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Extracts

Panic Room by Robert Goddard

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Features

Writing life: Robert Goddard

The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction

Robert Goddard's first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then, his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. He has won awards in the UK, the US and acrossEurope and his books have been translated into over thirty languages. In 2019, he won the Crime Writers’ Association’s highest accolade, the Diamond Dagger, for a lifetime achievement in Crime Writing.

The unmissable new novel from the author of the BBC ‘Between the Covers’ book club hit, The Fine Art of Invisible Detection 
 
'The world's greatest storyteller' GUARDIAN 
'One of the finest crime writers of any generation' DAILY MAIL 
'Our finest practitioner of the double-cross plotting' MICK HERRON 
_______ 
 
Umiko Wada never set out to be a private detective, let alone become the one-woman operation behind the Kodaka Detective Agency. But so it has turned out, thanks to the death of her former boss, Kazuto Kodaka, in mysterious circumstances. 
 
Keen to avoid a similar fate, Wada chooses the cases she takes very carefully. A businessman who wants her to track down his estranged son offers what appears to be a straightforward assignment. Soon she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy with links to a twenty-seven-year-old investigation by her late employer and to the chaos and trauma of the dying days of the Second World War. 
 
As Wada uncovers a dizzying web of connections between then and now, it becomes clear that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the past buried. Soon those she loves most will be sucked into the orbit of one of the most powerful men in Tokyo. And he will do whatever it takes to hold on to his power... 
 
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is another tour de force from the cunning mind of master storyteller Robert Goddard. Spanning seventy years, it takes the reader on a head-spinning journey of twist and counter-twist which keep you guessing until the final pages. 
_______ 
 
Readers love Robert Goddard: 
 
***** 'Guaranteed and satisfying escapism' 
***** 'Twists and turns right up to the last page' 
***** 'Edge-of-the-seat stuff' 
***** 'Fresh and inventive' 
***** 'The master of twists and suspense ... sublime' 
***** 'Scintillating and wickedly twisty' 
***** ‘If Stephen King has taken it to a baseball game, I'm going to read it’

This is the Night They Come For You

Highly original and very good indeed...a delightful double act, crunchy dialogue, strong action scenes and provocative historical aperçus.

Goddard writes amazing novels of mystery/suspense. His new one is magical and the title is simply the best

A pulse-pounding, breathless crime thriller, perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne series, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series and LJ Ross's Alexander Gregory thrillers 
 
'Truly ingenious' The Tablet 
Goddard sprinkles head-turning double-crossing with delightful by-play between his two leads' Times 
'Fast-paced, beautifully crafted with some excellently drawn characters... engages from start to finish' Choice Magazine 
'Goddard writes amazing novels of mystery/suspense. His new one is magical and the title is simply the best' Stephen King 
__________________ 
 
On a stifling afternoon at Police HQ in Algiers, Superintendent Taleb, coasting towards retirement, with not even an air-conditioned office to show for his long years of service, is handed a ticking time bomb of a case which will take him deep into Algeria's troubled past and its fraught relationship with France. 
 
To his dismay, he is assigned to work with Agent Hidouchi, an intimidating representative of the country's feared secret service, who makes it clear she intends to call the shots. They are instructed to pursue a former agent, now on the run after twenty years in prison for his part in a high-level corruption scandal. But their search will lead them inexorably towards a greater mystery, surrounding a murder that took place in Paris more than fifty years ago. 
 
Uncovering the truth may be his responsibility, but Taleb is well aware that no-one in Algeria wants to be reminded of the dark deeds carried out in the struggle for independence - or in the violence that has racked the nation since. Before long, he will face a choice he has long sought to avoid, between self-preservation and doing the right thing. 
 
And, ultimately, the choice may not even be his to make. 
 
The new novel from Robert Goddard, THIS IS THE DAY THEY DREAM OF, is available now. 
________________________________ 
 
Praise for Robert Goddard 
 
'The world's greatest storyteller' Guardian 
'One of the finest crime writer of any generation' Daily Mail 
'Our finest practitioner of double-crossing plotting' Mick Herron

The thrilling BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick

The Fine Art of Invisible Detection

...the plot unwinds with a deceptively light touch that does not falter ... genuinely entertaining [with an] explosive finale

One of the finest crime writers of any generation, Goddard here exercises all of his elegant, understated style and meticulous eye for detail...Goddard at his impeccable best: do not miss it.

