'This is one gorgeous read.' Stephen King

'I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time...'

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax.

But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax's books in existence.

Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets—an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona in 1964 and attended university there. He worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles for ten years before the publication of his fifth book, The Shadow of the Wind, in 2001. It has been translated into over 40 languages and was a finalist for the Premio Fernando Lara. Ruiz Zafón is now a full-time novelist and regular contributor to the newspapers El Pais, La Vanguardia and El Mundo. He lives in Barcelona.

'Atmospheric, beguiling and thoroughly readable.' Observer

'A popular masterpiece, an instant classic.' Daily Telegraph

'Utterly unputdownable.' Australian

'Wondrous...intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.' Who Weekly

'An intoxicating and thoroughly irresistible mix of romance, mystery, gothic horror and melodrama.' Vogue

'I'd like to say more about this superbly entertaining book but don't dare to hint any more about its plot twists. Suffice it to say...anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should.' Washington Post