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Harry Barnett #1
Les ombres du passe
24x15x4cm. Broché.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Robert Goddard
113 books882 followersIn a writing career spanning more than twenty years, Robert Goddard's novels have been described in many different ways - mystery, thriller, crime, even historical romance. He is the master of the plot twist, a compelling and engrossing storyteller and one of the best known advocates for the traditional virtues of pace, plot and narrative drive.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews
January 18, 2016
18 hours 15 mins, read (brilliantly) by Paul Shelley. Description: Harry Barnett is a middle-aged failure, leading a shabby existence in the shadow of a past disgrace, reduced to caretaking a friend's villa on the island of Rhodes and working in a bar to earn his keep. Then a guest at the villa - a young woman he had instantly and innocently warmed to - disappears on a mountain peak. Under suspicion of her murder, Harry stumbles on a set of photographs taken by Heather Mallender in the weeks before her disappearance. Desperately, obsessed by the mystery that has changed his life, he begins to trace back the movements and encounters that led to the moment when she vanished into the blue. The trail leads him back to England, to a world he thought he had left for ever, and at every step of the way a new and baffling light is shed on all the assumptions that have made Harry what he is...
From wiki: Into the Blue was adapted for television in 1997 and starred John Thaw in the lead role of Harry Barnett. Robert Goddard was not impressed with the adaptation. In an interview, he said "The TV version of Into the Blue was a travesty of the story I wrote and I am determined that any future adaptations should be more faithful to the original."
Some renditions of Silenus remind me of a certain Old Bailey hack.
Excellent suspense novel, it's not hard to see why Goddard is on my favourite authors list, and 'Into the Blue' stood up proud under re-visit scrutiny.CR Into The Blue (Harry Barnett #1) (1990) - re-visit 2016
3* Out of the Sun (1996)
3* Never Go Back
5* Past Caring (1986)
5* In Pale Battalions (1988)
3* Play To the End (1988)
4* Painting the Darkness (1989)
4* Take No Farewell (1991)
3* Hand in Glove (1992)
2* Closed Circle (1993)
3* Borrowed Time (1995)
TR Beyond Recall (1997)
4* Caught in the Light (1998)
4* Set in Stone (1999)
3* Sea Change (2000)
1* Dying to Tell (2001)
3* Days Without Number (2003)
3* Sight Unseen (2005)
2* Name to a Face (2007)
1* Found Wanting (2008)
TR Long Time Coming (2009)
TR Blood Count (2010)
WL Fault Line (2012)
3* The Ways of the World (The Wide World Trilogy #1) (2013)
WL Intersection: Paris, 1919 (2013)
TR The Corners of the Globe (The Wide World Trilogy #2) (2014)
WL The Ends of the Earth (The Wide World Trilogy, #3) (2015)
April 8, 2012
Well, he did it again! Robert Goddard, that is.
I am working my way through his books in chronological order, and this is the fourth one I've read so far. In every book, he sucks me into the plot in short order, and I have to finish the book. Goddard is a master of the plot twist (each book seems to have a surprise at the end which I, at least, didn't predict). In this book (and perhaps in all of those I've read so far), the identity of the 'bad guy' (the who) is less important than the why, and that is what you learn only at the very end. It feels like the author peels away the layers of the mystery very gradually, and entices you into continuing so you can learn more.
A common theme in his books (at least the ones I've read so far) is that the male protagonist is always a weak individual who often has failed in life; as the plot moves on, you sense that this character stiffens his backbone progressively, although never quite to the extent that he redeems himself completely. In this book, as in earlier ones, the main character succeeds in his goal of unraveling the mystery, which is by itself often a major achievement, but still has failings that he doesn't overcome.
Again, I can't help but recommend this book, another Robert Goddard novel of rich complexity.
I am working my way through his books in chronological order, and this is the fourth one I've read so far. In every book, he sucks me into the plot in short order, and I have to finish the book. Goddard is a master of the plot twist (each book seems to have a surprise at the end which I, at least, didn't predict). In this book (and perhaps in all of those I've read so far), the identity of the 'bad guy' (the who) is less important than the why, and that is what you learn only at the very end. It feels like the author peels away the layers of the mystery very gradually, and entices you into continuing so you can learn more.
