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I have read and commented upon the two previous novels offered to readers by Robert Wilson in The USA, "A Small Death In Lisbon" and "The Company Of Strangers". This third work, "The Blind Man Of Seville", initially left me less pleased than his previous works, and though I have changed my assessment, it is for the moment the least enjoyable of his works that I have read. Other books that have never been released in The United States are set to begin release this summer, so his entire body of work will finally be available to readers here.Like the two previous books I mention this is also heavily based upon History. If I was rating this book strictly on style and skill I would give it a four star ranking as I have. If rating the book in terms of enjoyable reading, it would just have made three stars, and that is due to several themes I rather not read about in fiction. I also think a writer with the talent of Mr. Wilson can produce books without choosing subjects or subject matter of the type he chose. I know these situations exist and there are plenty of non-fiction books I can read to learn about these horrific actions directed at children. I do not need them when reading fiction. I am not suggesting he was being sensational or puerile, just that the topic left me cold on the book.Mr. Wilson has several storylines that are entwined throughout the book, and while he resolves them nicely the book seemed a bit busy at times. In his notes he explains that the writing of the book was interrupted and that may explain why this book is less crisp than the previous two I have read. Children play a role in this book, whether as children or scarred adults. The descriptions are extremely graphic and unsettling, as their subject virtually demands they be by definition. However, as I said, the brutalization of children by pederasts is not a subject I would choose for reading a book of fictionThe description of the book is very brief and does not suggest the deviant behavior the book includes. As much as I admire this man's work, and even as I will continue to read his new books, had I known more about the contents of this book, I would likely have passed. Mr. Wilson is a very talented man with a pen, and the material he uses in this book is necessary for the tale he is telling. It is not the type of material that I enjoy in reading fiction. All that said, I look forward to his next book, and I maintained the fourth star because my disliking a facet of a book's subject matter does not mean I should penalize the book in its entirety.

Dies ist einer der ungewöhnlichsten und eindringlichsten Krimis, die ich je gelesen habe. Nach A Small Death in Lisbon ist es mein zweiter Roman von Wilson, und ich bin zwar begeistert, aber nicht völlig von den Socken. Das liegt vor allem daran, daß dieses Buch viel zu dicht ist. Wilson packt viel zu viel hinein, zu viel überflüssige Handlung, zu viele Personen, die am Ende überhaupt nicht mehr relevant sind (zu viele lose Enden!), und auch zu viele Zufälle, die Javier immer weiter auf die richtige Spur bringen. Dies alles nimmt dem fantastisch geschriebenen Buch leider einiges an Intensität - weniger wäre sehr viel mehr gewesen. Was mir aber an diesem Buch sehr gefallen hat, war einmal die Gegenüberstellung der hektischen Ereignisse um Javier, nüchtern wiedergegeben in der 3. Person, und die Tagebucheinträge von Francisco Falcón, die einen förmlich das Öl auf der Leinwand riechen lassen. Außerdem ist dies einer der ganz wenigen Krimis, in denen die historischen Ereignisse nicht wie aus dem Lehrbuch abgeschrieben wirken (siehe Minette Walters) und die Schilderungen aus der Kunstwelt in keiner Weise peinlich oder daneben sind (siehe Dan Brown). Beides klingt absolut authentisch, und ich halte dies für die größte Leistung Wilsons. (Nur schade, daß die Künstler dabei so schlecht wegkommen.) Ob die Sache mit den Augenlidern eine Reminiszenz an den Film von Luis Bunuel ist, kann man nur vermuten - das Unbewußte spielt jedenfalls eine große Rolle, und surreal ist dieser Krimi allemal. Fazit: Große Klasse mit kleinen Abstrichen, daher für Leute mit starken Nerven uneingeschränkt empfehlenswert.