E.J. Stevens

The Last Kabbalist Of Lisbon is an amazing read. The tinder of plague, the wood of drought and the flame of religious intolerance begin a wildfire of riots against the Jews or "New Christians" in the Lisbon massacre of April 1506. During the onset of the riots the lead character, Berekiah Zarco, discovers the body of his murdered uncle and that of a young woman. Details at the murder scene lead Berekiah to conclude that his uncle, a kabbalist wise man, was murdered not by an "Old Christian" but by one of their own. The novel then takes off at a feverish pace and the methodical study of his uncle's murder is all that anchors Berekiah amidst the chaos of violence and terror. Although graphic (contains physical and sexual violence) this is an outstanding novel.