A common theme in his books (at least the ones I've read so far) is that the male protagonist is always a weak individual who often has failed in life; as the plot moves on, you sense that this character stiffens his backbone progressively, although never quite to the extent that he redeems himself completely. In this book, as in earlier ones, the main character succeeds in his goal of unraveling the mystery, which is by itself often a major achievement, but still has failings that he doesn't overcome.
Again, I can't help but recommend this book, another Robert Goddard novel of rich complexity.
November 9, 2020
This is the first book I've read by Robert Goddard. I had been meaning to get round to reading some of his books for many many many years. A friend of mine has always praised his books and would buy every new release immediately and now I see why.
The plot and characters really drag you in. This is one of a missing woman, presumed murdered and the efforts of the suspect to find out what really happened. Twists and turns with red herrings that actually end up tying into the plot. I'll be honest, I can can get easily confused but not with this one. I kept up with it but as always I end up suspecting all the wrong people and events. Obviously makes for better reading :-)
If you enjoy a mystery novel that is fast-paced and intelligent then I am sure you'll enjoy this. I did and I will be reading more from him in the future. Unless of course I go missing under mysterious circumstances.
The plot and characters really drag you in. This is one of a missing woman, presumed murdered and the efforts of the suspect to find out what really happened. Twists and turns with red herrings that actually end up tying into the plot. I'll be honest, I can can get easily confused but not with this one. I kept up with it but as always I end up suspecting all the wrong people and events. Obviously makes for better reading :-)
If you enjoy a mystery novel that is fast-paced and intelligent then I am sure you'll enjoy this. I did and I will be reading more from him in the future. Unless of course I go missing under mysterious circumstances.
July 9, 2008
This was the first novel by Robert Goddard I read. After that, I was completely hooked. I rate Goddard as the best suspense novelist I've ever read. His plot twists are incredible; as a long-time reader, I'm used to being able to predict endings. It's depressing, really, how few can surprise me. Well, Goddard can! And his are true plot twists, all the information is planted early in the novel, but you can never quite see which little nugget of information will end up being the crucial one! Delightful! As for _Into the Blue_, I felt like I had visited Greece along with Harry. And Harry rates as one of the most likable characters in suspense fiction, too. Not all Goddard novels will hold the same interest, but they are all very well-plotted.
April 29, 2012
This lengthy mystery/thriller takes a long time to get going (about 150 pages in the mass-market paperback), but once it does, it's almost as riveting as Goddard's other books. This was his fourth novel and the first to be set in the present day (the others were historical mysteries/thrillers). Like all of Goddard's fiction, the mystery unravels over the entire course of the book, so you're always waiting for the next revelation . . . which will probably complicate or contradict what you've already learned. With Goddard, the story keeps going until the final page, and as with many of his books, the origin of the mystery lies in events that took place long ago. There are some problems with the logic of the story that I won't go into (spoilers), but this may be due to his relative inexperience when he wrote it. Although it's not among my favorites of his books, it's a solid, gripping story, and I recommend it.
May 6, 2019
Into the Blue is classic Goddard culminating in an unforgettable ending. “Harry Barnett lives the life of an Englishman on permanent vacation in Greece, house-sitting a villa in Lindos, Rhodes for a powerful friend and hiding from a past disgrace. That is, until a guest at the villa, Heather Mallender, disappears on a walking tour of Profitis Ilias and Harry is the number one suspect.”
As mentioned in my review of Harry Barnett #2 I have cast Killing Eve’s David Haig as Barnett and can’t you just see him lounging around, no ambition. Quite content to get drunk with the locals, smoking Greek cigarettes but still with a brain able to recognise when something isn’t quite right.
Here is the first paragraph and I dare you not to continue reading:
“If she should return now, of course, or even five minutes from now, it would still be all right. The thought that he might never see her again could then be dismissed as a delusion, an absurd over-reaction to an excess of solitude and silence. And from the notion that, at any second, she would return, calling to him as she came down the track, part of his mind could not be dislodged; the orderly, housetrained, rational part. It was only in the chaotic realm of instinct and sensation that a contrary suspicion has taken root, only, as it were, in the part of himself that he did not care to acknowledge.”
