, has a neurodegenerative disease and can no longer communicate, move or even eat on his own. He is like a locked box on a high shelf, one she can guard but never reach. Lily loves and advocates for her husband fiercely but is worn down by financial pressure, anxiety and grief for the incredible life they once shared. For years she's been their sole breadwinner. Now her promising writing career has dissolved, and she's caught between dedication, loneliness and frustration as she sells off their precious collection of books. By the time she’s asked by Shyman, a fellow books dealer, to find an elusive 17th-century book about the occult and “sex magic,” Lily’s life has shrunk into a joyless routine of work, worry and care. The high six-figure finder’s fee for this magical tome—“the rarest, most sought after book in the entire bibliography of the occult”—could stabilize her finances and give her the means to pursue more treatment for Abel. However, Lily finds it odd that so little information is available about such a legendary book. Then Shyman dies suddenly and violently, and with no middle man taking a cut, her commission becomes potentially even more lucrative. Lucas, a friend and colleague, becomes her partner in the quest, and their collaboration presents its own potential rewards and temptations. Lily is a sympathetic yet formidable figure. She’s dedicated but still human, alternating between numbness and mourning, loyalty and long-sublimated desire. Gran is uniquely talented at bringing such complex feelings to life. Her writing is effective, economical and moving, and while Lily’s hunt propels the story forward, it is Gran’s frequently exquisite prose that demands investment from its audience. Readers will ache for Lily and Abel and envy what they once had. Brief but evocative moments reveal not just Lily’s lack but also her desire, and possibly what’s to come. These scenes are just one small part of what makes Gran’s thoughtful and erotically charged thriller so well worth reading.