The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, by Garth Nix

After turning 18 Susan Arkshaw moves to London to prepare for art school and to find the father she has never known. She is immediately plunged into a secret world of booksellers, who are guardians of the intersection between the old world and the new. Things are out of balance in the old world with a malevolent old power growing its influence while the Booksellers have been asleep at the wheel. But what has Susan’s absent Dad got to do with it and will charming but deadly Bookseller Merlin help or hinder her quest? Set in the 1980s, where Thatcher is the second female PM, this novel adds an alt history dimension to its fantasy premise. The alt is subtle, rather than a major a plot component, expressed mainly via women cropping up in positions of strength and authority. Susan is an endearingly grounded heroine and Nix skilfully blends the tropes of myth and magic with the day-to-day of 80s England, tossing in humour to keep it real. The Booksellers are an intriguing organisation and it will be interesting to see if this is the start of a new series.