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Javier Falcon #4
A Ignorância do Sangue
A abrasadora cidade de Sevilha ainda está a recuperar de um chocante e ainda não solucionado ataque terrorista quando um violento e espectacular acidente de carro faz incidir a luz sobre outra ameaça. Um gangster morto e uma mala cheia de dinheiro significam que a máfia russa se encontra no caminho do Inspector Jefe Javier Falcón.
À medida que emerge uma intensa guerra entre bandos rivais, Falcón encontra-se, assim como aqueles que lhe estão mais próximos, no centro da disputa e vê-se como alvo de forças letais subitamente desencadeadas. Perante um ataque tão brutal, Falcón decide retaliar com uma impiedade que o surpreende tanto quanto aos seus adversários… mas que terá um desenlace trágico.
À medida que emerge uma intensa guerra entre bandos rivais, Falcón encontra-se, assim como aqueles que lhe estão mais próximos, no centro da disputa e vê-se como alvo de forças letais subitamente desencadeadas. Perante um ataque tão brutal, Falcón decide retaliar com uma impiedade que o surpreende tanto quanto aos seus adversários… mas que terá um desenlace trágico.
424 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2009
46 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
Robert Wilson
472 books518 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 71 reviews
December 6, 2022
4,5*
Nieko nėra blogiau, nei skirti laiką knygų serijai ir likti nepatenkintai jos pabaiga, tai labai džiugu, kad paskutinioji serijos knyga nenuvylė ir atsakė į visus likusius klausimus iš praeitų knygų. Puikiai aprišo visus serijos įvykius, išgrynino personažus, paaiškino sąsajas. Ši serija man puikus pavyzdys trilerių ir detekyyvų subžanro, kurį aš mėgstu labiausiai. Labai daug dėmesio skiriama policijos darbui, tyrimui, apklausoms ir t.t. Parodoma visa virtuvė ir įtikinamai, logiškai. Net jeigu nenorite prisirišti prie knygų serijos ir įsipareigoti, siūlau perskaityti bent pirmąją knygą.
Nieko nėra blogiau, nei skirti laiką knygų serijai ir likti nepatenkintai jos pabaiga, tai labai džiugu, kad paskutinioji serijos knyga nenuvylė ir atsakė į visus likusius klausimus iš praeitų knygų. Puikiai aprišo visus serijos įvykius, išgrynino personažus, paaiškino sąsajas. Ši serija man puikus pavyzdys trilerių ir detekyyvų subžanro, kurį aš mėgstu labiausiai. Labai daug dėmesio skiriama policijos darbui, tyrimui, apklausoms ir t.t. Parodoma visa virtuvė ir įtikinamai, logiškai. Net jeigu nenorite prisirišti prie knygų serijos ir įsipareigoti, siūlau perskaityti bent pirmąją knygą.
March 26, 2013
The cover of this book consists of a. a photo of a street in Andalucia b. a photo of a boy running c. a photo of the decor of the Real Alcazar Palace in Seville plus lettering. That is three separate elements just in the picture. This book is like that, a number of plot elements brought together into a complex whole.
This is the 4th and final installment in the Javier Falcon series. Seville is still recovering from an unsolved terrorist bombing when an accident complicated by an improperly secured load reveals a dead gangster who had a suitcase filled with an obscene amount of euros. Inspector Jefe Falcon would not normally be called but that money had to be secured and locked away immediately so he handles it and finds threads that lead toward the terrorists whom he has publicly promised to arrest. The situation becomes more and more complex as Falcon realizes there is a jurisdictional dispute between Russian mobsters and each side is determined to do whatever they have to to retain control and prevent Falcon from learning anything. The people who mostly suffer, usually fatally, are the girl friends, prostitutes and neighbours of gang members and Falcon has difficulty determining who belongs to which. He is personally targeted and his girl friend's youngest son is kidnapped. While he is dealing with all this the Intelligence service is dealing with Javier's friend, who is spying on a Moroccan mujahideen group for them. Javier is his contact and it all just becomes a total mess. The amount of stress Javier goes through, the regulations, laws, and moral code items he ends up breaking would destroy anyone's mind. I found the ending very satisfying and the decisions the various characters make while in the midst of it all to be both compelling and comprehensible.
