Most Popular Books by Robert Wilson

A Spanish detective investigates a series of grisly killings in a crime thriller that maintains “an almost unbearable pitch of excitement” (Booklist). Called to a gruesome crime scene, Inspector Javier Falcón is shocked and sickened by what he finds there. Strewn like flower petals on the victim’s shirt are the man’s own eyelids, evidence of a heinous crime with no obvious motive. When the investigation leads Falcón to read his late father’s journals, he discovers a disturbing and sordid past. Meanwhile, more victims are falling. While he struggles to solve the case, he comes across a missing section of his father’s journal—and becomes the murderer’s next intended victim. Combining suspenseful storytelling with a thoughtful exploration of the human psyche, The Blind Man of Seville is a terrifying and “consistently stunning” police procedural from the Gold Dagger Award–winning author of A Small Death in Lisbon (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

“Robert Wilson’s Barnum, the first full-dress biography in twenty years, eschews clichés for a more nuanced story…It is a life for our times, and the biography Barnum deserves.” —The Wall Street Journal P.T. Barnum is the greatest showman the world has ever seen. As a creator of the Barnum & Baily Circus and a champion of wonder, joy, trickery, and “humbug,” he was the founding father of American entertainment—and as Robert Wilson argues, one of the most important figures in American history. Nearly 125 years after his death, the name P.T. Barnum still inspires wonder. Robert Wilson’s vivid new biography captures the full genius, infamy, and allure of the ebullient showman, who, from birth to death, repeatedly reinvented himself. He learned as a young man how to wow crowds, and built a fortune that placed him among the first millionaires in the United States. He also suffered tragedy, bankruptcy, and fires that destroyed his life’s work, yet willed himself to recover and succeed again. As an entertainer, Barnum courted controversy throughout his life—yet he was also a man of strong convictions, guided in his work not by a desire to deceive, but an eagerness to thrill and bring joy to his audiences. He almost certainly never uttered the infamous line, “There’s a sucker born every minute,” instead taking pride in giving crowds their money’s worth and more. Robert Wilson, editor of The American Scholar, tells a gripping story in Barnum, one that’s imbued with the same buoyant spirit as the man himself. In this “engaging, insightful, and richly researched new biography” (New York Journal of Books), Wilson adeptly makes the case for P.T. Barnum’s place among the icons of American history, as a figure who represented, and indeed created, a distinctly American sense of optimism, industriousness, humor, and relentless energy.

As Inspector Jefe Javier Falcón investigates a faceless, mutilated corpse, the beautiful city of Seville is rocked by a massive explosion. The discovery of a mosque in the basement of a devastated apartment building confirms everybody''s terrorist fears. Panic sweeps the city and the region goes on red alert. As more bodies are dragged from the rubble, the media interest and political pressure intenu00adsify and Falcón suspects that all is not what it appears to be. Just as he comes close to cracking the conspiracy, he makes the most terrifying discovery of all and the race is on to prevent a catastrophe far beyond Spain''s borders. A masterful thriller, The Hidden Assassins is fiction of the highest order.

The styles of high and pop culture come together with classical and new media in Robert Wilson''s video portraits. The personalities they present refer in part to their own biographical details, but also to sources in cultural history. For example, Robert Downey Jr. plays the part of the corpse in Rembrandt''s painting the Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632), while Brad Pitt demonstrates the expressive power of his acting with pistol and boxer shorts. Published to accompany the exhibition at ZKM, Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, May – August 2010.English and German text.

A poignant, “top rank” espionage thriller spanning from WWII to the Cold War from the award-winning author of A Small Death in Lisbon (The Guardian). Portugal, 1944. Recruited by British intelligence to help uncover Nazi secrets of atomic warfare, math prodigy Andrea Aspinall soon disappears into the crowds of Lisbon, hiding behind a new identity. Karl Voss, an attaché for German intelligence, arrives in the city under the purported agenda of helping the Reich, all the while secretly working to save his beloved home country from annihilation under their reign. Two lost souls meet in a city filled with haunting secrets and deadly lies, desperately trying to find love amid assassination attempts, shifting loyalties, and heartbreaking betrayals. And when tragedy strikes, the repercussions last for decades, leading one of them on a quest, twenty-four years later, back into a sinister world of espionage long thought left behind. Hailed as both “a heartrending tale, unfolded with loving patience and rising tension” (Kirkus Reviews) and “an evocative and compelling thriller” (Publishers Weekly), The Company of Strangers is a provocative and moving take on the classic espionage narrative, exploring what happens when the allegiances of heart and head oppose each other.

