A Wartime Murder Mystery: Pérez-Reverte's The Siege
To be honest, I read little fiction. What I do read and like, I am inclined to repeat. John Grisham novels were once regular companions on a flight out or a flight home, the perfect length to tide me through the journey. As a seminarian, Fr. Brent Kruger, C.S.C. introduced me to Spaniard Arturo Pérez-Reverte 's The Seville Communion . It was great, followed by The Nautical Chart , the Captain Alatriste series, The Fencing Master , The Flanders Panel , and other works. With excursions to Spain (like the Camino de Santiago ), I have enjoyed learning more of that land and its history. A visit to the Salina Public Library occasioned an encounter with The Siege , published in Spanish as El Asedio in 2010, and translated into English in 2014. Set in the siege of Cádiz (1810-1812), the Spaniards encountered war with Napoleonic France as well as troubles with the independence movements in the American Colonies. The book was an occasion to deepen what I learned a few years back: how f...