This is the 4th and final installment in the Javier Falcon series. Seville is still recovering from an unsolved terrorist bombing when an accident complicated by an improperly secured load reveals a dead gangster who had a suitcase filled with an obscene amount of euros. Inspector Jefe Falcon would not normally be called but that money had to be secured and locked away immediately so he handles it and finds threads that lead toward the terrorists whom he has publicly promised to arrest. The situation becomes more and more complex as Falcon realizes there is a jurisdictional dispute between Russian mobsters and each side is determined to do whatever they have to to retain control and prevent Falcon from learning anything. The people who mostly suffer, usually fatally, are the girl friends, prostitutes and neighbours of gang members and Falcon has difficulty determining who belongs to which. He is personally targeted and his girl friend's youngest son is kidnapped. While he is dealing with all this the Intelligence service is dealing with Javier's friend, who is spying on a Moroccan mujahideen group for them. Javier is his contact and it all just becomes a total mess. The amount of stress Javier goes through, the regulations, laws, and moral code items he ends up breaking would destroy anyone's mind. I found the ending very satisfying and the decisions the various characters make while in the midst of it all to be both compelling and comprehensible.
May 13, 2018
I will miss Javier Falcon, immensely! I think that’s why I waited so long to read this last book in the series. An exceptional novel, which is really more about the character development and character’s mental anguish than it is about the mystery itself. I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed Javier ends up “settling down” in the end—I assumed he was slated to ramble the world alone, discontentedly, forever. I am also sad that he resigned from the police force. But it’s an exceptional mystery novel, and an exceptional series. Definitely high amongst my favorite mystery series ever. I would also say that there are few who can develop a character like Robert Wilson has in this series, and few who can pull you into the mind of a character like he does. (Dürrenmatt *might* be one other... I‘ll have to keep thinking about that one!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2010
bought this in the airport bookstore before leaving on 12hr plane trip. What a good find. Interesting mystery with intriguing main characters.
October 20, 2019
very enjoyable read
December 23, 2017
What a finale! If I ever was enthusiastic about Robert Wilson’s Javier Falcón series, the final book tops it. With The Ignorance of Blood Robert gives a conclusion, not only on a thrilling final case, but spanning over the whole arc on the Inspector Jefe from Seville. What began as an intertwined story on discovering himself, very personal and close, the fourth and final book on Falcón in the end returned to be just very that: personal attached to Javier and his life.
This book actually gets started with a bit of “luck”, when some russian Mafia courier died in an accident putting some million Euros and highly critical material in the hands of Seville police force. The investigations on this courier and material lead into several situations, causing threat and death to people involved in the bombing set up (the core case of The Hidden Assassins). In parallel, Javier is struggling with his very close friend Yacoub Diouri and him being in between intelligence services and a terrorist cell.
Robert builds up the tension very well, deceives his main protagonist as well as the reader, not using any writing tricks but by presenting an intelligent story that is build on multiple threads, sometimes intertwining but then again not. One can read, how the figures in the book develop on their own and surpise the reader quite often, without losing their credibility or stretching the story’s plausibility. Of course, there is quite some luck involved in pulling the plot as it is, but to a reasonable amount, at least to me. Except that the ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied. And while it seems final, it still has an openess and potential for a future.
This tetralogy grew to one of my favorite novels in the thriller genre. I very much enjoyed the way Robert Wilson put on the plots and his style of writing, I’ll surely get hold of the other novels he wrote. Great job, Mr. Wilson.
This book actually gets started with a bit of “luck”, when some russian Mafia courier died in an accident putting some million Euros and highly critical material in the hands of Seville police force. The investigations on this courier and material lead into several situations, causing threat and death to people involved in the bombing set up (the core case of The Hidden Assassins). In parallel, Javier is struggling with his very close friend Yacoub Diouri and him being in between intelligence services and a terrorist cell.
Robert builds up the tension very well, deceives his main protagonist as well as the reader, not using any writing tricks but by presenting an intelligent story that is build on multiple threads, sometimes intertwining but then again not. One can read, how the figures in the book develop on their own and surpise the reader quite often, without losing their credibility or stretching the story’s plausibility. Of course, there is quite some luck involved in pulling the plot as it is, but to a reasonable amount, at least to me. Except that the ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied. And while it seems final, it still has an openess and potential for a future.
