The Day of Atonement

by David Liss Narrated by Samuel Roukin

Overview

Lisbon, 1755: A distinguished-looking gentleman emerges from the bowels of a ship freshly arrived from London, and sets into the city with a singular purpose. This is Sebastian Foxx, born SebastiAo Raposa, and his parents were abducted by the Inquisition when Sebastian was just thirteen years old. Now trained in the arts of coercion by bounty hunter Benjamin Weaver-whom readers will recognize from several of Liss's other novels-Sebastian has returned to the city to repay old debts . . . and to find the man who killed his father. He'll need money. He'll need power. But most importantly, he'll need to find his allies and identify his enemies among the Inquisition's spies. David Liss is the author of The Twelfth Enchantment, The Whiskey Rebels, The Ethical Assassin, A Spectacle of Corruption, The Coffee Trader, and A Conspiracy of Paper, winner of the 2000 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Enthralling . . . [a] sly, rich and swift novel of vengeance and rough justice.”—The Seattle Times
 
“One of the masters of the historical thriller, [David] Liss is back with yet another highly entertaining novel. . . . [The Day of Atonement] paints a vivid picture of the waning days of the Inquisition, and of the truly evil religious leaders who led it. One of Liss’s best books.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Foxx is reminiscent of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher: a man with his own moral code who takes on multiple adversaries simultaneously. . . . Liss has the start of another solidly researched, action-packed historical series here.”—Booklist (starred review)

“[An] action-packed novel.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“Snappy dialogue and convincing atmosphere . . . The plot moves swiftly to a shattering climax.”—The Washington Post

“Another intriguing thriller set against historical events for Liss, who has a knack for period detail, breakneck plots and characters we want to root for.”—San Antonio Express-News
 
“Fans of [David] Liss know well his mix of dark arts and historical detail.”—New York Daily News
 
“In his latest historical thriller, Liss portrays eighteenth-century Lisbon in vivid detail, leading up to the great earthquake of 1755. The history is well researched and furnishes an excellent portrait of Portugal under the ever-looming shadow of the Inquisition. A compelling story of obsession and revenge, the novel is also ultimately a tale of redemption. Liss fans and aficionados of intelligent, well-written historical fiction will be eager for this title.”—Library Journal (starred review)

Library Journal

11/01/2015
In a spin-off from his Benjamin Weaver novels, Liss's historical thriller introduces Sebastian Foxx, one of Weaver's young protégés, who returns to 18th-century Portugal to avenge the deaths of his parents, who had been forced to convert to Christianity, at the hands of the Inquisition. Revenge, murder, love, lust, betrayal, and atonement all combine to make an intriguing read set in Lisbon before and during the earthquake of 1755. (LJ 9/15/14)READ-ALIKES Laurel Corona's The Mapmaker's Daughter, Jeanne Kalogridis's The Inquisitor's Wife, and Mitchell James Kaplan's By Fire, by Water.

Kirkus Reviews

2014-07-24
Liss (The Twelfth Enchantment, 2011, etc.) delves into a bitter corner of history to chronicle the tale of a young man trapped in the Portuguese Inquisition. It's 1755, and Sebastian Foxx, born Sebastião Raposa, sails from London to Lisbon. "In Portugal, the Inquisition continued unabated and deadly, pervasive and merciless." Sebastian had been sent to England a decade previously, when he was 13. His parents, "New Christians" (forcibly converted Jews), fell victim to the Inquisition. Sebastian wants revenge, and he particularly wants to kill Father Pedro Azinheiro, all "youthful face and disarming smile." With detailed descriptions of gritty 18th-century life, the book never stumbles through anachronisms or artificial-sounding dialogue. Liss creates an Escape From New York-like narrative after the 1755 Great Earthquake, with Lisbon, a city of "peculiar charm and strange beauty," reduced to rubble, rape and rampage. Sebastian also wants to help Charles Settwell, an English trader who smuggled him out of Portugal and whom he now finds impoverished. Settwell blames the machinations of English traders Rutherford and Roberta Carver. Sebastian decides to recoup Settwell's fortune, but the further he proceeds, the more duplicity he uncovers, even on the part of his old friend Inácio, now the leader of a gang of miscreants. Liss focuses the romantic narrative thread on an unconsummated love between Sebastian and Roberta, which is the least satisfying portion of the novel. Trained as a "thief taker" by Benjamin Weaver (hero of other Liss works), Sebastian is driven by angst and anger—"[m]y broken soul was made for this. I was a devil and this was the pit." There is much derring-do as he brings Azinheiro to justice, copes with secrets, and arranges escapes to London for friends and foes alike. Historical fiction buffs will enjoy an action-packed adventure in an unusual setting.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169731521
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	09/23/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

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Excerpted from "The Day of Atonement"
by .
Copyright © 2015 David Liss.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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