A fascinating and satisfyingly complex mystery with dark tones..Wada is a superb character... very enjoyable.

Top-class action packed storytelling

A deftly plotted page turner from this much loved author'

Mixes gentle character comedy with an alarming body count and pounding suspense... Goddard manages to pull it off perfectly.

'In the smartest of prose and with a stunningly fast-moving plot, Goddard brings us the heroine we've been waiting for. Umiko Wada is an unexpected joy: unassuming and tenacious, inventive and brave. If The Fine Art of Invisible Detection isn't the first in a series, then it jolly well should be!'

Lesley Kara, bestselling author of The Rumour

'If it wasn't written by Robert Goddard, you'd say 'Alexander McCall Smith meets Robert Goddard' because few people are as brilliant at plots as he is - or the broad, sweeping, twists and turns that we never see coming - that final epilogue-ultra-twist was really clever...It's an incredibly courageous move on Robert's part and it's worked in spades. . Wada's a perfect new character: intelligent, wryly funny, unhampered by domestic concerns and completely unswerving once she's set her mind on something.  I sincerely hope she turns up again - often.'

Manda Scott, author of A Treachery of Spies, Sunday Times Thriller of the Month and McIlvanney Prize winner

Robert Goddard's first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then, his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. He has won awards in the UK, the US and acrossEurope and his books have been translated into over thirty languages. In 2019, he won the Crime Writers&rsquo; Association&rsquo;s highest accolade, the Diamond Dagger, for a lifetime achievement in Crime Writing.

'One of the finest crime writers of any generation' Daily Mail 
'He's the high priest of plot ... deftly woven, but also beautifully written ... I loved it' Mel Giedroyc 
_______________________________ 
 
Umiko Wada has recently had quite enough excitement in her life. With her husband recently murdered and a mother who seems to want her married again before his body is cold, she just wants to keep her head down. 
 
As a secretary to a private detective, her life is pleasingly uncomplicated, filled with coffee runs, diary management and paperwork. 
 
That is, until her boss takes on a new case. A case which turns out to be dangerous enough to get him killed. A case which means Wada will have to leave Japan for the first time and travel to London. 
 
Following the only lead she has, Wada quickly realises that being a detective isn't as easy as the television makes out. And that there's a reason why secrets stay buried for a long time. Because people want them to stay secret. And they're prepared to do very bad things to keep them that way... 
 
A pulse-pounding, breathless crime thriller, perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne series, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series and LJ Ross's Alexander Gregory thrillers. 
 
The new Umiko Wada novel from Robert Goddard, THE FINE ART OF UNCANNY PREDICTION, is available now. 
_______________________________ 
 
What readers are saying: 
 
'5 stars' 
'Guaranteed and satisfying escapism' 
'Edge-of-the-seat stuff' 
'The master of twists and suspense... sublime'

One False Move

ONE FALSE MOVE is classic Goddard, a twisting mystery that quickly becomes a heart-stopping thriller...

In One False Move, [Goddard] is at the peak of his powers

What value can be put on a human mind? 
 
How Joe Roberts does what he does is a mystery. He has a brain that seems able to outperform a computer. To a games company like Venstrom that promises big profits if his abilities can be properly exploited. So they send Nicole Nevinson to track him down and make him an offer too good to refuse. 
 
But Venstrom aren’t the only people interested in Joe. His current boss, a shady businessman, is already making serious money out of Joe’s talents and isn’t going to let him go without a fight. And then there are other forces, with still darker intentions, who have their own plans for him. 
 
Almost before she knows it, Nicole’s crossed an invisible line into a world where the game being played has rules she doesn’t understand and where no-one can help her win. 
 
But win she must. Because the battle now isn’t just for Joe’s mind, it’s for Nicole’s life.

Panic Room

PANIC ROOM is Robert Goddard at his best. A sliver of a mystery kicks off a juggernaut of a thriller. Layers of secrets, half-truths and lies must be peeled back to reveal what really lies within.

