When I Was Mortal (Vintage International)

A dozen stories by Javier Marías, "the most subtle and gifted writer in contemporary Spanish literature" ( The Boston Globe ).

Victims of mistaken identity, sponging relatives, amateur sleuths, eavesdroppers, professional liars, assassins, and failed bodyguards populate the short stories in When I Was Mortal. Plots turn on curious exigencies--a woman about to star in her first porn film; a night doctor who adds new meaning to "specialist"; a ghost whose neglect is greatly resented.