A good-looking gent in a soft hat leans back in his seat as the train puffs down the track to Barcelona. When the engine pauses in Narbonne, he stubs out his cigarette and walks quickly out on to the platform. Minutes later, a beautiful woman will be found dead.

Yes, we are in the chain-smoking, gun-toting, heart-breaking 1930s. The clouds are gathering over northern Europe, but in Spain, the storm has already broken. The eponymous hero of Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s thriller, the mysterious Falcó, is making the best of the situation by offering his sinister talents to Franco’s secret service. Continue reading “Falcó – Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Review)” →