Goddard is so good at not only setting scenes but deftly sketching a character’s state of mind.
“Suddenly like a cliff face that is undermined for years by the sea before abruptly subsiding, his self-control disintegrated. He had been manipulated every step of the way. The face at the window, the abandoned scarf, the disembodied whistle: all were part of the trap into which he had been led. Logic and reason were beyond him now, headlong flight his only recourse.”
There is the mystery of two unused postcards of Rhodes that turn up in Harry’s glove compartment and then there are the photographs that Harry picks up from the developers. “Ever such a lot on it,” Heather had said. “Twenty four colour photographs taken with Heather’s camera. The most recent photo was Heather in the garden of the villa, a photo of Harry himself, three shots of local villas, the harbour from the villa. Working backwards there was the villa from the beach, the harbour promontory which Harry guessed might have been taken on Heather’s first afternoon in Lindos. Harry begins thinking about dates.
“The photographs had begun to assume a magnetic quality of their own, drawing him further and further into the past.” Harry goes through the rest of the sometimes random photos and discovers the first photo taken on the roll is one of Mallender Marine, Heather’s family’s business and where Harry used to work. This where the magic really begins.
“Until his discovery of the photographs, Harry had found the mystery impenetrable. Now it seemed that there might be a solution, if he could but penetrate the meaning of the scenes she had recorded.” Into the Blue is very hard to put down after this.
As mentioned in my review of Harry Barnett #2 I have cast Killing Eve’s David Haig as Barnett and can’t you just see him lounging around, no ambition. Quite content to get drunk with the locals, smoking Greek cigarettes but still with a brain able to recognise when something isn’t quite right.
Here is the first paragraph and I dare you not to continue reading:
“If she should return now, of course, or even five minutes from now, it would still be all right. The thought that he might never see her again could then be dismissed as a delusion, an absurd over-reaction to an excess of solitude and silence. And from the notion that, at any second, she would return, calling to him as she came down the track, part of his mind could not be dislodged; the orderly, housetrained, rational part. It was only in the chaotic realm of instinct and sensation that a contrary suspicion has taken root, only, as it were, in the part of himself that he did not care to acknowledge.”
Goddard is so good at not only setting scenes but deftly sketching a character’s state of mind.
“Suddenly like a cliff face that is undermined for years by the sea before abruptly subsiding, his self-control disintegrated. He had been manipulated every step of the way. The face at the window, the abandoned scarf, the disembodied whistle: all were part of the trap into which he had been led. Logic and reason were beyond him now, headlong flight his only recourse.”
There is the mystery of two unused postcards of Rhodes that turn up in Harry’s glove compartment and then there are the photographs that Harry picks up from the developers. “Ever such a lot on it,” Heather had said. “Twenty four colour photographs taken with Heather’s camera. The most recent photo was Heather in the garden of the villa, a photo of Harry himself, three shots of local villas, the harbour from the villa. Working backwards there was the villa from the beach, the harbour promontory which Harry guessed might have been taken on Heather’s first afternoon in Lindos. Harry begins thinking about dates.
“The photographs had begun to assume a magnetic quality of their own, drawing him further and further into the past.” Harry goes through the rest of the sometimes random photos and discovers the first photo taken on the roll is one of Mallender Marine, Heather’s family’s business and where Harry used to work. This where the magic really begins.
“Until his discovery of the photographs, Harry had found the mystery impenetrable. Now it seemed that there might be a solution, if he could but penetrate the meaning of the scenes she had recorded.” Into the Blue is very hard to put down after this.
October 13, 2018
I took the time sheltering in the library from a cold rainstorm to read this prize winner. This was a very complex scheme of betrayals, heightened by important public figure in Great Britain involving blackmail and other threats, but now that I know how this author sends you down various roads, misleading along the way, I was able to read enough of it to call it done so I would not have to carry the large and heavy book back home. I would not mind the length if it was ebook, but not the case with this author. (Yes, I skimmed parts that actually were predictable.)
I really did not care for some of the subject matter or the characters as I did for the "Hours" book just read that gave me interesting historical features like 11th Century artifacts, etc.
I really did not care for some of the subject matter or the characters as I did for the "Hours" book just read that gave me interesting historical features like 11th Century artifacts, etc.
