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Days Without Number
Michael Paleologus, retired archaeologist and supposed descendant of the last Emperors of Byzantium, lives alone in a remote and rambling house in Cornwall. His son, Nicholas, is summoned to resolve a dispute which threatens to set his brothers and sisters against their aged and irascible father. An overly generous offer has been made for the house, but Michael refuses to sell.
Only after the stalemate is tragically broken do Nick and his siblings discover why their father was bound at all costs to reject the offer. Their desperate efforts to conceal the truth drag them into a deadly conflict with an unseen enemy, who seems as determined to force them into a confrontation with their family’s past as he is to conceal his own identity.
Nick realizes that the only way to escape from the trap their persecutor has set for them is to hunt him down, wherever -- and whoever -- he may be. But the hunt involves excavating a terrible secret from their father’s past. And, once that secret is known, nothing will ever be the same again.
Only after the stalemate is tragically broken do Nick and his siblings discover why their father was bound at all costs to reject the offer. Their desperate efforts to conceal the truth drag them into a deadly conflict with an unseen enemy, who seems as determined to force them into a confrontation with their family’s past as he is to conceal his own identity.
Nick realizes that the only way to escape from the trap their persecutor has set for them is to hunt him down, wherever -- and whoever -- he may be. But the hunt involves excavating a terrible secret from their father’s past. And, once that secret is known, nothing will ever be the same again.
459 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Robert Goddard
109 books870 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 131 reviews
December 31, 2018
I have lost count of the number of Robert Goddard books I have read but I’ve reviewed a few now on Goodreads. This is one of his more straight forward ones and with that observation comes another. Why aren’t movies being made of Goddard’s books? The only one that has so far is Into the Blue and evidently the film was a travesty as far as Goddard was concerned. Perhaps no one else has been game to try.
Days Without Number would be a good introduction to a series of films on his books. One of the strengths of this particular book is the relationship between the five siblings by the name of Paleologus. There is Nick, the narrator who had some sort of breakdown when he was in college. His sister Irene who runs a pub, the Old Ferry Inn, under the Tamar bridge. Another sister more jovial and outgoing than Irene, Anna, is a nurse; Basil is a former monk who doesn’t seem to work and lives with Anna. And then there is Andrew, the eldest, who runs an ailing farm and still hasn’t recovered from a bitter divorce. The five have gathered to discuss the sale of Trennor the family home in Landulph. Their father is getting very old and the home is hundreds of years old and needs work done to it. The family have received an offer to buy the house and also fund the cost of a nursing home for the elder Mr. Paleologus. The offer is ridiculously high but their father refuses it. Soon after events begin to unravel.
As always Goddard makes the most of his locations and I think that’s one of the main reasons his books are so popular.
“He pulled into the small yard behind the pub and edged his car into a narrow gap between Irene’s Vauxhall and a large plastic bottle-bin, turned off the engine and climbed out. Only in that moment, he realised, had he really arrived, when he inhaled a first lungful of chill, moist riverside air. Almost vertically above him was the ancient span of the railway bridge, dark and silent now the eastbound train had passed. Ahead soared the modern road bridge, the workmen’s cradles slung beneath it and the glare of the sodium lights confusing its shape. His sister had chosen a strange kind of home, one literally overshadowed by the structural necessities of travel and named in memory of one form of transport that was no longer to be found there. The Old Ferry was, however you viewed it, a dead end.
So it certainly seemed to Nick. But what of it? He was here for the weekend only. He had come, yes, but soon, very soon, he would go.”
Of course, he doesn’t get a chance to. There is always a lot of interaction between the characters, with Goddard letting them speak for themselves. Another one of the reasons I like his books. There are also leads and false leads; deception, danger and murder. An enjoyable holiday read.
Days Without Number would be a good introduction to a series of films on his books. One of the strengths of this particular book is the relationship between the five siblings by the name of Paleologus. There is Nick, the narrator who had some sort of breakdown when he was in college. His sister Irene who runs a pub, the Old Ferry Inn, under the Tamar bridge. Another sister more jovial and outgoing than Irene, Anna, is a nurse; Basil is a former monk who doesn’t seem to work and lives with Anna. And then there is Andrew, the eldest, who runs an ailing farm and still hasn’t recovered from a bitter divorce. The five have gathered to discuss the sale of Trennor the family home in Landulph. Their father is getting very old and the home is hundreds of years old and needs work done to it. The family have received an offer to buy the house and also fund the cost of a nursing home for the elder Mr. Paleologus. The offer is ridiculously high but their father refuses it. Soon after events begin to unravel.
As always Goddard makes the most of his locations and I think that’s one of the main reasons his books are so popular.
