Set in Barcelona in the late 19th century this is a Gothic thriller which turns the city into a mythic labyrinth, with a series of murders and mutilations being our introduction to the action as Daniel, now an Oxford academic, is summoned back to the city and finds himself in the tunnels beneath the city. There is an ancient curse, and links to Daniel's own past.
A gripping thriller, I'm not surprised this has been translated into so many languages. Not one for the Barcelona tourist board!

Stunning debut for this author excellently translated from Spanish by Thomas Bunstead.
We travel from a mutilated body washed up near the sewers of Barcelona to the hallowed walls of Oxford University where Daniel Amat is celebrating a Professorship, an engagement to the daughter of his mentor Sir Edward Warren -also the Dean of his faculty. He feels he is able to put his past way beyond reach.
However a letter from Barcelona announcing his father's death takes him back to the city where a fire destroyed his home and killed members of his family and yet a past love Irene is still haunting him.
This gothic tale mixes images of Jack the Ripper with the hideous plans of a mad academic creating a monster such as in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Llobregat effortlessly builds the plot with stunning twists and turns and the introduction of seemingly minor characters all weave into the tale of ancient physicians such as Vesalius (of the title) and Galen. Those Daniel meets for the first time mingle with new friends who he must convince of his motives and innocence.
It is a tale of death for which Daniel must seek the killer as they are implicated in avenging his father's involvement in wider plots. The very underbelly of a cultural European city on the cusp of the new century add to the interest and as well as a good yarn I learnt a lot!

I found this to be an un-put-downable story and enjoyed every word of it, finishing it in two evenings. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the story for its originality and detail but oddly perhaps the translator (Thomas Bunstead ) did a great job in convincing me that I was actually doing a simultaneous translation from Spanish in my own head, rather than reading his words! This added another dimension for me and not one that I've experienced before in a translated work.

Was surprised to discover this to be a début novel as it's so accomplished in it's structure and storyline. I can't imaging that this will be a "one off" and so I am very much looking forward to Jordi Llobregat's next novel.