Senhor Francisco, a once powerful state minister and a personal friend of the Portuguese dictator Salazar, is incapacitated by a stroke. As he lies dying in a Lisbon nursing home he reviews his life and his loves. The emotional turmoil enveloping Francisco's family finally catches up with him when the Carnation Revolution severs the dictatorship and the old regime tumbles. Beset by paranoia, Senhor Francisco remains a large but empty shadow of his former self. An international best-seller and the novel that established Antunes's reputation in Europe, The Inquisitors' Manual is a rewarding and stunning piece of art that shows the damage tyranny does to each layer of society.