This was, at times, a fun read. But considering all of the brazen name-dropping of great writers, I'd have thought Zafon would choose to emulate some of them rather than relying on plot pacing and contrivance more reminiscent of Dan Brown. The made-for-movie dialogue can chafe a bit, and the occasionally provocative prose is always quickly dropped in favor of another meeting with side character _____ (who, luckily for our protagonist, happens to be nearby) to get more juicy details on Carax. Many of the secondary characters lack adequate development (e.g. Daniel's father, Tomas, and Jorge), and there's a little too much men-freaking-out-where-daughters/sisters-are-concerned. A lot of exposition comes via generic flashback, especially towards the end, and this makes for some odd pacing and rather lazy storytelling. The last 50 pages deliver quite a few big pay-offs, but for the most part I couldn't get lost in this one.