Purity of Blood (Capitan Alatriste Series #2) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator)

From the Publisher

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 New York Times - Janet Maslin

On the whole, once it extricates itself from a backlog of long names and previous plot developments, Purity of Blood hits the high note of Captain Alatriste and sustains the series' uncommon verve.f

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.

Publishers Weekly

Those looking for seriously entertaining thrills will welcome Perez-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 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

After the darkly engaging Captain Alatriste, our eponymous hero returns to rescue a girl from a convent. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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