Book of Air and Shadows, The - Softcover

Gruber, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062141805 ISBN 13: 9780062141804

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2016

Synopsis

Tap tapping the keys and out come the words on this little screen, and who will read them I hardly know. I could be dead by the time anyone actually get to read them, as dead as, say Tolstoy. Or Shakespeare. Does it matter, when you read, if the person who wrote still lives? These are the words of Jake Mishkin, whose seemingly innocent job as an intellectual property lawyer has put him at the center of a lethal conspiract in which no one is who they seem. As he awaits a killer-or killers- unknown, Jake writes an account of the events that led to this deadly endgame, a frantic chase that began with a fire in an antiquarian bookstore. Hidden in the binding of one of the chared and ruined volumes is a cache of letters written by a 17th-century British soldier and spy. The letters are encrypted and the key to unlocking the mysterious code has been lost for 400 years. If it is discovered, and the letters are read, they will lead to one of the most valuable items in the history of th

About this title

Review:

"A smart thriller. Gruber's themes may be lofty but his people are fully fleshed. An engaging adventure."--Boston Globe

"If you love books, make room on the shelf for a new guilty pleasure."--Washington Post

"(An) intoxicating mix of fact, fiction, secret codes and ancient conspiracies...well-written and cleverly told. A terrific thriller."--Edmonton Journal (Canada)

"A crackling whodunit. Characters (with) rich inner lives that transmute genre fiction into literature."--Dallas Morning News

"(An) entertaining thriller with Da Vinci Code appeal but far better writing."--Ventura County Star

"Another one of [Gruber's] patently intricate thrillers."--TheMorningNews.com

"A gripping literary thriller. A taut novel that offers ingenious puzzles plus murderous threats along the way."--Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"MIchael Gruber pulls out all the stops (in) an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse."--Newsday

"A wonderful book, brimming with energy, suspense, wit and fascinating details about the rare book business. A fast-paced yarn that is part Henry James, part James Bond.--Chicago Tribune

"Gruber deftly raises the thriller stakes and accelerates the plot while still creating convincing personal journeys for his characters."--Booklist (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0062141805
• ISBN 13: 9780062141804
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 500