Book rec- "The Coral Thief" by Rebecca Stott

 A beautifully character-driven work of historical fiction, Coral Thief is set right after Napoleon's defeat in a Paris full of scholarly as well as political and social upheaval. It is a wonderful study in how a chance encounter can derail any bit of planning we had set up, and how something as simple as conversation can alter every bit of our perception of the world around us.

From that framework a stunning mystery unfolds that is part a more traditional mystery, and part heist to rival Ocean's Eleven.

We watch the protagonist change throughout the book, watch him fall in love and his goals and sympathies shift all for an obsession, and then great love, for the most singular of women. I could not put the book down. It was enthralling, and intriguing and was one of those rare books that finishes perfectly.

Fans of Shadow of the Wind and Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon should definitely give Coral Thief a read.