September 28, 2012
I have such mixed feelings about Into the Blue. Looking back on it, it had a few surprises that caught me off guard. At the same time, I felt very removed from the characters, and I also guessed the main "bad guy" about a 6th of the way through. It was also a very slow read for me (possibly because of the lack of feeling for the characters). I felt the ending was predictable, though poetic.
I think there was also a lack of drive for me. What was propelling the main character onward? Fear for himself, or Heather, love, clearing his name? Half the time he was just drinking himself silly, anyway. It was a miracle he could function as well as he did. Finally, I was a bit disappointed that the final reveal was not discovered, but just told. It loses something when a mystery sits the reader down and says, "here, let me explain everything in detail without you putting in anymore effort" instead of going through the discovery process with you.
I think there was also a lack of drive for me. What was propelling the main character onward? Fear for himself, or Heather, love, clearing his name? Half the time he was just drinking himself silly, anyway. It was a miracle he could function as well as he did. Finally, I was a bit disappointed that the final reveal was not discovered, but just told. It loses something when a mystery sits the reader down and says, "here, let me explain everything in detail without you putting in anymore effort" instead of going through the discovery process with you.
July 1, 2021
31/2 stars rounded up to 4. I may not have enjoyed this as much as the previous books by Robert Goddard I have read, but I did enjoy this book and am planning on reading the sequel.
November 28, 2020
30 år efter udgivelsen holder Goddard stadig væk. Han garantere: masser af overraskende intriger, spænding og god underholdning.
January 16, 2016
Into the Blue by Robert Goddard
Book Description:
Harry Barnett lives the life of an Englishman on permanent vacation in Greece, house-sitting for a powerful friend and hiding from a past disgrace. That is, until a guest at the villa disappears on a walking tour, and Harry is the number one suspect. While a Greek detective tries to trap him, and the British tabloids pillory him at home, Harry’s conscience is his worst enemy of all. What happened to young, beautiful Heather Mallender? Who took her—and why didn’t Harry realize that something was amiss?
Suddenly, a man steeped in failure has found a purpose, retracing the strange, twisting route that led to Heather’s vanishing. But the more he learns, the less he knows. Until Harry finds himself at the heart of a dangerous puzzle whose pieces are scattered everywhere: in the realm of British politics, in the beds of adulterous lovers, in the past, the present, and most of all, amid the secrets of a killer....
This is my third Robert Goddard book that I have read. I just love the way he tells his stories. His writing is amazing and he characters are well developed. Into the Blue is a real page turner and keeps you guessing right up to the last page. It has many twists and turns and the ending is very surprising. I'm looking forward to reading another of Goddard's books as I know he does not disappoint!
Book Description:
Harry Barnett lives the life of an Englishman on permanent vacation in Greece, house-sitting for a powerful friend and hiding from a past disgrace. That is, until a guest at the villa disappears on a walking tour, and Harry is the number one suspect. While a Greek detective tries to trap him, and the British tabloids pillory him at home, Harry’s conscience is his worst enemy of all. What happened to young, beautiful Heather Mallender? Who took her—and why didn’t Harry realize that something was amiss?
Suddenly, a man steeped in failure has found a purpose, retracing the strange, twisting route that led to Heather’s vanishing. But the more he learns, the less he knows. Until Harry finds himself at the heart of a dangerous puzzle whose pieces are scattered everywhere: in the realm of British politics, in the beds of adulterous lovers, in the past, the present, and most of all, amid the secrets of a killer....
This is my third Robert Goddard book that I have read. I just love the way he tells his stories. His writing is amazing and he characters are well developed. Into the Blue is a real page turner and keeps you guessing right up to the last page. It has many twists and turns and the ending is very surprising. I'm looking forward to reading another of Goddard's books as I know he does not disappoint!
August 23, 2015
I bought this book entirely because I want to go on holiday and it's not happening. So a novel set in Rhodes seemed a good choice.
I've not read any Robert Goddard before. But I suspect I will read more after this. I'm really enjoying it. Good story. Shame the character has returned to the UK winter at the moment, but I'm hopeful of his return to the sunshine.
More later. But a good one so far.
