Rating: 
Summary: Small Death Comes Alive - Stick With It
Review: 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. Don't worry if you don't 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Deserving Gold Dagger Winner
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: Do yourself a favor and read something else.
Review: Although this book has many favorable reviews and is fairly readable, it is not for everyone. The plot instrument of following two converging stories separated by decades is interesting to a point, but finally exhausting and frustrating as often the stories switch just when you become interested in the current vignette. While at times it was captivating and kept me up late, the ending was predictable with a "gotcha" twist and I had to force myself to finish the book. All of the characters are flawed and some are quite disturbed. The women characters in particular are unbelievable or deviants. I buy many books. The best I keep and the rest I donate to the library. This one I added to the recycling.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Plot and seductive atmosphere
Review: I discovered a new addiction with this novel. Skipping back and forth between WWII and the present day, it is set in Portugal, and to a lesser extent wartime Germany. In addition to a narrative that covers a 50-year period in the lives of the main characters, Wilson provides settings with the kind of detail that makes events feel true. I knew that Spain had been fascist during this time, but I never knew that Portugal had its own Franco-like dictator and repressive regime which lasted beyond the war and into modern times. The detective who investigates the present-day crime referred to in the title eventually uncovers a trail of murder and corruption that reaches into the heights of modern Portuguese society. The charcters are very human, sharply drawn and believable. This is a superior thriller which can justly be described as literary as well as commercial. I am looking forward to reading his other books.
Rating:
Summary: ...admirable...
Review: Robert Wilson is one the most intelligent writers I have come across in recent months. His talent for writing a novel that does not insult the intelligence of the reader by walking them through a sub-par plot peopled with cardboard characters is incredibly admirable. I was quite sceptical when I began this novel because I wasn't confident that Wilson would succeed in his attempt to tie two separate plots within a single story into a satisfying conclusion. The first story centers on the murder of a 14 year old girl in present day Portugal in which the lead detective on the case, Ze Coehlo, is paired with a much younger partner due to his irritating a superior officer. The second story begins in the late 1930's in Nazi Berlin when Klaus Felsner is recruited to procure Portugese wolfram for the Third Reich. Coehlo's investigation gradually reveals that the sins of the past have come back to haunt the lives of those in the present with a vengeance. Unfortunately, nothing is as it appears and he begins to question the veracity and motivation of those around him. The only drawback to this rather interesting novel was it seemed rather disjointed in sections and the ending itself seemed rather anti-climactic after such a build-up. Although the novel was awarded the Gold Dagger in 1999 for best crime novel, it could have done with a bit more polish
Rating: 
Summary: Live and learn
Review: This book held my interest. The people and places in and around Lisbon were intriguingly portrayed. The only thing I really didn't understand was the actual murder itself and the motive: in a way, it seems that Wilson forced that part to give a connection to the two threads of the book, post-WW2 Portugal and Portugal today. It must be really hard for authors to make everything fall into place in the end, because very few can do it. But who needs all that? I just like to be intelligently occupied in my free time, and this book did fulfill that need. Wilson has taken a little history and made an interesting novel, and that's something. Diximus.
Rating:
Summary: A Riveting Novel of Corruption, Mystery, and Human Secrecy
Review: A Small Death in Lisbon
Robert Wilson
451 Pages
Available in Paperback
Berkley: 1999 Book Description A Small Death in Lisbon by Robert Wilson intertwines two tales of intrigue and murder over a course of 58 years. The novel begins in present day Lisbon, Portugal, where a young woman, Catarina Oliveira, is found dead on the coast. Ze Coelho, a homicide detective, is called to the scene to investigate her murder. From this point on he unwraps a gruesome, extensive, and complicated past, displaying that Catarina's death is on a much grander scale than one would imagine. The story connected to Catarina's murder stretches back to the time of Nazi Germany and a Nazi named Klaus Felsen. Robert Wilson pulls the reader back and forth from the past to the present, slowly moving forward until the two stories meet at a bitter end. Klaus Felsen bribes, steals, and kills, drawing towards the future when a murder will be committed in connection with him. In the writing of this novel Wilson has paid close attention to historical detail, showing a world in Portugal revolving around the mining industry, particularly wolfram. This metallic element, which was vital during WWII, becomes a reason for bribery and slaying within the novel. The book in itself is difficult to describe, including small facts and circumstances that come together, allowing inspector Coelho to solve an enormous crime. His partner, Carlos, his daughter, Olivia, two