This debut thriller by the award-winning author of A Small Death in Lisbon is "a witty, fast-moving and picaresque tale" set in West Africa (Nelson DeMille). A British expat, Bruce Medway gets by as a fixer and troubleshooter in the West African country of Benin. He''s been in tough spots before, but never faced anything life-threatening until he did business with the mighty Madame Severnou. While she''s dangerously unhappy with him, it''s just as well that his next job will involve a good amount of travel. A Syrian millionaire wants Medway to track down a fellow expat, Steve Kershaw, whose gone missing. Against a backdrop of political disruption and official corruption, Medway pursues the elusive phantom of Kershaw—and soon finds himself in the middle of an international conspiracy even deadlier than Madame Severnou. Drawing on his time living and working in West Africa, Gold Dagger Award-winning author Robert Wilson evokes the landscape, politics, and people of the region in this tense and atmospheric thriller.

From an historical perspective, this text presents an entirely non- mathematical introduction to astronomy from the first endeavours of the ancients to the current developments in research enabled by cutting edge technological advances. Free of mathematics and complex graphs, the book nevertheless explains deep concepts of space and time, of relativity and quantum mechanics, and of origin and nature of the universe. It conveys not only the intrinsic fascination of the subject, but also the human side and the scientific method as practised by Kepler, defined and elucidated by Galileo, and then demonstrated by Newton.

In this “fine mystery . . . British expat/private investigator in West Africa, Medway is as fully realized as Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe” (Publishers Weekly). In West Africa’s underworld, nothing is sacred and no one is safe. Even its most experienced denizens can get caught off guard, as fixer-for-hire Bruce Medway discovers when a case gone wrong entangles him in toxic-waste scams, mafia money, and—worst of all—a quest for vengeance. After Napier Briggs hires Medway to help recover money he lost in a scam, he winds up dead. And the police show little interest in solving the crime. But Brigg’s daughter, Selina, isn’t interested in justice—she’s out for revenge. And she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get Medway on her side. Between the lies, deceit, seduction, and murder, Medway might finally have met a job that’s too dangerous even for him. “Scintillatingly evokes a world where the scam is a way of life . . . For once, a novelist influenced by Raymond Chandler is not shown up by the comparison.” —The Sunday Times “A compelling mixture of brutal violence and deadpan wit.” —Kirkus Reviews

A suspicious suicide calls Javier Falcon to a wealthy neighborhood on the outskirts of Seville. In quick succession, two more suicides occur--one of them a fellow police officer in the sex crimes unit. As Falcon''s investigation deepens, so, too, does suspicion that perhaps these deaths aren''t suicides, and the mystery takes a shocking, explosive turn.

Nazi wartime deals and the modern-day murder of a Portuguese teen are linked with originality and suspense in this award–winning crime novel. 1941. Klaus Felsen, forced out of his Berlin factory into the SS, arrives in a luminous Lisbon, where Nazis and Allies, refugees and entrepreneurs, dance to the strains of opportunism and despair. Felsen’s assignment takes him to the bleak mountains of the north where a devious and brutal battle is being fought for an element vital to Hitler’s bliztkrieg. There he meets the man who plants the first seed of greed and revenge that will grow into a thick vine in the landscape of post-war Portugal . . . Late 1990s. Investigating the murder of a young girl with a disturbing sexual past, Inspector Ze Coelho overturns the dark soil of history and unearths old bones from Portugal’s fascist past. This small death in Lisbon is horrific compensation for an even older crime, and Coelho’s stubborn pursuit of its truth reveals a tragedy that unites past and present . . . Robert Wilson’s combination of intelligence, suspense, vivid characters, and mesmerizing storytelling richly deserves the international acclaim his novel has received. Praise for A Small Death in Lisbon Winner of the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel “A suspenseful, intricately plotted, violent and steamy tale that . . . is an impressive piece of work. Mr. Wilson’s book puts one in mind of the best writers working in the international thriller genre, the likes of John le Carré and Martin Cruz Smith. . . . You will turn the last page of this compelling novel almost out of breath.” —New York Times “Gripping and beautifully written.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

