Review: The Vanished Hands

The Vanished Hands Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Robert Wilson
Class/Genre: Mystery Thriller
Series: Javier Falcón # 2
Harpercollins, 2004 (published as The Silent and The Damned), 358 pages

Robert Wilson returns to Seville and the tortured mind of Inspector
Jefe Javier Falcón in another mysterious case. In a wealthy suburb
of Seville, two people are dead in their house. It appears to be a
suicide pact, but Falcón is thinking murder when he finds a
mysterious note in the dead man’s hand. As the long summer drags on
in Seville, Falcón struggles to solve a difficult case with enormous
consequences, as he is dogged at every turn by unseen forces.

For even as accomplished an author as Robert Wilson, to follow the stunning ‘The Blind Man of Seville’ with equally as good a novel would be immensely difficult. Wilson comes close, but in this case, ‘The Silent and The Damned’ does not quite do it. The previous novel took us into Falcón’s mind and explained how he thought, showing us his previous life. This novel concentrates entirely on the present and we see much less of Falcón’s interior mind. This is not a story so much about his life, but about that of others.

Seville remains a wonderfully evocative setting and Wilson’s liberal use of Spanish words and names spinkled through the text make it even more real, although I did notice one or two typographical errors that should have been picked up on at the editing stage. Despite this, a Hispanophile will be drawn immediately to this book, especially as there are few detective novels set in Spain and written with such quality.

This time around, Wilson’s characters are also very compelling. He introduces two Americans who may or may not have something to hide, and Consuelo Jiménez, who played a pivotal role in ‘The Blind Man of Seville’, also returns. Wilson examines their behaviour and they are just as interesting as Falcón in this new story.

Overall, ‘The Silent and The Damned’ is not quite as good as Wilson’s previous novel. That said, it kept my attention throughout and I enjoyed it greatly. I would have liked to see a little bit more closure at the conclusion of the novel and to have found out exactly what happened, but this is only a minor gripe in what is otherwise a great tale. I hope there are more crimes for Falcón to investigate in the future.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: The Vanished Hands