Release Date: 03/07/14
Publisher: Bantam Press
SYNOPSIS:
Spring, 1919. James 'Max' Maxted, former Great War flying ace, returns to the trail of murder and treachery he set out on in The Ways of the World. He left Paris after avenging the murder of his father, Sir Henry Maxted, convinced the only man who knows about the mysterious events leading up to Sir Henry's death is elusive German spymaster, Fritz Lemmer. To find out more, he enlists in Lemmer's network under false colours and is despatched to the Orkney Isles, where the German High Seas Fleet has been interned in Scapa Flow. His mission: to recover a document secreted aboard one of the German battleships. But the information it contains is so explosive Max is forced to break cover and embark on a desperate and dangerous race south, pursued by men happy to kill him to recover the document. The breathless chase will take Max from the far north of Scotland to London and on to Paris, where the world's governments are still bartering over the spoils in the aftermath of the Great War. The stakes could not be higher. It is life and death for all concerned.
REVIEW:
The second title that follows on from Robert’s Way of the World which not only helps expand the readers understanding of the time but gives the reader characters that they’re not only invested in but care about as they try to find their place. It’s definitely a cracking book and for me, this series so far feels like Roberts best work ever.
The research that has been conducted is clear for all to see and the fact that it doesn’t bog down the story telling is a clear sign of a talented author. Back this up with a third part to come and all round I can’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s going to be a long wait and to be honest I’ve got a Granddad who is already making demands. A book for all generations.
Release Date: 29/03/12
SYNOPSIS:
The new race-against-the-clock thriller from the master of the triple cross.
Not all scars are visible. Jonathan Kellaway needs no reminding of that on the verge of his retirement from china clay conglomerate Intercontinental Kaolins. The company has left its mark in pits and spoil heaps around the world. But it has also left a no less enduring mark on some of those who have worked for it, Kellaway included. Its past, as well as its future, is a treacherous place.
So Kellaway is surprised when IK's founder and former chairman, Greville Lashley, sets him a final task before he quits. The academic hired by the board to write the company's history has discovered a gap covering several years in the records of the small Cornish china clay outfit Lashley started with and where Kellaway also began his career. He is despatched to Cornwall to learn what has become of the missing documents.
But the search is a voyage into dangerous waters. A dead friend, a lost lover and a clutch of mysteries from Kellaway's youth in Cornwall and Italy in the late 1960s come back to haunt him -- and to tempt him with the hope that he may at last learn the truth about the tragedies and misfortunes that blighted those years. It is a truth that has claimed several victims before. If he pursues it hard and long enough, he may only add himself to the list.
But pursue it he must. Because the truth, he belatedly realizes, is the secret that has consumed his life. This time -- this last time -- he will not stop. Until he has found it.
REVIEW:
Robert is always an author to give you a thriller that doesn’t hold back, keep you up late at night and of course generate a story that will satisfy the reader with every passing page. As usual Robert takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride as well as generating a story that has believability as well as double dealing.
Add to this great prose, solid description and an author who doesn’t waste unnecessary words with filler and overall the reader is in for a treat. Finally add to the mix top notch talent, a solid overall arc and the reader really won’t regret spending their money on this top notch title.
Release Date: 31/03/11
SYNOPSIS:
There's no such thing as easy money. As surgeon Edward Hammond is about to find out. Thirteen years ago he performed a life saving operation on a Serbian gangster, Dragan Gazi. Gazi is now standing trial for war crimes in the international court in The Hague. After his life was saved, his men went on to slaughter thousands in the Balkan civil wars. Now Gazi's family want more from him: in exchange for keeping Hammond's dirty little secret, they want him to find for them the man who holds the key to all the money Gazi squirreled away before he was locked up. But Italian financier, Marco Piravani, doesn't want to be found, not by Hammond, not by anyone. No sooner has Hammond tracked him down, than Piravani has disappeared again. His pursuit will take him first to the Hague, and then to Milan to find the Italian, and then finally back to the scene of his crime, Belgrade, where he must confront the decisions he once so easily took. Only then will he be able to lay the past to rest...
REVIEW:
To be honest I only started reading Roberts work on the recommendation of my grandfather and whilst he is still an out and out Goddard fan I’ve been finding that whilst entertaining there is similar themes as well as arcs within each title. The prose is of a decent standard, the characters are fleshed out and most importantly there is a tale to tell but when I read this title I felt that it was more a going through the motions than an actual must read book. Against a lot of other authors it is in the upper echelon of Thriller writing, against some of Roberts earlier titles however it is not his best work, but neither is it his worst. All in a reasonable read but not only I’ll be repeating any time soon. I have a hankering for Past Caring so will pick that up again shortly.
BOOK BLURB:
In Antwerp in 1939, a Jewish diamond trader flees Nazi Europe, leaving his priceless collection of Picasso paintings and diamonds with a friend who takes them to London. The boat he flees on sinks, leaving no survivors. Fast forward to 1976 when his penniless family tries to track down the missing paintings. A classic thriller with Goddard's trademark plot twists.
REVIEW:
Robert Goddard always guarantee’s a great read and in this, his latest thriller we get a tale told from two different times from the 1940’s to the modern day it grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go until the final page it turned. Captivating, beautiful prose with a great descriptiveness it’s a tale that always makes me evaluate which of Robert’s books are my favourite as with each new offering he seems to improve. A definite must read and if further evidence is needed a title that’s been swiped by my Granddad.
BOOK BLURB:
The car jolts to a halt at the pavement's edge, the driver waving through the windscreen to attract Richard's attention. He starts with astonishment. The driver is Gemma, his ex-wife. He has not seen or spoken to her for several years. They have, she memorably assured him the last time they met, nothing to say to each other. But something has changed her mind - something urgent...Immediately Richard is catapulted into a breathless race against time that takes him from London, across northern Europe and into the heart of a mystery that reaches back into history - the fate of Anastasia, youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last of the Romanovs. From that moment, Richard's life will be changed for ever in ways he could never have imagined.
REVIEW:
Robert Goddard has always been a firm favourite in my Grandfathers house so each new offering inevitably makes it way to him. After all as an established fan along with avid reader its always a great way to judge the way a book entertains by his reactions. As usual with Goddard, he got the adventure he wanted, the thrilling impact and above all a story arc that kept him guessing as he kept working his way through. (For a reader who does the Times Crossword in the amount of time it takes me to cook a full English to keep changing his mind on each new development you know that it has something special about it.)
If there’s a reader in your home that’s looking for a mystery, that wants to get confuddled as they try to figure it and above all wants the thrilling edges to keep them at the edge of their seat then this is definitely something that will keep them content.