Is this his best yet? For years Robert Goddard has been my go-to guy for a certain kind of storytelling, full of easy charm blended with sinister menace, and propulsive pace with twisty plotting

Splendidly serpentine and immaculately plotted, this is thriller writing at its very best

Robert Goddard has been writing imaginative first-class thrillers for nearly 30 years . . . Panic Room is an absorbing example of his superior storytelling, an excellent read

This is a tense read, fill of characteristic Goddard twists

As always, Goddard can be relied upon to entertain

A well-constructed page-turner of a thriller that’s very hard to put down

‘Is this his best yet?...Full of sinister menace and propulsive pace with twisty plotting’ Lee Child 
 
WHAT REALLY LIES WITHIN? 
 
High on a Cornish cliff sits a vast uninhabited mansion. Uninhabited except for Blake, a young woman of mysterious background, currently acting as housesitter. 
 
The house has a panic room. Cunningly concealed, steel lined, impregnable – and apparently closed from within. Even Blake doesn’t know it’s there. She’s too busy being on the run from life, from a story she thinks she’s escaped. 
 
But her remote existence is going to be threatened when people come looking for the house’s owner, rogue pharma entrepreneur, Jack Harkness. Soon people with questionable motives will be asking Blake the sort of questions she can’t – or won’t - want to answer. 
 
WILL THE PANIC ROOM EVER GIVE UP ITS SECRETS?

(The Wide World - James Maxted 3)

The Ends of the Earth

The Wide World series sees James 'Max' Maxted, war pilot and man of action, searching for answers about his father's death, and finding all the danger and adventure he should have waved goodbye to at the conclusion of the hostilities of WW1. What will Max find at the end of the road?

The thrilling climax to Robert Goddard's bestselling adventure trilogy, The Wide World

Robert Goddard was born in Hampshire and read History at Cambridge. His first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. The first Harry Barnett novel, Into the Blue, was winner of the first WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award and was dramatized for TV, starring John Thaw. His thriller, Long Time Coming won an Edgar in the Mystery Writers of America awards.

LIES. 
SECRETS. 
REVELATIONS. 
1919 – The truth has never been in such short supply 
 
Ex-flying ace James ‘Max’ Maxted’s attempt to uncover the secret behind the death of his father, Sir Henry Maxted, has seemingly ended in failure – and his own death. 
 
Unaware of Max’s fate, the team continue to pursue their only lead, travelling to Japan in search of a mysterious prisoner held by Sir Henry’s old enemy, Count Tomura. Once there, they encounter former German spymaster, Fritz Lemmer, now rebuilding his spy network in the service of a new, more sinister cause. 
 
The quest Max embarked on in Paris will reach its dizzying end at Tomura's castle in the mountains of Honshu - and the full truth of what occurred thirty years before will finally be laid bare…

(The Wide World - James Maxted 2)

The Corners of the Globe

A thrilling mix of espionage, treachery and murder set in the aftermath of the First World War from the master of the triple-cross

Spring, 1919. James ‘Max’ Maxted, former Great War flying ace, returns to the trail of murder, treachery and half-buried secrets he set out on in The Ways of the World. He left Paris after avenging the murder of his father, Sir Henry Maxted, a senior member of the British delegation to the post-war peace conference. But he was convinced there was more – much more – to be discovered about what Sir Henry had been trying to accomplish. And he suspected elusive German spymaster Fritz Lemmer knew the truth of it. 
 
Now, enlisted under false colours in Lemmer’s service but with his loyalty pledged to the British Secret Service, Max sets out on his first – and possibly last – mission for Lemmer. It takes him to the far north of Scotland – to the Orkney Isles, where the German High Seas Fleet has been impounded in Scapa Flow, its fate to be decided at the conference-table in Paris. Max has been sent to recover a document held aboard one of the German ships. What that document contains forces him to break cover sooner than he would have wished and to embark on a desperate race south, towards London, with information that could destroy Lemmer – if Max, as seems unlikely, lives to deliver it...

Spring, 1919. James ‘Max’ Maxted, former Great War flying ace, returns to the trail of murder, treachery and half-buried secrets he set out on in The Ways of the World. He left Paris after avenging the murder of his father, Sir Henry Maxted, a senior member of the British delegation to the post-war peace conference. But he was convinced there was more – much more – to be discovered about what Sir Henry had been trying to accomplish. And he suspected elusive German spymaster Fritz Lemmer knew the truth of it. 
 