******
Excellent read! I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea about what was really going to be the outcome. A very believable read and very intelligently written. This book has the honour of making me look up the meaning of more words than I've looked up since junior school! I was forever taking advantage of Kindle's built-in dictionary to check meanings of words. It's nice to read a writer who has used language fully and easily. English is a beautiful, if baffling, language and I'm sick of how dumbed down it is getting in the mass market.
Well done Robert Goddard. I see you have an extensive back catalogue which I am now planning on working my way through. But you never did take Harry back to Lindos, so for now I'm going to read a summery romance set on Sardinia, just for the holiday ambience. I will, however, be back.
I've not read any Robert Goddard before. But I suspect I will read more after this. I'm really enjoying it. Good story. Shame the character has returned to the UK winter at the moment, but I'm hopeful of his return to the sunshine.
More later. But a good one so far.
******
Excellent read! I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea about what was really going to be the outcome. A very believable read and very intelligently written. This book has the honour of making me look up the meaning of more words than I've looked up since junior school! I was forever taking advantage of Kindle's built-in dictionary to check meanings of words. It's nice to read a writer who has used language fully and easily. English is a beautiful, if baffling, language and I'm sick of how dumbed down it is getting in the mass market.
Well done Robert Goddard. I see you have an extensive back catalogue which I am now planning on working my way through. But you never did take Harry back to Lindos, so for now I'm going to read a summery romance set on Sardinia, just for the holiday ambience. I will, however, be back.
April 27, 2019
Quite a good novel about a hapless, sodden Englishman who is compelled to find out what happened to a young woman who disappears while in his company; resembles Ian McEwen. Nothing is as it seems as the themes are betrayal and deception. Harry turns out to be a dogged, skillful investigator but he’s unaware of how he’s being manipulated. As in other recent mysteries, adoption is the key although I’m not sure that the revelation that precipitates all the events is quite that damning. The ending is a bit drawn out but there are two twists/reveals to get through. I liked the Greek policeman.
Also: the kids in the 80s wear big basketball shoes, not baseball shoes (which have spikes).
Also: the kids in the 80s wear big basketball shoes, not baseball shoes (which have spikes).
February 3, 2018
J'hésite entre 3 et 4 étoiles... L'ambiance générale me rappelle l'histoire de Harry Quebert pour son long cheminement dans le dédale des souvenirs et l'enquête à rebondissements multiples. Mais le narrateur, Harry Barnett, est un gros nul. ☺
June 22, 2013
Long, tiresome and unending. I wanted to shake Harry and tell him to make up his mind. The problem was he was totally manipulate from the beginning and we could see it but he couldn't. What a waste of time.
March 30, 2018
un bon gourmet ce livre, cuit à point.
Une énigme génialissime une construction du puzzle qui ne laisse rien au hasard, nous sommes engloutis dans le tram du livre, nous vivons la disparition nous recherchons hayther, l'on pense avoir élucidé le mystère plus d'une fois et l'on se trompe à chaque fois, l'on pense avoir déjoué les pièges de l'auteur mais l'on se fait avoir encore et encore jusqu'aux 10 dernières pages du livre, nous ne découvrons pas toute la vérité.
Au-delà de l'énigme bien ficelé, ce manuscrit parle d'amitié d'amour de trahison et de corruption.
il ouvre même la voie à des interrogations sur le libre arbitre et sur les conséquences que peuvent résulter d'un simple acte sur notre vie.
succulent ce livre je le conseille à tous les amateurs de romans à suspense.
Une énigme génialissime une construction du puzzle qui ne laisse rien au hasard, nous sommes engloutis dans le tram du livre, nous vivons la disparition nous recherchons hayther, l'on pense avoir élucidé le mystère plus d'une fois et l'on se trompe à chaque fois, l'on pense avoir déjoué les pièges de l'auteur mais l'on se fait avoir encore et encore jusqu'aux 10 dernières pages du livre, nous ne découvrons pas toute la vérité.
Au-delà de l'énigme bien ficelé, ce manuscrit parle d'amitié d'amour de trahison et de corruption.
il ouvre même la voie à des interrogations sur le libre arbitre et sur les conséquences que peuvent résulter d'un simple acte sur notre vie.
succulent ce livre je le conseille à tous les amateurs de romans à suspense.
