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A construction company millionaire with an obscure past, Rafael Vega, is found in his luxurious Seville mansion dead from suicide, having swallowed a caustic acid after first murdering his wife. The head of the homicide division, Chief Inspector Javier Falcon, assigns himself to the case and finds himself working under the restrictions of an 'investigating judge' with whom he's had difficult past relations. In fact, this judge is now engaged to marry Falcon's ex-wife. Falcon suspects Vega did not commit suicide, but was murdered along with his spouse. However, the judge is reluctant to go along with Falcon's suspicions, and Falcon has only a few days to come up with evidence or his case will be considered closed. Vega's neighbors seemed to be involved in the wide ramifications of the case. Falcon knows one from a past investigation, Consuelo Jimenez, an attractive widow who develops a romantic interest in Falcon. This past case is the subject of Wilson's first Falcon book, THE BLIND MAN OF SEVILLE and frequent reference is made to it in this book, somewhat to the disadvantage of any reader who is not familiar with it. Another neighbor, an American employee of Vega named Krugman, and his much younger, oversexed wife, Maddy, were on close terms with Vegas and wife. A famous actor neighbor who also was friendly with Vegas later commits suicide, as does a police chief inspector following a telephone call in which Falcon arranges for an interview with him. An immigrant Russian mafia in Spain is referred to frequently in the case, a gang that plays rough and apparently heads a vicious child prostitution ring whose clients include many high-ranking and influential Seville residents. Falcon pursues his case more concerned with justice than following the rules. But he is handicapped by his own nervous suffering from personal problems and must seek psychological help. He antagonizes highers-up and endangers his career in order to reach the truth in his investigation. Finally he has to compromise on some aspects of the case in order to reach the higher goal. Much of the story in summary form seems common to a number of other thrillers, but the telling of it by Wilson makes it something different. Wilson is a superior writer with a knack for holding the reader's attention. A natural storyteller, he weaves a complex plot with fascinating characters, but he does so without the discipline that a top-notch editor could have given him. Managed by the right editor, he could be greater than he is at present; however, he already is far ahead of the average thriller writer, and I'd heartily recommend this book, as well as his other books, to readers who seek multifaceted plots of intricate design.
Reviewed by Eugene Aubrey Stratton, October 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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