This tetralogy grew to one of my favorite novels in the thriller genre. I very much enjoyed the way Robert Wilson put on the plots and his style of writing, I’ll surely get hold of the other novels he wrote. Great job, Mr. Wilson.
May 25, 2009
I'd read all books by Robert Wilson. Normally I don't like thrillers, but this story starts in Morocco, Spain, and Seville. Unfortunately, this is the last book with Falcon as a detective, there were 3 or 4 before this one and they were all very good. The last one had it all - the Russian mafia, Muslim fundamentalists and Saudi Arabia Royal family. I hope that Wilson will create a new story in the future.
March 11, 2015
Like his other mysteries, this one has a complex plot and a multitude of characters with a confusing array of names. However his books are great entertainment.
February 29, 2024
This is the fourth – and final – book in Robert Wilson’s Inspector Jefe Javier Falcón detective series set primarily in Seville. The Ignorance of Blood was published in 2009.
It takes place in 2006 when a Russian mafia man is involved in a fatal traffic accident. In his car the police find a bag bulging with euros and video discs – stolen from a mafia gang, apparently.
Falcón is still trying to get to the bottom of a bomb explosion – was it terrorists or some other cause? He is advised not to obsess about it. There are other cases to investigate: ‘Personal crusades, Javier, are not advisable in police work. Every old people’s home in Spain probably has a retired detective gaping from the windows, his mind still twisted around a missing girl, or a poor bludgeoned boy. Don’t go there. Nobody expects it of you’ (p41).
The Russian villains are particularly unpleasant – and seem to be competing gangs. ‘The veneer, though, was only an expensive suit thick, as Viktor Belenki was a violent brute with access to a rage so incandescent that even Revnik’s most psychopathic henchmen were afraid of him’ (p45).
The video discs implicate a number of very important individuals in the city and elsewhere; there are connections to shady constructors and financiers. Two mafia gangs want those discs.
Falcón covers a lot of familiar ground, including Atocha rail station, where three bombs were exploded on March 11, 2004; other bombs exploded on four trains; those responsible were members of al-Qaeda; over 190 people were killed and over 2,000 injured. (I recall it well; we were living in Spain at the time). However, the bomb explosion Falcón is investigating is not believed to be connected to that atrocity.
Still topical now, Falcón is faced with individuals being radicalised by Islamists. ‘Radical Islam was not something you changed your mind about. Once admitted to the close fraternity and their secrets there was no walking away. They wouldn’t let you’ (p81). Indeed, anyone joining becomes a ‘lost soul, walking a world of death, destruction and martyrdom’ (p86).
Falcón is drawn into the turf war between Russian factions when Dario, the son of Consuelo, his lover, is kidnapped. Are the kidnappers Russian or Islamists?
Along the way, he is faced with an imprisoned judge, a female sculptor in a bikini, and a Moroccan friend engaged in spying on an Islamist group for the Spanish security service. There are violent deaths, gruesome deaths, and a convoluted mystery that must be solved in Morocco.
Falcón has previously suffered from a breakdown, but now he is stressed and stretched to the point where not only is his job at risk, but also his life. Some chapters end with a nail-biting cliff-hanger.
The descriptions of Seville, the characters and the emotions are well delineated with powerful writing.
Although there are references to previous Falcón novels, the book can be read as a standalone. However, the Falcón books in order are: The Hidden Assassins, The Blind Man of Seville, The Silent and the Damned and The Ignorance of Blood.
It takes place in 2006 when a Russian mafia man is involved in a fatal traffic accident. In his car the police find a bag bulging with euros and video discs – stolen from a mafia gang, apparently.
Falcón is still trying to get to the bottom of a bomb explosion – was it terrorists or some other cause? He is advised not to obsess about it. There are other cases to investigate: ‘Personal crusades, Javier, are not advisable in police work. Every old people’s home in Spain probably has a retired detective gaping from the windows, his mind still twisted around a missing girl, or a poor bludgeoned boy. Don’t go there. Nobody expects it of you’ (p41).
The Russian villains are particularly unpleasant – and seem to be competing gangs. ‘The veneer, though, was only an expensive suit thick, as Viktor Belenki was a violent brute with access to a rage so incandescent that even Revnik’s most psychopathic henchmen were afraid of him’ (p45).
