Left-Handed Booksellers of London Books in Order

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London drops you into a slightly alternate 1983 England where hidden magical work is done by an extended family of booksellers. Some are left-handed, which means they do the fighting. Some are right-handed, which means they do the research, paperwork, and deeper lore. All of them help police the old mythic forces of the Old World when those forces intrude on everyday life.

The series begins with Susan Arkshaw, an art student who is simply trying to find the father she has never met. That search goes sideways almost at once when a criminal who might know something is turned to dust in front of her, and Susan is swept into the orbit of Merlin, a young left-handed bookseller with silver hatpins, impossible calm, and problems of his own. His sister Vivien, a right-handed bookseller, quickly becomes just as important.

It is urban fantasy, but brighter and weirder than grim.

What makes the books easy to enjoy is the mix. Susan is practical, smart, and not especially impressed by nonsense, which is useful because the nonsense around her escalates very fast. Merlin and Vivien already belong to this hidden world, but they do not make it feel routine. Between them, the series gets action, banter, family mystery, and an affectionate interest in old stories without becoming dusty or self-important.

London matters a lot in the first book. Nix uses ordinary streets, bookshops, reading rooms, and train stations as doorways into something much stranger. The Old World does not sit off to one side in a separate fantasy kingdom. It keeps pushing into the city. That lets the books feel magical without floating too far from the recognisable world.

The second book, The Sinister Booksellers of Bath, widens the map without losing the series' core appeal. Susan is still dealing with the consequences of what she has learned about herself. Merlin is still extremely capable and still very likely to land in danger. A sorcerous map, ancient grudges, murderous history, and a particularly treacherous piece of mythic geography give the sequel a chillier, slightly deeper feel.

If you are wondering what kind of fantasy this is, think fast-moving occult mystery with a strong sense of place and a dry sense of humor. The magic can be frightening, but the books are not interested in being relentlessly bleak. They like stylish danger, family complications, old powers with long memories, and protagonists who keep going because stopping would be worse.

So expect hidden bookshop families, sharp dialogue, real stakes, and a lot of pleasure in seeing folklore walk straight into modern life. The booksellers may sort things into left-handed and right-handed jobs, but the series itself blends mystery, adventure, and fantasy very neatly.