The Lover of Trapdoors !

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, is the book that speaks about the lover of trapdoors. I was skeptical after reading the title, and after a few pages, thought it must be a comedy. However, it is riveting once you get the hang of the story.

It is about the 'Opera Ghost' or 'OG' or 'Erik' as he calls himself. There is a ghost in the Opera who terrorises people. He demands a box for himself in every performance and also 20,000 francs every month ( A ghost who demands money ! ). OG then falls in love with a singer and goes to extreme lengths for her. There is a hero too, who loves the same singer; and a 'daroga' who seems to know a lot about OG and his secrets.

The author does a good job of keeping up the suspense and later of rationalizing the events that build up to it. A good read.