Friday, October 16, 2015

The Errant Flock: A Review

The Errant Flock is the first book I've read by Jana Petken. It won't be the last.

  Valencia, Spain, 1491 
The ambitions of four men merge and collide in a deadly game of intrigue. 

David Sanz, a young militiaman, is forced to carry out a heinous crime, and he becomes an unwitting pawn in a tense battle for power. 

Luis PerĂ¡to, the duke of Sagrat, sacrifices his own people to cover up dark secrets that could see him burnt at the stake for treason. 

Sergio Garcia, Sagrat’s lord treasurer, is a cruel and unscrupulous man, willing to eliminate anyone who opposes his rise to power. 

The inquisitor, Gaspar de Amo, zealously punishes heretics for their sins against Rome and her Holy Office. But bringing the Inquisition to the town of Sagrat proves more challenging than he or the church could ever have envisaged. 

In the midst of chaos, the people of Sagrat, terrorized by a series of murders, face an even greater danger with the arrival of the Inquisition and the unimaginable horrors it brings.

My Review: (5 stars) The Errant Flock is a thrilling look into Spain in the 1490s. The book is filled with tension, intrigue, religious strife, and the struggle between right and wrong. Jana Petken's vivid description of the location and political/religious upheaval of the time shows her dedication to research. David struggles to come to terms with what he was ordered to do by a power-mad duke. The town's struggle to survive, along with the injustices done to its Jewish population, are powerfully told. The characters come to life, the writing flows smoothly, and I was turning pages long past my bedtime.

Jana Petken is the author of several epic novels, including The Guardian of Secrets. You can visit her website here

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