The eighth volume in the Pulichever saga takes place in Spain in the 1690s, two centuries after the start of the Spanish Inquisition and the Expulsion of the Jews in 1492.
Deprived of the talents of its Jews, Spain has gone into steep decline, and France and England have emerged as the dominant powers in Europe. Spain and France are on the verge of a war. A minister of the Spanish Council of State, who is also a secret Jew, is sent on a high-level diplomatic mission. When he returns to Spain, he finds his family has fallen under suspicion by the Inquisition, but before they can escape he feels honor-bound to fulfill his duties to the king.
The suspenseful story of danger moves breathlessly through the halls of power in Madrid, naval battles on the high seas, the marrano community of Amsterdam, the dungeons of the Inquisition in Toledo, the bullfights in Pamplona and across the length and breadth of sun-drenched Spain. It is a story of courage and valor, of twists within twists, peopled with colorful villains and heroes.
Avner Gold has included an historical essay, "The Rise and Fall of Spain and Its Jews", for the benefit of those readers who would like a better understanding of the evolution of the Jewish community of Spain and the origins and methods of the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
