Description
The Day of Wrath
Book Summary
A suspense novel that immerses the reader in a crime that occurred in 1975 at a religious boarding school in Valladolid. The investigation, manipulated by the authorities to protect the true culprits, is reopened ten years later when a journalist and a lawyer decide to challenge the established power. A plot that combines mystery, social criticism, and the struggle for justice in transition-era Spain.
What is it about?
In 1975, the corpse of Julio Rummel, a sixteen-year-old student, is found with his throat slit under the altar of the San Pedro Regalado religious boarding school in Valladolid. His naked body has an inscription carved with a knife into his chest. The school's administration, the archbishopric, the civil government, and the judiciary collude to silence the scandal and point to a gardener with a criminal record as the sole perpetrator, despite evidence pointing to an "internal affair." The victim's roommate, two journalists, and a police commissioner about to retire investigate the case, but they run into a wall of power that prevents any possibility of justice.
Ten years later, in 1985, Father Marlasca, chaplain of the boarding school at the time of the crime, is appointed president of the Episcopal Conference of Castile-La Mancha. Víctor and Iñaki, now a renowned journalist and a lawyer, respectively, know that Marlasca was not ignorant of the events. Convinced of the gardener's innocence, they decide to reopen the case to uncover the truth and ensure the true culprits receive their deserved punishment, in a Spain that seems to have changed but still drags the shadows of the past.
Main Themes
- Abuse of power and impunity in religious and political institutions during the late Franco era and the transition.
- Manipulation of justice and the cover-up of crimes to protect the powerful.
- The struggle for truth and justice against an oppressive and corrupt system.
- The role of the press and the legal profession as tools to challenge established power.
- Social criticism of the hypocrisy and secrets of Spanish society at the time.
Who is it recommended for?
Readers of crime and suspense novels who seek complex plots with historical and social backgrounds. It will also interest those who enjoy investigation stories, unsolved crimes, and the fight against injustice, especially those set in the Spain of the 70s and 80s. It is a work recommended for adults who appreciate a story with social criticism and a slow-paced but intense narrative rhythm.
What this book offers
- A mystery and suspense plot with unexpected twists that maintains tension until the end.
- A critical and well-documented vision of power dynamics in transition-era Spain.
- Complex characters who represent the struggle between truth and complicity with power.
- A reflection on impunity and the possibility of justice years after the events.
- A detailed setting that transports the reader to a religious boarding school in the seventies.
Technical Data Sheet
- Author: ALONSO, JUAN IGNACIO
- Publisher: ATANOR EDICIONES
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Modern and contemporary fiction, detective and mystery genre, mystery and suspense work, fiction and real children's and young adult stories
- Collection: LETRAS VIVAS
- Publication Date: Not available
- Number of pages: 266
- Weight: 390 g
Editorial Review
A suspense novel that successfully combines the investigation of a crime with profound criticism of institutional power and impunity. The temporal structure, which jumps ten years between the murder and the attempt to reopen the case, allows for exploring both the oppressive atmosphere of the late Franco era and the superficial changes of the transition. The work may interest readers looking for a mystery narrative with a strong social component and a plot that denounces abuses of power, offering a reading experience that is equally reflective and entertaining.