Now, enlisted under false colours in Lemmer’s service but with his loyalty pledged to the British Secret Service, Max sets out on his first – and possibly last – mission for Lemmer. It takes him to the far north of Scotland – to the Orkney Isles, where the German High Seas Fleet has been impounded in Scapa Flow, its fate to be decided at the conference-table in Paris. Max has been sent to recover a document held aboard one of the German ships. What that document contains forces him to break cover sooner than he would have wished and to embark on a desperate race south, towards London, with information that could destroy Lemmer – if Max, as seems unlikely, lives to deliver it...

(The Wide World - James Maxted 1)

The Ways of the World

A thrilling espionage story set in Paris after the First World War, full of classic Goddard double crosses and triple twists

A sly, highbrow take on the espionage thriller with a rich background that lends sophistication to an already opulent story

1919. The eyes of the world are on Paris, where statesmen, diplomats and politicians have gathered to discuss the fate of half the world’s nations in the aftermath of the cataclysm that was the Great War. A horde of journalists, spies and opportunists have also gathered in the city and the last thing the British diplomatic community needs at such a time is the mysterious death of a senior member of their delegation. So, when Sir Henry Maxted falls from the roof of his mistress’s apartment building in unexplained circumstances, their first instinct is to suppress all suspicious aspects of the event. 
 
But Sir Henry’s son, ex Royal Flying Corps ace James ‘Max’ Maxted, has other ideas. He resolves to find out how and why his father died – even if this means disturbing the impression of harmonious calm which the negotiating teams have worked so hard to maintain. In a city where countries are jostling for position at the crossroads of history and the stakes could hardly be higher, it is difficult to tell who is a friend and who a foe.And Max will soon discover just how much he needs friends, as his search for the truth sucks him into the dark heart of a seemingly impenetrable mystery.

Fault Line

The new race-against-the-clock thriller from the master of the triple cross

The classic Goddard epic of romance, double dealing and tragedy wrapped up in an old family quilt stained with blood and hidden under the stairs…Irresistible.

Get your hands on this gripping thriller set in stunning Cornwall. If you like plenty of twists in the tale and sensational plot lines, then you're probably already a fan of Robert Goddard. Fault Line doesn't disappoint. Settings and characters are a joy.

An intriguing tale of love, loyalty and betrayal...Robert Goddard remains the master of this particular territory.

A dangerous trawl through memories, mysteries and dirty dealing. A compelling read.

It could be your average suicide. A man found dead in his car, engine running, parked at the end of a lonely track, a tube feeding deadly fumes from the exhaust through the window. Except for the seven-year-old boy still breathing in the boot... 
 
For Jonathan Kellaway, the past is somewhere he chooses not to go. Dead friends, lost lovers and a family dynasty hell-bent on self- destruction lie buried there. 
 
But if he is to uncover the truth, he must confront all the secrets which have consumed his life, and which may yet consume him...

Painting The Darkness

The brain-teasing thriller from the 'master of the clever twist'

It explodes into action so that the reader is hooked by the time he reaches the third page... he is a superb storyteller

It has all the ingredients of a first-class melodrama... engaging and satisfying

I was hooked by this atmospheric historical mystery

1882. When the creak of the garden gate one autumn afternoon sounds the arrival of an unexpected stranger, William Trenchard is puzzled, but not alarmed. He cannot possibly know the destruction this visitor will wreak on all he holds dear. 
 
The stranger is James Norton, who claims to be the man William's wife Constance was once engaged to, and who was reported to have committed suicide eleven years ago. Trenchard fears the loss of his wife's affections, but he is forced to plumb the depths of his own despair before the dark secrets of the Davenall family can finally - shockingly - be revealed...

Sea Change

There is more adventure and less mystery in this than in some of Goddard's other books, but the result is engrossing, storytelling of a very high order

Cliffhanging entertainment... Goddard unwinds his plots like a conjurer

January, 1721. London is reeling from the effects of the greatest financial scandal of the age - the collapse of the South Sea Bubble. William Spandrel, a penniless mapmaker, is offered a discharge of his debts by Sir Theodore Janssen, a director of the South Sea Company, on one condition: he must secretly convey an important package to Amsterdam. 
 
