The Book of Air and Shadows
By Michael Gruber
Fiction 464 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-087446-9
William Morrow
An imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
www.HarperCollins.com
www.michaelgruberbooks.com
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

What would you do if you discovered a 17th century letter and a coded message? Would the quest for answering the coded message be plausible if not risky? It all starts with a fire at a used book store and a set of valuable books become damaged, two of the employees decide to take them home to see if they can be saved. Both Albert and Carolyn squabble over some manuscript pages which Albert finds and decides that the manuscript is a letter referring to an unknown Shakespeare play.

Carolyn and Albert take the manuscript to a Shakespearean scholar by the name of Andrew Bulstrode and he offers them a small price for the pages dismissing them as being credible. Later Bulstrode meets with Jake Mishkin, an attorney to inquire to copy write only to be found dead the next day. Now in fear of his own life Mishkin is on the run from the killers. Will Mishkin be next? Where will all the clues in this thriller lead?

Michael Gruber was born in New York City and attended Columbia, earning a BA in English Literature. Gruber now resides in Seattle, Washington with his wife and his very large dog.

This read combines suspense, thrills, humor, and mystery that provides twists and turns that engages you on the search to answering the clues. Gruber has developed a unique writing style that draws you into the heart of the story, which is engaging and surprisingly humorous at times; and contains vivid accounts and detail, and is a genuinely great read. His characters are well developed, compelling and memorable. Reviewing this title was a great pleasure and is a highly recommended read.