“[Pérez-Reverte] brings Seville to life as if her were animating a painting by Velázquez.”—The New York Times

“Fans of the series have come to expect historical authenticity, crisp prose, complex characters, exotic settings, and plenty of sanguinary action. They won’t be disappointed.”—Publishers Weekly

More Praise for the Captain Alatriste series

“Equipped with a quick-witted, charismatic hero and much to provoke and goad him, Mr. Pérez-Reverte has the makings of a flamboyantly entertaining series. Captain Alatriste ends with a wicked flourish, an evil laugh, and a strong likelihood that the best is yet to come.”—The New York Times

“Pérez-Reverte’s moody, wounded semi-hero—part cantankerous mercenary, part man of honor in a roiling society of pomp, pistols, and provocation—is a whole-cloth invention out ofa17th-century Madrid that has led to a 21st-century literary phenomenon....The clash and dash are thrilling; the swordplay is a bonus.”—Entertainment Weekly

“High-level intrigue and double-dealing in the tradition of Alexandre Dumas.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Though Pérez-Reverte fills the swashbuckling story with nonstop action, Captain Alatriste is also a contemplation of life and death, which adds depth to the good, unclean fun.”—The Miami Herald

“Pérez-Reverte’s pacing is swift and suspenseful, the narrative voice both crisply cinematic and true to the setting of seventeenth-century Spain...a feast of dark historical detail and believable danger.”—The Denver Post