A Small Death in Lisbon and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £1.49

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Start reading A Small Death in Lisbon on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

A Small Death in Lisbon [Paperback]

Robert Wilson
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.99  
Hardcover --  
Paperback, Special Edition £6.74  
Paperback, 16 April 2007 --  
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

16 April 2007

This stunning, atmospheric thriller set in war-torn Europe won the CWA Gold Dagger and has now been reissued with the Javier Falcon series.

A Portuguese bank is founded on the back of Nazi wartime deals.
Over half a century later a young girl is murdered in Lisbon.
1941. Klaus Felsen, SS, arrives in Lisbon and the strangest party in history where Nazis and Allies, refugees and entrepreneurs dance to the strains of opportunism and despair. Felsen’s war takes him to the bleak mountains of the north where a brutal battle is being fought for an element vital to Hitler’s blitzkrieg.
Late 1990s, Lisbon. Inspector Ze Coelho is investigating the murder of a young girl with a disturbing sexual past. As Ze digs deeper he overturns the dark soil of history and unearths old bones. The 1974 revolution has left injustices of the old fascist regime unresolved. But there’s an older, greater injustice for which this small death in Lisbon is horrific compensation, and in his final push for the truth, Ze must face the most chilling opposition.


Special Offers and Product Promotions


  • Watch the author talk about this book in Windows Media Player format: dial-up | broadband.



Product details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; (Reissue) edition (16 April 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 000651202X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006512028
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.2 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 587,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Amazon Review

In such distinctively written novels as A Darkening Stain and Blood is Dirt, Robert Wilson established a solid claim to be the heir apparent of such major writers as Graham Greene in fusing thriller elements with brilliantly written novels of character. His speciality was the luminous creation of atmosphere in his exotic locales, and his 1999 Golden Dagger winner, A Small Death in Lisbon represents the most cogent example yet of this rare ability.

Europe, 1941: Lisbon is one of the world's tensest cities, and as the Nazis and Allies jostle for power, Iberia becomes a fulcrum for the menace that is about to engulf Europe. Klaus Felsen, torn from his Berlin factory to become a reluctant member of the SS, finds himself drawn into a savage battle for a vital element in Hitler's Blitzkrieg. There he meets a man who will set in motion a sinister conspiracy that will last to the end of the century.

Lisbon, 1998: Inspector Zé Coelho is struggling against the closed ranks of his colleagues in the investigation of the brutal murder of a young girl. Her disturbing sexual past is the focus for his colleagues' attention, but as Coelho begins to unearth some remarkable secrets behind her death, he encounters a plot that stretches beyond the 1974 Portuguese revolution--back to the atrocities of the fascist regime. Soon he is facing a terrifying opponent in his battle to uncover the horrors of the past.

The protagonist as an outsider in a hostile community may not be a new literary device, but rarely is it so adroitly handled. Coelho is a fully rounded character, vividly realised and handled with an unflinching honesty. The complexity of the narrative stays clear and compelling because of Wilson's ability to sharply rein various plot lines, while slowly allowing them to unfold. Although more ambitious and epic in its scope than his previous books, A Small Death in Lisbon retains all the author's customary and mesmerising imagery:

It was at about that time that a girl started to make her dent in the sand no more than the few hundred metres away from where I was sleeping. Her eyes wide open, she moonbathed to a night full of stars, her blood slack, her skin cold and hard as fresh tuna.
-- Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Compulsively readable… rich in history and intrigue, love and death. Bold, inventive and wholly successful… Wilson unmistakably delivers the goods.’ Literary Review

‘This is vintage suspense writing; sharp, cold, mean and funny.’ Alan Furst

‘A gripping and absorbing drama that spans Europe from wartime Berlin to contemporary Lisbon.’ Val McDermid

‘A class act…For once a novelist influenced by Raymond Chandler is not shown up by the comparison.’ Sunday Times


Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
"Ladies and gentlemen," said the Mayor of Paco de Arcos, "may I present to you Inspector Jose Afonso Coelho." Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Banjanx
Format:Paperback
Good book.
The movement between wartime Germany/Portugal, and modernish-day Lisbon is really quite ambitious, and just about works well. The plots intertwine entertainingly, and while you feel the denouement has happened a bit early and you've "got it", there's always one more twist you didn't quite have under control.
Perhaps by the end, the scarey character wasn't quite scarey enough, and I have to admit that I find some of the violence, and fascination with bodily functions just a tad...unnecessary - but I'm probably just a woos.
Good book.
Would want to try one more.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The title of this book attracted me because I am familiar with the city of Lisbon and its immediate environs. I was impressed by the style of writing of Robert Wilson, an author of whom I had no previous knowledge. I found the plot, and counter plots, enthralling and the book's subjects made compelling reading. As with all truly excellent crime writers Wilson has the art of suggesting things to the reader which makes them think they have the "answers", Just when I thought I was in this position everything changed and I had to rethink my reasoning.

An excellent novel which I greatly enjoyed and from which I learnt a number of historical details.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I was riveted almost to the end of this book by the complex story of greed, betrayal and brutality set against a beautifully evoked backcloth of Salazar's Portugal in the second world war. However, the complementary part of the plot, which is set in present day Lisbon and which links up with this past, was never so compelling, and I had lost interest by the end as contrivance and coincidence multiplied. Neither were the 1990s characters as brilliantly drawn as their wartime counterparts. My feeling was that Wilson had overstretched himself by working in the contemporary angle and that the book would have been more successful without this. All the same I would recommend this novel both for the vivid descriptions of the horrific - reminiscent of Michael Dibdin at his best - and for the sure grasp of history coupled with a deep understanding of the beautiful but seedy city of Lisbon.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Long-winded
There may well be a good story in this book but having read 100 pages the content of which should have been written in 60 I stopped reading. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Ashencrump
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
I chose it my husband had read it and recommended it. The plot lines wove together slowly but never failed to keep my interest pulling me on to find out more. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs CDSwales
2.0 out of 5 stars A wasted opportunity
Somewhere in this book there was a compelling story struggling to get out. Based partially on the little known history of Portugal's supposedly neutral role during World War 2, the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jeremy Persaud
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy to have "met" Robert Wilson.....
A friend was reading this author I was not familiarized with.... And... She passed the book on to me. It is FANTASTIC... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2011 by Teresa Iglesias
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Absolutely fantastic - the author's fantastic knowledge of Lisbon & the Portuguese culture makes for a gripping read. I look forward to more books set in Portugal.
Published on 3 Jan 2011 by Benj
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good 'faction' yarn
Modern crime thriller which intertwines the story of a 'small' murder in Lisbon with the history of Portugal from the Nazi era through the dictatorship of Salazar to 1974. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by Officer Dibble
4.0 out of 5 stars A complex puzzle
I bought this book on the basis that last year I devoured Wilson's Javier Falcon quartet - I wasn't disappointed by this one either. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2010 by Bookworm79
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling read
A superbly constructed thriller/murder mystery that made me wonder why Robert Wilson isn't a household name. Read more
Published on 18 July 2009 by booksetc
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a exceptional and powerful novel.
Loved the way the characters were intertwined, they were engrossing and true to life ... and the main detective was a curious character but likable. Read more
Published on 2 April 2008 by Newengland
5.0 out of 5 stars The best historico-fictional book i read...
This book is a masterpiece..., is not until the last few page that you really start to put the pieces of the puzzle together,,,and the historical information is fantastic.. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2008 by Mr. C. Alves
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback