book review: the angel's game

I devoured this intriguing book in 10 days flat.  It has some dark, spooky themes and a host of diverse but engrossing characters.  This author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, knows how to create a sense of atmosphere in his writing, that’s for sure.

The angel’s game

Dave Martin is a writer who lives in Barcelona.  He lives in a spooky house with a shady history, and writes under a pseudonym.  He meets a publisher who promises him a fortune to write a book with a particular theme.  But as he writes, David Martin becomes aware that there is a connection between the dark tales he writes, the house he lives in and its history, and the strange never-ageing publisher who he is contracted to.  By the end of the book, there are bodies piling up with bizarre deaths.  There are lots of interesting characters throughout the book who bring it alive and mystery and intrigue to burn.  

A bit from the book

“As I advanced, the flickering light held high, I expected to see something or someone emerge at any moment from one of the doors on either side.  I knew I was not alone; I could smell it.  A sour stench, of anger and hatred, floated in the air.  I reached the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the last room.  The lamp cast its soft glow over the wardrobe that had been pulled away from the wall and the clothes thrown on the floor – exactly as I had left them when Grandes had come to arrest me two nights ago.  I continued towards the foot of the spiral staircase and warily mounted the stairs, peering behind my shoulder every two or three steps, until I reached the study.  The ruby aura of twilight flooded in through the windows.  I hurried across the room to the wall where the trunk stood and opened it.  The folder with the boss’s manuscript had disappeared.”

Final comment

The bookgroup women who had read this book were just as hooked by this twisty plot as me.  We tossed it around and discussed it excitedly.  Quite a different book to what I would normally read, but that makes it even more enjoyable because of its differentness.

A great read!