The sixth novel in the adventures of Captain Alatriste, set in a time when the only thing needed to summon hell on earth (or sea) was a Spaniard and his sword.
Accompanied by his faithful foster son, Inigo, Captain Alatriste accepts a job as a mercenary aboard a Spanish galleon. The ship sets sail from Naples on a journey that will take them to some of the most remote--and wretched--outposts of the empire: Morocco, Algeria, and finally to Malta for a stunning and bloody battle on the high seas that will challenge even the battle-hardened Alatriste's resolve.
Now seventeen,...

"Perez-Reverte summons the romantic spirit of an old black-and-white movie: impossibly glamorous, undeniably wistful." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"An intoxicating entertainment, pulsing with life."-- Booklist (starred review)

"Sparkling with witty dialogue, this elegantly translated thriller is enthusiastically recommended to sophisticated readers and those who wish to be." - Library Journal (starred review)

In 1928, aboard the Cap Polonio--a lavish transatlantic cruise ship bound for Buenos Aires--Max Costa locks eyes with Mecha Inzunza across...