by David Penny
Following the fire, Isabel moved the Spanish army to Santa Fe and began its construction.
The burning of the vega is well-documented and was a tactic used extensively by the Castilian army during the entire war.
I take the scene where a wooden board reading Ave Maria is nailed to the mosque door from several sources believed to be accurate. De Pulgar is mentioned as being the perpetrator, though I have changed his first name from Ferdinand to Perez to avoid confusion with Fernando.
Abu Abdullah’s younger brother Tarfe is mentioned in most sources as dragging the sign behind his horse before fighting a duel with a Castilian knight who took his head.
I based the scene between Isabel and Thomas in the farmhouse on a brief excerpt I read during my initial research many years ago, before I had even started the first book in this series, and had to include it in this book. Unfortunately, I have lost any record of the source, so perhaps it is nothing more than a figment of my twisted imagination.
Olaf Torvaldsson is a creation of my imagination so I could do with him as I wished. I apologise to him for all the pain I have inflicted over the years. It would be foolish of me to make an enemy of Olaf. I hope he forgives me.
Several sources state that Columbus entered the Alhambra on 5 or 6 January 1492 only to be refused an audience with Isabel. He reached as far as the gate from Granada before he changed his mind and returned. The rest, as they say, is history. I took the liberty of involving Thomas in his change of mind. In fact, this scene was one of the first that ever came to me all those years ago when the idea for the series was born.
I have once again to thank the Viking sisters, Gee and Trish, in particular for the information I found in their recommended reference on herbal plants, Culpepper’s Complete Herbal.
I have taken the title of this book from the phrase used to describe the expulsion of Abu Abdullah and his family from Granada. The story, first recorded in The Conquest of Granada, by Washington Irving, relates to when the exiles turned to take a last look at the wonder of the Alhambra palace and Abu Abdullah sheds a tear. His mother, the indomitable Aixa, is said to have berated him with the words “Do not shed a tear like a woman for that which you could not defend as a man.”
Finally, A Tear for the Dead is intended to complete the series featuring Thomas Berrington and his rag-tag collection of friends and family as I envisaged it in a sudden moment of clarity in late 2011. It took me over two years to conduct my initial research and write The Red Hill, book one of the series, and over another year to edit it. The Red Hill appeared on 26 June 2014, and the release schedule has been a little over a book a year since.
As time went on, I realised I could not let these characters fade back into obscurity. Not to mention the many emails and comments I receive almost daily from readers who tell me I cannot stop writing about them.
So Thomas, Jorge, Belia, Will, Amal and Usaden will return, but it will not be in Spain. They will return to England to accompany Katherine of Aragon for her wedding to Prince Arthur.
For those who want to read more about medieval Spain, fear not. I plan two further prequels featuring Thomas and several sequels following the unification of Spain.
The Thomas Berrington Historical Mysteries
The Red Hill
Moorish Spain, 1482. English surgeon Thomas Berrington is asked to investigate a series of brutal murders in the palace of al-Hamra in Granada.
Breaker of Bones
Summoned to Cordoba to heal a Spanish prince, Thomas Berrington and his companion, the eunuch Jorge, pursue a killer who re-makes his victims with his own crazed logic.
The Sin Eater
In Granada Helena, the concubine who once shared Thomas Berrington’s bed, is carrying his child, while Thomas tracks a killer exacting revenge on evil men.
The Incubus
A mysterious killer stalks the alleys of Ronda. Thomas Berrington, Jorge and Lubna race to identify the culprit before more victims have their breath stolen.
The Inquisitor
In a Sevilla on the edge of chaos death stalks the streets. Thomas Berrington and his companions tread a dangerous path between the Inquisition, the royal palace, and a killer.
The Fortunate Dead
As a Spanish army gathers outside the walls of Malaga, Thomas Berrington hunts down a killer who threatens more than just strangers.
The Promise of Pain
When revenge is not enough. Thomas Berrington flees to the high mountains, only to be drawn back by those he left behind.
The Message of Blood
When Thomas Berrington is sent to Cordoba on the orders of a man he hates he welcomes the distraction of a murder, but is shocked when the evidence points to the killer being his companion.
A Tear for the Dead
As the reign of Moorish Granada draws to a close, dark forces gather to carve a new Spain. Can Thomas Berrington overcome the plot to destroy not just one civilisation, but two?
THE THOMAS BERRINGTON PREQUELS
A Death of Innocence
When 13 years old Thomas Berrington is accused of murder he must enlist the help of pretty Bel Brickenden to prove his innocence. And then another kind of death comes to Lemster.
THE THOMAS BERRINGTON BUNDLES
Purchase 3 full-length novels for less than the price of two.
Thomas Berrington Books 1-3
The Red Hill
Breaker of Bones
The Incubus
Thomas Berrington Books 4-6
The Incubus
The Inquisitor
The Fortunate Dead
Thomas Berrington Books 7-9
The Promise of Pain
The Message of Blood
A Tear for the Dead
About the Author
David Penny is the author of the Thomas Berrington Historical Mysteries set in Moorish Spain at the end of the 15th Century. He is currently working on the next book in the series.
Find out more about David Penny
www.davidpenny.com
Copyright © 2020 David Penny
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
20201023.1220