'It was terrifying from start to finish even in daylight!
Klaus is a tooth-pullers boy, rescued from the streets of a German town. His master is no ordinary tooth-puller though. Kusselmann has a dark side, taking teeth from corpses illegally in conjunction with Frau Drecht, who always seems to have a ready supply of bodies, all with shiny white teeth! One day Kusselmann discovers something unusual, even by his standards. One man's teeth were plaster models, concealing pieces of gold and a diamond. He swears Klaus to silence and takes them home, intending to sell them secretly. But Frau Drecht has other ideas.
After Kusselmann's brutal murder, and the theft of the gold, Klaus is on the run, but with the diamond somehow in his pocket, it's hard to stay hidden for long. Just as it seems like it's all over, the feathered man appears, a mysterious angel in a leather box, still alive after thousands of years. Things go from bad to apocalyptic and a sadistic plot is uncovered, that puts the lives of Klaus and everyone he knows in danger.
This is definitely not a bedtime read!! It was terrifying from start to finish even in daylight! Murders, ghostly visions, sacrifices, cruel punishments and dark secrets make for a fascinating and gripping plot, which, though not apparent at first, was all focused on one question - where life goes after we die.
Liesel, Frau Drecht's servant, was especially well characterized, perhaps more so than Klaus himself. She's really poorly treated, and I felt so sorry for her having to live with that and being punished if she said or did anything she wasn't told to. Yet despite that, she's really brave, freeing Klaus when her mistress has him imprisoned. She was definitely my favourite character, and certainly not just because she's the only girl!
The only, minor, negative point was that its German setting meant it was full of unpronounceable names and places. I find it really distracting from the actual plot if you have to keep wondering how to say, for example, Bergenstrasse or Diebenplatz - guess Spanish wasn't the right language choice for me here, but still time!
The book feels like it needs a sequel, as the ending was really unfinished. I don't think there is one at the moment, but I really hope de Quidt writes one, as I'd love to read it. I really can't recommend this book enough, but only in the middle of the day, with someone else around!
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