Product Description
A fire destroys a New York City rare bookstore—and reveals clues to a treasure worth killing for. . . . A disgraced scholar is found tortured to death. . . . And those pursuing the most valuable literary find in history are about to cross from the harmless mundane into inescapable nightmare. From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Tropic of Night comes a breathtaking thriller that twists, shocks, and surprises at every turn as it crisscrosses centuries, from the glaring violence of today into the dark shadows of truth and lies surrounding the greatest writer the world has ever known.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 109 reviews)

An enjoyable adventure. by Sandie (Boston, MA USA)

4 Stars
October 17, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. I found it generally well-paced and interesting, and a terrific mystery/thriller. I enjoyed the story, the writing, and the frequent turns of phrase or conventions the author used due to the main character's awareness that he was writing his part of the goings-on -- well okay I didn't explain that well but, for example, the character might start describing what someone was wearing during the adventure and then stop mid-sentence to say -- Oh who CARES what he was wearing? I didn't obsess about how likeable or moral the characters were and my enjoyment of the book wasn't influenced by whether I would have wanted these people as my personal friends. (For example, I didn't obsess about why a nice boy would willingly fall for an obviously cold and mentally unbalanced woman. Go figure.) The parts written in "old English" were difficult to get through and thank goodness were broken up into little sections throughout the book. But overall I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

The Play's The Thing by B. Morse (Boston, MA United States)

4 Stars
September 28, 2009
Michael Gruber's 'The Book Of Air And Shadows' was a rare purchase for me....I picked it up in a used book store...with no dust jacket...and therefore no idea what it was about...I had never heard of it, nor read any reviews...or a synopsis...and gave it a whirl (for a substantial 2.00 investment!) based upon the title alone. I must confess that I cheated upon arriving home and read a blurb about the book online, to see if it would be something I'd want to read right away...and was intrigued by the premise...a series of encrypted letters that supposedly lead to a heretofore unknown, unread (in modern times) and unproduced play of William Shakespeare.....an item that would be of near incalculable value to the modern theater world. But there's more...the letters reveal biographical information, from a first-hand account, of the Bard himself....something of even greater value, as so little information about the world's most celebrated playwrite. Novels like this intrigue me with their conceit of being able to produce a plausible, palpable account of how such an item could go undiscovered for so long....being that this is also a 'thriller' novel, there is also the usual gun play, bribery, kidnapping, chase scenes, and cross-continent action interspersed in the 'literary' aspects of a quest for long-buried words of Shakespeare. The result? A very fun, fast paced thriller...albeit with the usual 'characters of little depth' and typical 'hero with a heart of gold' and 'villain'. Michael Gruber isn't Shakespeare himself...but something tells me that in writing 'The Book Of Air And Shadows' he didn't set out to be...he simply wanted to write a modern thriller which incorporated the person of Shakespeare...and he did so...to very entertaining effect.

Convoluted but Compelling by F. J. Masterman

4 Stars
September 16, 2009
Michael Gruber paints a complex weave of characters and situations, all on the trail of a lost manuscript of William Shakespeare. The two principal protagonists, a wealthy property attorney, Jake Miskin, and a wannabee movie maker with no money, Albert Crosetti,are both sucked into the manuscript riddle from different angles, and both due to a cameleon-like woman who appears, wins them over, and then disappears. Although their paths do not cross until late in the book, each suffers twists and turns in dealing with a set of strange ciphered letters by a contemporary of Shakespeare who claims to know the secret of the hiding place of the Shakespeare treasure, a never-seen play--if the letters can be deciphered. With plenty of action by the Russian mob, which claims ownership of the letters and the treasure they proclaim to hide, there are enough thrills to keep the reader edgy. However, the mysterious woman who found the letters originally, and remains in the shadows, provides another dimension that moves the story along, her identity and purpose hidden under veils of deceit and false leads. Miskin the wealthy lawyer, perhaps the primary protagonist, is extremely flawed but given a sympathetic aspect in his painful relations with his wife and children, whom he loves but betrays through foolish infidelities. When that very family is swept into the violence he is faced with the consequences of his selfish decisions. The book is an enjoyable work by a skilled author, and convinces me to keep reading Michael Gruber.

First half great, then gets a little ridiculous by P. C. Gonzalez (Austin, TX USA)

3 Stars
September 10, 2009
I thought this book was very well written and started off very strong. But towards the end it got a little silly and it was difficult to understand what was going on with all the characters involved.

Narcissistic main character mirrors narcissistic author? by Andrew Berschauer (London, UK)

3 Stars
August 28, 2009
When I saw "Air and Shadows" on the bookshelf I was instantly hooked. I am a fan of historical fiction, and was disappointed when I read the back cover to find that it wasn't really historical fiction at all. Still, I was smitten. A visit to the local library later had me eagerly bringing this intriguing work on vacation with me. Shortly after cracking the cover, I hit the wall... While many on this site complain about the self-involved unlikability of the main character, I felt that was a symptom of the self-important style in which the author writes. The prose, itself, was a real turn off. Couple that with the laughable 17th century manuscript reprinted as chapter ends, and I'm frankly amazed I chose to finish the book. The story is a slog - in large part thanks to the writing style - complicated by the fact that the author overreached in his efforts to develop deep characters. The story took so many diversions to provide sometimes excessive backstory, it seemed as if Mr Gruber was paid by the page. I really wanted to hate this book as the smug style continuously wore on me. However, I found that once the story finally got going (300+ pages into it), I started to enjoy it. So, a good premise weighed down by indulgent language. Tedious, but not a waste of time.

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