Though her father is burned as a Jewish heretic, Susanna Diego escapes and gives birth to her daughter, Teresa, at a convent. Her prayer is that the child will never know of her Jewish background and suffer persecution from the Inquisition. And then, as Susanna lays dying, she asks that her skull be fixed above the lintel of the Diego family home.

Twenty years later, the nuns send Teresa to care for wealthy Roberto Velez, a former Jew, who has converted to Roman Catholocism. Teresa quickly learns, however, the conversion is false . . . and it is not the only danger the family, and now she herself is in.

Roberto's son Louis is bewitched by the lovely Teresa. To keep her at his side after his father's death, he informs her he knows who her birth mother was—and where her skull resides—and offers a burial in a Christian cemetery. But, caught with the skull, Louis is arrested by the Inquisition, and Teresa is accused of being a witch. Has Teresa finally found her fate, the fate of those who lived on The Street of Death?

"The Inquisition is brought to life in all its terrifying glory superbly. But it is not overpowering - its presence is used sparingly in the book, remaining a threatening background and setting a general dark mood. Laid over this is a compelling story of interrelationships, of incest, master/servant interactions, the perils of being lower class, rape and death. This fifteenth century world is portrayed in as much detail as the tale needs. Its greatest strength though is that the author is brave enough to break away from the expected path. It was a fascinating to visit these people, to experience a period of theirlves. It is a dark book, but it does have a glimmer of hope, which keeps you turning page after page."
– Steve Mazey, Eternal Night

"The haunting atmosphere of the Velez home located on the aptly named Street Of Death ironically brings to life the Spanish Inquisition in which loyalty was a commodity not to trust. The family secrets provide fascinating twists that add depth so that the audience fully understands the plights of Jews in fifteenth century Spain; for instance why Luis' mother is buried where she is. Although Luis' conversion from disdain to desire seems a stretch, Mary Ann Mitchell paints a dark picture of what mankind did in medieval times and still does to one another in the name of God.
~ Harriet Klausner