“He pulled into the small yard behind the pub and edged his car into a narrow gap between Irene’s Vauxhall and a large plastic bottle-bin, turned off the engine and climbed out. Only in that moment, he realised, had he really arrived, when he inhaled a first lungful of chill, moist riverside air. Almost vertically above him was the ancient span of the railway bridge, dark and silent now the eastbound train had passed. Ahead soared the modern road bridge, the workmen’s cradles slung beneath it and the glare of the sodium lights confusing its shape. His sister had chosen a strange kind of home, one literally overshadowed by the structural necessities of travel and named in memory of one form of transport that was no longer to be found there. The Old Ferry was, however you viewed it, a dead end.
So it certainly seemed to Nick. But what of it? He was here for the weekend only. He had come, yes, but soon, very soon, he would go.”
Of course, he doesn’t get a chance to. There is always a lot of interaction between the characters, with Goddard letting them speak for themselves. Another one of the reasons I like his books. There are also leads and false leads; deception, danger and murder. An enjoyable holiday read.
May 8, 2011
This was rather tedious. A convoluted plot, with dysfunctional characters-you'll love it or hate it.The author couldn't resist the urge to twist and turn the plot around-something he normally does extremely well. But in this instance, he tried to be too clever, and the plot suffered as a consequence of it. The characters on the other hand, all had their moments, and were the saving grace of what would otherwise have been an extremely disappointing read.The conclusion was predictable, and yet it felt as if nothing was resolved. Too much depended on coincidence-and whilst that is fine up to a point, to this extent it almost felt like a lazy answer to resolving tricky situations. Think it actually would have been much better had it simply focused on the psychological angst of the characters-there was enough to make this alone the basis of the novel-rather than introducing them to an unfeasible plot, where murder and betrayal are lurking in every corner!
October 11, 2018
The introduction to a rather unusual family in Cornwall comes through son Nick, driving west to reach his family home, Trennor, to spend time with his family, ostensibly gathering to celebrate his older brother Andrew's fiftieth birthday - but also to address some rather sticky matters regarding his elderly father. There is a suspiciously generous offer for the family home, twice the market price, and the siblings are being herded together to have a sit down about the details to pressure their father into accepting it.
There will be a gathering where the old retired archaeologist father behaves in his usual obstinate and negative manner toward his children. There will be a death soon after, a hidden/secret will Nick uncovers, a skeleton in the cellar, mysterious messages and warnings and more danger ahead for family members.
Action moves on to Venice and more. The elements of the plot are intelligently delivered and compelling. This is not just action, but there is a meaningful underlying theme of using your time on earth well, as in:
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalms 90:12)
Just the second book of Goddard's for me, and I look forward to trying more.
There will be a gathering where the old retired archaeologist father behaves in his usual obstinate and negative manner toward his children. There will be a death soon after, a hidden/secret will Nick uncovers, a skeleton in the cellar, mysterious messages and warnings and more danger ahead for family members.
Action moves on to Venice and more. The elements of the plot are intelligently delivered and compelling. This is not just action, but there is a meaningful underlying theme of using your time on earth well, as in:
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalms 90:12)
Just the second book of Goddard's for me, and I look forward to trying more.
July 20, 2023
Probably an unlikely scenario for real lives, but certainly one that Goddard makes the most of, allowing himself a number of twists and turns - sometimes unexpected, sometimes not - and keeps the reader with him until late in the piece, when there's a rather fantastic section set in Venice and three murders in a few seconds, followed by an odd ending that I didn't quite understand. (Skimming, probably, and not paying attention.)
Of course some things are improbable, some of the motivations are a bit suspect, but Goddard is a page-turner when he's writing well, and this for me was a page-turner, helped by at least one unreliable narrator (people telling the 'real' truth which turns out to be not the real truth, of course.
Of course some things are improbable, some of the motivations are a bit suspect, but Goddard is a page-turner when he's writing well, and this for me was a page-turner, helped by at least one unreliable narrator (people telling the 'real' truth which turns out to be not the real truth, of course.
April 20, 2013
Formulaic Robert Goddard at its best for most of the book and then seemed to run out of steam at the end.
As usual I couldn't put it down and enjoyed the familiar elements of the dysfunctional Cornish family, ancient secrets, mysterious woman, tragic suicide of one of the more dysfunctional characters and travel by train through the more picturesque parts of Europe.
Too many loose ends seemed left dangling, though, or were hastily and confusingly gathered up in the final scenes which seemed written to meet a deadline rather than create a satisfying ending.
As usual I couldn't put it down and enjoyed the familiar elements of the dysfunctional Cornish family, ancient secrets, mysterious woman, tragic suicide of one of the more dysfunctional characters and travel by train through the more picturesque parts of Europe.
Too many loose ends seemed left dangling, though, or were hastily and confusingly gathered up in the final scenes which seemed written to meet a deadline rather than create a satisfying ending.
