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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
No time to pause for breath..., 11 Sep 2008
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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12 of 14 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
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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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reliable Robert (as opposed to a Great Goddard), 15 Oct 2008
Robert Goddard is one of the few authors whom I pre-order in hardback irrespective of price.
He's a master storyteller and adept at ending chapters at a climatic point.
For me, what makes this one a 'reliable Robert' and not a 'great Goddard' is its european setting. I'm not a great traveller outside of the UK and as a result I find it difficult to connect with the european settings and their unusually spelt placenames. This one also has quite a few characters and at one point I was confused as to who was who, forcing me to reread a chapter (no great hardship) just to clarify in my mind who everyone was. Again the foreign spelt names didn't ease the confusion.
His British based novels are easier for me to identify with, 9 times out of 10, because I have been to the places where they are set. I know from these novels that his attention to detail when describing places is excellent, and therefore I assume that the european based novels are subject to just as high a level of detail.
If you're a hardened fan, you'll enjoy the book and no doubt devour it quickly, as they're meant to be enjoyed. If you're new to Robert Goddard, I'd be tempted to say read this, and then read "Into The Blue", "Hand in Glove", "Sight Unseen" or "Play to the End". That way your experience of this author will improve.
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