The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Another of my London Heathrow haul, The Shadow of the Wind was a punt, based on the blurb and deciding not to let myself be snobby about a Richard and Judy book club recommendation.

It proved to be a good choice; one that lasted me all the way home.

A strong story, with characters I felt for and a plot that taught me much about the difficulties of living in Barcelona in the years following the Spanish Civil War. Even though I guessed the solution to the mystery early on, my certainty wavered as I read on and the gaps in my understanding opened and closed, and opened again.

But it is not just a novel in modern historical setting. There is comedy, there is horror, there is love - unrequited and fulfilled. And it is most definitely not a 'Spanish Da Vinci Code'.

Buy it: Amazon link