April 27, 2013
Excellent tale of family intrigue and secrets. Robert Goddard never fails to entertain and this story drew me in almost immediately and held my interest to the last page. The Paleologus family are offered a huge sum for their old Cornish family home but the father stubbonly refuses to consider the offer. After his unexpected death, his five children try to find out why, uncovering long buried secres and a body. My book of the month for April
February 5, 2017
I have always liked Robert Goddard's novels. I happened to find this one at my public library just the other day, and since I had not read it, I could not resist checking it out. It is a great story about a family, the Paleologus', who are allegedly descended from the last emperors of Byzantium. They live in Cornwall, and the patriarch of the family, Michael, who has five children, has been offered a huge sum of money for the house in which he lives. The kids are all for selling the house, but there is much more behind this buyer's offer than a simple monetary transaction. Michael had been an archaeologist, and knew his family history very well. The history goes back to the Knights Templar and the story of the Ark of the Covenant as well as everything that goes with those tales. It seems that the offer for the house was an attempt by someone to obtain the property for their own overwhelming desire for finding out the truth about the Paleologus family history. Several tragedies occur in the family, and the two younger sons, Basil and Nicholas find themselves in Venice pitted against someone who has nothing but greed on his mind.
I loved this book. I have always liked any story about the Knights Templar, and I had no idea when I started reading this novel, that is what it is about. The experience reminded me of just how much I liked Goddard's novels, and I will have to make a note to myself to read several of the others I have missed.
I loved this book. I have always liked any story about the Knights Templar, and I had no idea when I started reading this novel, that is what it is about. The experience reminded me of just how much I liked Goddard's novels, and I will have to make a note to myself to read several of the others I have missed.
September 13, 2023
Good book, maybe dragged on a bit at the end
August 29, 2024
I enjoyed the puzzling storyline and the writing style. There were TOO MANY plot twists though and not well-shaped characters.
March 23, 2017
This didn't turn out to be at all what I was expecting from the back cover and the first 50-100 pages of the novel, but it was still enjoyable, and it kept me intrigued enough to read almost straight through, trying to find out what was going to happen.
July 18, 2019
Having read the promos for this, I expected a thriller. In fact, it’s an extremely interesting mystery, with about 50pp of domestic drama as the opener, and a short thriller sequence close to the end! It held my interest throughout, and in fact I’d been going to give it five stars … until about the p380 mark, at which point the book loses its sense of pace.
It doesn’t slow down; far from it. But the rhythm or timing, of an absolutely excellent book are nearly as important (especially on the last lap) as the plot itself. Right at the point where the reader’s tongue is hanging out to know the why, what, how, when and who -- in other words, the resolution -- Goddard piles on more twists and mystery elements, until the plot blurs itself, confuses itself, loses focus.
No, it never became boring; but no, it never delivered the kick one expected, because it was overcooked, mis-timed -- a very strange criticism to level at the work of a writer with a colossal list of bestselling works behind him. But there it is … and there’s worse. The ending is “woolly.” There’s no other word I can use to describe it.
Yes, answers of a sort are given, but nothing is firm. The last person in the world who actually knew the truth has shuffled off this mortal coil, and rather than a razor-sharp ending, such as you get in any Dan Brown novel, or Indie Jones or Ben Gates movie, you’re left with a bundle of fascinating, informed speculation. You wanted answers. After 450pp, you *needed* answers. You didn’t get them. Not proper ones.
The characters who drive this story are rather difficult to like. Every one seems to need therapy! That doesn’t make them unrealistic, just rather unsympathetic. And there’s one other thing that didn’t gel…
These characters are crying poverty, desperate to coerce the clan patriarch into selling the family home in Cornwall for a tidy sum. They need the money badly, apparently -- two are out of work, two are desperate to retire, one is rapidly going bankrupt. So far, so good. But as the plot progresses, they start to hose money around without counting the cost: multiple plane tickets, international train tickets, hotels, restaurants, booze by the mega-liters. It all adds up to the kind of small fortune that people who’re short of cash Can. Not. Afford. Where the heck did they get this kind of dosh? And if they can afford to jet about, shell out for hotels and run up huge bar bills … the argument set out at the start of the book, that they’re desperate enough for cash to strongarm the old patriarch, doesn’t hold water.
Soooo … three stars only. It’s a good read, but if you were hoping for a sharp conclusion, characters you like, and no gaping loopholes, you’ll find yourself saying “hmmm,” as I did. Still, I enjoyed it enough to read Goddard again. I only paid $2 for this at an op shop, and if I can track down others of his books at the book exchange, I’ll go for another one!
It doesn’t slow down; far from it. But the rhythm or timing, of an absolutely excellent book are nearly as important (especially on the last lap) as the plot itself. Right at the point where the reader’s tongue is hanging out to know the why, what, how, when and who -- in other words, the resolution -- Goddard piles on more twists and mystery elements, until the plot blurs itself, confuses itself, loses focus.
No, it never became boring; but no, it never delivered the kick one expected, because it was overcooked, mis-timed -- a very strange criticism to level at the work of a writer with a colossal list of bestselling works behind him. But there it is … and there’s worse. The ending is “woolly.” There’s no other word I can use to describe it.
Yes, answers of a sort are given, but nothing is firm. The last person in the world who actually knew the truth has shuffled off this mortal coil, and rather than a razor-sharp ending, such as you get in any Dan Brown novel, or Indie Jones or Ben Gates movie, you’re left with a bundle of fascinating, informed speculation. You wanted answers. After 450pp, you *needed* answers. You didn’t get them. Not proper ones.
The characters who drive this story are rather difficult to like. Every one seems to need therapy! That doesn’t make them unrealistic, just rather unsympathetic. And there’s one other thing that didn’t gel…
These characters are crying poverty, desperate to coerce the clan patriarch into selling the family home in Cornwall for a tidy sum. They need the money badly, apparently -- two are out of work, two are desperate to retire, one is rapidly going bankrupt. So far, so good. But as the plot progresses, they start to hose money around without counting the cost: multiple plane tickets, international train tickets, hotels, restaurants, booze by the mega-liters. It all adds up to the kind of small fortune that people who’re short of cash Can. Not. Afford. Where the heck did they get this kind of dosh? And if they can afford to jet about, shell out for hotels and run up huge bar bills … the argument set out at the start of the book, that they’re desperate enough for cash to strongarm the old patriarch, doesn’t hold water.
Soooo … three stars only. It’s a good read, but if you were hoping for a sharp conclusion, characters you like, and no gaping loopholes, you’ll find yourself saying “hmmm,” as I did. Still, I enjoyed it enough to read Goddard again. I only paid $2 for this at an op shop, and if I can track down others of his books at the book exchange, I’ll go for another one!
January 29, 2013
St Neots, Landulph, Minnions, Saltash and probably the best known of them all Tintagel. Places that I knew and had visited while growing up in Cornwall, plus Plymouth on the English side of the border where I worked for several years on leaving school. So faced with a 7 train journey back home to visit family (thats 7 hour in one direction so the same coming back) I decided to pick up a book which was although by an author I had not previously read but was at least set in Cornwall in an attempt to rekindle some long lost memories. Something which definately happens more and more as you grow greyer.
Nick Paleologus returns to Cornwall supposedly to attend a family birthday but once there finds that his siblings have ulterior motives for his presence and latterly unearths, literally, a family secret which could threaten them all. OK the premise is very good and the Cornish scenery and atmosphere is spot on but once the story and Nick leaves Cornwall, about 300 pages in, so the story begins to unravel becoming involved with old professors,Crusades and Knights Templar and all that hokum. Eventually Nick and his brother Basil end up in Venice where both are captured by the baddie in the piece who conveniently, ala Blofeld in James Bond, tells them his motives for what he have done and what he intends to do later. With a rather tame ending, Nick is not really a hero but is rather led through the book like a bull with a ring through his nose.
The book runs along at a cracking pace and there are plenty of plot twists and turns (a few rather laboured) but it was longer than it needed to be and just seemed yet another of those books jumping on the Da Vinci Code (absolute dross IMHO) bandwagon. If like me you are looking to something to kill some hours away while travelling and enjoy conspiracy theories then it is fine but don't expect some lightning bolt of inspiration. That said I would be willing to give Goddard another go to see whether this is typical or atypical of his works just not yet.
Nick Paleologus returns to Cornwall supposedly to attend a family birthday but once there finds that his siblings have ulterior motives for his presence and latterly unearths, literally, a family secret which could threaten them all. OK the premise is very good and the Cornish scenery and atmosphere is spot on but once the story and Nick leaves Cornwall, about 300 pages in, so the story begins to unravel becoming involved with old professors,Crusades and Knights Templar and all that hokum. Eventually Nick and his brother Basil end up in Venice where both are captured by the baddie in the piece who conveniently, ala Blofeld in James Bond, tells them his motives for what he have done and what he intends to do later. With a rather tame ending, Nick is not really a hero but is rather led through the book like a bull with a ring through his nose.
The book runs along at a cracking pace and there are plenty of plot twists and turns (a few rather laboured) but it was longer than it needed to be and just seemed yet another of those books jumping on the Da Vinci Code (absolute dross IMHO) bandwagon. If like me you are looking to something to kill some hours away while travelling and enjoy conspiracy theories then it is fine but don't expect some lightning bolt of inspiration. That said I would be willing to give Goddard another go to see whether this is typical or atypical of his works just not yet.
March 23, 2020
I am a bit conflicted about this mystery thriller. It is a real page turner and the plot has more twists than a mountain road in the alps, but in the end I feel a little bit let down. I did not seem to identify with any of the characters, did not feel the suspense at mysterious adversaries and no shock at the dramatic turns of events. Just the need to keep reading until there would be some closure that would make up for the seemingly random wild goose hunt you have just be led on by the writer.
Normally I will enjoy a complicated tale that weaves a bewildering chaotic pattern that turns out to be a beautiful magic carpet with not a loose thread hanging to unravel the carefully built illusion. This novel carries the promise of doing the same, but leaves the reader with a rather dishevelled ball of cleaning cotton in the end. And no compelling characters to accompany you along the way either, as all along you feel a vague irritation with the protagonist and hope that one of the other characters would take over for a more enjoyable ride.
To quote the venerable professor Drysdale "The book sells, why should I apologize?" and at that I leave this little review behind. The book will find its way back to the mini-library to find more appreciative readers than me.
Normally I will enjoy a complicated tale that weaves a bewildering chaotic pattern that turns out to be a beautiful magic carpet with not a loose thread hanging to unravel the carefully built illusion. This novel carries the promise of doing the same, but leaves the reader with a rather dishevelled ball of cleaning cotton in the end. And no compelling characters to accompany you along the way either, as all along you feel a vague irritation with the protagonist and hope that one of the other characters would take over for a more enjoyable ride.
To quote the venerable professor Drysdale "The book sells, why should I apologize?" and at that I leave this little review behind. The book will find its way back to the mini-library to find more appreciative readers than me.
March 24, 2015
It's a long time since I read a Robert Goddard. I was going to say he's a one trick pony, always writing about a modern event affected by something that happened long ago. But then many authors are like that. After all, Agatha Christie wrote nothing but detective stories! I have to admit this story kept me hooked - I read the book very quickly. Where I felt the book falls down is in its lack of the sense of place. I have recently reviewed The Water Clock and said I could feel the Fens right from the start. This book is set in Cornwall, but it could have been Timbuctoo except there would not fit the plot. Also I had the feeling the author had one eye (at least) on the American market. There are several references to 'morticians'. For heaven's sake, we call them undertakers in the UK! And in one place he has an old fashioned family solicitor refer to the 'vendee' of a property. In 45 years in the profession I never once heard that (ugly) term. It's always buyer or more commonly purchaser. But 3* because I admit it held my interest throughout. Although the denouement does jump on a modern bandwagon.
April 4, 2022
A very interesting and complicated thriller in the usual excellent Robert Goddard style wherein slightly dysfunctional “ordinary” people become entangled in historical mysteries and find inner resources that enable them to follow tenuous leads to the next surprise.
Published in 2003, the same year as the execrable Da Vinci Code (popular with people who never read books) and coincidentally touching on crusades, Knights Templar and the Roslyn Chapel this story explores the secrets potentially held in a missing mediaeval church window and the lengths some people will go to to amass the wealth released by its rediscovery.
As usual there’s a lot of tearing about and we visit Plymouth, the Tamar valley, Bodmin moor, Tintagel, Edinburgh, Wentworth, Venice and er… Milton Keynes as the body count rises and we begin to wonder if whatever it is that’s hidden is worth all the effort and alcohol consumed along the way.
I like the way he sets his thrillers in real places and you can find The Ferry Inn, St Neot’s church, Landulph etc on Google Street view and I can also confirm that the Café Royal pub in Edinburgh is well worth a visit.
Published in 2003, the same year as the execrable Da Vinci Code (popular with people who never read books) and coincidentally touching on crusades, Knights Templar and the Roslyn Chapel this story explores the secrets potentially held in a missing mediaeval church window and the lengths some people will go to to amass the wealth released by its rediscovery.
As usual there’s a lot of tearing about and we visit Plymouth, the Tamar valley, Bodmin moor, Tintagel, Edinburgh, Wentworth, Venice and er… Milton Keynes as the body count rises and we begin to wonder if whatever it is that’s hidden is worth all the effort and alcohol consumed along the way.
I like the way he sets his thrillers in real places and you can find The Ferry Inn, St Neot’s church, Landulph etc on Google Street view and I can also confirm that the Café Royal pub in Edinburgh is well worth a visit.
September 20, 2022
3.75/5 stars. For a long time as I was reading this, I was thinking “Oh my God, Robert Goddard’s back.” And while the ending wasn’t disappointing enough to make me regret those thoughts, I do think he fluffed it. Either it’s so cryptic that even a careful reader like myself can’t decipher it (and judging by the reviews I’ve seen, I’m not alone); or it’s intentionally open-ended and therefore disappointing considering how convoluted the plot had become. The journey itself was fun and it really did seem like it was going somewhere, and (semi-spoilers upcoming) after the hypnosis, I kept thinking to myself “ok, this isn’t real. There’s going to be a transcript of the tape soon, which will cleverly reveal the truth.” Instead, we get a re-enactment of a scene from hundreds of years ago, which we already know the gist of. The only new information we can glean from this coda is the names of those involved, which may or may not answer some of the outstanding questions from the previous 450 pages. It is definitely a disappointing ending, but the prior 95% gives me hope that it’s not yet time to give up on the author who gave the world ‘Past Caring’.
