CSI meets Jack the Ripper in early 20th century Barcelona: captivating, scary and genre-breaking.
In 1917, Barcelona's infamous Raval district is alive with outlandish rumours. A monster is abducting and murdering young children. The police are either powerless to prevent his terrible crimes,or indifferent to them, since they concern only the sons and daughters of prostitutes. But Inspector Moises Corvo is determined to stop the outrages, and punish their perpetrator. His inquiries take him on a tour of the Catalan capital,through slum, high-class brothel and casino, and end in a stomach-turning revelation.
Barcelona Shadows is based on a true story, found by Barcelona CSI Marc Pastor in the archives of the Barcelona police.
'A winning blend of moody atmospherics and supercharged thrills' Malcolm Forbes Star Tribune
'As gruesome as it is gripping... the writing is extraordinarily vivid... Highly recommended.' Independent'Our creepy storyteller is as compelling as the murderess whose monstrous crimes he chronicles... Pastor makes it all breathe effortlessly.' Financial Times
'Blending Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stephenson, Charles Dickens, and Sergio Leone, Barcelona Shadows
is a gothic delight. The city will never be the same again.' The Conversation'Brims with the stuff of a classic adventure novel passed through the sieve of post-modernity, and which captivates the reader from the very start. Essential reading for all who love literature.' Sebastia Bennassar, Diari de Mallorca
'Blends intrigue, terror and police investigation from an original narrative perspective and with a recreation of the period that evokes the gothic environs of Poe and Conan Doyle.' Rosa Maria Pinol La Vanguardia
'A fantastic novel' Ernest Alos El Periodico
Marc Pastor (b. 1977) studied criminology and crime policy, and works as a crime-scene investigator in Barcelona. He is the author of four novels: Montecristo, Barcelona Shadows, awarded the Crims de Tinta prize in 2008, L'any de la plaga and Bioko. Richly atmospheric, his work spans a range of genres, from Sci Fi to Gothic via the adventure novel. Barcelona Shadows is first book published in English.
Translated by: Mara Faye Lethem