It's been a long time since I completed a book in two sittings just because it grabbed my attention. This is an early book of Ruiz Zafón's although it has only recently been translated and published in English. As with The Prince of Mist, this book is also a spooky seaside tale written for teens. In the years before World War II, 14-year-old Irene Sauvelle, her younger brother, Dorian, and their widowed mother, Simone, relocate from Paris to a small, town in Normandy. Simone is hired as housekeeper at Cravenmoore, the home of a strange recluse who is a toymaker. The house is filled with strange automata, the creations of Lazarus Jann. Jann has given strict instructions as to parts of the house that may never be entered because that is where his invalid wife resides. The family is given a cottage by the bay to live in in exchange for Simone's work. Hannah, the young cook at the mansion, and Irene soon become friends and Irene begins a romance with Hannah's cousin, Ismael. Ismael relates the tale of the woman who sailed to the lighthouse, never to be seen again. Somehow this is connected with the appearance of a sinister shadow that begins terrorizing the family. When Hannah is killed Irene and Ismael begin investigating the cause of her death, the story evolves from a mystery into a creepy horror tale with an intriguing ending.
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