The Devils of Cardona

By: Matthew Carr

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

"A thrilling quest for justice... [A] novel that is as exciting as it is enlightening from its first pages to its satisfying end.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A page-turner in the proper sense… Mr. Carr has written a gripping and enjoyable novel.” —The Wall Street Journal

The gripping story of the dangerous high-stakes worlds of politics and religion in sixteenth-century Spain as a mysterious Muslim killer retaliates against the Catholic Church.

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 town’s 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 doesn’t 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 isn’t long before he’s 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.

Historical, intelligent, intriguing

Really well written and beautifully performed...
Smart and deeply researched...

I would like Audible to offer Matthew Carr’s new book...Black Sun Rising!!

Great history; too much swashbuckling

Fascinating historical and geographical setting for this book. Too many battles with last minute miraculous saves, but generally really interesting way to learn about a little known time and place of Spanish history

Nice book

Accents in Spanish are all wrong and - for Spanish auditors - annoying. The main culprit is the name Lepanto which is pronounced Lepánto

Historical Page Turner

Carr delves into some of the important societal and political issues of 16th-century Spain in a very readable way. He also bases the events in mostly real places, so you can follow along on a map and find photos of the present-day locales. His characters and dialogue are compelling and believable.

Wow! Thanks Wall Street Journal for the Review

The story is outstanding and also very educational. One of the best period pieces I have listened to in some time. The performance was solid. Get this book.