January 3, 2011
At the start of Goddard's highly entertaining suspense novel, London civil servant Richard Eusden is contemplating "the predictable day and unsurprising week that lie ahead" one Monday morning outside his office in Whitehall. Then Richard's ex-wife, Gemma, pulls over in her car and insists he get in. Marty Hewitson, Richard's "childhood friend" and Gemma's "other ex-husband," is dying from a brain tumor, and she needs Richard to deliver to Marty an old leather attaché case that belonged to Marty's grandfather, Clem Hewitson. An Isle of Wight police officer who's been dead more than 20 years, Clem was known to exaggerate and sometimes invent adventures that included spies, murderers, and arsonists. But this ordinary errand takes a wild turn, and soon Richard is crisscrossing Europe, dodging assassins trying to protect the satchel that may contain secret documents related to the Romanovs. Richard can't trust anyone, least of all Marty. Goddard (Long Time Coming) imbues his clever plot with hairpin turns and sophisticated humor.
November 1, 2010
A British civil servant joins his friend's impossible quest to solve one of history's most perplexing murder mysteries.
A dizzying array of locales enlivens this ever-polite but extremely engaging thriller from British novelist Goddard (Long Time Coming, 2010, etc). The essential question of the book asks: How far would you go for an old friend? In this case, the conflicted man is Richard Eusden, an aging bureaucrat in the Foreign Office whose weariness with life belies his willingness to help those in need. One morning, Richard is overcome by Gemma Conway, his ex-wife. Gemma wants Richard to help her other ex-husband, Marty Hewitson, his best friend from nearly 40 years ago. These two complete the great triangle of the man's life. "Marty Hewitson was the best and closest friend he would ever have," Goddard writes. "And he would never love another woman as he had loved Gemma Conway. Those were the facts of his life. He could not alter them. He could not wish them away. Even if he wanted to. Which of course he did not." Richard anxiously accedes to Gemma's request to escort a mysterious briefcase to Brussels. But when he disembarks, a man named Werner Straub shows Richard pictures of Marty, bound, gagged and imprisoned in the city. After giving up the briefcase, Richard frees Marty, who turns out to be eccentric, acerbic and dying of a brain tumor. Together, this odd couple sets off to find the briefcase. It's tied to the famous real-life court case involving Anna Anderson, the German mental patient who claimed to be the surviving Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia.
Masterful writing and a hot pursuit across Europe elevate this novel. Men in gray flannel suits haven't been this exciting in quite some time.
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January 1, 2011
British thriller writer Goddard (Long Time Coming, 2010) is known for his compelling characters and pretzel-like plots. This latest entry is no exception. When British civil servant Richard Eusden agrees to transport an attach' case for his dying friend, Marty, he sets in motion a series of events that may cost him his life. The case, which is inscribed with the initials of Martys war-hero grandfather, Clem, reportedly contains letters indicating a family connection to the notorious Romanov clan. What begins as a simple delivery turns into an elaborate double-cross, and soon Richard, who has never owned a gun, much less fired one, is dodging bullets and begging for this life. Along the way, he encounters a slew of dubious souls, including a sleazy researcher and corporate executives with secrets to keep. All the while, Richard receives anxious calls from his ex-wife, Gemma, who, as it happens, was once married to Marty. Avid mystery readers will appreciate Goddards narrative gifts, even if his plot gets a bit too twisty this time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)