September 7, 2020
The mysterious disappearance of a young Englishwoman on a hillside on the island of Rhodes points the blame to her recent companion, a chain-smoking man in his fifties who enjoys drinking, but Harry Barnett is the innocent party. He has a soft spot for Heather, who has been recovering from a breakdown, but he has no idea how or why she has disappeared, and he needs to find out what has happened. Despite the reaction of the British gutter press, the Greek police lose interest in him so he begins to follow clues in a set of photographs which Heather had taken in the last month.
This book was written in 1990 so the photographs are on a film which has been developed and mobile phones don’t feature in the plot. Returning to England, Harry finds new purpose in his life as he travels around southern England meeting people who knew Heather and exploring the sites of her photographs. He feels ill at ease because someone is following him and he is left messages written in Greek. He has some help from his old friend Alan Dysart, an English MP, but there is no cooperation from Heather’s family since the Mallenders had previously accused him of taking bribes while he worked for their company.
The complex plot gradually reveals several murky secrets and possibly murders but nothing seems to help Harry find out if Heather is still alive. It is a thrilling, intriguing tale of an elite Oxford University society, of an IRA bombing and of a suspicious psychiatrist who wants to put Harry under hypnosis.
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the writing of Robert Goddard and I enjoyed the locations of Rhodes and Weymouth, both of which are familiar to me. This may not be the latest novel, but the mystery doesn’t date.
This book was written in 1990 so the photographs are on a film which has been developed and mobile phones don’t feature in the plot. Returning to England, Harry finds new purpose in his life as he travels around southern England meeting people who knew Heather and exploring the sites of her photographs. He feels ill at ease because someone is following him and he is left messages written in Greek. He has some help from his old friend Alan Dysart, an English MP, but there is no cooperation from Heather’s family since the Mallenders had previously accused him of taking bribes while he worked for their company.
The complex plot gradually reveals several murky secrets and possibly murders but nothing seems to help Harry find out if Heather is still alive. It is a thrilling, intriguing tale of an elite Oxford University society, of an IRA bombing and of a suspicious psychiatrist who wants to put Harry under hypnosis.
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the writing of Robert Goddard and I enjoyed the locations of Rhodes and Weymouth, both of which are familiar to me. This may not be the latest novel, but the mystery doesn’t date.
April 23, 2023
Great story and very well written…. Just a bit too long.
March 28, 2024
Het was tof om te lezen hoe een speurder naar de bibliotheek gaat, secretaresses opzoekt om in een archief te kijken en een spoorboekje op zak heeft. Had hij kunnen googlen, het mysterie was vijf keer zo rap opgelost geweest. De personages zijn zo mooi omschreven dat je niet anders kunt dan meegesleept worden in het verhaal. Al is het voor een lezer in 2024 snel duidelijk 'whodunnit', toch komen er nog wat verrassende wendingen aan het einde. Al moet je het daarvoor niet doen. Dit is zo'n boek waarin het gaat om de reis, niet de bestemming. Het deed me wat denken aan de boeken van Robert Galbraith. Ik wil in ieder geval graag het vervolg lezen!
I want to add that the Audible book is brilliantly narrated by Paul Shelley. Five stars for the narrator!
I want to add that the Audible book is brilliantly narrated by Paul Shelley. Five stars for the narrator!
July 25, 2018
Un auteur que j'aime décidément beaucoup.
December 25, 2021
Une ambiance noir, un personnage principal des plus simple à l’allure désabusée, le rythme lent des enquêtes à l’ancienne, une disparition qui semble ne laisser aucun doute sur son dénouement… Un cocktail parfait pour un super thriller psychologique ! J’ai aussi adoré que ce roman se déroule dans les années 80, époque sans ordinateur, sans téléphone portable, du coup pas d’actions en veux-tu en voilà rendant cette enquête plus vraie, plus brut, plus intense…
L’intérêt et le suspense sont maintenus tout le long de l’enquête d’Harry et on en vient a soupçonner tout le monde et à douter de tout 🤔
Le tout avec la merveilleuse plume de Robert Goddard cela donne une excellente histoire !
La fin du roman réserve aussi son lot de surprises 🤭 un bon twist final !