The video discs implicate a number of very important individuals in the city and elsewhere; there are connections to shady constructors and financiers. Two mafia gangs want those discs.
Falcón covers a lot of familiar ground, including Atocha rail station, where three bombs were exploded on March 11, 2004; other bombs exploded on four trains; those responsible were members of al-Qaeda; over 190 people were killed and over 2,000 injured. (I recall it well; we were living in Spain at the time). However, the bomb explosion Falcón is investigating is not believed to be connected to that atrocity.
Still topical now, Falcón is faced with individuals being radicalised by Islamists. ‘Radical Islam was not something you changed your mind about. Once admitted to the close fraternity and their secrets there was no walking away. They wouldn’t let you’ (p81). Indeed, anyone joining becomes a ‘lost soul, walking a world of death, destruction and martyrdom’ (p86).
Falcón is drawn into the turf war between Russian factions when Dario, the son of Consuelo, his lover, is kidnapped. Are the kidnappers Russian or Islamists?
Along the way, he is faced with an imprisoned judge, a female sculptor in a bikini, and a Moroccan friend engaged in spying on an Islamist group for the Spanish security service. There are violent deaths, gruesome deaths, and a convoluted mystery that must be solved in Morocco.
Falcón has previously suffered from a breakdown, but now he is stressed and stretched to the point where not only is his job at risk, but also his life. Some chapters end with a nail-biting cliff-hanger.
The descriptions of Seville, the characters and the emotions are well delineated with powerful writing.
Although there are references to previous Falcón novels, the book can be read as a standalone. However, the Falcón books in order are: The Hidden Assassins, The Blind Man of Seville, The Silent and the Damned and The Ignorance of Blood.
July 24, 2024
It is my opinion that this book was written for straight men, and straight men only.
It’s been quite some time since I’ve been this bored reading a book. How the author represents women was the only thing of interest, and not in a good way. Especially when it -for me at least- seems like the author just drops themes of S/A and sex work at the women’s expense, just to keep the ball rolling and having “exciting” themes in the book.
In addition to that, having the women always be second to the man; with the main characters mainly being men, and the men being the only ones doing the actual saving. Painting women as victims in this way, you can’t help but ending up feeling that the women are underneath the men.
In conclusion, if you are willing to write about women, just take the time to write women as actual human beings. Because having the women be badass and having them do at least a little bit of the saving would be cool considering the topics of sexual nature in this book. Getting the audience to see that in many ways women are way more tough, loving, smart and brave than men (especially when it comes to topics like S/A where women more often than not are the ones having to experience it); so give the women some credit will you?:)
It’s been quite some time since I’ve been this bored reading a book. How the author represents women was the only thing of interest, and not in a good way. Especially when it -for me at least- seems like the author just drops themes of S/A and sex work at the women’s expense, just to keep the ball rolling and having “exciting” themes in the book.
In addition to that, having the women always be second to the man; with the main characters mainly being men, and the men being the only ones doing the actual saving. Painting women as victims in this way, you can’t help but ending up feeling that the women are underneath the men.
In conclusion, if you are willing to write about women, just take the time to write women as actual human beings. Because having the women be badass and having them do at least a little bit of the saving would be cool considering the topics of sexual nature in this book. Getting the audience to see that in many ways women are way more tough, loving, smart and brave than men (especially when it comes to topics like S/A where women more often than not are the ones having to experience it); so give the women some credit will you?:)
December 21, 2021
Throughout the 4-book Javier Falcon series, Inspector Jefe Javier Falcon solves murders, with the stories originating in Falcon’s home base, Seville, Spain. Solving the crimes and identifying the guilty parties requires that Falcon cross regional and international boundaries, and manage professional relationships with multiple police and intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, he is confronting his own dissolved marriage and a variety of revelations that emerge through the series about his own family/parental background. The stories involve a mix of terrorists, organized crime, corruption in government and business, and a host of human weaknesses, failings, and downright evils - as well as love, friendship, compassion, and dedicated pursuit of the good (with well-placed rumination by key characters about exactly what that good looks like).
If you love a good police procedural, crime thriller, spy novel - here they are expertly rolled up into one. If you’d like to spend some time imagining being in hot, sunny, southern Spain (or recalling your own travels in the region), Inspector Jefe Falcon will serve as an excellent guide.