The package safely delivered, Spandrel barely survives an attempt on his life, only to discover the recipient has been murdered, and Spandrel is the prime suspect. Spandrel quickly realises that he has become a pawn in several people's games - British Government agents, and others, are on his trail, believing that the mysterious package contains secrets that could spark a revolution in England. 
 
Spandrel's only chance of survival is to recover the package and place its contents in the right hands. But what are the contents and whose exactly are the right hands?

from the BBC 2 Between the Covers author Robert Goddard

Out Of The Sun

Undoubtedly Goddard's most entertaining book to date

Brilliantly plotted, full of twists, neat characterisation... this is a thriller full of good, traditional storytelling values

The plot races from one crisis to the next, keeping you guessing all the time. And there's a neat twist at the end, too

'The world's greatest storyteller' Guardian 
'Goddard writes amazing novels of mystery/suspense' Stephen King 
'One of the finest crime writers of any generation' Daily Mail 
_______________________________ 
 
Harry Barnett is shocked to learn that he has a son - David Venning, a brilliant mathematician, now languishing in hospital in a diabetic coma. And this is only the first and smallest of the mysteries he is about to encounter. 
 
It is not known whether David's condition is due to an accident or a suicide attempt. But Harry discovers that his mathematical notebooks are missing from the hotel room where he was found. And two other scientists employed by the same American forecasting institute have died in suspicious circumstances. 
 
Driven on by the slim hope of saving the son he never knew he had, Harry goes in search of the truth and finds himself entangled in several different kinds of conspiracy - none of which he ought to stand the slightest chance of defeating. 
 
THE FINE ART OF UNCANNY PREDICTION, the new novel from Robert Goddard, is available for pre-order now.

Closed Circle

Goddard unwinds his plots like a conjurer

A spendidly old-fashioned affair, full of thuggery and skulduggery, cross and doublecross, plot and counter-plot

A masterful performance from one of Britain's finest thriller writers

1931. The new, luxurious transatlantic liner Empress of Britain is on her eastward passage. Among the first-class passengers on board are two English confidence tricksters, making a discreet exit from a scam they have left behind them in the United States. A chance meting on deck brings them a tempting new target in the shape of the beautiful and wealthy heiress, Diana Charnwood. 
 
It's a trick they've pulled before, with some success. Charm the daughter into an engagement to marry, then get the father to buy you off. So confident are they of success, in fact, that they make a pact: whichever of them wins Diana Charnwood's love will share his fortune with the other. 
 
But a violent death is to interrupt their neat little scheme. And they find themselves stumbling into something much darker than either had suspected...

Name To A Face

An absorbing read from a truly creative storyteller... A dizzying sequence of twists, handled with Goddard's customary aplomb, make Name to a Face both an excellent introduction to his work and a treat for diehard fans

Mysterious, dramatic, intricate, fascinating and unputdownable... Goddard is the crime writers' crime writer

Goddard rarely disappoints... Meticulous planning, well-drawn characters and an immaculate sense of place... A satisfying number of twists and shocks along the way

When it comes to duplicity and intrigue, Goddard is second to none... A master of manipulation

The plotting in this intelligent thriller is exceptionally good. Goddard's greatest strength is his ability to operate like a literary conjurer; we know he will give us a twist or surprise in almost every chapter, but time and time again he hits us with it from an unexpected direction

Admirers of Goddard will know that they are in safe hands, as ever

It is certainly well worth unplugging the phone and immersing yourself in another Goddard adventure

A meticulously plotted tale of intrigue with his characteristic combination of contemporary invention and accurate historical detail

Excellent... anyone who enjoys mystery, edge of the seat suspense and a good plot should read this

Combines the expert suspense manipulation skills of a Daphne du Maurier romance with those of a John Le Carre thriller

A real page turner, full of surprises to the very end

An intriguing plot, clever twists, surprise elements, believable characters and unexplained history explored... A real page-turner

When Tim Harding agrees to do a friend a favour by bidding for an antique ring at an auction on his behalf, he is unaware of the secrets tied up with it - secrets that date back three hundred years. 
 
But the ring is stolen before it can be sold, and a shocking murder follows. Harding is quickly thrown into a web of conspiracies surrounding the ring's origins. As he draws closer to the heart of the mystery, he comes across a young woman he is certain he recognizes, even though they have never met. 
 
