I just finished the latest Robert Wilson mystery, "Vanished Hands", set in Seville. This is the second in a series based on detective Javier Falcon.

The first book, "The Blind Man of Seville," involved the art community and was very good. It took place during Easter week.

This second book was not as brilliant as the first, but I enjoyed it. It involved pedophilia, which seems to be all too common a them in mystery books these days.

I added them to my short Spain reading list on the site:
Spain - Trip Planning - Memoirs and Novels

If he wrote A Small Death in Lisbon, he's a great writer!

"The Blind Man of Seville" is indeed an excellent book, the kind you don't put down until you've turned the last page and the cover too...

Yes, that is the same writer Joanna. I really liked A Small Death in Lisbon too.

Doru, I didn't know you were a mystery reader!

Pauline, have you read "Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Its set in Madrid in 1945. Its one of the better books I've read this past year. Here's a link to a review on amazon's uk site.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0753819317/026-8591286-3547628

Here is the link on AMAZON.COM. The book looks great - I will order it - thanks!!

I just finished another mystery, set in Madrid and in translation from a Spanish writer, but I did not like it. And Colleen sent it to me (sorry Colleen)!

"The Flanders Panel", by Arturo Perez-Reverte

The mystery was about a painting and chess. It was set in Madrid, but there were not so many great details about life in Spain.

Thanks, Pauline, for the tip on the book.

I apologize for not being on ST in months and for not posting my prize photo or my Italy photos yet. I will do so ASAP. I have the photo of the cellular phone. I just need to compress the image!

This book will be a great gift for me to send to my boyfriend who just moved back to Seville after 5 years. I wish I had gone back with him, too, but now I am in Seattle and getting some other things organized in my life. If I get a chance, i will rad this mystery, too, and reminisce about life in Sevilla...

"Grathias...."

I'm reading Shadow of the Wind at the moment, and enjoying it a lot. (LRJ, I think you meant to say Barcelona )

Jonathan (who also enjoyed Small Death in Lisbon)

Sarah, I was just thinking about you the other day!! Nice to hear from you!! I figured you must be back in Seattle now.

You can let PhotoPost on Slow Trips do the compression - just upload the photo full size and it sizes it and compresses.

Thanks, Pauline. That's good to know. As you might have noticed, I just stopped being lazy that day and did it on our photo editor. So the picture is up in the Anniversary Contest section.

Thanks, thanks, thanks...

Sarah's photo of cell phone contest prize

And some cat photos!! I love THIS ONE!!

Wow, Sarah. Your cat Indie looks a LOT like my Lizzie! Beautiful, aren't they?

I haven't forgotten about the photo with my prize! I have to wait to get to Sicily.

Pauline I have a copy of Shadow of the Wind I can lend you. I haven't read it yet. Let me know...

Pauline,
I really liked Shadow of the Wind ... but based on my track record of book recommendations for you (The Jane Austen Book Club, Botticelli Blue Skies, The Flanders Panel) perhaps you should think twice about reading it!

Well, Colleen. Now I'm not sure how I would feel about your recommendations. I loved The Flanders Panel, and all of Perez-Reverte's books except for the most recent (about the drug dealer). But I really did not like The Jane Austen Book Club; as I recall I found the narrative devices just a bit too obtrusive. Never heard of Botticelli Blue Skies; will have to look it up.

Just got a call from my library that one of my reserves, Charm City (Laura Lippman), is in. It's part of a mystery series whose protagonist is a PI in Baltimore (natch!).

Anyway --- Didn't we have fun at all our California GTG's!

M

Botticelli Blue Skies is horrible (IMO)!! Colleen - you didn't like it, did you? I think you are thinking of something else. This was the one about the woman who lives with her husband in Florence for 3 months and the book is tedious - unless you want the details of all the second hand clothing stores in Florence and how to NOT find a long term rental.

Shannon, I will let you know if you should send it - I may give in and buy it here in Hawaii.

Pauline and Marian,
I really liked The Flanders Panel (I enjoyed the mystery of the painting better than the contemporary murder mystery), but haven't read either Botticelli Blue Skies or The Jane Austen Book Club!

I liked their titles and synopsis' (synopses?), though - so passed them on to Pauline when I read about them ... she reads books much faster than I. JABC is still in my TBR stack - I'm willing to give it a chance - but after Pauline's review of BBS a couple years ago, I've stayed far away from it!

(Yes, Marian, our GTG's were way fun! )

quote:

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Originally posted by Pauline:
Doru, I didn't know you were a mystery reader!

---

Hello, Pauline, I just noticed your Jan. 22nd posting! You were/are absolutely right. I'm rather on the science fiction/fantasy/history/art history bend, but not fanatically so. As a good friend and colleague of mine on one of those international committees used to say: "Ve are flexibel". The "Seville" in the title intrigued me and I am glad it did because, with the exception of some gratuitous blood curling stuff mostly at the beginning of the book, as a whole the book is excellent.

If the new one involves pedophilia, I'm afraid it's not my beat.

Hey guys,

Indy thanks you for the compliments! He gives the most special looks... and he talks to you, greets you, whenever you enter a room. Even if you just left it less than 2 seconds beforehand. He's gotten really funny with his old age. you just can't imagine. And, Chris, yes, he does look a lot like Lizzie. When Indy was younger, he didn't have such round features and the narrower face looked very similar to Lizzie's. It's funny because there was a photo of a kitten on Catster and I have never in my life seen a cat that so resembled him.
Oh, if you are interested, there are some more photos of him here. You should make a page for your cats!!


http://www.catster.com/?97389]Indy


Well, I am going to purchase this book for Mischa for Valentine's Day!

Hope you all are enjoying your Sunday. It's raining here in Seattle, though we had some beautiful sunny, warm days this past week.. can't complain.

An excellent Spanish mystery writer you may want to check out is Manuel Vazquez Montalban. His Pepe Carvalho series is set in Barcelona (got it right this time, Jonathan). I especially enjoyed the book featuring Barcelona FC! He's written at least one non-fiction book about Barcelona so he does a nice job of creating the atmosphere. Unfortunately, he passed away relatively recently so no more books from this fine writer.

I need to make a list of all these book rec's and maybe finally get a library card!

I finally bought the Blind Man book a tthe UW bookstore on wednesday between my two good movies (Merchant of Venice and Motorcycle Diaries...!)..

He has lots of interesting mysteries (fromt eh jacket). My dear old grandma loves mysteries so I picked up the Company of Strangers, which is set in Lisbon. I hope she san read the print since it's so tiny. I see her with books like this, so I guess she has some serious magnifying coke bottle glasses or something...

Have you read that one? Was it good?

Thanks, Sarah