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A Small Death in Lisbon
 
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A Small Death in Lisbon (Paperback)

by Robert Wilson (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; Re-issue edition (2 May 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 000651202X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006512028
  • Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.2 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 73,798 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk 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

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Small Death in Lisbon, Robert Wilson, 6 Nov 2004
By RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
Robert Wilson? Is he currently the the most underrated male crime writer? Very possibly. He gets huge amounts of critical acclaim, and those who read his books seem to love them also, but where the popularity? Where are the sales to match the quality, a la Ian Rankin or Michael Connelly? Wilson probably deserves them more, actually. I've read three of his books now, and each one has been absolutely superb.

A Small Death in Lisbon, with its brilliant dual narrative - one focusing on the exploits of the Germans in Portugal during the second world war, the other on the investigation of Inspector Ze Coehlo into the death of a Lisbon teenager - is an excellent piece of work in almost every way. A Gold Dagger winner, its structure is clever, and the two stories intertwine brilliantly. The book arches high, supported on the pillars of history, and becomes far, far more than a crime novel. Wilson writes excellently, with an intelligence and slight cynicism that really make the novel, and Ze Coehlo, while he may be damaged in the vein of many other contemporary detectives, is an excellent creation, and an incredibly compelling protagonist.

I've not a lot else to say about this book, save from that it's excellent. If you want proof that crime fiction is just as good as any other form, then Robert Wilson is one of several writers who will provide it in spades.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but ultimately frustrating, mystery., 31 Oct 2003
By Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
Two different settings and time frames--Germany and Portugal in the waning days of the Third Reich, and contemporary Portugal, with some of the same characters--allow the author to overlap both a complex historical thriller with a traditional murder mystery in unique and fascinating ways. Klaus Felsen, forced to work for the Nazi SS near the end of World War II, is sent to Portugal to buy as much wolfram (tungsten) as he can get, to be used in the manufacture of armor-piercing weapons. He is also responsible for privately smuggling out a great deal of German gold and some stolen art when it appears that Germany will lose the war, a job made more palatable when he realizes that he and his partners can profit greatly in the years after the war if they are careful to avoid discovery.

All these details come into play when a young Portuguese girl, seemingly unconnected with any of this, is found murdered fifty years later in contemporary Lisbon. Inspector Ze Coelho is assigned to solve the mystery of her death, a death which eventually reverberates throughout Lisbon society, the émigré population, the police department, the federal Justice department, political parties past and present, and even the foundations of the present government.

If all this seems like a lot to take on, it is. Although the book is beautifully written with fully developed, imperfect, and quirky characters one grows to like and understand, fine and vivid description, and a fast-paced plot with something happening all the time, ultimately it is difficult to make all the connections required by the fifty year chronology of the plot. Although I worked hard at this, and (mistakenly) thought I had succeeded as I worked my way to the conclusion, the last twenty pages had me scratching my head trying to figure out the final details and the secret motivations of the main characters, all of which are necessary for a successful resolution of this very complex plot. Mary Whipple

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent thriller, 14 Nov 2006
By kimbofo (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
It's been a long time since I've read a thriller as rollicking, intelligent and gripping as this one. Robert Wilson has created a genuine page-turner (a phrase I hate to use because it's such a cliche, but in this case I can think of no better description) that had me furiously eating up the pages in unison with my raging fever (I was very ill when I read this).

Through dual narratives set a generation apart, the author tells two stories that are inextricably linked in ways that don't become clear until the end of this brick-thick novel.

The first, told through the eyes of a reluctant SS officer, Klaus Felsen, is set in war torn Europe and examines how the Nazis managed to secretly fund a bank in Portugal on the back of "inappropriate" deals.

The second, narrated in the first person by Inspector Ze Coelho, follows his investigation into the murder of a teenage girl found dumped on a Lisbon beach in the late 1990s. This investigation, aided by a younger police detective, threatens to expose the seedy underbelly of Portuguese life and its dark secrets from its Fascist past...

While I know this synopsis sounds vague, I'm reluctant to write any more because it will only spoil the plot. And what a plot it is!

The pacing is also very well done, helped in part by cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter that make you want to read on (and on and on).

The characterisation is superb -- especially the widower Coehlo, who is a wise, empathetic and all too-human creation: I loved his relationship to his teenage daughter and the dynamic between him and his younger colleague. But the book is not without its stereotypes, which is not unusual given its peppered with Nazis and it must be extraordinarily difficult to create such loathsome characters without resorting to shorthand caricature.

The only other point I'd like to make is that if you don't like reading about sex or sex crime then this book is probably not for you. There is a lot of sex in this book: Klaus Felsen is slightly addicted to it, and the murder of the girl in Lisbon reveals a sexual past that is quite disturbing.

A Small Death in Lisbon won the CWA Gold Dagger in 1999.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

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 15 months ago 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 18 months ago by Mr. C. Alves

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping novel
A Small Death in Lisbon is an intricate and gripping crime novel in which historical and psychological issues are skilfully addressed. The plot is, I believe, a masterpiece. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Sonia

5.0 out of 5 stars memorable
There are very few thrillers one remembers so vividly after a few years.I read it when it came out, and the details of this story are still with me. Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2007 by Eva Peron

4.0 out of 5 stars nicely worked thriller...and I suppose violence is what a thriller's about.....
Good book.
The movement between wartime Germany/Portugal, and modernish-day Lisbon is really quite ambitious, and just about works well. Read more
Published on 17 May 2006 by Banjanx

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
This novel is compelling and exciting, a racy blend of a narrative of wartime Nazi intrigue and exploitation interweaved with a modern day crime investigation. Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2005 by sandyoldham2

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Well Done
The Golden Dagger Award first introduced me to the work of Michael Dibdin and his, "Aurelio Zen" series. Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2003 by taking a rest

4.0 out of 5 stars A sordid family saga that argues for birth control
A SMALL DEATH IN LISBON by Robert Wilson is a meticulously crafted whodunit that's set in a place perhaps dismissed by insular Americans as one where not much seems to happen -... Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2002 by Joseph Haschka

4.0 out of 5 stars Different, but interesting.........
This is a strange book, but the story was well constructed and full of intrigue. It was also evident that the subject matter was particularly well-researched. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2002 by johnverp

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read with great characters
No wonder this wonderful book won the CWA Gold dagger. Excellent interesting characters, a marvellous interwoven story, superbly done flashbacks switching between Lisbon 1990's... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2002

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