But as he goes in search of her identity, his life begins to fall apart. Somewhere, a perilous truth awaits him, coupled with a terrible realization: those who uncover that truth cannot be allowed to live...

Dying To Tell

Dying to Tell is another classic Robert Goddard mystery, intricate, fascinating and deeply satisfying to the very last page.

Gripping... woven together with more twists than a country lane

Lance Bradley, idling his life away in Somerset, suddenly receives a call for help from the eccentric sister of his old friend Rupert Alder. Rupe appears to have vanished without trace. Reluctantly, Lance goes to London where he discovers that Rupe's employers want him tried for fraud. A Japanese businessman claims he has stolen a document of huge importance. And Rupe has hired a private detective to try and trace an American called Townley, who was involved in a mysterious death thirty years before. 
 
No sooner has Lance decided that whatever Rupe was up to is far too risky to get involved in, than he finds that he already is involved. And the only way out is to get in deeper still. Where is Rupe? What is the document he has stolen? Who is Townley? And could the seemingly unexplainable events of the past hold the key to a secret more shocking than Lance Bradley could ever have imagined?

Blood Count

The breathtaking new race-against-the-clock thriller from the master of the triple cross

As always, Goddard delivers a thoughtful and fast-moving tale with well-drawn characters

The grubby supporting characters are vivid, the plotting is ingenious

Robert Goddard is a very accomplished writer and this, his twenty-second novel, is as good as any I have read

Goddard's signature twists and turns, his clever plotting and the rising tension make this a page-turner thriller

The twists, turns and triple crosses will have you hooked... a truly manipulative storyteller

A penetrating examination of cause and effect... the characters are well drawn, the action bloodthirsty and the end satisfying

Thirteen years ago, surgeon Edward Hammond performed a life-saving operation on Serbian gangster Dragan Gazi. Now Gazi is standing trial for war crimes at the international court in The Hague. After Hammond saved his life, Gazi's men went on to slaughter thousands in the Balkan civil wars. 
 
Now, in exchange for keeping Hammond's dirty little secret, Gazi's family want a small favour: to find the man who knows what happened to Gazi's money. But Italian financier Marco Piravani doesn't want to be found. And no sooner has Hammond tracked him down than he disappears again. Hammond has no choice but to set off across Europe in pursuit. 
 
In Blood Count, every action has a consequence and every question must have an answer. Only then might Hammond be able to lay the past to rest...

Play To The End

PLAY TO THE END is another classic Robert Goddard mystery, intricate, fascinating and deeply satisfying to the last page

The novel is an absorbing display of craftsmanship, with the transition from the initial theatrical milieu to the Hitchcockian finale accomplished with typical deftness

An exquisitely crafted tale of dirty dealings among nice English provincial families, this time revolving around a dangerous chemical factory.  Goddard is the most idiosyncratic writer around, a wholly English institution with an unmistakable flavour, like cyanide cucumber sandwiches

Pages seldom turn more quickly then when you are reading Goddard's latest

For actor Toby Flood, Brighton is the final week of a long tour. One night he is visited at the theatre by his estranged wife, Jenny, who, visibly scared, thinks she is being stalked. She asks Toby, for old times' sake, to find out what is going on. 
 
Alarmingly he discovers a sinister connection with Jenny's new partner. Spurred on by a desire to win Jenny back, Toby begins to ask some difficult questions. Before he fully understands the risks he is running, he finds himself caught up in a mysterious - and dangerous - tangle of family rivalries and murderous intent. Suddenly the prospects for his survival start to look very far from good...

Take No Farewell

Brain-teasing thriller from the 'master of the clever twist'

Don't, I implore you, read the last pages first, for you'll spoil the book's best surprise if you do

His narrative power, strength of characterisation and superb plots, plus the ability to convey the atmosphere of the period quite brilliantly, make him compelling reading

Geoffrey Staddon turned his back on the best things in his life. He turned his back on the beautiful house Clouds Frome, his finest achievement as an architect. He turned his back on the woman he loved, Consuela Caswell, and who loved him in return. Twelve years later, amidst the tatters of his career and marriage, he is forced to contemplate the remorse and shame of his betrayal. 
 
But when he reads that Consuela has been charged with murder, he knows instinctively that she cannot be guilty. And when she sends her own daughter to him, pleading for help, Geoffrey cannot ignore the dangerous lure of the past any longer. He must return to Clouds Frome, and face the dark secret it holds.