Take the plunge… you’ll be grateful that British author and traveler, Robert Wilson, rode his bike into Spain, encountered Holy Week in Seville, and found his inspiration for this thoroughly entertaining, wonderfully written series! (If you’re interested in Wilson’s own recounting of that process, visit the Javier Falcon tab of Wilson’s website: https://robert-wilson.org.uk/falcon/i...
The Javier Falcon series includes:
1. The Blind Man Of Seville
2. The Vanished Hands
3. The Hidden Assassins
4. The Ignorance Of Blood
If you love a good police procedural, crime thriller, spy novel - here they are expertly rolled up into one. If you’d like to spend some time imagining being in hot, sunny, southern Spain (or recalling your own travels in the region), Inspector Jefe Falcon will serve as an excellent guide.
Take the plunge… you’ll be grateful that British author and traveler, Robert Wilson, rode his bike into Spain, encountered Holy Week in Seville, and found his inspiration for this thoroughly entertaining, wonderfully written series! (If you’re interested in Wilson’s own recounting of that process, visit the Javier Falcon tab of Wilson’s website: https://robert-wilson.org.uk/falcon/i...
The Javier Falcon series includes:
1. The Blind Man Of Seville
2. The Vanished Hands
3. The Hidden Assassins
4. The Ignorance Of Blood
March 31, 2019
Javier Falcon quartet finished with heart and soul
Javier is plunged into a search through foreign terrorists, organized crime managed off shore and in Seville, and corruption and drug abuse in his city and a multinational construction company. Consuelo enters his life again to become an actor in the thread. Wilson proves again that he is a master of plotting. While The threads are unnerving, the resolution is very satisfying.
Javier is plunged into a search through foreign terrorists, organized crime managed off shore and in Seville, and corruption and drug abuse in his city and a multinational construction company. Consuelo enters his life again to become an actor in the thread. Wilson proves again that he is a master of plotting. While The threads are unnerving, the resolution is very satisfying.
October 23, 2017
Two years after finishing The Hidden Assassins, I read its sequel; all those dangling threads are now woven into the tapestry. As before, Wilson provides an exciting, intricate plot line but fails to develop much depth behind his characters. Good for a light holiday read
April 24, 2018
Prostitution, drugs, Russian mafia, kidnapping, Islamic fundamentalists, CIA, MI6 - it's all happening in Seville and Morocco and Javier Falcon is in the middle. Convoluted plot with such a large cast of characters. Didn't think the writing was as good here as in the first in the series.
May 29, 2018
An extremely complex book. The main character is likable and the plot lines intriguing, but there was just too much going on. Really, if it had been split into two books I would have enjoyed it more. Like some of the other reviewers, I'd like to see more of Falcon - but a little less frenzied.
July 10, 2021
All four books of this series must be read. The first and last are best. The middle two raise many related issues and deaths which are not immediately resolved until Ignorance of Blood. How I so wish to return to Seville.
March 27, 2025
Sadly, I have just read the final installment of the Inspector Javier Falcon quartet - a fine body of work worthy of far greater plaudits. Tis a shame there are no more. I must add a trip to Seville to the bucket list because it sounds glorious.
August 28, 2025
Empezar por el último libro de una tetralogía no es muy afortunado. Pero, aun cuando la novela se lee con facilidad e interés, mas parece una peli de James Bond. Increible, de trazo grueso y con toques sexistas rancios.
April 28, 2018
Fitting final chapter for Inspector Falcon
This final book in the Falcon series ties the plot up neatly, with the same strong sense of place and character.
This final book in the Falcon series ties the plot up neatly, with the same strong sense of place and character.
August 12, 2021
Great book and story
March 10, 2023
Best series ever! Very well plotted.
Read
March 28, 2025Good
April 23, 2010
Jefe Javier Falcón is undoubtedly one of those slightly rumpled, thoughtful, urbane, complicated and delightful detectives that fans of crime fiction will love to spend time with. THE IGNORANCE OF BLOOD is the last book in this series, beginning with THE BLIND MAN OF SEVILLE, then THE SILENT AND THE DAMNED and THE HIDDEN ASSASSINS.
