Zafón is a master storyteller, combining the postmodern and the traditional in an enchanting hymn to literature... Magnificent: a dizzying tale of drama, intrigue and passion

(Mail on Sunday)A colossal, genre-crossing achievement... it is to be hoped that Zafon's next books deal as seriously and enjoyable with the present and future of Barcelona. (Guardian)Moving and engaging. This is a novel to lose oneself in, and it promotes the sort of reading experience we remember from childhood - of complete absorption into a fantasy world (Irish Times)Rich, ambitious storytelling. (Sunday Times)Sprawling, seductive and hugely atmospheric (Sunday Express)Neither too geeky nor too highbrow, Zafon's genre-mashing novels provide a high-definition, alternative account of Spain's turbulent 20th-century history, with added Hollywood blockbuster thrills. I was hooked. (Daily Mail)This is a suspenseful story of loss, betrayal and redemption. (Independent)By the author of the brilliant Shadow of the Wind, this is a good long read to relish on chilly winter evenings. (Saga)

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Magnificent: a dizzying tale of drama, intrigue and passion' MAIL ON SUNDAY

As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul.

Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish Franco regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price.

'This is a novel to lose oneself in, and it promotes the sort of reading experience we remember from childhood - of complete absorption into a fantasy world' IRISH TIMES