C’est mon 2ème roman de cet auteur et je suis conquise, d’ailleurs beaucoup plus qu’avec La Croisière Charnwood.
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A noir atmosphere, a simple main characters with a disillusioned look, a slow pace of old-fashioned investigations, a disappearance that seems to leave no doubt about its outcome... A perfect cocktail for a great psychological thriller! I also loved the fact that this novel takes place in the 80's, a time without computers or mobile phones, so there isn’t too much action, making this investigation more real, more raw, more intense...
The interest and suspense are maintained throughout Harry's investigation and we come to suspect everyone and doubt of everything 🤔
All this with the wonderful pen of Robert Goddard it gives an excellent story!
The end of the novel also holds its share of surprises 🤭 a good final twist!
This is my 2nd novel by this author and I’m won over, in fact much more than with Closed Circle.
L’intérêt et le suspense sont maintenus tout le long de l’enquête d’Harry et on en vient a soupçonner tout le monde et à douter de tout 🤔
Le tout avec la merveilleuse plume de Robert Goddard cela donne une excellente histoire !
La fin du roman réserve aussi son lot de surprises 🤭 un bon twist final !
C’est mon 2ème roman de cet auteur et je suis conquise, d’ailleurs beaucoup plus qu’avec La Croisière Charnwood.
-------------
A noir atmosphere, a simple main characters with a disillusioned look, a slow pace of old-fashioned investigations, a disappearance that seems to leave no doubt about its outcome... A perfect cocktail for a great psychological thriller! I also loved the fact that this novel takes place in the 80's, a time without computers or mobile phones, so there isn’t too much action, making this investigation more real, more raw, more intense...
The interest and suspense are maintained throughout Harry's investigation and we come to suspect everyone and doubt of everything 🤔
All this with the wonderful pen of Robert Goddard it gives an excellent story!
The end of the novel also holds its share of surprises 🤭 a good final twist!
This is my 2nd novel by this author and I’m won over, in fact much more than with Closed Circle.
September 21, 2012
Okayish. This book had a really great opening – a man is standing alone on a footpath near some cliffs in Rhodes waiting for a woman to return from her hike. He waits and waits and waits. It gets dark. She doesn’t return. He reports her disappearance to the police and gets put in jail because everyone is convinced he has murdered her. Her body is never found, he is convinced she is still alive, so once he is released from jail, he sets off to find her, following a series of photographs she took before she disappeared. They take him back to England and as there is a connection between his past and the missing woman’s – in following her past, he is forced to revisit his own. It’s at this point the book puts on screeching breaks and I went from not being able to put the book down to being very easily able to put it down every night after only reading a few pages. The locations were great and the characters interesting but there was just something missing that really disconnected me from the story. I felt like I should want to know what happened to the woman so I kept going. But it ended up taking me two weeks to get through a book that I could have finished in a weekend if I was really into it. Things did pick up again at the end, however, and the ending was satisfying. But the whole middle chunk of the book kept it from being a great read.
November 16, 2022
When we first meet Harry Barnett, a middle-aged, overweight, alcoholic Englishman, he's working as a caretaker at the Greek villa of distinguished Member of Parliament Allan Dysart. When young and attractive Heather Mallender arrives, as a guest of Dysart, she and Harry become friends, despite the age difference.
While walking in the hills, Heather vanishes. Harry is with her at the time and becomes a suspect in her disappearance. In an effort to clear his name, Harry begins his own investigation of Heather. She had been seeing a psychiatrist, crushed by the death of her sister, the victim of an IRA bomb. Soon Harry starts to piece together the threads of betrayal, treachery, love, blackmail and murder. As Harry searches for Heather, he discovers his own courage.
This is a suspenseful adult puzzle, filled with clues coming from unexpected places, such as a photograph on a wall or a passing comment someone made. It's complex and sophisticated without being showy. Robert Goddard continues to be one of the most amazing authors around today and I highly recommend any of his books.
While walking in the hills, Heather vanishes. Harry is with her at the time and becomes a suspect in her disappearance. In an effort to clear his name, Harry begins his own investigation of Heather. She had been seeing a psychiatrist, crushed by the death of her sister, the victim of an IRA bomb. Soon Harry starts to piece together the threads of betrayal, treachery, love, blackmail and murder. As Harry searches for Heather, he discovers his own courage.
