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Javier Falcon #2
The Vanished Hands
Robert Wilson is back with the follow-up to his sensational thriller, The Blind Man of Seville. Javier Falcón has been through therapy and is in the process of breaking free of the psychological damage sustained during his last major investigation. Called to the scene of a suspicious suicide in a wealthy neighborhood on the outskirts of Seville, he begins to investigate a case with no solid evidence when suddenly, in quick succession, two more suicides occur-one of them a fellow police officer in the sex crimes unit. Left to discover what made life so unbearable for these victims, Falcón's task is to find the connection among the suicides. Or were they, in fact, murdered?
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2005
58 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
Robert Wilson
456 books520 followersRobert Wilson has written thirteen novels including the Bruce Medway noir series set in West Africa and two Lisbon books with WW2 settings the first of which, A Small Death in Lisbon, won the CWA Gold Dagger in 1999 and the International Deutsche Krimi prize in 2003. He has written four psychological crime novels set in Seville, with his Spanish detective, Javier Falcón. Two of these books (The Blind Man of Seville and The Silent and the Damned) were filmed and broadcast on Sky Atlantic as ‘Falcón’ in 2012. A film of the fourth Falcón book was released in Spain in 2014 under the title La Ignorancia de la Sangre. Capital Punishment, the first novel in his latest series of pure thrillers set in London and featuring kidnap consultant, Charles Boxer, was published in 2013 and was nominated for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. This was followed by You Will Never Find Me in 2014. The third book in the series, Stealing People, will be published in 2015. Robert Wilson loves to cook food from all over the world but especially Spanish, Portuguese, Indian and Thai. He also loves to walk with dogs…and people, too.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 28, 2018
The Vanished Hands is the second book in the "Javier Falcon" series by author Robert Wilson. I had read " The Blind Man of Seville" awhile ago, and had been looking for this second book with an online version for awhile.
The storyline starts off slowly, and builds with an intensity as well as a complex development of the characters.
A very sophisticated story, that is both dark, and well written. It maintains the interest level throughout the pages.
Lots of interesting facts, history and visuals thrown in to make it an excellent read.
The storyline starts off slowly, and builds with an intensity as well as a complex development of the characters.
A very sophisticated story, that is both dark, and well written. It maintains the interest level throughout the pages.
Lots of interesting facts, history and visuals thrown in to make it an excellent read.
December 20, 2010
Wilson has been a delight to read, especially A Small Death, so I was surprised to find myself thinking about tossing this book in the first 100 pages or so. I almost never quit a book, but I was tempted. Dense sophisticated language and what appeared to be a locked room mystery with little plot is what almost killed it for me. I even passed on an opportunity to pick up the first title in this series while I was at that stage of the book. I didn't need a book that'd go near the bottom of the to-be-read pile. Clearly from my rating, though, things turned around. All of the dense language ended up creating rich memorable characters. I loved it that instead of clues, they kept finding hints, interesting facts that proved nothing, but created many questions. And by the end so many tasty political comments both domestically and internationally are woven into the resolution, my non-fiction reading interests in leftist politics and history were satisfied, too. What I really love is that while the ending isn't all tidy, not everything works out for the best, it is so satisfying in all its imperfection. One unfortunate thing is that the book refers extensively to the first book in the series, and in ways I suspect will have ruined the suspense of it for me. Usually I'm very careful to read books in order, and usually it doesn't matter much. Certainly not so in this case.
December 11, 2009
I cannot believe that I am the 1st person on Goodreads to review this novel by Robert Wilson. Looking at the profile on the author he has written a good few books and his past reviews have shown him to be an excellent writer.
The Silent and the Damned is set in Selville, Spain. A favourite city of mine - so I immediately enjoyed the surrounding flavour RW gave to this crime novel.
The book is full of characters - some that you automaticaly empathise with, while others you long to have erased from the storyline. A good start as the reader begins to settle into the plot from page one.
A police inspector with his forlorn love-life leads the investigation that covers possible suicides, murder, the Russian Mafia, a peodophile ring and people trafficking - and that's just for starters. However,the author does not dwell to much on the graphic side of these gross events, which could easily have you reeling with ad nauseum. Instead he very cleverly gives the reader just enough information on each subject to put you in the picture and keep you enthralled throughout the tale.
