The premise of this is that the President of the United States is coming to Mexico to meet with its President. A conspiracy is rumored to exist to assThe premise of this is that the President of the United States is coming to Mexico to meet with its President. A conspiracy is rumored to exist to assasinate the US President on this visit. Filiberto Garcia, ostensibly of the police but himself really a hired assasin, is charged with verifying this rumor and finding the people who are to carry out the plot.
The vehicle for telling the story is interesting. Much of it is the internal dialogue of Garcia. Contrasting this first person POV is also that of third person limited. The change between the two is fluid but not confusing to the reader. One should be cautioned, however, to know that the internal dialogue is *very* vulgar. Garcia cannot construct a thought without the use of the f-word, though I remarked to my husband Garcia used it only as an adjective and never as a verb.
I'm glad I read this, even with the vulgarity. I find myself more attracted to pulp. I think pulp gets too little respect. Still and all I don't think this quite climbs into the 4-star group....more
Our unnamed narrator has been gambling, trying to win enough for his wife and him to get a ticket on a boat to America. Having lost nearly all of his Our unnamed narrator has been gambling, trying to win enough for his wife and him to get a ticket on a boat to America. Having lost nearly all of his money, he was walking dejectedly along the waterfront when a man offered him two tickets aboard the waiting ship. The only price was that our narrator would stay with Schwartz the entire night while Schwartz told his story. Thus, the Night in Lisbon of the title.
It wasn't just the Jews who Hitler sent to concentration camps. The other 6 million exterminated were dissidents, Christians of "unacceptable" sects, and criminals of all types. Josef Schwartz was a dissident who was sent to one of the concentration camps, but was fortunate to end up as "just" a refugee. Schwartz was not his real name, but was the name on the passport he carried, one that had been given to him by a dying refugee. His story begins about three years earlier in 1939, before the war began and then brings it to the day before his telling the story.
Some anti-war novels show us the horror of battle. There are many of those, including Remarque's WWI All Quiet on the Western Front. Here, Remarque shows us the horror of being a civilian during WWII. Most of us probably know in general that living under the Nazis was a horror. Here, the author helps us see it up close with his well-drawn characters.
I won't forget this, but neither do I think it is worth the full 5-stars. Still, it must be somewhat close to that level....more
Honestly, I don't know why Margaret Millar isn't read more frequently. To my thinking, she is better than Ruth Rendell's stand alone novels. There is Honestly, I don't know why Margaret Millar isn't read more frequently. To my thinking, she is better than Ruth Rendell's stand alone novels. There is always something slightly off kilter about some of her characters. Maybe others are more discerning, but I never seem to be able to zero in on what or who is the deception.
In this, mega wealthy Ron Galloway disappears. OK, so that isn't the real deception. Through forecasting, we know Esther, his wife, will never see him again and so we can expect a dead body eventually. Thelma Bream, wife of Harry Bream, is in love with Ron. Thelma is a little scatter-brained while Esther is the consummate shrew. So it comes as no surprise that Thelma and Ron have been having an affair. No deception here, right?
I loved the pitch perfect ending. Maybe others were able to see it coming, but I did not. Note to self: read more Margaret Millar and be sure to color in the 4th star for this one....more
Elizabeth (Alaska)
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