This is a suspenseful adult puzzle, filled with clues coming from unexpected places, such as a photograph on a wall or a passing comment someone made. It's complex and sophisticated without being showy. Robert Goddard continues to be one of the most amazing authors around today and I highly recommend any of his books.
December 20, 2015
Another of Goddard's puzzling mysteries--on Rhodes the failed Harry becomes friends with a young woman, Heather. One day, as they are on an excursion, she leaves him waiting for her at the bottom of a small mountain, Profitis Elias. She climbs it, saying she'll be back shortly and for him to wait for her. She disappears leaving behind a scarf; at first Harry is accused of murder but when exonerated, he wants to solve the mystery. Is she dead? Is she alive and if so, where has she gone? Harry comes into possession of photos she has taken and they lead him to England. Going to the location where each was was taken leads him closer and closer to a solution, starting with this labyrinthine trail. Well written although somewhat dated in the motivation. I figured out whodunit early on, but I read the whole book for the whys and how things fit together. The book was filled with clues, red herrings, duplicity, venality and blackmail. Secrets are revealed. A good entertainment although slow to get started.
December 11, 2021
Je suis partagée. J'ai eu du mal à entrer dans l'histoire : le début est lent, le personnage de Harry me faisait l'effet d'un mollasson inintéressant, et je ne le trouvais pas crédible dans son personnage d'enquêteur. Ensuite, une fois que les différentes étapes de l'enquête se suivent, c'est un peu mieux. Pour la seconde partie du livre, j'étais accrochée et j'ai lu jusqu'à la fin pour savoir le fin mot de l'histoire.
L'intrigue est bien ficelée, la raison finale est jolie, le suspense est présent. Cependant, les personnages restent en carton fin, caricaturés par type ; chacun ressemble à qui il doit ressembler pour bien coller à l'idée qu'on s'en ferait. Je n' aime pas non plus le style d'écriture -peut être dû a la traduction ? En conclusion, un bon suspens avec un happy end, mais qui manque d'épaisseur et de subtilité, et, oui, de noirceur. N'est pas Harry Hole (Jo Nesbo) qui veut ;-)
L'intrigue est bien ficelée, la raison finale est jolie, le suspense est présent. Cependant, les personnages restent en carton fin, caricaturés par type ; chacun ressemble à qui il doit ressembler pour bien coller à l'idée qu'on s'en ferait. Je n' aime pas non plus le style d'écriture -peut être dû a la traduction ? En conclusion, un bon suspens avec un happy end, mais qui manque d'épaisseur et de subtilité, et, oui, de noirceur. N'est pas Harry Hole (Jo Nesbo) qui veut ;-)
September 30, 2023
I was alerted to this author by reading an interview with Mick Herron, whose books I've enjoyed. He praised Goddard and so I located one of his novels at my library. Goddard is a master at succinct prose, direct yet deep. The plot is interesting and the main character, Harry Barnett, is very well constructed. The book is intricate in parts, adventurous in other parts; the atmosphere moody. The characters are all well-written. There is a revelation at the end that I confess I did not see coming, though I suspected there would be some twist. The only negative for me is that poor Harry stumbles along in a way that is ultimately productive but yet he is fooled almost until the end, when the real culprit is visible early on. But Harry certainly is dogged if not clever. Loyalty is a tricky master and manipulator.
August 8, 2025
On a 10 star scale this would be an 8.5 …
I did guess part of it but thoroughly enjoyed the way the author took me there and still some twists and turns that I did not spot
Well written and entirely engaging
I did guess part of it but thoroughly enjoyed the way the author took me there and still some twists and turns that I did not spot
Well written and entirely engaging
May 13, 2023
I haven't read any of Robert Goddard's books before and this was a book club choice. I really enjoyed it. It was a bit long winded but on balance well worth the read.
December 3, 2024
A really well crafted and clever thriller, with characters that are believable.
February 13, 2019
Du suspense jusque dans les dernières pages
J’ai très apprécié ce livre
Merci à Camille de me l’avoir fait découvrir
J’ai très apprécié ce livre
Merci à Camille de me l’avoir fait découvrir
Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews