The Library of Shadows

An engrossing literary thriller of intrigue and conspiracy. When Luca Campelli dies a sudden and violent death, his son Jon inherits his second-hand bookshop, Libri di Luca, in Copenhagen. Jon has not seen his father for twenty years since the mysterious death of his mother. When Luca's death is followed by an arson attempt on the shop, Jon is forced to explore his family's past. Unbeknown to Jon, the bookshop has for years been hiding a remarkable secret. It is the meeting place of a society of booklovers and readers who have maintained a tradition of immense power passed down from the days of the great library of ancient Alexandria. Now someone is trying to destroy them, and Jon finds himself in a fight for his life and those of his new friends.

MIKKEL BIRKEGAARD lives in Copenhagen. The Library of Shadows is his first novel. It was first published in his native Denmark where it was a national bestseller, and has now gone on to be published in seventeen languages.