The Maestral Literary Evenings open with a celebrated guest lineup. One evening features the summer readers, followed by Manuel Loureiro, the Galician lawyer and author who has moved more than 200,000 copies in the United States. He will present Bone Thief. The event, hosted by the Vectalia group, invites readers to a Friday night on September 16 where the author will unleash a fast-paced and gripping novel that has left many readers spellbound. After a dinner, Loureiro will engage in discussion with fellow writers, offering attendees a chance to hear firsthand insights from a prominent voice in contemporary Spanish-language fiction. This segment is reported by Charles Rosique, Efe Agency correspondent in Alicante.
Bone Thief centers on Laura, a girl groomed to be the perfect intelligence asset, only to have fate twist her plans through a brutal series of events that unfold after a troubling disappearance. The story follows a cascade of impossible heists, collapsing ruins, and lingering mysteries along the Camino de Santiago. Who is Laura? What really happened to her? These questions drive a plot charged with intrigue, romance, and tension that keeps readers turning pages.
The author’s movements through Galicia mirror the landscapes he writes about, with the Camino de Santiago serving as the central stage. He also weaves in scenes set in the Mexican city of Guadalupe, the desert realms of Saudi Arabia, and the stark, frozen images of the former USSR, enriching the narrative with a sense of geographic breadth and cultural texture.
Author
Manel Loureiro hails from Pontevedra, born in 1975. A multifaceted professional, he is a trained lawyer, a television presenter, and a prolific screenwriter for various projects. His breakthrough came with Apocalypse Z, a novel that began as a spare-time blog and grew into a viral hit that launched his writing career in 2007. The book’s success spawned sequels and a string of bestsellers such as The Dark Days, The Wrath of the Just, The Last Passenger, Fulgor, and Twenty. Loureiro’s work has enjoyed acclaim in Spain and across the globe, establishing him as a leading voice in the modern literary scene. His most recent title, Gate, has drawn an audience of over 100,000 readers. In addition to his novels, Loureiro collaborates with media outlets such as RNE and GQ and has hosted regular segments on Galician television since 2020, with involvement in the program Fourth Millennium BC.
Themed menu and wine
The evening’s menu, curated by the Maestral kitchen team, draws inspiration from the book itself. Guests will enjoy a carefully composed sequence featuring a savory starter — black bread with ham — followed by a chilled Bosrcht de Peredélkino with dill yogurt and a corn empanada with clam. The main course highlights a hearty boiler 2.0 style dish, while dessert offers a cream cheese croissant puff served with Arzúa apples. Subtle touches echo the novel’s motifs, creating a cohesive dining-and-reading experience that resonates with the night’s theme.
A wine crafted to pair with this literary journey accompanies the evening. The PathA wine, a special Albariño white from Casa Sicilia 1707 Winery in Novelda, complements the book’s coastal and continental influences, enhancing the sensory experience of the event.
The rendezvous of gastronomy, wine, and literature is set for Friday, September 16 at 20:30 at the Maestral Restaurant. The evening’s price is 40 euros per guest, and attendees will receive a complimentary bottle of wine as a token of the night. Reservations can be made by contacting Maestral staff directly by phone or through the restaurant’s official channels.