Hand In Glove

The brain-teasing new thriller from the 'master of the clever twist'

Combines the steely edge of a thriller with the suspense of a whodunnit, all interlaced with subtle romantic overtones

Tristram Abberley was an acclaimed English poet of the 1930s whose legendary reputation was sealed when he died fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Nearly fifty years later, his sister Beatrix is brutally murdered in her seaside cottage. 
 
Her family are stunned by the crime - especially Beatrix's niece, Charlotte Ladram. But Charlotte has little time to mourn her aunt as fifty years of secrets begin to unravel. Beatrix is the victim of a dark conspiracy, one that her loved ones are powerless to defeat. A harrowing quest for answers begins, one that uncovers a shocking tale of wartime greed and treachery, and a vendetta seemingly without end...

Never Go Back

Harry Barnett thought he had left his military career behind, so he is startled when two figures from his past turn up on his doorstep after fifty years. An old friend has organised the reunion to end all reunions: a weekend in the Scottish castle where the ex-comrades took part in a psychological experiment many years before. They haven't seen each other since. 
 
As they set off on their all-expenses-paid jaunt to Aberdeen, the old friends are in high spirits. But the cheerful atmosphere is quickly shattered by the apparent suicide of one of their party. 
 
When a second death occurs, a sense of foreboding descends on the group. It appears that the past is coming back to haunt them, a past that none of them have ever spoken about. Their recollections are all frighteningly different. So what really happened? 
 
Then when one of them uncovers an extraordinary secret, he becomes convinced that they will never leave the castle alive...

Robert Goddard

One of the finest crime writers of any generation.

Goddard writes amazing novels of mystery/suspense.

The mind-bending sequel to the Times Thriller of the Year bestseller, This is the Night They Come for You. 
 
'A finely-written, atmospheric and interesting story' Sunday Times, Best Thrillers of 2025 
'Our finest practitioner of the double-cross plotting' Mick Herron 
‘Splendidly serpentine and immaculately plotted, this is British thriller writing at its very best’ Daily Mail 
__________ 
 
Trouble has a way of finding those who spend most of their time trying to avoid it. Or so it appears to Superintendent Taleb, whose attempts to wind his career down to an unobtrusive retirement are once again in jeopardy. 
 
When delegated a television interview to discuss a thirty year old political controversy, his instructions are clear enough: whatever you say, do not rock the boat. But an inexplicable urge in the moment to tell the truth lands him in dangerously hot water. It also reopens some decades wounds which will bring him to the forefront of an investigation he is keen to avoid. 
 
Whether he likes it or not, the past is coming for him. And the past in Algeria is venomous, vengeful and relentless, quick to consume the unwary traveller. He will soon find himself staring down the barrel of a long buried mystery, which looks likely to add him to its lengthy roster of victims. 
 
This Is the Day They Dream Of is the scintillating sequel to the critically acclaimed This Is The Night They Come For You, which introduced the world-weary Taleb and his always resourceful colleague Agent Hidouchi of the Algerian Secret Service. Together they must navigate the country’ treacherous history to save themselves from its perilous present. 
_________ 
 
Praise for This is the Night They Come For You 
 
'Truly ingenious' The Tablet 
'Goddard sprinkles head-turning double-crossing with delightful by-play between his two leads' The Times 
'Fast-paced, beautifully crafted with some excellently drawn characters... engages from start to finish' Choice Magazine 
'Goddard writes amazing novels of mystery/suspense. His new one is magical and the title is simply the best' Stephen King

This is the Day They Dream Of

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The perfect gift? A Penguin Shop gift card

Robert Goddard

Praise for This is the Day They Dream Of

Praise for Robert Goddard

The world's greatest storyteller.

One of the finest crime writers of any generation.

Praise for Robert Goddard

The world's greatest storyteller.

One of the finest crime writers of any generation.

Praise for Robert Goddard

The world's greatest storyteller.

One of the finest crime writers of any generation.

Books by Robert Goddard

Series by Robert Goddard

Inspector Taleb Series2 Books

The Wide World Trilogy3 Books

Articles featuring Robert Goddard

Panic Room by Robert Goddard

Writing life: Robert Goddard

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