For over 700 years, Westminster has been a cradle of democracy, culminating today in the Houses of Parliament situated within the Palace of Westminster. The building combines the historic site of the old palace with modern craftsmanship, displaying the nation''s history while also housing a busy Parliament. This guidebook introduces the many marvellous aspects of the building as well as the history and tradition housed within it. Learn about the origins of the building, in fact the New Palace of Westminster, from the 16th century, designed by Charles Barry in the mid-19th century in a Perpendicular Gothic style. Explore the pageantry of the State Opening, the famous hub of the building, the Central Lobby with its famous ornate gold octagonal roof and many more fascinating details.

A fun, accessible read for travelers and non travelers alike Vermont Curiosities is part zany Vermont guidebook and part Who''s Who of unusual and unsung heroes, this compendium of the state''s quirks and characters will amuse Vermont residents and visitors alike.

A portrait of the visual historian illuminates his role in establishing photography as a valued documenting tool, analyzing his portraits of period dignitaries and his self-sacrificing effort to capture images of the Civil War.

The award-winning author of A Small Death in Lisbon “powerfully evokes West Africa” in this mystery thriller of greed, murder and human trafficking (Publishers Weekly). When schoolgirls begin to disappear on the West African coast, "troubleshooter" Bruce Medway tries to remain detached. Meanwhile, he reluctantly accepts a job from his former nemesis, the mafia capo Roberto Franconelli. Bruce now has forty-eight hours to find a French trader named Marnier whom not even the mafia can track. Finding the man will mean the end of his life—and failure is not an option. As Bruce sets out on his assignment, he discovers that it is deeply connected—through gold, greed, and superstition—to the unsettling schoolgirl disappearances. Uncovering the secrets of rich and powerful men can be deadly in a world where corruption abounds. With nowhere to turn for safe haven, Bruce must devise a scam that risks everything in order to stay alive.

The Life and Times of Queen Victoria in 4 volumes is a historical account on the reign of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom who held the throne for the big part of the 19th century, from 1837 to 1901. Enriched with numerous illustrations, the book describes the famous Victorian period in UK history. Starting with the death of her predecessor William IV, the work narrates the life of Queen Victoria and along with it deals with the history of United Kingdom and her dominions through the rest of the 19th century.

The final psychological thriller featuring Javier Falcon, the tortured detective from ''The Hidden Assassins'' and ''The Blind Man of Seville.''.

A new psychological thriller featuring Javier Falcon, the tortured detective from ''The Blind Man of Seville''.

College in the United States changed dramatically during the twentieth century, ushering in what we know today as the American university in all its diversity. Religion departments made their way into institutions in the 1930s to the 1960s, while significant shifts from college to university occurred. The college ideal was primarily shaping the few to enter the Protestant management class through the inculcation of values associated with a Western civilization that relied upon this training done residentially, primarily for young men. Protestant Christian leaders created religion departments as the college model was shifting to the university ideal, where a more democratized population, including women and non-Protestants, studied under professors trained in specialized disciplines to achieve professional careers in a more internationally connected and post-industrial class. Religion departments at mid-century were addressing the lack of an agreed-upon curricular center in the wake of changes such as the elective system, Carnegie credit-hour formulation, and numerous other shifts in disciplines spelling the end of the college ideal, though certainly continuing many of its traditions and structures. Religion departments were an attempt to provide a cultural and religious center that might hold, enhance existential and moral meaning for students, and strengthen an argument against the German research university ideals of naturalistic science whose so-called objectivity proved, at best, problematic and, at worst, inept given the political crisis in Europe. Colleges found they were losing sight of the college ideal and hoped religion as a taught subject could bring back much of what college had meant, from moral formation and curricular focus to personal piety and national unity. That hope was never realized, and what remained in its wake helped fuel the university model with its specialized religion departments seeking entirely different ends. In the shift from college to university, religion professors attempted to become creators of a legitimate academic subject quite apart from the chapel programs, attempts at moralizing, and centrality in the curriculum of Western Christian thought and history championed in the college model.