The book is well-paced throughout and I enjoyed RW's style of writing. I look forward to reading more of Robert Wilson's work.
The Silent and the Damned is set in Selville, Spain. A favourite city of mine - so I immediately enjoyed the surrounding flavour RW gave to this crime novel.
The book is full of characters - some that you automaticaly empathise with, while others you long to have erased from the storyline. A good start as the reader begins to settle into the plot from page one.
A police inspector with his forlorn love-life leads the investigation that covers possible suicides, murder, the Russian Mafia, a peodophile ring and people trafficking - and that's just for starters. However,the author does not dwell to much on the graphic side of these gross events, which could easily have you reeling with ad nauseum. Instead he very cleverly gives the reader just enough information on each subject to put you in the picture and keep you enthralled throughout the tale.
The book is well-paced throughout and I enjoyed RW's style of writing. I look forward to reading more of Robert Wilson's work.
November 30, 2019
Li o primeiro livro desta série de Robert Wilson - "O Cego de Sevilha", há uns bons anos, em 2010, e deixou-me uma boa impressão. Desde então que fazem parte da minha lista de livros a ler ou de autores a manter debaixo de olho. Por não ser a maior fã de policiais e porque os livros têm estado sempre caros, só agora aproveitei a edição digital, mais em conta, e voltei a encontrar Javier Falcón, em "As Mãos Desaparecidas", o segundo volume de "O Quarteto de Sevilha" .
Javier Falcón é chamado para investigar um aparente homicídio seguido de suicídio de Rafael Vega, um empresário de sucesso em Sevilha. Javier tem algumas dúvidas sobre o que aconteceu na casa de Rafael Vega. Entre ameaças da máfia russa, redes de pedofilia e espiões dos tempos modernos, Falcón volta a ser confrontado com o seu passado e com os seus pesadelos. Mais uma vez o passado do pai, Francisco Falcón parece regressar para o atormentar.
Talvez tenham passado demasiados anos desde que li o primeiro, porque tive alguma dificuldade em reentrar na história. Mais ainda porque havia muitas referências ao primeiro livro, do qual já não tenho grandes memórias. Acho que por isso a minha ligação à história foi menos conseguida e a personagem de Javier Falcón pareceu-me menos credível e menos apelativa. Ao reler a minha opinião sobre "O Cego de Sevilha", algumas das coisas que me dificultaram a leitura são comuns aos dois livros. A história começa de forma lenta, existem muitos acontecimentos que parecem desnecessários e que nos afastam da investigação propriamente dita. Só mais para o fim o livro parece ganhar alguma velocidade e as pontas soltas começam a juntar-se e tudo começa a fazer mais sentido.
Desta vez não fiquei muito impressionada com a escrita e com a forma como Robert Wilson conta a história e achei as personagens pouco desenvolvidas. No geral, não fiquei muito impressionada com este segundo livro. Não tenho a certeza se tem a ver com a distância entre o primeiro e o segundo livro ou se com o facto de estar mais velha e de já ter lido muita coisa entretanto. A verdade é que, se este tivesse sido o livro que li em 2010, não tenho a certeza se teria voltado a ler alguma coisa relacionada com Javier Falcón. Não acho que seja mau, só acho que não é o meu tipo de livro.
Por ter lido o primeiro e ter gostado, provavelmente vou ler os restantes da saga, só não sei quando. :)
Boas leituras!
Javier Falcón é chamado para investigar um aparente homicídio seguido de suicídio de Rafael Vega, um empresário de sucesso em Sevilha. Javier tem algumas dúvidas sobre o que aconteceu na casa de Rafael Vega. Entre ameaças da máfia russa, redes de pedofilia e espiões dos tempos modernos, Falcón volta a ser confrontado com o seu passado e com os seus pesadelos. Mais uma vez o passado do pai, Francisco Falcón parece regressar para o atormentar.
Talvez tenham passado demasiados anos desde que li o primeiro, porque tive alguma dificuldade em reentrar na história. Mais ainda porque havia muitas referências ao primeiro livro, do qual já não tenho grandes memórias. Acho que por isso a minha ligação à história foi menos conseguida e a personagem de Javier Falcón pareceu-me menos credível e menos apelativa. Ao reler a minha opinião sobre "O Cego de Sevilha", algumas das coisas que me dificultaram a leitura são comuns aos dois livros. A história começa de forma lenta, existem muitos acontecimentos que parecem desnecessários e que nos afastam da investigação propriamente dita. Só mais para o fim o livro parece ganhar alguma velocidade e as pontas soltas começam a juntar-se e tudo começa a fazer mais sentido.
Desta vez não fiquei muito impressionada com a escrita e com a forma como Robert Wilson conta a história e achei as personagens pouco desenvolvidas. No geral, não fiquei muito impressionada com este segundo livro. Não tenho a certeza se tem a ver com a distância entre o primeiro e o segundo livro ou se com o facto de estar mais velha e de já ter lido muita coisa entretanto. A verdade é que, se este tivesse sido o livro que li em 2010, não tenho a certeza se teria voltado a ler alguma coisa relacionada com Javier Falcón. Não acho que seja mau, só acho que não é o meu tipo de livro.
Por ter lido o primeiro e ter gostado, provavelmente vou ler os restantes da saga, só não sei quando. :)
Boas leituras!
August 26, 2022
4.5*
Antroji Falcon serijos dalis absoliučiai nenuvylė. Buvo viskas, kas patiko pirmojoje knygoje. Puikiai "sukaltas" detektyvas, įdomūs ir kompleksiški charakteriai. Nei vieno nuobodaus puslapio. Veiksmas tolygiai pasiskirstęs knygoje, nėra kaip įprastai viskas sukimšta į pačią knygos pabaigą. Patiks ši serija tiem, kam detektyvai geriausi yra tie, kur daug dėmesio pačiam tyrimui, jo eigai, tokio tikroviško tyrėjų darbo iki pat smulkmenų. Būtinai tęsiu seriją.
Antroji Falcon serijos dalis absoliučiai nenuvylė. Buvo viskas, kas patiko pirmojoje knygoje. Puikiai "sukaltas" detektyvas, įdomūs ir kompleksiški charakteriai. Nei vieno nuobodaus puslapio. Veiksmas tolygiai pasiskirstęs knygoje, nėra kaip įprastai viskas sukimšta į pačią knygos pabaigą. Patiks ši serija tiem, kam detektyvai geriausi yra tie, kur daug dėmesio pačiam tyrimui, jo eigai, tokio tikroviško tyrėjų darbo iki pat smulkmenų. Būtinai tęsiu seriją.
January 23, 2015
Summertime. Seville, city of Spain. Temperatures can go above 40ºC. Chief-inspector Javier Falcón has got two dead bodies inside a house: one in the kitchen, the male one, Rafael Vegas,who apparently committed suicide drinking a poisonous liquid;with a note paper in his hand (referring 9/11)...; and, in a bedroom, the wife,Lúcia Vegas,suffocated to death, by a pillow.
The man is a rich, real-estate developer. He liked a lot his only four year old son and yet: did he kill his wife...and then himself?. ...leaving behind an orphan? Why?
Investigation tells Falcón that the man was, lately, anxious and the woman suffered from depression; that he had connections to the Russian mafia… and to an American couple just living nearby; the man, an architect working for the developer; the woman, a photographer, a kind of paparazzo of the emotions.
And then another mysterious death occurs: an actor,Pablo Ortega, a neighbor of the rich man,with a suicide letter addressed to Falcón... a suicide too or...?.
What’s there in common between these dead people?
Falcón himself is going though personal issues: divorced, recently, and attending therapy sessions with a blind female psychologist. Dream analysis helps him often. He has to uncover the causes for those three dead people. A thrilling investigation.
PS Interesting, the Chilean connection.
-------
By the way, Robert Wilson lives in Alentejo, Portugal....it's been some years.
http://www.robert-wilson.eu/
The man is a rich, real-estate developer. He liked a lot his only four year old son and yet: did he kill his wife...and then himself?. ...leaving behind an orphan? Why?