In THE IGNORANCE OF THE BLOOD Seville is a swelteringly hot, tense and shocked city, following a terrorist attack which Falcón has promised will not go unsolved. Unfortunately, whilst the promise was heart-felt, the actual identification of those behind the attack is not so easy and Falcón is struggling. Meanwhile a Russian gangster is making a run for it with a lot of cash and some future plans which don't sit well with his masters.
When you sit down to read THE IGNORANCE OF BLOOD you need to make sure you've got time on your hands. For a start it's unlikely you're going to want to put it down again, and for a second, you're going to have to concentrate a bit. The mix of Gangsters, Terrorists, Lovers, Children, Police Departments, Spys, Friends and Acquaintances gets very complex. Not that the plot is necessarily over-complicated, it's just that there is an awful lot going on in this book and you'll need to keep a lot of names, places, people and events straight in your mind. (Confession here - I have the book but I also listened to a fair portion of it via Audiobook which really was a fabulous experience, the names of people and places pronounced properly just added a little extra to the enjoyment of the book).
If you haven't read the earlier books you should still be able to sort out who is who and some of the backstory of the characters. There's enough detail spread throughout to give you a backwards perspective, but not so much that you feel like it's a retrospective. There is also real writing skill being exhibited here. There's a lot of personal angst and relationship difficulties delved into and explored, but at no time does the pace of the book suffer. He really does characters well but he also does settings beautifully. You can feel the heat of Seville, the smells and sights of Andalucia are so evocative. You read these books with a hankering for ripe oranges, olives, tiled floors and cool places. There's also something very chilling about the plots, they are elaborate and sinister and very discomforting.
Alongside the Falcón series, Wilson has written a number of other books which are equally excellent, but THE IGNORANCE OF BLOOD is, it seems, the last of the Javier Falcón quartet. Botheration, blast and drat it all.
In THE IGNORANCE OF THE BLOOD Seville is a swelteringly hot, tense and shocked city, following a terrorist attack which Falcón has promised will not go unsolved. Unfortunately, whilst the promise was heart-felt, the actual identification of those behind the attack is not so easy and Falcón is struggling. Meanwhile a Russian gangster is making a run for it with a lot of cash and some future plans which don't sit well with his masters.
When you sit down to read THE IGNORANCE OF BLOOD you need to make sure you've got time on your hands. For a start it's unlikely you're going to want to put it down again, and for a second, you're going to have to concentrate a bit. The mix of Gangsters, Terrorists, Lovers, Children, Police Departments, Spys, Friends and Acquaintances gets very complex. Not that the plot is necessarily over-complicated, it's just that there is an awful lot going on in this book and you'll need to keep a lot of names, places, people and events straight in your mind. (Confession here - I have the book but I also listened to a fair portion of it via Audiobook which really was a fabulous experience, the names of people and places pronounced properly just added a little extra to the enjoyment of the book).
If you haven't read the earlier books you should still be able to sort out who is who and some of the backstory of the characters. There's enough detail spread throughout to give you a backwards perspective, but not so much that you feel like it's a retrospective. There is also real writing skill being exhibited here. There's a lot of personal angst and relationship difficulties delved into and explored, but at no time does the pace of the book suffer. He really does characters well but he also does settings beautifully. You can feel the heat of Seville, the smells and sights of Andalucia are so evocative. You read these books with a hankering for ripe oranges, olives, tiled floors and cool places. There's also something very chilling about the plots, they are elaborate and sinister and very discomforting.
Alongside the Falcón series, Wilson has written a number of other books which are equally excellent, but THE IGNORANCE OF BLOOD is, it seems, the last of the Javier Falcón quartet. Botheration, blast and drat it all.
May 15, 2010
Book 4 in the Javier Falcon series
This is the last novel in the quartet. It is based around the aftermath of the terrible terrorist attack bombing described in "The Hidden Assassins"
Detective Falcon had publicly promised to find the perpetrators of this outrageous event. His investigation ground to a halt until new leads surfaced with the death of a Russian gangster in a very nasty motor accident. The discovery of millions of Euros in the vehicle adds fuel and intrigue to the investigation....
Intricate plotting plunges the reader into suspense with Falcon suddenly immersed in the middle of a turf war over prostitution and drugs. Now the target of the Mafia, his multi-faceted investigation will also bring blackmail, kidnapping, espionage, political corruption and terrorism to the forefront.
