What you ought to be reading

May 11, 2008

I had heard so many good things about Michael Gruber's literary thriller "The Book of Air and Shadows" (2007), recently released in paperback by Harper, that naturally, contrarian that I am, I vowed never to read it.

Silly me. This is a wonderful book, brimming with energy, suspense, wit and fascinating details about the rare book business, as well as the arcane world of Shakespearean scholarship. When I finally broke down and cracked it open—intrigued past all resistance by the beautiful cover with its ancient-manuscript look—I raced headlong through the pages, mad to solve the mystery, but saddened, too, at the realization that soon I'd have to leave these richly developed characters behind: the philandering but quirkily appealing attorney; the would-be Steven Spielberg with the unforgettably pugnacious mother; the shady professor; the ex-con turned Jesuit priest who happens to employ an army of thugs.

The rumored discovery of a lost play by William Shakespeare brings these people together for a fast-paced adventure yarn that is part Henry James, part James Bond. Don't wait as long as I did to discover its charms.