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Published Nov 2014
624 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
Cádiz, 1811: The Spanish port city has been surrounded by Napoleon's army for a year. Their backs to the sea, its residents endure routine bombardments and live in constant fear of a French invasion. And now the bodies of random women have begun to turn up throughout the city - victims of a shadowy killer.
Police Comisario Rogelio Tizón has been assigned the case. Known for his razor-sharp investigation skills - as well as his brutal interrogation methods - Tizón has seen everything. Or so he thought. His inquiry into the murders reveals a surprising pattern: Each victim has been found where a French bomb exploded. Logic tells him to pass it off as coincidence; his instinct tells him otherwise, and he begins to view Cádiz as a living chessboard, with himself and the killer the main players.
In a city pushed to the brink, violence and desperation weave together the lives of a group of unlikely people: the Spanish taxidermist who doubles as a French spy; the young woman who uses her father's mercantile business to run the enemy blockade; the rough-edged corsair who tries to resist her charms; and the brilliant academic furiously trying to perfect the French army's artillery and bring Cádiz to its knees once and for all. And as Napoleon presses closer, Tizón must make his next move on the bomb-scarred chessboard before the killer claims another pawn.
Combining fast-paced narrative with scrupulous historical accuracy, this smart, suspenseful tale of human resilience is Arturo Pérez-Reverte at the height of his talents.
"Bold... [Arturo Pérez-Reverte's] best yet... an ambitious intellectual thriller peopled with colorful rogues and antiheroes, meticulous in its historical detail, with a plot that rattles along to its unexpected finale. It's hard to think of a contemporary author who so effortlessly marries popular and literary fiction as enjoyably as this." - The Observer (UK)
"Pérez-Reverte has long been Spain's most popular, inventive writer of historical fiction... This is a big and bold novel, rich in character and incident." - The Sunday Times (UK)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Arturo Pérez-Reverte lives near Madrid. Originally a war journalist, he now writes fiction full-time. He is the author of The Flanders Panel, The Club Dumas, The Seville Communion, The Queen of the South, Captain Alatriste and other novels. His works have been translated into more 40 languages and published in fifty countries. In 2002, he was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy.
Link to Arturo Perez-Reverte's Website
Name Pronunciation
Arturo Perez-Reverte: aar-too-roh peh-rehs rev-air-tay
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