The Thirteenth Tale

I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. The Booklist review said that "lovers of books about book lovers will be enthralled" and that is why I bought it. It's also a first novel for the author which is always intriguing to me. The Thirteenth Tale is a modern gothic that combines elements of contemporary mystery stories with the nineteenth century gothic. The author succeeds with the plotting and pacing of the story but does not succeed with atmosphere, that all-important ingredient of the greatest gothic tales. Still, it is an enjoyable read - even the not-so-great books are infinitely better than television.