Another installment in the Issac of Girona series.

This mystery is set in the 14th century in Girona, Spain, and features Issac of Girona, a Jewish physician, as amateur sleuth. The heat fo the summer is keeping Issac and his assistant, Yusuf very busy as everyone, even the Bishop of Girona, is suffering the effects of the summer heat. Unfortunately it's not his patients's health that is occupying Issac's mind, but murder.

It looks as if a con artist has come to Girona in hopes of conning some of the wealthier merchants of the city into buying a cup he claims is the Holy Grail. Gualter Gutierrez, a merchant that deals with fine leather, believing that the Grail will bring him more food fortune, sells all his asserts to raise the necessary cash to but the Grail. Unfortunately he is murdered and all his money is stolen, thus leaving his remaining family quite destitute. However it is Gualter's son, Marti, that causes Issac to become more involved in the doings of the Christians in his city. Marti gets it into his head that Astruch, the Jewish banker who had lent Gaulter some of the money for this failed enterprise, was somehow involved in his father's murder, and drunkenly begins to procalim this about the city. This of course dismays Issac -- it is quite a serious thing to accuse a Jew of killing a Christian -- and so in spite of his rabbi's disapproval, Issac decides to investigate matters before Marti's accusations against Astruch is taken seriously by anyone.

Who could have murdered Gaulter? Was it the conman? Or was it someone else with a more nefarious purpose? Issac will have to sift to much before he finds out the truth about who murdered Gaulter and why.

This is an interesting novel, and Caroline Roe does a wonderful job of evoking the feel of 14th century Spain, esp the politics and intrigue of the times. Another nice point was that she fleshes out more of the peripheral characters that surround Issac, thus making the novel more interesting and involving the reader more in the goings on in the novel. Also, I think that Caroline Roe has struck gold in her creation Issac the physician -- here is a chracter that does not allow the petty opinions of others to rule his judgement in his pursuit of justice. An enjoyable installment in an interesting series.

In 1354, rumors abound that in the Pyrenees Mountain village of Taull lies the Holy Grail. The cup that Jesus and his disciples used at the Last Supper is blessed and contains powers that many mortals want for selfish reasons. A peddler, Baptista offers a silver cup to the highest bidders among Christian travelers in Gerona, Spain. The winner Master Gaulter arranges to meet with Baptista at the nearby cathedral to complete the deal.

The exchange never occurs because someone kills the buyer and apparently takes the money too. Rumors fly that the sacred chalice is in Gerona leading to mass hysteria that the powers of the Holy Grail will destroy everyone. Isaac, a blind but respected Jewish physician realizes that Baptista's cup has no power except that being spread to misinform and frighten the townsfolk. When an unknown assailant murders Baptista, fear grips Gerona forcing Isaac to investigate what he believes is a human killer.

Readers receive a vivid picture of the Jewish community in mid-fourteenth century Spain and how the segregated group relates to their Christian neighbors. Some prejudice exists, but for instance, Isaac receives much respect as a successful physician in spite of his religion. The well drawn historical mystery pulls the audience into the tale and will send readers seeking previous novels in a strong series that gets better with each new book.

Harriet Klausner

I miss more information about the core topic: the Spanish fine shotguns. There are only a few pages with shotgun's pictures, which is a great way to see the excellent quality of the Spanish shotguns. I miss more information related to the different models manufactured in Spain (luxury O/U do not appear at all and they have been sold to Royal Houses around the world...). There is also an extensive description (biased in my opinion) of the history of the basques which adds little interest to the main topic: the Spanish shotguns. The best of all is that the author has had the courage to show internationally the outstanding quality of our guns and to fight against the black legend about the Spanish steels.

Terry Wieland's book is a thoughtful and thorough analysis of the Spanish gunmaking trade. Spanish guns enjoy a spotty reputation in North America and this book helps consumers determine between the quality Spanish guns and the rest. It is also reviews the history of the Basque people and is an invaluable reference should one entertain the idea of going to Spain to order a shotgun. I have visited Eibar and toured the gunmakers and having a copy of this book made the trip much more enjoyable. In some respects, Spanish Best is also a good travel book because Wieland describes the local customs and notes interesting places to visit (San Sebastian and Guernika). Having been to Eibar, I can attest that his descriptions of the gun makers, local people, the Hotel Arrate and the restaurant Chalcha are impressively accurate. I understand that a second edition is in the works and I look forward to it with great anticipation.

Engulfing Christina's treats in just two days, I long for more. What's the girl worth? I'm thinking a lot. While a pretty girl in a strange land always makes for story, a dark western eye's subtle slice through Europe is entriguing. Ms. Fitzpatrick offers the sol y sombra of Madrid, battling her amorous and paternal demons with the distilled emotion and stabbing sincerity of a matador. While her problems are salt of the earth, her texture is sublime. Although she may fall at times, you'll want to lift her up. I can't wait to lift her up again.

I'm not much on review writing, but after reading this book I felt compelled. The story of 20 year old Catherine's journey halfway around the world to "find herself" could have easily turned into a travelogue. It didn't. If you happen to be looking for a tourist's guide to Spain, I would recommond Fodor's... not this novel. What it did turn into is the story of a very real girl who is battling with the same demons many of us do... self image, past relationships, the desire to make the right decisions.

