Specialist crime drama ‘Bookish’ is heading back to U&alibi this August, with Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) returning as bookshop owner and amateur sleuth Gabriel Book for another trio of two-part mysteries.
Created, written by and starring Gatiss, the drama returns to post-war London in 1946, where Gabriel runs Book’s Books on Archangel Lane. His wartime life may have been full of espionage and secrets, but peace has done little to quieten things down, as he once again lends his talents to the police to help untangle some distinctly unusual murders.
Series 2 of ‘Bookish’ opens with “Momento Mori”, a two-part case which sees Book drawn into the world of spiritualism. Charismatic medium Harold Sneed, played by Jason Watkins (The Crown), hosts a séance which leaves a table full of suspects under investigation. Book reunites with Inspector Bliss as the pair investigate a collection of people all searching for connections to the spirit world.
The opening case also brings back Mrs Dredge and the eccentric Plumchute sisters, alongside Sneed’s watchful assistant Ayesha and the arrival of the debonair Colonel Reggie Winters, played by Rupert Graves (Sherlock).
Things get even stranger in the second half of the case, when evidence raises the disturbing possibility that one of Britain’s most notorious fascists may have returned from the grave to kill again. The trail leads Book and Nora into London’s infamous Black Museum, while Trottie and Jack attempt to connect a string of seemingly unrelated clues involving a circus orphan, a tragic hit-and-run and a deserted soldier.
Later in the series, Book is pulled into a puzzling murder at a gentleman’s outfitters off Savile Row. Elderly tailor Maxie Kleinmann, played by Allan Corduner (Tár), is keen to confess to the crime, but the evidence does not quite add up and points towards something considerably more complicated and sinister.
The final case takes Book and Jack to the seemingly charming German village of Würl after the mysterious E, played by Simon Callow (Outlander), sends them to thwart a thieving Duchess, played by Miranda Richardson (Blackadder), at Christmas. Unsurprisingly, festivities take a deadly turn when the pair find themselves inside a castle packed with shady characters and secrets of its own.
Away from the murders, Book’s increasingly close association with the police continues to come with some personal danger. His lavender marriage to childhood best friend Trottie, played by Polly Walker (Bridgerton), also comes under pressure thanks to Colonel Winters.
As with the first series, ‘Bookish’ features three main cases, with each mystery unfolding across two episodes, giving Gatiss plenty of room for strange suspects, period atmosphere and some suitably knotty crimes.
‘Bookish’ Series 2 premieres Wednesday, 26th August 2026 at 8pm with a double bill on U&alibi. The series will also be available on demand via Sky, Virgin Media and NOW.
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