The story is very complex and concentration is needed to keep up with the mix of characters we encounter along the way. There is an awful lot going on and you will need to remember names, places and events. The challenge is mind stimulating and rewarding.
As the story moves forward, parts of Falcon's past personal and professional enhance the story. The author provides enough background details that even without the knowledge of the earlier novels, it is easy to follow. Although it is best to have read them.
Mr Wilson's thrillers are based on his characters and are plot driven. Unique in his genre, I find the depth and complexities of his writing mind bending and quite addictive. I am looking forward to the next series although I will miss Javier Falcon.
This is the last novel in the quartet. It is based around the aftermath of the terrible terrorist attack bombing described in "The Hidden Assassins"
Detective Falcon had publicly promised to find the perpetrators of this outrageous event. His investigation ground to a halt until new leads surfaced with the death of a Russian gangster in a very nasty motor accident. The discovery of millions of Euros in the vehicle adds fuel and intrigue to the investigation....
Intricate plotting plunges the reader into suspense with Falcon suddenly immersed in the middle of a turf war over prostitution and drugs. Now the target of the Mafia, his multi-faceted investigation will also bring blackmail, kidnapping, espionage, political corruption and terrorism to the forefront.
The story is very complex and concentration is needed to keep up with the mix of characters we encounter along the way. There is an awful lot going on and you will need to remember names, places and events. The challenge is mind stimulating and rewarding.
As the story moves forward, parts of Falcon's past personal and professional enhance the story. The author provides enough background details that even without the knowledge of the earlier novels, it is easy to follow. Although it is best to have read them.
Mr Wilson's thrillers are based on his characters and are plot driven. Unique in his genre, I find the depth and complexities of his writing mind bending and quite addictive. I am looking forward to the next series although I will miss Javier Falcon.
June 23, 2009
This is the fourth and (says the author) last in the crime series set in Seville, featuring troubled cop Javier Falcon. I was very excited when I chanced on this book in the library (wasn't expecting it, hadn't heard about it in the usual places) and got down to reading it immediately. However, only loyalty to the author (and to Falcon) kept me going. The story seemed improbable, many of the characters were not developed satisfactorily, and Falcon himself seemed to be not his usual brilliant self. It seems to me that the author was at the receiving end of some serious arm-twisting to write just one more Falcon book, and he obliged, in listless fashion.
Still, 3 stars because Wilson shows flashes of extreme talent, and his description of Seville - the geography and the mood - is striking as always. Plus, for those who secretly admire his muscular treatment of gore, there is one particularly rancid description of a brutal killing that put me in the mind of "A Small Death in Lisbon" - same intensity, same effect.
Perhaps at least one of the 3 stars is really attributable to a "lifetime achievement", for entertaining me so thoroughly over, oh, 8-9 books. I think Wilson is one of the best under-rated authors!
Still, 3 stars because Wilson shows flashes of extreme talent, and his description of Seville - the geography and the mood - is striking as always. Plus, for those who secretly admire his muscular treatment of gore, there is one particularly rancid description of a brutal killing that put me in the mind of "A Small Death in Lisbon" - same intensity, same effect.
Perhaps at least one of the 3 stars is really attributable to a "lifetime achievement", for entertaining me so thoroughly over, oh, 8-9 books. I think Wilson is one of the best under-rated authors!
August 25, 2015
A car accident. Millions of euros. A Russian gangster drinking champagne in the middle of nowhere. The opening scene of this, the fourth in the quartet of books featuring Seville detective Javier Falcón, does not disappoint. Robert Wilson’s plotting is spot-on. I read this book voraciously as Falcón struggles to get to the whole truth, admiring the way the author weaves together the story strands from the preceding three books so that at the end you understand though you did not guess.
I did not get the ending right, I expected something different. There are moments when you wonder if Javier can continue, will he step over to the dark side, will his emotional strength desert him? This is the most international of the four books, with Javier travelling to London and Morocco but Seville retains its hot sultry presence. I can smell the dusty heat of the evening where the detectives seem to exist on coffee and cruelty lays just out of sight.
I’m sorry this is a short review, I can’t write more without giving away the plot. There were moments when I wanted to shout ‘don’t do it’ and others when I thought with sad acceptance ‘yes, that’s the only thing you can do’. At the end, I wanted to start reading the series all over again.
