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Found Wanting
 
 

Found Wanting (Hardcover)

by Robert Goddard (Author)
2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
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Found Wanting + The Private Patient + The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Price For All Three: £19.78

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  • This item: Found Wanting by Robert Goddard

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Press (11 Sep 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0593060237
  • ISBN-13: 978-0593060230
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 28,037 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #9 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > G > Goddard, Robert

Product Description

Product Description

Richard Eusden is on his way to work in London one unremarkable winter morning when he is intercepted by his ex-wife, Gemma. She has sad news of his old friend, her other ex-husband, Marty Hewitson. Marty is dying, but needs a favour done for him - now, today, at once. Eusden reluctantly agrees and sets off on what should be a simple errand. But, soon it turns into a race for life, his and Marty's, across Belgium, Germany and Denmark and on into the Nordic heart of a mystery that somehow connects Marty's long dead grandfather, Clem Hewitson, an Isle of Wight police officer, with the tragic fate of the Russian Royal Family.Eusden discovers to his dismay that he can trust no-one, not even an old and dying friend, in a battle for survival with those who are determined to steal the secret they believe he and Marty hold - and will kill for it if they have to. Every move Eusden makes threatens to be a step into disaster. But, move he must - in pursuit of the truth, on the heels of history. It is his only hope.


From the Inside Flap

It begins with an innocent request …

One unremarkable winter morning, civil servant Richard Eusden is on his way to work in London when he is intercepted by his ex-wife, Gemma. She has sad news of his old friend, her other ex-husband, Marty Hewitson. Marty is dying, but needs one last favour done for him – now, today, at once.

Eusden reluctantly agrees.But what should be a simple errand soon it turns into a race for life – his and Marty’s.It takes him across Belgium, Germany and Denmark and on into the Nordic heart of a mystery that somehow connects Marty’s long dead grandfather, Clem Hewitson, an Isle of Wight police officer, with the tragic fate of the Russian Royal Family, murdered ninety years earlier.

To his dismay, Eusden discovers that he can trust no one, not even his old, dying friend, in his battle with those who are determined to steal the secret they believe he and Marty hold, and who will kill for it if they have to. Every move Eusden makes threatens to be a step closer to disaster. But move he must if he is to escape the clutches of history. It is his only hope …

Eusden’s pursuit of the truth takes him, and the reader, on a lightning tour of Europe while harking back to the savage and terrifying events which have cast a blight on the continent’s future for so long. From its opening page to its dramatic conclusion, Found Wanting is Robert Goddard at his spellbinding best.


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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (12)
2 star:
 (13)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
2.6 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars No time to pause for breath..., 11 Sep 2008
By M. D. Smart (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Amazing as it may seem, it's been more than twenty years since Robert Goddard published his first (and still his best, in my opinion) thriller, 'Past Caring'. It established the winning formula all his novels have followed since: a historical mystery which has serious repercussions in the present, usually involving famous events and familiar real-life figures from the past, all told in a pacey narrative with plenty of twists and surprises. The combination of history and mystery is an enticing one, and it's no surprise he's been a regular on the best-seller lists ever since. However, I feel that for the past decade, his work has not been of the same high quality as his earliest books. He's never less than readable, but from 'Out Of The Sun' onwards his style seemed to undergo a change. The novels got shorter and the pacing became frenetic, and some of the depth of characterisation and historical detail seemed to get lost overboard.

'Found Wanting' is his latest, and deals with the mystery surrounding the fate of the last Tsar of Russia and his family after the Revolution 80 years ago, particularly his daughter Anastasia - who, of course, allegedly reappeared in 1920 but was never able to prove her identity despite several protracted court battles. The story starts with civil servant Richard Eusden agreeing to visit his dying friend Marty in Brussels and take him a case of secret documents. It soon becomes clear there are ruthless individuals out to claim these papers for themselves, and that they may contain the key to Anastasia's identity. Murder, betrayal, the unearthing of hidden secrets and a race across Europe ensue.

This all adds up to a passable read, but it's just a shadow of Goddard's early novels. It feels like we barely have time to meet the characters before they're thrown headlong into danger and the pace never lets up from then on. I realise that some people may like the book for that very fact, but it means there's no time for any depth. It's written in very short chapters with a cliff-hanger ending to virtually every one, and it all gets a bit wearing. There are only so many times you can be thrilled by yet another group of enemies springing from nowhere to place our hero in mortal danger. At times it comes across like an old Saturday morning serial. Sure, it's entertaining, but the plot details are glossed over rather than explored in depth, and there's not a lot of substance to any of the characters, so it's difficult to feel any emotional attachment to them. And why do most of them... need to put... quite so many pauses... in their speech? It reads like something from Pinter at times.