May 28, 2009
What a blistering good read - again. Take a group of siblings - 3 brothers and two sisters - all with their own various dysfunctions (and don't we all acquire those over the years) leading them to covet the value of their father's house when an extremely generous offer is received for it. Cue the in family bickering and cue the strange death of the father. Then the cover ups and lies and intrigue all start and the so called secret of the family name unravel - all over Europe. Death, self destruction, soul searching and finally the realisation that some things are really meant to stay undiscovered.
I love the way Robert Goddard writes and the way he brings historical fact to life through well thought out and well executed fiction. I was glued to this for the last quarter of the book. Off to find another now.
I love the way Robert Goddard writes and the way he brings historical fact to life through well thought out and well executed fiction. I was glued to this for the last quarter of the book. Off to find another now.
July 10, 2017
Many people are probably turned off by this book's ending but I won't try to describe it here.
I really enjoy Goddard's books and would easily consider him to be my favorite living fiction author. I was, therefore, disappointed to find him contributing to the destruction of the concept of "begging the question" by using a variation of the term in the same sort of way our ignoramus t.v. personalities do. "But the promise only begged a question" P. 281 in my 439 pp ebook version.
Also, he has a University of Wisconsin faculty member supposedly "going back to Milwaukee," instead of Madison. I'm not sure if he was mistaken as to the main campus or simply failed to be specific about which branch of the UofW he intended. P. 329.
Finally, I thought Goddard's displays of learning and extravagant use of non-English words went a little bit beyond what would have been ideal.
I really enjoy Goddard's books and would easily consider him to be my favorite living fiction author. I was, therefore, disappointed to find him contributing to the destruction of the concept of "begging the question" by using a variation of the term in the same sort of way our ignoramus t.v. personalities do. "But the promise only begged a question" P. 281 in my 439 pp ebook version.
Also, he has a University of Wisconsin faculty member supposedly "going back to Milwaukee," instead of Madison. I'm not sure if he was mistaken as to the main campus or simply failed to be specific about which branch of the UofW he intended. P. 329.
Finally, I thought Goddard's displays of learning and extravagant use of non-English words went a little bit beyond what would have been ideal.
January 16, 2020
Geography, history, and a good dose of human fallibility. At the centre of the story is a secret, and around it a web of possibilities to be unravelled.
The characters are interesting and believable, and the mythical is bought close to reality as it is intertwined with ancestry and local history.
For me, the placement of much of the story in south east Cornwall brings it alive as I am surrounded by it every day. I can see the bridge and buildings on the cover from my window.
The characters are interesting and believable, and the mythical is bought close to reality as it is intertwined with ancestry and local history.
For me, the placement of much of the story in south east Cornwall brings it alive as I am surrounded by it every day. I can see the bridge and buildings on the cover from my window.
July 31, 2011
Set in St. Neots, the turning for which I have driven past on numerous occasions on the way to Trago or Bodmin. Turn off!! Nigel and I really enjoyed the village and the stained glass in the church windows is stunning.
The book is enjoyable and credible too!
The book is enjoyable and credible too!
February 11, 2012
This was a good, well written thriller and the plot was believable. However I too felt that the end was unsatisfying, the story sort of fizzled out. I feel that Goddard is getting a bit samey and it is hard to tell the difference between his main characters as I suspect that they are all him!
June 3, 2013
A real page turner that I could not put down.
However the last quarter of the book (the Italy part) just completely lost it for me. I had really enjoyed the dynamics of the family to that point.
A disappointing end or else I would have given this 5 stars....
However the last quarter of the book (the Italy part) just completely lost it for me. I had really enjoyed the dynamics of the family to that point.
A disappointing end or else I would have given this 5 stars....
December 27, 2008
Much ado about nothing. Unconvincing twisted plot with a huge anti-climax. I only gave it three stars because it had got me reading enough to finish it but a disappointment nevertheless.
July 30, 2012
Ultimately unsatisfying. Structured on the One Damn Thing After Another system, and when the reveal is revealed it raises at least as many questions as it answers.
December 15, 2016
Another great twist and turn form Robert Goddard....You never know where is books are going to go!
October 5, 2013
kind of like DaVinci Code, in search of a hidden relic, the ending a little too pat
July 14, 2021
SPOILERS!
I don't give synopsis. If you want to know what the book is about read the cover/synopsis.
I tell you if the book works or not, and if you've read it you'll either agree or not.
Ahem, let's begin.
This book didn't work for me. It set itself up as a historical mystery and did not deliver.
