Captain Alatriste - by Arturo Perez-Reverte (Paperback)

About the Book

A fictional 17th-century Spanish swordsman's instruction to frighten two travelers becomes a murder-for-hire. What happens next is only the first in a series of riveting twists and turns, with implications that will reverberate throughout the courts of Europe.

Book Synopsis

The first action-packed historical adventure in the internationally acclaimed Captain Alatriste series, featuring a Spanish soldier who lives as a swordsman-for-hire in 17th century Madrid.

Needing gold to pay off his debts, Captain Alatriste and another hired blade are paid to ambush two travelers, stage a robbery, and give the travelers a fright. "No blood," they are told.

Then a mysterious stranger enters to clarify the job: he increases the pay, and tells Alatriste that, instead, he must murder the two travelers. When the attack unfolds, Alatriste realizes that these aren't ordinary travelers, and what happens next is only the first in a riveting series of twists and turns, with implications that will reverberate throughout the courts of Europe...

Review Quotes

Praise for Captain Alatriste

"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

About the Author

Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novels have captivated readers around the world and earned him a reputation as "the master of the intellectual thriller" (Chicago Tribune). Originally a war correspondent, he now writes fiction full-time. His novels include the Captain Alatriste series, The Flanders Panel, The Club Dumas, The Fencing Master, The Seville Communion, The Nautical Chart, The Queen of the South, and What We Become. His books have been published in fifty countries.He is a member of the Spanish Royal Academy. He lives near Madrid, Spain.