The black book of the hours | The city’s angel
Family comes first… even when you think they’re dead.
A homicide in bookshop in Madrid. Another one in an old publishing house in Vitoria. The same modus operandi: a very familial environment, and a close relation between the victims and bibliophilia — this is how The Black Book of Hours starts.
Former inspector Unai López de Ayala, better known as Kraken, is forced to get back to work when a mysterious call gets him involved in a new situation. On the other side of the phone, an anonymous person swears they have kidnapped his mother, who Kraken thought had been dead for 40 years. The person on the other side of the line says that, to keep his mother alive, Kraken has seven days to find and deliver the Black Book of Hours by Constanza de Navarra, an extremely valuable medieval relic.
In this story, the reader jumps between the 70s and the present. The childhood and youth of Unai’s mother, Ítaca, takes place in the 70s. An untamable woman with a hard and difficult life, who rebels against the impositions of those in power. Ítaca will abandon her baby at the door of a convent, she will escape the city in a rush, and she will spend years dedicated to art and forgeries, surrounded by loyal friends, deep hatred, and first loves. A brave woman who doesn’t hesitate to abandon her family, becoming a ghost, and escaping from those who seek revenge.
In the present, we follow Kraken’s investigation, and the quest to stop the criminals, in a complex puzzle that is meticulously pieced together, and some important revelations take place. The two timelines converge when Unai and Ítaca finally reunite.
In The City’s Angel, Venice is on fire. An astonishing palazzo located on a small island collapses amidst the flames. This beautiful setting was going to be one of the exhibition halls for the International Antiquarian Book Fair, and at the time of the fire, many Spanish antique booksellers, the caretakers of the valuable collection of forbidden books from the National Library of Madrid, were gathered there. The bodies of the attendees, all friends, or acquaintances of Kraken, are not found among the rubble.
Kraken suspects that his mother Ítaca —who asked him to keep away from her while she creates a false identity after their reunion— was involved in a fire that took place 30 years ago, under almost identical circumstances.
Meanwhile, back in Spain, Inspector Estíbaliz carries out her own investigation: a new case that could lead her to uncover the truth behind the robbery that ended Kraken’s father’s life.
Once again, this thrilling and intriguing work is told through two voices, in two different timelines: Kraken’s, in the present day; and Ítaca’s, in 1992. History repeats itself: in a country full of legends and art, “the City’s Angel”, a patron who secretly pulls the strings of Venice, becomes a threat.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: The Kraken saga is a trilogy still in process. The Black Book of Hours and The City’s Angel are the incredibly successful first two installments of this series, where the author brings back Kraken, one of the most beloved characters from her previous trilogy.
The Black Book of Hours has become a phenomenon of both critical acclaim and sales. It was the best-selling novel in Spanish in 2022. Furthermore, the author’s literary work has over 100 editions, and it has been published in over 20 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Brazil.
The author, best-selling writer Eva García Sáenz de Urturi, is considered a benchmark in Spanish literature. Eva has won the prestigious Planeta Prize and has been named one of the most influential women in culture by Yo Dona magazine. She has also received other awards, including The Golden Bullet, the Fiction Book of the Year awarded by El Corte Inglés, and the Ser de Álava Prize.
The Black Boof of Hours is a thrilling and captivating story about the dark side of old book collecting: the frauds, forgeries, and thefts. But it’s also a story about passion for art, overcoming and the connection between a mother and a son who will do everything they can to reunite.
Its deep, complex, and determined characters will have to cross a bridge full of questions, mysteries, passion, and revenge in their search for the truth.
What the critics have said:
“A suffocating story with a frenzied pace in which there’s still time to write a profound love letter to books, their stories, and all those lives we can live through them.” La Sexta
“A well-organized, interesting argument that enraptures you.” El Español.
“A tribute to bibliophilia with large doses of suspense.” Esquire.
“A didactic instrument that teaches how the world of collecting works and what bibliophiles value. It is also a tribute, a journey through the literary heritage of the country and a way to reflect on that strange quality that a book contains, capable of connecting entire generations for centuries, making them read the same letters and, who knows, revolve around similar ideas.” Libertad Digital.
“If The Black Book of Hours was one of the best-selling and most desired books in 2022, undoubtedly, this one will be in 2023.” Juan José Ginés.
“We are looking forward to receiving her next novel. She is one of the best, one of the best-selling, and that means she is one of the most beloved.” Máximo Huerta.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Film, TV Movie.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish, Bulgarian, French, Dutch, Catalan, and Greek.
