''Captain Alatriste'' () is a 1996 novel by the Spanish writer

Arturo Pérez-Reverte Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez (born 25 November 1951) is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for RTVE for 21 years (1973–1994). His first novel, '' El húsar'', set in the Napoleonic Wars, was published in ...

. It is the first book in the

Captain Alatriste ''Captain Alatriste'' () is a series of novels by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. It deals with the adventures of the title character, a Spanish soldier and man of fortune living in the 17th century. Series # '' El capitán Alatriste' ...

series.

Plot

is a former soldier turned

contract killer Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. It is the early 1620s and he takes in the fatherless boy Iñigo Balboa. When Alatriste is tasked by the president of the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

to team up with an Italian and kill two Englishmen who have arrived in the city, he becomes entangled in international intrigues and has to balance between different factions.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' described the book as a "pleasure of swash, buckle and atmosphere" with "tidy infomercials" about 17th-century Spain. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called it "a winning swashbuckler" and "popular entertainment at its best", complimenting its pace and sense of time and place.

References

1996 Spanish novels Novels by Arturo Pérez-Reverte Novels set in Madrid Novels set in the 1620s Works about contract killers Alfaguara books Adventure novels Spanish historical novels {{1990s-novel-stub