Goodbye Again

by Joseph Hone

Ben Contini, a disenchanted painter of considerable talent, has just buried his mother. Rifling through the attic of her Kilkenny house he stumbles across a Modigliani nude, worth millions. Determined to learn the provenance of the painting, he and Elsa, a disturbed and secretive woman who accosts him at the funeral, become embroiled in the sinister world of Nazi art theft. But they are not the only one with an interest in the painting… Together they set off on a frantic journey that leads them from Dublin to France via the Cotswolds, down the Canal du Midi into Italy. The intrigue surrounding the shadowy half-truths about their exotic families becomes increasingly sinister as Ben and Elsa are forced to confront their pasts and their buried demons. Set in the 1980s, this is a fantastic new book from established thriller writer Joseph Hone, who weaves a breathless, galloping intrigue packed with narrative twists and sumptuous evocations of Europe’s forgotten past.

Genres: Fiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Joseph Hone (b. 1937) is a British author of spy novels. Born in London, he was sent to Dublin in 1939, and spent most of the next two decades living in Ireland. His first novel, The Private Sector (1971), introduced the globetrotting spy Peter Marlow—the character for whom Hone would become best known. Set during the Six Day War, The Private Sector was well received by critics, who have compared it to the work of Eric Ambler, Len Deighton, and John le Carré. Hone published three more titles in the series—The Sixth Directorate (1975), The Flowers of the Forest (1980), and The Valley of the Fox (1982)—before moving on to other work.

In addition to his espionage fiction, Hone has found success in travel writing. His most recent books include Wicked Little Joe (2009), a memoir, and Goodbye Again (2011).

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, in my opinion the author wasted fine potential for a brilliant story.
First off, the story started off with excellently, teasing a five-star rating by book's end. However, Hone foolishly went ahead and ruined the plotline with a story nobody asked for, least of all me. What ruined it? Nazi hunting. No joke, Nazi Hunting. FFS!
Also, because of this stupid plot direction, the book ended up being at least 70 pages too long, but that's opinion.
Another peeve I have with this book is that the dialogue between Ben and Elsa, and other characters, can become rambling, exposition-heavy and state the obvious as if the reader were a child. Totally unnatural.
Honestly my favourite character in the book is the Modi Nude, it might be an inanimate object, but I felt more of an emotional connection to the painting than I did towards the other characters in this novel.

[Mim-Is-Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tragic.