First off, this isn't a mystery you can solve. No piece of information given will lead you to solve the mystery. All reveals of what the clues mean are dependent on different characters telling you the "why". Also, you'll be a few steps ahead of the other characters when it comes to figuring what the characters should do next. These two reasons are why the novel, though written interestingly enough to not feel too sluggish, ultimately didn't work for me.
Imagine you are introduced to a Dan Brown novel (not my interest, but whatever), and then half way through you're pulled into an episode of Dynasty but on Coronation Street, and heavily inspired by the Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot's Christmas (turned into the movie Knives Out).
That's what this felt like. I felt like I was promised a caper involving antiquities and instead I got a feud over money involving many generations. The Doom Window is practically a McGuffin, and while learning a smattering of interesting tidbits of the British Civil war and Cathedrals, Goddard could have used almost anything for this caper. It could have been a grunting shining rock because the story catalyst hinges on the fact that a distant cousin is having money issues. That's it. Lost letters revealing the possible location of the McGuffin, references to Shakespeare, architecture, family bloodlines are all just smokescreens and don't bring you to a culprit until they practically throw themselves out. At the end, the villain is revealed, and nothing you read would have brought you to that conclusion even though it all fits with the evidence presented.
The deaths feel out of place as well:
A random car kills Nicks brother. Because.
His nephew commits suicide because...reasons. Shame? Okay. Maybe. It seemed to be a plot convenience more than anything.
The body in the basement of really seems out of place as well. The family patriarch, Michael Paleologus, retired archaeologist, randomly murdering someone in a money scheme seems laughable when the motives are revealed. Sure, anyone is capable of murder, but Michael had nothing to lose OR gain by murdering anyone.
I'll admit, I was tricked by my own bias in reading this. There is reference to Romeo and Juliet via the original story Tristan & Iseult, and since I HATE Romeo and Juliet (both due to the teenage romance garbage of it and the fact I had to play Mercutio in several iterations) I completely missed a huge red herring. (And for that I do thank you Mr. Goddard).
My biggest complaint about a book is if it doesn't play by it's own rules. And while this book didn't break it's own rules per se, it didn't hold its end of the bargain; there is murder afoot, and turn the page to solve it.
I don't recommend this book. It isn't bad in any way, but it didn't fill me with any kind of enthusiasm towards entering it as a footnote in my life.
I don't give synopsis. If you want to know what the book is about read the cover/synopsis.
I tell you if the book works or not, and if you've read it you'll either agree or not.
Ahem, let's begin.
This book didn't work for me. It set itself up as a historical mystery and did not deliver.
First off, this isn't a mystery you can solve. No piece of information given will lead you to solve the mystery. All reveals of what the clues mean are dependent on different characters telling you the "why". Also, you'll be a few steps ahead of the other characters when it comes to figuring what the characters should do next. These two reasons are why the novel, though written interestingly enough to not feel too sluggish, ultimately didn't work for me.
Imagine you are introduced to a Dan Brown novel (not my interest, but whatever), and then half way through you're pulled into an episode of Dynasty but on Coronation Street, and heavily inspired by the Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot's Christmas (turned into the movie Knives Out).
That's what this felt like. I felt like I was promised a caper involving antiquities and instead I got a feud over money involving many generations. The Doom Window is practically a McGuffin, and while learning a smattering of interesting tidbits of the British Civil war and Cathedrals, Goddard could have used almost anything for this caper. It could have been a grunting shining rock because the story catalyst hinges on the fact that a distant cousin is having money issues. That's it. Lost letters revealing the possible location of the McGuffin, references to Shakespeare, architecture, family bloodlines are all just smokescreens and don't bring you to a culprit until they practically throw themselves out. At the end, the villain is revealed, and nothing you read would have brought you to that conclusion even though it all fits with the evidence presented.
The deaths feel out of place as well:
A random car kills Nicks brother. Because.
His nephew commits suicide because...reasons. Shame? Okay. Maybe. It seemed to be a plot convenience more than anything.
The body in the basement of really seems out of place as well. The family patriarch, Michael Paleologus, retired archaeologist, randomly murdering someone in a money scheme seems laughable when the motives are revealed. Sure, anyone is capable of murder, but Michael had nothing to lose OR gain by murdering anyone.
I'll admit, I was tricked by my own bias in reading this. There is reference to Romeo and Juliet via the original story Tristan & Iseult, and since I HATE Romeo and Juliet (both due to the teenage romance garbage of it and the fact I had to play Mercutio in several iterations) I completely missed a huge red herring. (And for that I do thank you Mr. Goddard).
My biggest complaint about a book is if it doesn't play by it's own rules. And while this book didn't break it's own rules per se, it didn't hold its end of the bargain; there is murder afoot, and turn the page to solve it.
I don't recommend this book. It isn't bad in any way, but it didn't fill me with any kind of enthusiasm towards entering it as a footnote in my life.
October 26, 2017
AUTHOR...
ROBERT GODDARD...
CHARACTERS...
