I spend three-quarters of this book waiting for the Lisbon earthquake to occur - and then it finally did, under very dramatic circumstances. This book is a tale of revenge, starting with the flight of young Sebastian when his family is betrayed to the infamous Inquisition. Sebastian's family were New Christians, meaning they were of Jewish descent and hence suspected heretics. Ironically, after fleeing to England, Sebastian converts to Judaism. He then returns to his native Lisbon ten years later with the aim of bringing to justice the priest responsible for his father's imprisonment and death. The plan doesn't exactly work out as planned, but it is an interesting story of a Jewish man fighting back against the forces of the Inquisition, even if that is historically unlikely. ( )

Exciting revenge novel, set in 1700s Portugal, where a "New Christian" [in actuality a Jew] seeks to kill a priest of the Inquisition and the man who had betrayed his father to the Inquisition. Nothing is as it seems in this novel and Mr. Liss filled it with unexpected twists and turns. The Earthquake of 1755 sets the book on its final course. The novel explores the nature of revenge and that of mercy.

Highly recommended. ( )

I’m a massive fan of David Liss, especially the Weaver novels, so I was looking forward to reading this.

The Day of Atonement isn’t about Weaver, although he has a cameo in it. It features Sebastian Foxx (born Sebastião Raposa). In a flashback we learn that Foxx was taken in by Weaver as a boy after he was smuggled out of Portugal to escape the Inquisition.

The main events in this book takes place in 1755, some thirty years after the last Weaver novel and ten years after Foxx’s arrival in London. Foxx has grown up an accomplished fighter but tormented by his past. He decides to return to Lisbon, in the guise of an Englishman intent on making his fortune, and avenge the death of his parents by killing the priest who led to their detention by the Inquisition. Of course when he gets to Lisbon life is more complicated than that…

I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the voice of Foxx and the pages turned nicely. The book evokes the atmosphere of Lisbon, and the different cultural and religious groups. It was interesting seeing the differences between London and Lisbon at that period. But it disappointed me on a number of levels.

I’m not particularly interested in a character who only wins because he’s better at fighting than other people. In the early stages of the novel, we get the suggestion that Foxx is a gifted investigator and actor like his mentor. He pretends to be foolish and naïve, with a backstory intended to draw out his prey. But increasingly as the story goes on, he appears not terribly bright and to have misunderstood everything he’s seen. So he’s thrown back onto violence.

The reversals are contrived. Basically if someone seems like a goodie they’ll probably turn out to be a baddie and vice versa. There are a number of holes in the plot. Foxx initially pretends he can’t speak Portuguese but then floors someone in public with his wit and apparently only one person notices his suddenly acquired fluency. Numerous times he has the opportunity to do what he came to do but suddenly can’t because of a laboriously explained complication to the story.

There is none of the subtlety and ambiguity I expect from David Liss. More than that, Liss’s novels are normally about something. Whether it’s the birth of the limited company or political corruption, they have a theme and a complexity interwoven with the adventure. Perhaps the publishers told him to tone it down a bit, people aren’t interested in that clever stuff, just given them an ambush and some blood, but that is one of the things I’ve most admired about his other books. I also like the wry humour of the Weaver novels which is lacking here.

I’m not saying that I expect authors to keep writing the same book, or be afraid to innovate for fear of alienating their readers. I enjoyed this book – I just think it’s not as good as most of his others.

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A note on the paperback – the font in this book makes it very hard to read, especially against a background of grainy grey paper. This is particularly annoying as the book is not available on Kindle. ( )

Set in Lisbon, Spain in the mid 1700's amidst the squalor and the Inquisition , this novel's hero deals with a thirst for revenge coupled with a deep sense of obligation and honor. Easy to read, fast-moving and interesting for some historial insight.
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As many David Liss novels do, this book draws one into its tale. The story about love, betrayal and honor starts slowly but becomes engrossing as the protagonist discovers himself as he searches for redemption during the Portuguese Inquisition. I received this book as an Early Reviewer and thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )