A marvelous suspense story. The wide variety of on-line reviews should tell you that there is something more than meets the eye here. The author adroitly ties sophisticated 20th century Europe to Dumas's bohemian 19th, as well as the hysteria of the Inquisition. The gin-soaked, unscrupulous protagonist, who demands payment in the face of the devil, is my kind of hero. And the ending, far from murky, is most satisfying. As for the concern over the mysterious girl, remember what the narrator instructs us in terms of reader response -- she may be what we want her to be. One thing is certain, Perez-Reverte and The Club Dumas would not have survived the Inquisition, which is all the more reason to enjoy this book!