Michael Paleologus, Nick Palelogus, Andrew Paleologus, Basil Paleologus, Demetrius constantine Palelogus, Emily Braybourne, Tom, Anna, Irne and others...
LOCATION
CORNWELL...
GENRE...
MYSTERY ...
EARLIER ...
The story revolves around James, an ambivalent figure in the history of the Church, since to the Catholics the existence of sibilings of Christ is literally inconceivable, by reason of Mary's perpetual virginity. No dispassionate reading of the Gospels can leave any real doubt, however about James 's blood relation with Christ. They were brothers or half brothers, strictly speaking. James was plainly prominent disciple, if not an apostle.
During the forty days between the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ to Heaven, the risen Christ was several times asked by the apostles, when he would return in glory; when Kingdom of God would be inaugurated on Earth. Christ replied that it was not for men to know. But some believed he relented in the case of blood brother. Some believed he told James how many years would elapse before Christ came again.
James made a record of divine intelligence entrusted to him and have it secreted in some vault beneath the Temple of Constantine at the Holy Land in the form of a stone tablet written in Greek, until the Knights of Templers discovered the tablet. This stone tablet, because of the deteriorating situation in the Holy Land needed a secure respository , so the king of Richard of Cornwall built a castle at Tintagel to provide a hiding place for this Stone Tablet. Shortly afterwards, Ralph Valletort a loyal general of Richard sailed from Holy Land bound for Tintagel,carrying the stone tablet with him.But the Stone tablet never reached its destinatin. The Ship Ralph traveled sank eighty kilometers before the destination and the stone tablet was lost.
Since nobody except Ralph had seen the secret Tablet, he incorporated a reference to the secret in the Doom window at St.Neot. Due the civil war in Englad, the Doom window carrying the secret was removed in 1646,and was concealed in one of the wall of a old house at a small village named Trennor.
NOW...
Michael Paleologus,Digby Braybourne and Demetrius worked together on Tintagel archaeological excavations and found a hidden chamber beneath the main hall of Tintagel castle, understood such a chamber could be a repository for an article of great worth. The article had never arrived ofcourse. Even so the discovery of the hidden chamber raised lot of questions.
ROBERT GODDARD...
CHARACTERS...
Michael Paleologus, Nick Palelogus, Andrew Paleologus, Basil Paleologus, Demetrius constantine Palelogus, Emily Braybourne, Tom, Anna, Irne and others...
LOCATION
CORNWELL...
GENRE...
MYSTERY ...
EARLIER ...
The story revolves around James, an ambivalent figure in the history of the Church, since to the Catholics the existence of sibilings of Christ is literally inconceivable, by reason of Mary's perpetual virginity. No dispassionate reading of the Gospels can leave any real doubt, however about James 's blood relation with Christ. They were brothers or half brothers, strictly speaking. James was plainly prominent disciple, if not an apostle.
During the forty days between the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ to Heaven, the risen Christ was several times asked by the apostles, when he would return in glory; when Kingdom of God would be inaugurated on Earth. Christ replied that it was not for men to know. But some believed he relented in the case of blood brother. Some believed he told James how many years would elapse before Christ came again.
James made a record of divine intelligence entrusted to him and have it secreted in some vault beneath the Temple of Constantine at the Holy Land in the form of a stone tablet written in Greek, until the Knights of Templers discovered the tablet. This stone tablet, because of the deteriorating situation in the Holy Land needed a secure respository , so the king of Richard of Cornwall built a castle at Tintagel to provide a hiding place for this Stone Tablet. Shortly afterwards, Ralph Valletort a loyal general of Richard sailed from Holy Land bound for Tintagel,carrying the stone tablet with him.But the Stone tablet never reached its destinatin. The Ship Ralph traveled sank eighty kilometers before the destination and the stone tablet was lost.
Since nobody except Ralph had seen the secret Tablet, he incorporated a reference to the secret in the Doom window at St.Neot. Due the civil war in Englad, the Doom window carrying the secret was removed in 1646,and was concealed in one of the wall of a old house at a small village named Trennor.
NOW...
Michael Paleologus,Digby Braybourne and Demetrius worked together on Tintagel archaeological excavations and found a hidden chamber beneath the main hall of Tintagel castle, understood such a chamber could be a repository for an article of great worth. The article had never arrived ofcourse. Even so the discovery of the hidden chamber raised lot of questions.
February 4, 2020
Really enjoyed this page turner. Liked the way everything spiralled out of control for the main character, never knowing what was going to happen to him next: more twists and turns than I have come across in along time. Was any of it believable...no. Does that matter...no. The least believable element was the part played by Elspeth; her character at times had to be shoehorned back into the story. The final section, in Venice, was perhaps a little disappointing with Goddard trying to wrap up the plot; Terry’s flying visit was superfluous. But overall an enjoyable read and I will certainly be looking to enjoy more of Robert Goddard.
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