Blood Libel by M Lynes #BookReview #HistoricalFiction @MLynesAuthor @maryanneyarde

 

I am so excited to share my review of Blood Libel by M Lynes. Thank you so much to The Coffee Pot Book Club for your invite to take part in this tour.

Blood Libel

 By M Lynes

Seville, 1495

The mutilated body of a child is discovered behind a disused synagogue. The brutal Spanish Inquisition accuses the Jewish community of ritual child murder - the ‘blood libel’. The Inquisition will not rest until all heretics are punished.

Isaac Alvarez, a lawyer working for the royal estate, is a reluctant convert to Catholicism who continues to secretly practice Judaism. When his childhood friend is accused of the murder Isaac is torn between saving him and protecting his family. Isaac is convinced that solving the murder will disprove the blood libel, save his family, and protect his faith. 

As the Inquisition closes in how far will Isaac go to protect both his family and his faith?

I must admit, I know, or knew, absolutely nothing about the Spanish Inquisition apart from the fact that, as those Monty Python boys once said, "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition." However, as I am a fan of both Monty Python and the movie Sliding Doors (and yes, I know neither of these things actually have anything to do with the Inquisition), when I was offered a chance to read this book I figured I might as well learn about the thing that no one expects. I sorely misjudged how much I would enjoy this book.

I was surprised at learning just how brutal the Grand Inquisitor was, and about how he didn’t really seem to care whether or not someone was Jewish or not, as long as he got a confession. And really, if you’re going to half drown someone until they confess, they’re either going to confess or die, so it didn’t seem like anyone had much hope after they came under "suspicion". In addition to this, there is an Edict of Grace issued, meaning that people were encouraged to report on their neighbours and it didn’t matter all that much whether or not the report was true. If such a thing happened in today’s society, as much as I hate my neighbors sometimes (seriously, please stop playing your music so loud with the windows open, I really dislike hip hop) I would never tell such lies knowing what they would go though and was honestly quite surprised that so many people had no issues in telling such tales.

Isaac was a terribly conflicted character, which only made him all the more enjoyable to read about, as I do love a good conflict, especially when there are such high stakes involved. A few facts about Isaac: he used to be a Jew, he converted to Christianity, and he sorely wants to still be a Jew. Isaac is torn between helping those he knows when they are arrested and protecting his family. If he steps in, there may be a chance to help his friends, but it may bring suspicion down on his family. If he does nothing, his family is safer, but he must stand by and watch as his friends are tortured and executed. As I said, quite the dilemma. 

I would say that I couldn’t put this book down, but my youngest does not like leaving me alone for more than five minutes at a time, so I could really only read this book in small windows of time. However, every time I was interrupted it left me that little bit more eager for the next five minutes to myself.

It doesn’t matter if you know absolutely nothing about the Spanish Inquisition, or if, like me, you’ve only heard about it vaguely from Monty Python, because this book will absolutely draw you in and will not let you back out until you have read the whole thing (unless you also have young children. If so, I found putting Horrible Histories on the TV for a bit tends to keep them occupied! They are generally quiet and learning at the same time. Two birds, one stone!)

I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club, but you can grab yours over on Amazon Uk and Amazon US.

Michael is an author of historical mysteries who writes under the pen name of M Lynes. He has a particular interest in early 16th century Andalucia. He is fascinated by the interplay between cultures, globalization and religious intolerance of that period in Spain’s history. The ‘Isaac Alvarez Mysteries’ are set against this rich background. He won a prize for his fiction at the 2020 Emirates Literature Festival and is an alumna of the Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel course. 

His debut novel ‘Blood Libel’, the first full-length Isaac Alvarez Mystery, was published in January 2021. Isaac, a lawyer working for the royal estate, must solve a brutal child murder to protect his family and his faith from the Spanish Inquisition.

Michael is hard at work on the second novel in the series and planning the third. He is originally from London but currently lives in Dubai with his family.

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