Robert Goddard
I’ve become a big fan of English writer Robert Goddard over the past 12 months. In fact I’ve read all his books, including the latest “Days Without Number”.
Goddard isn’t as celebrated or well known as other mystery writers, but I like his style.
He generally has a main character who follows a series of linked coincidences to a suspenseful outcome. Many of the novels are historical fiction and the locations vary throughout Europe and much of the world.
Goddard displays enormous personal knowledge of places and languages, ranging from Denmark and the Netherlands to Cornish and Italian.
Days Without Number traces the family turmoil among descendants of the last Byzantine Emperors living, strangely enough, in rural Cornwall.
The main character, Nick Paleologus, must overcome self doubt and shyness to solve a riddle that dates back to the time of Christ.
The story skates along at a cracking pace through murder, greed and intrigue. Nick proves a likeable fellow and his eccentric brother Basil, who spent 20 years in a monastery, plays brilliantly in the support cast.
As Goddard relies on coincidence to build suspense he runs the risk of either giving the plot away too soon, developing an implausible scenario or testing credibility, which if it occurs can distract from the concise and fluid writing.
I found this novel entirely plausible except for the penultimate scenes involving a long-lost Venetian cousin. This corrupt character appears from nowhere.
His cameo features kidnapping and a triple murder before he disappears just as quickly as he arrived. A private investigator’s similar brief appearance didn’t work for me either.
That said I enjoyed the reflective ending. I had trouble putting the book down and looked forward to picking it up again. Try any of Goddard’s novels if you haven’t read one before.
I'm a 41-year-old father of four working as a newspaper editor at Mount Gambier in South Australia.