Investigation tells Falcón that the man was, lately, anxious and the woman suffered from depression; that he had connections to the Russian mafia… and to an American couple just living nearby; the man, an architect working for the developer; the woman, a photographer, a kind of paparazzo of the emotions.
And then another mysterious death occurs: an actor,Pablo Ortega, a neighbor of the rich man,with a suicide letter addressed to Falcón... a suicide too or...?.
What’s there in common between these dead people?
Falcón himself is going though personal issues: divorced, recently, and attending therapy sessions with a blind female psychologist. Dream analysis helps him often. He has to uncover the causes for those three dead people. A thrilling investigation.
PS Interesting, the Chilean connection.
-------
By the way, Robert Wilson lives in Alentejo, Portugal....it's been some years.
http://www.robert-wilson.eu/
May 21, 2012
I practically raced through this book. The pace is very captivating, as the story only spans over a week. The plot is very intense that way, fuelled by the scorching Sevillan heat. I liked how organized crime was incorporated in the plot without losing the appeal of a traditional mystery and crime story.
I'm glad that Falcón wasn't personnally involved quite as much in this book as in the first volume, although I really like him as the protagonist.
I enjoyed this very much. It was fast, intense, sensually written and with something that felt like a very genuine andalusian backdrop.
I'm glad that Falcón wasn't personnally involved quite as much in this book as in the first volume, although I really like him as the protagonist.
I enjoyed this very much. It was fast, intense, sensually written and with something that felt like a very genuine andalusian backdrop.
March 21, 2017
Recimo jedan prosječan krimić nije me se previše dojmio
December 12, 2015
A friend dropped “Hands” into our lap, knowing we like crime stories. This one by new-to-us Robert Wilson is an extremely complicated thriller set in Seville Spain, with a bevy of action spanning the 8 days of the plot. To add to the complexity, there is such a lengthy cast of characters that the author felt compelled to include a listing of same, thankfully, at the back of the book – one we must have re-read a dozen times trying to keep everybody straight, especially all the law enforcement personnel. We spend most of the plot with protagonist Homicide Chief Inspector Falcón, who is not satisfied that the pat-looking murder-suicide of wife and successful construction company head Rafael Vega is all that it appears, complicated later by the death of a neighbor and star actor Pablo Ortega. Meanwhile, Falcón’s police superiors seem to be curtailing efforts and blocking progress at every turn, obviously adding to the intrigue that involves child molestation and pedophilia, police corruption, false imprisonment, fake identities, and all manner of similar mayhem before justice is mostly served and most of the bad guys go down.
One really has to take this book in doses and pay strict attention to the myriad of events and involvements going down herein. While Wilson’s novel is indeed suspenseful and mostly satisfying, we feel he should almost have saved up some of the plot developments for a couple of other novels. Almost like a terrific meal that goes on way after hunger is satisfied, “Hands” was an awful lot to digest in the space of one thriller.
One really has to take this book in doses and pay strict attention to the myriad of events and involvements going down herein. While Wilson’s novel is indeed suspenseful and mostly satisfying, we feel he should almost have saved up some of the plot developments for a couple of other novels. Almost like a terrific meal that goes on way after hunger is satisfied, “Hands” was an awful lot to digest in the space of one thriller.
April 30, 2011
This second Javier Falcon novel ends up being merely an extension of the first one, and author Robert Wilson adds a few new (but uninteresting) characters here and there. No satisfactory punch at the end, lots of cliched, light development of established characters, and some frustrating loose ends. I got the impression through the amazon.com reader reviews that this second installment was the weakest of the three (?), but ... ouch. I'll take a break from Falcon before tackling the third.
May 14, 2021
I když je kniha poměrně "krátká", tak mě trvalo těch 350 stran strašně dlouho a to ze dvou důvodů. Vždy mi trvalo se začíst a tak jsem postupovala po malých částech.
Upřímně musím říct, že jsem od příběhu čekala n��co víc či něco jiného. Rozhodně nechci říct, že by byl špatný, anotaci jsem si raději přečetla a díky ní jsem se na čtení těšila. Závěr knihy byl doopravdy skvělý, ALE...