men named Antonio Borrego and Manuel Abrantes, and a mysterious lover, all play a role in a novel that focuses on atrocities over a period of almost 60 years. Personal Book Review A Small Death in Lisbon is a novel built around intricate detail, describing a compelling mystery with surprises around every corner. Robert Wilson has spiced the novel with amazing amounts of creative description and has written a story so enticing it leaves the reader full of suspense until the final page. This book contains a reinvention of the historical clash between good and evil, with an emphasis on the latter. Klaus Felsen is presented as a good man, but eventually commits ghastly acts and leaves the reader hating him. On the other hand, Ze Coelho becomes the hero of the novel, a man you want to succeed in his battle. The novel's theme is about mystery in itself, or the secrets that can be hidden by simple people whose past remains without closure. Each character in this book is fighting his or her past, whether it's Ze coping with his dead wife, or Klaus locked in jail for his previous mistakes. Each character longs for an escape or a resolution. This adds so much to the novel, as each person's story contributes in some way to the overall scheme. The plot of A Small Death in Lisbon is what is most alluring. A novel so long and complicated would generally cause confusion for the reader, but I found this book so interesting that I read it swiftly and never lost track of the plot. Reading this novel is like driving down a curvy road, where at each bend you meet something more exciting and electrifying. Furthermore, the novel's conclusion is far from disappointing. The only major flaw I found in the novel was the lack of closure with Klaus Felsen. Wilson draws him up as a strong man, focusing mainly on Klaus and Ze throughout the book. However, while Ze meets his much deserved ending, Klaus seems to just weakly fade away. The book is also quite explicit, and I would firmly recommend that this book only be read by mature readers. Other Novels By Robert Wilson The Big Killing
The Blind Man of Seville
The Company of Strangers Other Novels Relating to the Theme of A Small Death in Lisbon A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly
Dark Star by Alan Furst
A Clean Kill by Mike Stewart
Rating: 
Summary: A small death and big dose of sex in Lisbon
Review: Having loved my visit to Portugal and especially Lisbon and being a lover of mysteries, I purchased this book. It contains a great deal of interesting WW II history as well as some wonderful information about Portuguese society and customs. In addition, the descriptions of Lisbon and the surrounding areas were superb. It certainly made me start thinking about another trip to Portugal. The "two stories" were woven together masterfully and kept me wondering when the pieces would fall together. The characters, too, were fascinating. I liked the story and was spell bound, rushing to get to the end. In the final analysis, however, I felt that there was too much off-the-wall sex, some of which wasn't necessary to tell the story, particularly the gross description of the dead gay man. I am certainly not a prude and do enjoy my share of modern day sex-filled literature, but this was a bit much. Normally when I finish a book I give it to one of my three adult children. This one I tossed in the trash can. I didn't want them to think this is my taste in literature.
Rating:
Summary: Starts strong, but gets disgusting
Review: "A Small Death in Lisbon" reads incredibly well in the middle.
At that point, both stories, a modern day murder mystery, and
a WWII Nazi smuggling story, switch back and forth with
striking momentum. So what happens? The reader becomes assaulted with a series of stomach-turning encounters: multiple rapes, demented murder, sodomy, incest. When a major plot point seems to hinge on sodomy, I started to think this book wasn't for me. However, there are plenty of good twists and turns in the last part of the book, and this book feels authentic in its history, but I felt like these elements became overshadowed by the graphic content.
Rating:
Summary: Dark story of historical intrigue...
Review: In 1941, Klaus Felsen is forced out of his business in Germany to begin smuggling wolfram out of Portugal to feed the Nazi war machine. In the late 1990s, teenager Caterina Oliveira is found dead in Lisbon. How are these two events, over fifty years apart, related? What brings them together is a tale of intrigue, lust, treachery and history. Robert Wilson uses the little-known history of Portugal and the events which happened there during World War 2 to create a fascinating story. The events in Portugal, from the Salazar regime forward, affect the plot in ways that add flavor to the mystery and keep the reader interested. The characters are all very human. All have their urges and failings, along with pretty high sex drives. Sex is a pervasive theme in this book, and some may find this a little distasteful, but we're dealing with criminals here, and they're not always nice people. I really liked the way the mystery came together. Much like a real investigation, certain names began showing up freqently, and eventually the reasons why were discovered. A plot twist at the end, along with a slightly incomplete resolution, make for a great, if not entirely satisfying, ending. Personally, I enjoyed this book. The mix of historical information along with the suspense of the investigation made for some great reading. It's pretty sordid in parts, on the whole, it is a good, dark mystery.
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