Purity of Blood (Adventures of Captain Alatriste, #2)

From Publishers Weekly Those looking for seriously entertaining thrills will welcome P?rez-Reverte's second 17th-century Spanish swashbuckler featuring the exploits of stoic, honorable Capt. Diego Alatriste (after 2005's Captain Alatriste ). A father and two brothers accompany Alatriste on a mission to rescue their sister from the convent in which she has been imprisoned. Things go wrong when an old enemy of the captain ensures that Alatriste's ward, 13-year-old Inigo Balboa, falls into the hands of the Inquisition. With the aid of the great Spanish poet Francisco de Quevedo, all is made right. Rich in historical detail and sardonic observations, the narrative begins leisurely. The pace picks up, but the action is never so breathless as to sweep the reader along, as with Captain Alatriste . Still, this will matter little to fans, who are sure to look forward to further installments in the series. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From In yet another example of our trade deficit, the United States continues to do well by Arturo P?rez-Reverte. His books, The Club Dumas , The Seville Communion , and The Fencing Master , all translated from the Spanish, have gotten quite cozy with our domestic best-seller lists. So last year Putnam launched the Captain Alatriste series, previously published in P?rez-Reverte’s native Spain, with the first volume, Captain Alatriste ( Selection Sept/Oct 2005). Critics praised this second installment for its taut plotting, sense of place, and old-fashioned derring-do. Good news for fans of the series: three more installments await translation, and the author has committed to rounding it out to a lucky seven titles. Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

the Second Swashbuckling Adventure In The Internationally Acclaimed Captain Alatriste Series

Captain Alatriste, Madrid's Most Charismatic Swashbuckler, Returns In Pérez-reverte's Acclaimed International Bestseller. The Fearless Alatriste Is Hired To Infiltrate A Convent And Rescue A Young Girl Forced To Serve As A Powerful Priest's Concubine. The Girl's Father Is Barred From Legal Recourse As The Priest Threatens To Reveal That The Man's Family Is “not Of Pure Blood” And Is, In Fact, Of Jewish Descent—which Will All But Destroy The Family Name. As Alatriste Struggles To Save The Young Hostage From Being Burned At The Stake, He Soon Finds Himself Drawn Deeper And Deeper Into A Conspiracy That Leads All The Way To The Heart Of The Spanish Inquisition. A Literary Thriller That Delivers Adventure And Rich Historical Detail, purity Of Blood Captivates To The Final Page.

the Washington Post - Warren Bass

perez-reverte's Enthusiasm Is Contagious, And The Story Is Propelled By His Glee. When The Last Echo Of The Last Clang Of The Last Duel Has Died Away Down The Muddy Streets Of Madrid, Readers Will Be Hungry For The Next Volume. They Should Expect More Of The Same -- Which Is, After All, The Point. When Asked About A Job, Alatriste Pauses, Thinks And Responds, It Will Involve Swordplay, I Imagine. Give Us The Foils. Come On.

A punto de incorporarse a su antiguo tercio en Flandes, Diego Alatriste se ve envuelto por mediación de su amigo don Francisco de Quevedo en otra peligrosa aventura. Una mujer ha aparecido estrangulada en una silla de manos frente a la iglesia de San Ginés, con una bolsa de dinero y una nota manuscrita: Para misas por su alma. El enigma se complica con los sucesos misteriosos que ocurren tras las paredes de un convento, cuando Alatriste es contratado para rescatar de allí a una joven novicia. En el azaroso y fascinante Madrid de Felipe IV, entre lances, tabernas, garitos, intrigas y estocadas, la aventura pondrá en juego la vida de los amigos del capitán, haciendo surgir del pasado los fantasmas de viejos enemigos: el pérfido secretario real Luis de Alquézar, el inquisidor fray Emilio Bocanegra y el siniestro espadachín italiano Gualterio Malatesta. Gear up for swashbuckling adventure in the second “riveting”* historical thriller in the internationally acclaimed Captain Alatriste series.The fearless Alatriste is hired to infiltrate a convent and rescue a young girl forced to serve as a powerful priest’s concubine. The girl’s father is barred from legal recourse as the priest threatens to reveal that the man’s family is “not of pure blood” and is, in fact, of Jewish descent—which will all but destroy the family name. As Alatriste struggles to save the young hostage from being burned at the stake, he soon finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that leads all the way to the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. A desperate father hires Alatriste to rescue his daughter a powerful priest is said to be using the girl as his personal concubine. The priest has threatened to reveal that the man's family is of Jewish descent, so he has no legal recourse. Alatriste agrees to help, and several nights later, under the cloak of darkness, a rescue attempt is made. But soon Alatriste discovers that he has become part of a religious and political conspiracy that leads all the way to the highest levels of the Inquisition Captain Alatriste attempts to rescue the daughter of a friend from a convent, but finds himself involved in a political and religious conspiracy connected with the Inquisition