A Small Death In Lisbon

Nazi wartime deals and the modern-day murder of a Portuguese teen are linked with originality and suspense in this award–winning crime novel.


1941. Klaus Felsen, forced out of his Berlin factory into the SS, arrives in a luminous Lisbon, where Nazis and Allies, refugees and entrepreneurs, dance to the strains of opportunism and despair. Felsen's assignment takes him to the bleak mountains of the north where a devious and brutal battle is being fought for an element vital to Hitler's bliztkrieg. There he meets the man who plants the first seed of greed and revenge that will grow into a thick vine in the landscape of post-war Portugal . . .



Late 1990s. Investigating the murder of a young girl with a disturbing sexual past, Inspector Ze Coelho overturns the dark soil of history and unearths old bones from Portugal's fascist past. This small death in Lisbon is horrific compensation for an even older crime, and Coelho's stubborn pursuit of its truth reveals a tragedy that unites past and present . . .



Robert Wilson's combination of intelligence, suspense, vivid characters, and mesmerizing storytelling richly deserves the international acclaim his novel has received.


Praise for A Small Death in Lisbon

Winner of the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel

"A suspenseful, intricately plotted, violent and steamy tale that . . . is an impressive piece of work. Mr. Wilson's book puts one in mind of the best writers working in the international thriller genre, the likes of John le Carré and Martin Cruz Smith. . . . You will turn the last page of this compelling novel almost out of breath." —New York Times

"Gripping and beautifully written." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)