| Robert Wilson introduces a new series
character in The Blind Man of Seville. Spanish detective Javier
Falcon is, according to the publisher's blurb, 'set to rival Rebus and
Alex Cross' and is 'the most brilliantly imagined and intriguing new
detective in the world of crime thrillers'. Steady on there. Falcon is a
welcome addition to the crime scene but Rebus or Cross he ain't. He
belongs more to that European tradition that includes Dibdin's Zen,
Leon's Commissario Brunetti and, as honorary member, John Harvey's
Resnick. Falcon is a cultivated, intelligent man. Yet what he has made
himself - the dispassionate professional - is threatened by the crimes
he is investigating in Seville. The first murder victim is discovered
during Holy Week. He is a leading restaurateur, bound and gagged in his
apartment in front of a TV screen and video player. While alive, his
eyelids were removed to oblige him to watch whatever was playing on the
video. It must have been something horrific because he caused himself
terrible injuries trying to avoid looking. More victims are discovered
and the more Falcon investigates, the more he finds that the solution
may lie among his own family's dark secrets. This is powerful, evocative
stuff.
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