A Small Death in Lisbon
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A Small Death in Lisbon
by Authors:
Robert Wilson
Released: 01 March, 2002
ISBN: 0425184234
Mass Market Paperback
Sales Rank: 63230
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List price:
$7.99
Our price:
$7.19
(You save: $0.8)
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| Book > A Small Death in Lisbon > Customer Reviews: |
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Average Customer Rating: 
A Small Death in Lisbon >
Customer Review #1:
A Deserving Gold Dagger Winner
"A Small Death in Lisbon" has all of my favorite elements -- interesting and believeable characters, a complex mystery plot, a fascinating setting, and two narratives, one in the past, World War II, and one in the present. One reviewer said that the characters were too unlikeable, but I completely disagree. On the first page, the reader meets the murder victim from the 1998 storyline, who turns out to be a promiscuous 15-year-old Portuguese girl named Caterina. As the mother of a teenage daughter, Caterina broke my heart. She lived in a wealthy but twisted household, the victim of psychological abuse and then murder. I immediately cared about her and wanted to know her story. The detective who pursues her killer, Ze Coelho, has a sad recent past and also a teenage daughter. The focus of the historical plot is Klaus Felsen, a Berlin factory-owner turned SS officer, sent to neutral Portugal to acquire wolfram for the Nazi war machine. Despite his often-despicable actions, I found him to be strangely sympathetic. The novel demonstrates how brutal treatment spawns brutality. There are truly evil characters in the book as well, but many of them receive their just desserts. Usually in books that alternate narratives, I find myself intersted in one plotline more than the other. Some reviewers enjoyed the historical plot more, but I found them both to be compelling. Only once or twice was I tempted to skip ahead to continue following one plot or the other. I could not wait to learn how the two narratives would converge. Wilson placed tantalizing clues along the way. As Wilson brought the two narrative threads together, I could hardly put the book down! Many reviewers have also commented upon the setting. I visited Portugal many years ago and this book made me want to go back. The author lives in Portugal and he vividly depicts the landscape and the culture.
A Small Death in Lisbon >
Customer Review #2:
Small Death Comes Alive - Stick With It
Nazi gold is at the heart of this thrilling adventure which crosses not only the heart of Europe but also the timespan of 50 years. Powerful writing and memorable characters make "A Small Death in Lisbon" a major triumph for previously little known author Robert Wilson, but he has taken on quite a challenge. Anyone writing a thriller will tell you to simplify matters by constricting the timespan as much as possible (there is even a thriller in real-time - the plot takes as long as it takes you to read it). Robert Wilson has ignored this advice and stretched his narrative over half a century - the result is ultimately successful but he asks a lot of the reader to stay with events in Nazi Germany and modern day Portugal at the same time. The characters are well drawn in the earlier chapters - important for the present day events to make sense - and the messages about good and evil are clearly presented. This not your regular read on the beach thriller, it challenges the reader to choose sides and confront issues. It also helps to have a little knowledge of European history. Dont worry if you dont understand the Portugese political history - few Europeans know anything about the country beyond its golf courses.If you stick with "A Small Death" you will be rewarded with a memorable read. This is a genre novel which expands its genre and the fact that it has been awarded with a thriller writers award in Great Britain should be further recommendation.
A Small Death in Lisbon >
Customer Review #3:
 Noir-est finest kind of reading, dont miss it
This is finest-kind of reading. Superb noir novel, then (Nazi Germany) and now (the present in Portugal). The first 30 or so pages are a jumble but it sorts out after that to be a terrific read. Really. Ok, ok, finest kind, of the could-not-put-down category. Cant wait to read more from Wilson.
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A Small Death in Lisbon >
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