A betrayal and a murder in pro-Nazi Spain spark a struggle for power that grips a family for generations in this sweeping historical thriller
Fierce, edgy, brisk, and enthralling, this brilliant novel by Victor del Árbol pushes the boundaries of the traditional historical novel and in doing so creates a work of incredible power that resonates long after the last page has been turned. 
When Isabel, a Spanish aristocrat living in the pro-Nazi Spain of 1941, becomes involved in a plot to kill her Fascist husband, she finds herself betrayed by her mysterious lover. The effects of her betrayal play out in a violent struggle for power in both family and government over three generations, intertwining her story with that of a young lawyer named Maria forty years later. During the attempted Fascist coup of 1981, Maria is accused of plotting the prison escape of a man she successfully prosecuted for murder. As Maria's and Isabel's narratives unfold they encircle each other, creating a page-turning literary thriller firmly rooted in history.

The Sadness of the Samurai: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

del Árbol, Víctor

Genre Fiction

Henry Holt and Co.

Named a Best International Crime Novel of the Year by CrimeReads and a Best Book of the Year by PopMatters\nFrom the acclaimed author of A Million Drops, an engrossing psychological thriller that traces a widower’s descent into the seedy underbelly of Madrid.\nEduardo Quintana’s life lost all meaning when his wife and daughter were killed in a tragic accident. The once renowned painter wallows in grief and guilt, subsisting on alcohol and drugs, not caring if he lives or dies.\nBut when a grieving mother asks Eduardo to paint a portrait of the man who killed her son, he finds himself drawn to the unusual commission. He alone understands her need to look deep into the soul of the man who changed her life forever, and he alone can help.\nAs Eduardo sets out to discover what it takes to know a killer, he is pulled deeper and deeper into Madrid’s criminal underworld, where mercenaries, prostitutes, murderers, and thieves are all entangled in a dangerous and deadly web, in which nothing, and no one, are as they seem.

Breathing Through the Wound: A Novel

Other Press

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, and Crime Reads An intense literary thriller that tears through the interlocked histories of fascism and communism in Europe without pausing for breath. Gonzalo Gil is a disaffected lawyer stuck in a failed career and a strained marriage, dodging the never-ending manipulation of his powerful father-in-law. The fragile balance of Gonzalo’s life as a father and husband is pushed to the limit when he learns, after years without news of his estranged sister, Laura, that she has committed suicide under suspicious circumstances. Resolutely investigating the steps that led to her death, Gonzalo discovers that Laura is believed to have murdered a Russian gangster who kidnapped and killed her young son. What seems to be revenge is just the beginning of a tortuous path that will take Gonzalo through the untold annals of his family’s past. He will examine the fascinating story of his father, Elías Gil, the great hero of the antifascist resistance. As a young engineer Elías traveled to the USSR committed to the ideals of the revolution, but was betrayed, arrested, and confined on the infamous Nazino Island, ultimately becoming a key figure, admired and feared, during Spain’s darkest years. Suspenseful and utterly absorbing, A Million Drops is a visceral story of enduring love and revenge postponed that introduces a master of international crime fiction to American readers.

A Million Drops: A Novel

World Literature

Miguel and Helena meet at a nursing home in Tarifa, at an age when they believe they have lived it all already. But after the dramatic suicide of one of the other residents, they decide to undertake the journey of their lives. Meanwhile, in Malmo, Yasmina lives with the contempt of her mother, who is ashamed of Yasmina because she works for a Swede with a murky reputation and is having an affair with the Deputy Commissioner of the Swedish police. As Yasmina is drawn deeper into Malmo's criminal underworld and Miguel and Helena approach the end of their trip, a history of violence is revealed that links their seemingly disparate lives.

Above the Rain: A Novel

Extremadura 1941 / Barcelona 1981 Dos tramas se desarrollan de forma paralela; una en Extremadura en el año 1941; la otra en Barcelona en 1981. Un crimen cometido durante la posguerra española produce consecuencias en tres generaciones de la familia Alcalá y en aquellos que se han cruzado en sus vidas durante cuarenta años. Complots, secuestros, asesinatos, torturas, violencia machista, son algunos ingredientes de esta fantástica novela. Con un estilo descriptivo pero no por ello lento, el autor narra los acontecimientos ocurridos y poco a poco va entrelazando los personajes de ambas tramas, entrando en la psicología de cada uno de ellos. El resultado es una magnífica novela de intriga e investigación, de sentimientos y rencores, de amor y odio, de ambición y dolor, de hipocresía y sobre todo de culpa, una lacra que se transmite de generación en generación, donde los hijos heredan los delitos de los padres y los nietos los de sus abuelos. Una novela que atrapa al lector desde el primer momento.

La tristeza del samurái (Spanish Edition)

Editorial Alrevés S.L.

Diciembre de 1914. En una frÁa estaciÁn de tren de MÁrida, Isabel estÁ a punto de perder todo aquello por lo que ha vivido.Mayo de 1981. MarÁa, una joven y exitosa abogada de Barcelona, debe comparecer ante la justicia de los hombres. Pero eso no le preocupa, estÁ agonizando y no es a ellos a quienes deberÁ rendir cuentas,

La tristeza del samurai (Spanish Edition)

Contemporary

Debolsillo]

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