"Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'La Sombra del Viento' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from La Sombra del Viento, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the places that obsession can lead."

Congratulations! :) To one of the winners of Into-the-blue's multi winner sweepstake dedicated to Agatha Christie.

I support The Swedish Cancer Society with a Pink Ribbon:

Received as part of the Agatha Christie Multi-Winner RABCK game. Thank you VictoriaWagtail - this looks great!

The story of the discovery of a rare book, and the resulting mystery, intrigue and murder in mid-century Spain. An absorbing read, with many threads to follow and many subplots coiled up inside each other. I guessed the identity of Laín Coubert very early on, but it was worth keeping going to the end even so.

I'd have liked to see the female characters do more, though, rather than have the plot simply happen around them. And, as is often the case with books set in a time/place I don't know much about, I was left thinking 'I really must find out more about ...'

Posted to one of the winners of the 2x sweeps today. Enjoy!

was so pleased when i received this book in the post, i read it years ago when it first came out and its memory has stuck with me (although the details are probably a bit vague)

I plan to reread this very soon and will be pleased to pass on asap, highly recommended read

many thanks for sending this to me