So, it's a tolerable read for Robert Goddard fans, or anyone who wants a breakneck-paced thriller, but I wonder if he will ever write anything as good as 'Past Caring,' 'Into The Blue' or 'Painting The Darkness' again.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Formulaic and lazy. Only good for a really long flight., 10 Oct 2008
By Mr. S. J. Calder "stuart6069" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
It is a while since I read a Goddard novel, and this reminded me of all the reasons why I stopped. I finished it only because I was jetlagged and wide awake, with nothing else to get me through a night in Hong Kong. The Goddard formula has simply worn out.

The protagonist is like virtually every other Goddard hero: middle-aged, in a rut, romantically unconnected, unprepared for the challenges ahead, but then unexpectedly resourceful when times get tough. He will also find romance along the way. There is a lame attempt to make this a surprise, but it is screamingly obvious nonetheless.

There are far too many characters, both past and present, and their behaviour and motivations are rarely plausible. Conversations are preposterous. The plot lumbers through the cities of Northern Europe towards the inevitable one-on-one showdown with the villain. The book ends with a feeble wordplay on the title (one of the characters is called 'Wanting'.)

There is also a lack of attention to detail. When the hero is trapped in the boot of a Mercedes, he hears a whirring sound which is explained as the electric aerial. Modern cars haven't had self-extending aerials for years. In fact, Goddard seems to have a problem with cars. In an earlier novel (I forget which) a character drove a Bentley at least 20 years before the first one was created.

On the plus side, the basic research around the Romanovs and what became of them after the Ekaterinburg massacre seems to be quite thorough, and probably could have formed the basis of a passable thriller, but that is not what is delivered.

Avoid. If you want some enjoyable hokum for a journey, then try Dan Brown's 'Deception Point'. It is a modern conspiracy thriller that has nothing to do with Da Vinci, and bowls along with sufficient pace that you don't notice the flaws until you have finished.






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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Found Wanting, 20 Sep 2008
By Michael Brodie (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I have been a avid fan of Robbert Goddard since his first book "Past Caring" and in the intervening 15 years I have anxiously awaited his new efforts. Unfortunately, the title of this book apty describes it. It was as dissapointing as "Sea Change". "Found Wanting" was disjointed and convoluted with too many twists and turns. I will pre-order Mr. Goddard's 2009/10 book and hope for a better outcome
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Found Wanting? Not likely!
Found Wanting? Not likely! A superb pacy read, characters built up well and could not put this one down. Needs to be made into a film.

Published 5 hours ago by P. Davies

2.0 out of 5 stars Found very wanting
Robert Goddard's name used to be synonymous with well-crafted and intelligent novels, so this book was a disappointment.

This is a shaggy-dog story of a novel. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Jimmy Mac

2.0 out of 5 stars The title is apt
I found this book hard going and had to give up about a third of the way through, which I hate doing, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere and did not hold my attention. Read more
Published 11 days ago by bookworm

2.0 out of 5 stars FOUND WANTING BY ROBERT GODDARD
I have read RG's books before and not particularly enjoyed them (complicated plots and unlikeable characters) but when I saw Found Wanting was to do with Anastasia it did take my... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Blondie

2.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all
I normally read books to the end but this one I just gave up on (about ¾ through). It just did not work for me. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Bob

2.0 out of 5 stars I was definitely "Found Wanting" !
I've read all of Robert Goddard's books and enjoyed them, particularly the earlier titles. I really struggled with this one, "Found Wanting". Read more
Published 15 days ago by Serendippy

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh dear...
I have been reading and loving Robert Goddard's books for many years now, all can say of this latest is - is it really even written by him? Read more
Published 21 days ago by E. Long

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not brilliant
I have been a huge fan of Robert Goddard since "Past Caring" but have to agree that his last few novels have not been anything like as good as the first dozen or so. Read more
Published 1 month ago by E. S. Williams

3.0 out of 5 stars Found Wanting found wanting
A few years ago, the discovery of Robert Goddard's books saved me from acute boredom when laid up with a broken ankle. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. E. R. Ellington

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Goddard's best, but still a good read
As earlier reviewers have said this book is not one of Goddard's best and I would certainly direct 1st time readers elsehwere. However, it is by no means a 1 or 2 star book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Susannah

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