The plot is interesting, although not very complicated. There is a somewhat biased view on some characters, which to a certain extent undermines credibility, but anyway it is a novel and they are supposed to be the bad guys. As almost always there is some error in Spanish words. The monastery would be that of Santo Tomas de Aquino and not Saint Thomas Aquinas, which is the English term. ( )

I had some difficulty getting interested in the story because of the many historical terms used by the author in the initial chapters. There are a lot of them. However, since I have studied this era in Spain and am well acquainted with its history, I was surprised by this. There is an assumption that the reader knows this history and can figure out what is going on. In addition, there were a lot of characters introduced early in the story and that also slowed me down. I continued reading and it all soon gelled in my mind. The book is advertised as a historical thriller perfect for fans of CJ Sansom and SJ Parris. I agree that Sansom and Parris fans will like the book. However, it is not a thriller. It is the third book in a trilogy and I have not read the first two books. I am sure that this is affecting my experience reading the novel. The author said in an online interview that he believes he did a good enough job of weaving the back story into this novel so that it can be read as a standalone. Since I have not read the earlier books I cannot make any comments about these statements. If you have not read any historical fiction about the Spanish Inquisition, I recommend that you read the trilogy. I learned alot about how Jews and Muslims were treated by the Spanish monarchs during this era. Some of the Jews had converted to Christianity but many of them secretly continued worshipping as Jews. Some of the Muslims also converted but those that did not had to agree to be subject to their Christian rulers. It's a heartbreaking fact of history. I am planning to read the earlier two books in the series and re-read The Red Citadel sometime next year. I feel that the author is giving us a good history lesson in his writing. I am excited that he plans on returning to Granada next Spring to research his next book. It is going to be a young adult novel set in the same time period. The story will focus on Isaac's ten-year-old ward Juana. Juana's father was executed by the Inquisition and her mother died in "mysterious circumstances." The Alhambra, which is the red citadel in the title, will be the setting of this new novel also. I love this setting and have been pining to travel to Spain to see it in person. The book was a slow read so I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars. ( )