Her Book Self

Set in Barcelona in the 1920's, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angel's Game is a haunting and captivating novel. David Martin is an aspiring writer gifted with talent but unlucky in life - the woman he loves ignores him, his health is fading, and his greedy publishers care only about his next work. When the wealthy Andreas Corelli appears in David's life offering a contract - a book writing deal that seems a bit too good to be true - the young author hesitates at first, but is soon drawn to accept the bargain. What follows is a dark series of events leading David to seek an escape from the deal and to discover the truth behind the demise of another author Diego Marlasca. Marlasca once lived in the supposedly haunted house that David resides in and also had dealings with David's mysterious benefactor.

This is the first work of Zafon's that I have read, and it wasn't until I finished The Angel's Game that I learned it to be the prequel to Shadow of the Wind. Angel's Game easily stands on its own though, and I really enjoyed Zafon's serpentine storytelling. The plot was thoroughly unpredictable and the mystery and suspense were painted as beautifully as the historical details of the setting. For those that enjoy gothic mysteries with a supernatural twist, this is definitely the book to check out.