I was thrilled to find a protagonist I could relate to for once. The girl has issues... She knows she has issues, but she is a little confused about what those issues are... and as a refreshing change, those issues do not involve the family fortune, finding a new husband to finance a Park Avenue penthouse, or terminal illness. Those issues do involve being a child of divorce and alcoholism, and an all consuming need to succeed on her own, emotionally and financially. It is that need that we see constantly driving Catherine as she navigates her way through the unfamiliar territory of Madrid.

For me, this was a five star novel; however, I have to admit that Fitzpatrick can be a bit long winded at times. For the lines I decided to skip over here and there because they seemed a bit irrelevant, I have deducted one star. Also in the spirit of fairness, I should caution that this is not a "feel good" novel. Although I wouldn't necessarily characterize it as "dark", it is a bit moody, and does not wrap everything up in a nice, neat bow at the end as many would prefer for a novel to do.

This is little more than a long listing of producers. Very little detail is furnished about regions or producers. As an indication of this book's user-unfriendlyness, there is not even an overall map of Spain showing the locations of the wine-producing regions. Rather, hand-drawn rough sketches of small portions of maps of small areas are presented without any clue of how they relate to one another. This is just one of several manifestations of extremely low general production values. The disappointing thing is that the author did seem to do his homework, and in many cases can identify the better producers in a region or the best offering from a producer even when this information is quite obscure. ...

A unique guide that is designed for the wine drinker rather than the coffee table.Over 2,000 Spanish wines are described extremely accurately judging by those I've tasted.(While I would agree everyone has their own palate I would also argue that everyone can distinguish a good wine from an average one.)In short if the author says the wine is 'good' or 'recommended' then that is the case.Additionally,a useful indication of price and value is given.
The introduction states that 'these are exciting times to be studying and drinking Spanish wines' and this book is the perfect companion.

The book has a good summary for the major highlights, and very nice pictures. Good overall coverage, but the best part is that the book is small enough to fit in a bag or a pocket to travel with you when finding the features of Madrid.

Good, but not detailed enough, map of central Madrid. One would still need a more detailed map for a lot of walking around the city.

This book is a great source book for the aviation aspect of the Spanish Civil War. It has everything: intrique, conflict, and betrayal.The stories are told with the aircraft type as the reference to the story, and covers aircraft of both sides. By telling the story in this format, the reader gets a good feel for the technical problems involved, the heroism of the pilots, and the political extremism of both sides,and how the Spanish Civil War become a testing ground for the Russian Front of WWII.

This book should have been written pre-1960's so that the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations could have pulled out of Vietnam before history had a chance to repeat itself. The Spanish-American War and the Philippines War are two glowing examples of how politicians, businessmen, and other characters with hidden agendas can convince and cajole a nation into conducting a costly, unnecessary war. While reading this book I was continually amazed and ashamed of the actions of our military and goverment. Started by Randolph Hearst and a host of other jounalists the war cries were spurred on by the idea of "Manifest Destiny" and American colonialism. The sinking of the Maine supplied the final straw. Off went the soldiers with bands and parades to cheer them on. But in war, although people sometimes forget, men die and soon they did. A bumbling, criminally inept military, and a host of jungle diseases nearly wiped out these unfortunate troops. But wait, there is the "Heroic" Teddy Roosevelt to pull our stones out of the fire(What a crock we have been fed). The Philippines War, an extension and forgotten episode of the Spanish-American War, illustrates how sometimes a David can slay a Goliath. Fighting with outdated guns, knives, rocks, and sticks, An "uncivilized" army nearly overcame superior firepower to gain their long sought after freedom. Sound familiar? This was a prelude to Vietnam. The book was well written. Mr. Tebbel writes as if the events are taking place as you read, a sort of "you are there" feeling. He introduces a long cast of characters and includes background info on the more important people. The first part of the book deals with our war in Cuba which saw alot of coverage by jounalists. Some of the adventures of these newspaper men (Stephen Crane et. al.) would make a great movie. The second part deals with the Philippine War which is really why I bought the book. I was disapointed more pages were not devoted to this area(About 100 pages of a 300 page book for a time period that was 5 times longer). I was also disapointed that there were no maps. Not a one. I would recommend this to any reader with an interest in American history. Mr. Tebbel did not load the book down with military jargon so the casual reader will enjoy. I think this book is a good intro into a forgotten time period, for a more in depth military account other books have to be supplemented.

I took this book with me and found it very useful, and a good travel companion. I was travelling by car, which made it easier to transport than in a backpack or suitcase. It is nicely illustrated. The best aspect is the informative descriptions of places. I even used a couple of the hotel recommendations.

This book is a little bit coffee table, little bit guide book. If you can;t take it with you, it's a good one to read when you get back.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful regions in the world, Andalusia is a landscape filled with color and majesty. Evergreen's book captures the magnificence of southern Spain with its gorgeous photography and charming prose. If you love travel, Spain, or exotic places, this book is for you. Chapters cover major cities (Seville, Malaga, Granada, and more) and major regions, as well as popular customs and old traditions. This book is a great introduction to Andalusia; it is by no means an in-depth historical account or a travel guide. Primarily a picture book, this volume is easy to read and meant to be enjoyed at leisure. If anything, this book is too slim and leaves you wanting more.

I won't attempt to add to the Kirkus review, because I think it captures the problem of this book head on, but I will add that the afterword by Cary Nelson is utterly superfluous and none too insightful.