Šlo o posledních 70 stran, které byly doopravdy překvapivě velmi čtivé. Užila jsem si rozuzlení a vlastně postupné propojení všech postav.
Jenže to je právě to mínus, které této knize musím vytknout: hromada postav! Občas jsem se úplně ztrácela a nebyla jsem si jistá, co tam tahle osoba zrovna dělá.
Druhým mínusem byly rozsáhlé myšlenky a rozhovory, což podle mě jen natahovalo děj a občas jejich pointa vyvstanula po 2 stranách. Osobně si myslím, že kdyby kniha měla o 100 stránek víc, byla by lepší.
Další špatná věc (za kterou samozřejmě nedávám dolů hodnocení) je: dvě postavy, které jsem si oblíbila dohromady, tak nakonec nebyly spolu, což mě velice mrzelo.
Pokud máte rádi zdlouhavé zápletky, kdy v půlce knize nebudete o nic víc k vyřešení než na začátku a dokonce vám přihodí nějakou mrtvolku navíc, tak rozhodně neváhejte a do knihy se vrhněte po hlavě.
⭐ 3/5
Upřímně musím říct, že jsem od příběhu čekala n��co víc či něco jiného. Rozhodně nechci říct, že by byl špatný, anotaci jsem si raději přečetla a díky ní jsem se na čtení těšila. Závěr knihy byl doopravdy skvělý, ALE...
Šlo o posledních 70 stran, které byly doopravdy překvapivě velmi čtivé. Užila jsem si rozuzlení a vlastně postupné propojení všech postav.
Jenže to je právě to mínus, které této knize musím vytknout: hromada postav! Občas jsem se úplně ztrácela a nebyla jsem si jistá, co tam tahle osoba zrovna dělá.
Druhým mínusem byly rozsáhlé myšlenky a rozhovory, což podle mě jen natahovalo děj a občas jejich pointa vyvstanula po 2 stranách. Osobně si myslím, že kdyby kniha měla o 100 stránek víc, byla by lepší.
Další špatná věc (za kterou samozřejmě nedávám dolů hodnocení) je: dvě postavy, které jsem si oblíbila dohromady, tak nakonec nebyly spolu, což mě velice mrzelo.
Pokud máte rádi zdlouhavé zápletky, kdy v půlce knize nebudete o nic víc k vyřešení než na začátku a dokonce vám přihodí nějakou mrtvolku navíc, tak rozhodně neváhejte a do knihy se vrhněte po hlavě.
⭐ 3/5
November 8, 2019
Foi o 1º livro de Robert Wilson que li. Espero que não seja o único.
Tenho, particular, interesse em ler os livros, que escreveu em Portugal, e, cuja trama, se desenrola aqui no nosso cantinho.
A acção vai em crescendo, fazendo com que o leitor não queira parar de ler.
O que começa como a investigação a dois aparentes suicídios acaba por passar pelo mundo corrupto da construção civil, pela pedofilia, pela corrupção dentro da polícia, pelo Chile de Pinochet e pelo assassinato de Olof Palme.
A forma como Robert Wilson interliga, estes assuntos, é muito boa.
Não posso deixar de realçar a importância que a comida tem em toda a história.
Fica a vontade de provar estes petiscos sevilhanos.
Tenho, particular, interesse em ler os livros, que escreveu em Portugal, e, cuja trama, se desenrola aqui no nosso cantinho.
A acção vai em crescendo, fazendo com que o leitor não queira parar de ler.
O que começa como a investigação a dois aparentes suicídios acaba por passar pelo mundo corrupto da construção civil, pela pedofilia, pela corrupção dentro da polícia, pelo Chile de Pinochet e pelo assassinato de Olof Palme.
A forma como Robert Wilson interliga, estes assuntos, é muito boa.
Não posso deixar de realçar a importância que a comida tem em toda a história.
Fica a vontade de provar estes petiscos sevilhanos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2023
Giudizio un po' difficile su questo libro.
Un thriller che parte abbastanza bene ma poi si perde e alla lunga, per giunta lungo pure di pagine, finisce per annoiare.
