The Ghost Rider

Doruntine, a beautiful local girl, returns to her mother’s home under cover of darkness after several years’ absence. She claims that her brother, Kostandin, had brought her back from faraway lands on horseback. But Kostandin has been dead for years, and the next morning mother and daughter too are found on their deathbeds. Captain Stres, the district officer assigned to the investigation, struggles to find a rational explanation as rumours of Kostandin’s resurrection gather speed. While Stres wrestles with the emotional turmoil wrought by the case, Kadare keeps the tension between the metaphysical and rational thrillingly taut.

This is a deftly rendered mystery that also has a political element, raising questions about national identity and authority in the context of unrest beyond Albania’s borders. The Ghost Rider is a captivating read, its intrigue not lost in translation from the French rather than the original Albanian.