I did not get the ending right, I expected something different. There are moments when you wonder if Javier can continue, will he step over to the dark side, will his emotional strength desert him? This is the most international of the four books, with Javier travelling to London and Morocco but Seville retains its hot sultry presence. I can smell the dusty heat of the evening where the detectives seem to exist on coffee and cruelty lays just out of sight.
I’m sorry this is a short review, I can’t write more without giving away the plot. There were moments when I wanted to shout ‘don’t do it’ and others when I thought with sad acceptance ‘yes, that’s the only thing you can do’. At the end, I wanted to start reading the series all over again.
August 10, 2012
As Robert Wilson announces in his introduction to this book, this is the last in the Javier Falcon Seville quartet. That took me a bit by surprise, but as I read the book, I was hit by the fact that I had been reading a quartet - one story told across four books. So if you have not read the other three, do that before reading this one.
Since I read these books across a significant time span, I was struggling to remember the details of the first book as I read references to that story in this book. Perhaps I should read the first one (The Blind Man of Seville) again just to refresh my memory.
Wilson's setting in Seville comes alive through him, the streets, the food, the houses, the politics, the culture of Andalusia. Javier Falcon is a wonderful character, complicated and a bit noble. His past is with him throughout his work to solve the crimes of the present. It is his past that adds to the complexity of the stories.
I am sorry there will be no more Falcon books, but Wilson has others that I still want to read.
Since I read these books across a significant time span, I was struggling to remember the details of the first book as I read references to that story in this book. Perhaps I should read the first one (The Blind Man of Seville) again just to refresh my memory.
Wilson's setting in Seville comes alive through him, the streets, the food, the houses, the politics, the culture of Andalusia. Javier Falcon is a wonderful character, complicated and a bit noble. His past is with him throughout his work to solve the crimes of the present. It is his past that adds to the complexity of the stories.
I am sorry there will be no more Falcon books, but Wilson has others that I still want to read.
June 30, 2015
This was an interesting political thriller that takes place in Seville. I enjoyed how the characters were a mix of this world, with Russians and Moroccans and Spaniards filling the cast. The plot was much more intense than I realized when I picked up the book (I think the title got me) but the writing carried you along until an action or revealing made you blink.
Jefe Javier Falcon is still investigating a terrorist attack, but crime and life do not stop moving. Soon he is called to investigate a death because while the death is an accident, the man must have been up to something with what is found inside the trunk. Soon the case builds and Falcon finds that his best friend is facing an unmakable choice while is lover is suffering every mother's nightmare. Falcon has to solve a crime while searching for trust and truth in a world of lies.
Jefe Javier Falcon is still investigating a terrorist attack, but crime and life do not stop moving. Soon he is called to investigate a death because while the death is an accident, the man must have been up to something with what is found inside the trunk. Soon the case builds and Falcon finds that his best friend is facing an unmakable choice while is lover is suffering every mother's nightmare. Falcon has to solve a crime while searching for trust and truth in a world of lies.
November 4, 2012
The only reason I am giving this as high as a 2 is because it completed the Falcon quartet and has some decent resolution..otherwise, this is a great disappointment from the previous 3 books. It reads as if Wilson had a publishers deadline or had a ghost-writer. Sentence fragments abound, dialogue is juvenile/pulp-fictionish and the violence is totally without literary merit,especially the horrific death of the artist, Marisa.He manages some suspense but as other s have pointed out, the plot convolutions are unbelievable. Do not waste your time.You will find out whether Javier and Consuleo can manage a relationship within this corrupt society and who actually perpetrated the Seville bombing, but email me, and I'll tell you and save you an enormous headache.
July 30, 2009
"Most critics found The Ignorance of Blood to be highly entertaining and hailed it as a successful combination of psychological fiction, police procedural, and international thriller. They also found Wilson's key characters -- Javier, Consuelo, Yacoub, and even young Dario -- to be expertly drawn and three-dimensional. More than one critic, however, felt Wilson had overextended himself with regard to plot lines and secondary characters; these reviewers cited an indistinguishable assortment of detectives and Mafiosi. Overall, however, most felt Wilson's final entry was a worthy, complex, and gritty read, particularly for readers who enjoy foreign settings."
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