“Kirsch offers up an amazing recounting of the abuses of clergy and state in those terrible times. Kirsch’s powerful and cautionary account is essential reading for historians and anyone who wants to understand the potential dark side of religion.” — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“A scathing account of the Inquisition’s 600-year campaign to stifle religious dissent, as well as to persecute various groups of people it branded as alien menaces to communal security.” –Los Angeles Times — Los Angeles Times
“Jonathan Kirsch is a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences.” --Washington Post — Washington Post