Answering a question about his interest in crime fiction, Zafon declared, "I am convinced a lot of the best professional writing in the last two decades has happened outside the confines of so-called "literary fiction", and quite a lot of it can be found on the mystery/thriller shelves. I'm very interested in crime fiction, and I'm a fan of writers like Raymond Chandler, James L.Cain and the classic noir authors, as well as many contemporary and excellent writers such as George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly and many others. It is field blessed with brilliant and powerful voices."
