I had intended to read Saints and Strangers next, but instead my reading mood dictated that I pick up The Shadow of the Wind, which has been sitting unread on my shelf for months. This is one of those books that seemingly came out of nowhere, and had everyone talking about it. When I first heard about it, the premise reminded me of The Ninth Gate, a satanic thriller starring the dreamy Johnny Depp, which I just learned is itself an adaption of The Club Dumas (a book currently on my wishlist), and so it seemed a perfect fit for the RIP Challenge.

The time is the 1950s and the place is Barcelona, where young Daniel, a bookseller’s son, discovers a mysterious book, one that will lead him into danger, intrigue, and yes, even love. Zafón’s novel is a Dickensian-style story with enough subplots and layers to make your head spin. In fact, I was pretty confused for a good part of the novel until a secret was revealed which helped it all make sense. From that point, it was hard to put the book down and do other things (like work or sleep) until I finished.

Like a good Dickens novel, all the pieces are brought together and put in place at the end. The atmosphere is spooky and menacing, the characters mysterious and the plot twists and turns like a corkscrew rollercoaster – making this book a thoroughly entertaining ride.