The inquisitor's diary

"He [Lewis] has been painstakingly, novel by novel, constructing an oeuvre that puts him in the ranks of the country's must-read authors."—Peter Davis, author and Academy Award–winning director

In Mexico City, the Holy Office of the Inquisition holds sway over the people. Fray Alonso, its most zealous advocate, awaits promotion and passage to Spain but, outmaneuvered by his rivals, he is instead sent north through the country, in search of heretics to bring before the tribunal.

What appears at first to be a futile journey becomes a great test of faith, as Alonso forms an unusual connection with his captured heretic. The bond between them forces Alonso to question every element of the faith and doctrine he has held so dear.

Alonso's diary follows the priest and his captive as they come across questions of faith, love, and morality, and what it is to live—and die—in a state of grace. Interwoven with Alfonso's story is that of the Marranos and their role not only in New Spain, as Mexico was then known, but in the early Jewish settlements in California.

Jeffrey Lewis is the author of Meritocracy: A Love Story, The Conference of the Birds, Theme Song for an Old Show, and Adam the King—four novels that comprise The Meritocracy Quartet, to be published as one volume in 2013 by Haus—and Berlin Cantata. He has twice been the recipient of the Independent Publishers Gold Medals for Literary Fiction and has won two Emmys and the Writers' Guild Award for his work as a writer and producer on the critically acclaimed television series Hill Street Blues.