November 2019 Group Read: A Small Death in Lisbon, by Robert Wilson

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Not only did this book win the CWA Gold Dagger Award, it also won the German Crime Prize for an International Novel in 2003.

Chris will be on hand as you read this novel; have a great time with it!!

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Basically, two twisty books in one! Bonus!

[Chris]

I have never read this author, but chose it because it met the criteria, it's a first of a series & I enjoy stories set in other countries hoping to get a feel for the culture. So I am about 1/3 through the book.

What do you think of the opening prologue. Was there something in there that provided any clues about why or what happened to the victim or what kind of perpetrator?

Anything about Inspector Coehlo that makes him different from other police inspectors or is he a stock character?

So how do people feel about the dual timeline?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I think the prologue does reveal enough - person on the grass afraid of him coming back, confused, life leaking away - but I had to read it twice.

Coehlo felt more real to me because of his bereavement and losing weight, issues with his daughter.

The dual timeline was EXTREME. In the end, it was satisfactory twisty and connected, but all I can say it was a good thing both timelines were interesting. Otherwise, I think if a readers put this book down for awhile, they will forget everything that matters and maybe dnf.

[Bill]

It bothered me that the detectives didn’t tell the parents daughter was dead immediately. I can understand that they wanted to see if either gave away that they already knew it, but seemed cruel..

[Chris]

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: "I think the prologue does reveal enough - person on the grass afraid of him coming back, confused, life leaking away - but I had to read it twice.

Coehlo felt more real to me because of his bereav..."

It sounds like you have finished this book already?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I finished it two days ago. My hold on it in my library came through a week ago.

[Anna]

I'm excited to read this. I've just gotten a copy from my local library and I love a book that begins with a map of a country I've never visited. Diving in!
--Anna E. Bendewald

[Jan C]

I've only just started this.

[Carolien]

I enjoy the dual timeline, but it does require you to keep your wits about you. I like the pace of the narrative which keeps things moving along fairly swiftly.

[Kirsten]

Happy to see this offered on the Kindle Unlimited list

[Heather]

Hi, I’ve just started this after finishing Angela Marsons’ DI Stone detective series.....

I haven’t read any of Wilson’s books before so looking forward to getting into this. The prologue gives me just about enough detail for me to want to read more.

Young girl, attacked and raped and she may have recognised the person who did it, she was too injured to save herself before he came back and finished what he started by killing her with a blow to her head.

Looking forward to getting into the twisted plot and to learning more about Portugal and Lisbon.

[Chris]

I have the HB edition of this book and on page 169, there was a nice para that illuminated Coehlo's perspective of his job & why he sticks with it. Basically, it's a search for the truth that drives him. I found it a very interesting analogy the author uses to provide texture (did I really say that?) to his feelings about human deception & his classification of liars.

Anybody else?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Chris wrote: "I have the HB edition of this book and on page 169, there was a nice para that illuminated Coehlo's perspective of his job & why he sticks with it. Basically, it's a search for the truth that drive..."

I also have a strong drive to search for the Truth, so this description stood out to me like a clanging fire alarm! I have never seen that spelled out so upfront before for a character. It is a drive that really doesn't win one any friends....

[Heather]

Into chapter five and finding the style of writing very clipped, precise, really short sentences, feels like it could have been Bullet form? No depth or feeling? This is what I have found so far.... not sure if I’m expressing myself as well as I could be.

I’m usually there, with my authors, not with this one yet.

The first couple of chapters were quite dark for me, who can you trust?

[Chris]

Who is still reading this? What are your thoughts? The pace definitely picks up the further in you go. It's quite a convoluted plot line which begins to unravel as the two timelines begin to converge.

[Heather]

I’m still reading it, the pace does pick up and now I have been hooked.... I’m just into part two....