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The Devils of Cardona
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
6 posts | 5 read | 5 to read
In this gripping historical thriller set in sixteenth-century Spain, a Catholic priest is murdered by a mysterious Muslim avenger as the Inquisition continues to force Moriscos to live and worship as Christians. In March 1584, the priest of Belamar de la Sierra, a small town in Aragon near the French border, is murdered in his own church. Most of the towns inhabitants are Moriscos, former Muslims who converted to Catholicism. Anxious to avert a violent backlash on the eve of a royal visit, an adviser to King Philip II appoints local magistrate Bernardo de Mendoza to investigate. A soldier and humanist, Mendoza doesnt always live up to the moral standards expected of court officials, but he has a reputation for incorruptibility. From the beginning, Mendoza finds almost universal hatred for the priest. And it isnt long before hes drawn into a complex and dangerous world in which greed, fanaticism, and state policy overlap. And as the killings continue, Mendoza's investigation is overshadowed by the real prospect of an ethnic and religious civil war. By turns an involving historical thriller and a novel with parallels to our own time, The Devils of Cardona is an unexpected and compelling read. From the Hardcover edition.
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review
AlaMich
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
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Bailedbailed

I just can‘t anymore. I am 25% into this book, and there are SO MANY characters, 80% of whom are men. I like the story and I know that the male-centric cast is somewhat due to the setting (16th century Spain), but still.

Cathythoughts I love a good bail 👍🏻 it‘s over & moving on ... love the moving on part ... next book ♥️👍🏻 (edited) 6y
AlaMich @Cathythoughts I agree, although I‘m a little disappointed because this was one of those books that was sooo in my wheelhouse. But yeah...NEXT!! 😀 6y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Cathythoughts Yes! I‘m with you, I do it rarely, but it can be so cathartic! 6y
57 likes3 comments
review
calicodreamin
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
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Mehso-so

Interesting plot, with a solid flow to the story and it‘s resolution. But there were too many characters, with three different names for each person, and lots of locations, and it was very hard to keep it all straight. The story is set back in the time of the Spanish inquisition and the author uses a lot of language relating to that time period that I did not especially know. But all things considered, it was alright.

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jhm
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
Mehso-so

So-so just about covers it, and the end was a bit long—for all it's inevitability.

I suspect that this wasn't as accurate a depiction of the times as it could be, but it read well regardless of the clunky modern mores. The biggest issue with the plot vs. the history might be the prevalence of FGM.

review
juliej88
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
Bailedbailed

Just not grabbing me right now. Stopping around 50 pages - Maybe will pick back up in the future.

1 like1 stack add
blurb
juliej88
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
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Chapter 4 and I already feel like I need a map...

review
Traveler13
The Devils of Cardona | Matthew Carr
Pickpick

This is a pretty sure I liked it. Slow going until it wasn't. The Spanish Inquisition isn't much written about in historical fiction so that added an interesting atmosphere.