Manca suspense, manca azione, tanti morti, apparentemente collegati, ma manca l'adrelina che tiene incollato il lettore dalla prima all'ultima pagina.
Brutte storie, ricordi di avvenimenti tristemente famosi e successi davvero ma non mi ha coinvolta più di tanto, anche i personaggi non sono ben descritti a livello caratteriale.
Lo consiglio a chi non ha grandi aspettative da un thriller.
Un thriller che parte abbastanza bene ma poi si perde e alla lunga, per giunta lungo pure di pagine, finisce per annoiare.
Manca suspense, manca azione, tanti morti, apparentemente collegati, ma manca l'adrelina che tiene incollato il lettore dalla prima all'ultima pagina.
Brutte storie, ricordi di avvenimenti tristemente famosi e successi davvero ma non mi ha coinvolta più di tanto, anche i personaggi non sono ben descritti a livello caratteriale.
Lo consiglio a chi non ha grandi aspettative da un thriller.
August 20, 2017
Another excellent Javier Falcon mystery. I will keep reading this series, because I want to keep peeking into Javier Falcon's mind and heart. These books are heavily entrenched in local history and culture - Robert Wilson has clearly done boatloads of research behind each book. It would be terrible to read these books out of sequence - you can only get the full flavor of the character development by reading them chronologically.
May 28, 2020
The relentless heat of a summer in Seville with references to California noir scattered throughout. Santa Clara is a bit of wealthy LA plopped down on the outskirts of Seville with the requisite femme fatale and twists and turns. Enjoyable for the rich dialog and characterization with the city and the heat and the tapas washed down with a crisp white wine. And the deep horror of corruption and cruelty.
December 3, 2018
Murder mystery set in Seville. Very good. Cluster of deaths in upscale suburb has far-reaching impacts. This author writes beautifully. Example: " …the crass words out of his mouth so fast he stared bug-eyed at them like a disgrace on the carpet." The author does a wonderful job of creating a sense of Seville in a sweltering July.
April 23, 2023
Rated 5/10 A Javier Falcon thriller but not really so. Perhaps something is “lost in translation” (yes he’s an English writer but writing in a Spanish perspective) as found it hard to follow and not a book I just had to pick up to read. I did enjoy the thought of the Spanish lifestyle and food/drink.
January 13, 2021
I enjoyed this 2nd in the series more for its character development than the mystery. Invisible Russians lurking about, neurotic americans, and spaniards committing suicide under mysterious circumstances. I hope to see more of Consuelo in #3 Hidden Assassins.
March 25, 2022
El inspector Javier Falcón investiga un asesinato, que en principio parece un suicidio. La trama se complica y las ramificaciones de la investigación llegan muy lejos. Novela policiaca muy interesante, apetece leerla y ver qué va pasando.
August 15, 2018
Well-written, enjoyable. Sorry it had to end.
I'll look for another Robert Wilson book.
I'll look for another Robert Wilson book.
August 7, 2019
As usual an amazing thriller from this author. I highly recommend it...
January 30, 2020
Very well written and entertaining.
It built the pace slowly. It portrayed the working between the officers with Falcon. His agonies and enjoyment was described nicely.
It built the pace slowly. It portrayed the working between the officers with Falcon. His agonies and enjoyment was described nicely.
September 22, 2020
Great, great book. Robert Wilson has created a really interesting character and world.
March 27, 2021
Excellent story of corruption in Spain. Mixing the two 9/11 incidents is a great plot device, and Falcon is an interesting and compelling policeman.
September 22, 2021
Better than the first one.
April 25, 2022
I did not enjoy the ending but I think that was the point
September 26, 2022
Didn’t bother reading it
May 22, 2024
Many path to follow in the book
March 8, 2019
This novel is well written and intelligent and the writer has obvious talent. But for me only there was a missing piece. It did not speak to me enough, or at this time in my life.
Maybe it was too bleak and despairing as the corruption uncovered goes to the highest level and makes me feel despairing about this world we live in.
Maybe it was too bleak and despairing as the corruption uncovered goes to the highest level and makes me feel despairing about this world we live in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews