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Le Temps D'Un Autre
Robin Timariot est a la croisee des chemins. Son frere aine, Hugues, vient de deceder, et Robin doit decider s'il reste a la Commission europeenne a Bruxelles ou son avenir semble trace, ou s'il revient dans l'entreprise familiale que son frere dirigeait. Avant de trancher, Robin s'accorde quelques jours pour randonner seul sur la levee d'Offa, pres de Knighton. Sur un sentier, alors qu'il contemple le paysage, il croise une femme avec laquelle il echange quelques mots. Son air melancolique le trouble profondement et leur rencontre furtive commence a l'obseder. Quelques jours plus tard, il apprend qu'elle a ete violee et etranglee, le jour meme de leur rencontre, dans la maison d'un artiste repute. Choque et en proie a un sentiment de culpabilite, il se rend au commissariat sans se douter qu'il va etre propulse dans un sombre tourbillon de mort et de vengeance.Un infini plaisir de lecture ! The Times.Une atmosphere intensement menacante... un suspense decuple par les ombres de la trahison et de la vengeance. Daily Telegraph.Tous les titres de Robert Goddard sont au Livre de Poche.
600 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
92 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Robert Goddard
111 books874 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 133 reviews
May 10, 2023
Update: Finished now. Let’s just say that it is not his best. The plot is too convoluted for one thing.
Listening to John Telfer's narration of this novel that I read years ago and have almost forgotten.
Very good narration
Listening to John Telfer's narration of this novel that I read years ago and have almost forgotten.
Very good narration
December 7, 2022
I did not find this at all enthralling, everything seemed flat and was skim reading and losing concentration so much I hat toss it aside before finishing.
June 9, 2016
Books really are our friends, aren’t they? Sometimes they are a lifeline. Twice now a book has rescued me. Sounds like a bit of an exaggeration but it isn’t. In 2006 the top joint of the index finger of my right hand was chopped off. I was distressed of course and in pain and worrying about my typing speed, (The loss did actually slow me down from 65 to 56 wpm but that’s no longer a problem). I had a long night ahead of me but I had a good book. I had shoved it into my handbag on the off chance. It was the type of book I generally don’t read - a murder mystery. Death in Berlin by MM Kaye. It was great company that night. A real comfort.
And now we come to Robert Goddard. He is one of my main “holiday reads”. Books that I read when I want a rest from more demanding fiction or he is an author to read when I’m not well. The latter was the case. I came back from a cruise around NZ sick as a dog and have been sick for three weeks. During my frustration at not being able to read my normal fiction and definitely not being able to write, I buried my head in this book and it was a great escape, particularly the location.
Offa’s Dyke is a place in Southern England on the Welsh Border near where I worked in the mid 70s. It’s somewhere that I would have liked to walk and the main character Robin Timariot is doing just that in the summer of 1990. I love the way Goddard uses real places and an actual year not just a date for the murder. It really anchors the events so well.
Goddard is wonderful at descriptions. Take for instance:
“I went through the gate and out onto the ridge: a whale-backed expanse of grass and gorse, views to the north opening up as I gained height. Sheep were bleating everywhere, occasionally scattering as I came on them unawares. I passed two weary-looking walkers bound for Kington, who nodded in some kind of fellowship at the sight of my rucksack. Otherwise, my attention was reserved for the horizon of hill and forest, bathed in fading sunlight.”
And the scene is set for a brief encounter with enormous ramifications. It is one of the most mesmerising “What ifs” of fiction I have read. In short Robin meets a beautiful woman sitting alone on Hergest Ridge. They strike up a conversation, a very short but multi-layered conversation resulting in the woman offering Robin a lift. He politely refuses and continues his walking trip. She is murdered that night and as a result he is caught up in the murder investigation that follows.
Of course being a Robert Goddard novel there are lots of twists and turns, definitely one too many but what I enjoyed about this novel was the lives of the characters and the landscape through which they moved - Bristol and the Clifton Suspension bridge, the small villages, the family firm of cricket bat makers and the country houses. “The lawn was loud with grasshoppers. The plop-plop of a tennis game could be heard from beyond the neighbour’s fence. And a distant growl from the deep blue sky as a light plane towed a glider up into the thermals.” Some of the locations including the town of Steep are where the poet Edward Thomas lived and there are enigmatic quotes from his poetry. As a result of these quotes I am now seeking his poetry out. There is much to enjoy in this long leisurely holiday read.
And now we come to Robert Goddard. He is one of my main “holiday reads”. Books that I read when I want a rest from more demanding fiction or he is an author to read when I’m not well. The latter was the case. I came back from a cruise around NZ sick as a dog and have been sick for three weeks. During my frustration at not being able to read my normal fiction and definitely not being able to write, I buried my head in this book and it was a great escape, particularly the location.
Offa’s Dyke is a place in Southern England on the Welsh Border near where I worked in the mid 70s. It’s somewhere that I would have liked to walk and the main character Robin Timariot is doing just that in the summer of 1990. I love the way Goddard uses real places and an actual year not just a date for the murder. It really anchors the events so well.
Goddard is wonderful at descriptions. Take for instance:
“I went through the gate and out onto the ridge: a whale-backed expanse of grass and gorse, views to the north opening up as I gained height. Sheep were bleating everywhere, occasionally scattering as I came on them unawares. I passed two weary-looking walkers bound for Kington, who nodded in some kind of fellowship at the sight of my rucksack. Otherwise, my attention was reserved for the horizon of hill and forest, bathed in fading sunlight.”
And the scene is set for a brief encounter with enormous ramifications. It is one of the most mesmerising “What ifs” of fiction I have read. In short Robin meets a beautiful woman sitting alone on Hergest Ridge. They strike up a conversation, a very short but multi-layered conversation resulting in the woman offering Robin a lift. He politely refuses and continues his walking trip. She is murdered that night and as a result he is caught up in the murder investigation that follows.
Of course being a Robert Goddard novel there are lots of twists and turns, definitely one too many but what I enjoyed about this novel was the lives of the characters and the landscape through which they moved - Bristol and the Clifton Suspension bridge, the small villages, the family firm of cricket bat makers and the country houses. “The lawn was loud with grasshoppers. The plop-plop of a tennis game could be heard from beyond the neighbour’s fence. And a distant growl from the deep blue sky as a light plane towed a glider up into the thermals.” Some of the locations including the town of Steep are where the poet Edward Thomas lived and there are enigmatic quotes from his poetry. As a result of these quotes I am now seeking his poetry out. There is much to enjoy in this long leisurely holiday read.
October 9, 2018
This is my first sampling of Goddard's writing. I do have another one on deck ready to roll into. The writing is more refined than many murder mysteries with light brush strokes of poetry, the plot is complex and layered as it grows tentacles and surprising twists, but the characters are not endearing. The fact that you wonder what the heck these dummies are going to do next makes it a tad challenging to maintain the patience to get through the 400 plus pages without any humour relief.
Our main character works in Brussels to start with, but his family runs a cricket bat company in Steep, Hampshire that he eventually decides to come back to work for after the death of his older brother. While hiking on a work break he meets a striking older woman very briefly and discovers when he gets back to his mother's house that he may have been the last person to see that woman before she was brutally killed. He then becomes deeply involved in the solution to the crime whilst ignoring his own personal needs and career path as he has only one focus.
There aren't any characters to like, but there are more than enough to dislike. Time will tell if there is a pattern of painting men as saints and women as whores/misfits/psychotics. I don't mind saintly men as they are rare...but to the point of questioning sanity, not so sure.
Our main character works in Brussels to start with, but his family runs a cricket bat company in Steep, Hampshire that he eventually decides to come back to work for after the death of his older brother. While hiking on a work break he meets a striking older woman very briefly and discovers when he gets back to his mother's house that he may have been the last person to see that woman before she was brutally killed. He then becomes deeply involved in the solution to the crime whilst ignoring his own personal needs and career path as he has only one focus.
There aren't any characters to like, but there are more than enough to dislike. Time will tell if there is a pattern of painting men as saints and women as whores/misfits/psychotics. I don't mind saintly men as they are rare...but to the point of questioning sanity, not so sure.
October 23, 2022
Too slow. Too many red herrings. Skim read
June 29, 2012
Shall I compare the plot of this drama-mystery to a cricket match? Or maybe a hike through the twists and turns of the English countryside. It does take its time to unravel, but narrator Robin Timariot makes a pleasant enough companion, if not always forthcoming. It’s ironic that he makes so much of Paul Bryant’s affable reticence when that trait could very well be applied to him – he only hints, for instance, at the depth of his relationship with Bella. She turned out to be my favorite character, even though her side of the story stretched my credulity. It seemed more deus ex machina than genuine solution, but I suppose the journey had to end somehow. And since it’s the journey that counts, I’d say Goddard’s masterful storytelling kept propelling me forward. If only he would get better at his titles!
June 24, 2008
Great summer read! Loved the character development and multiple plot twists. While so many writers back themselves into a corner, Goddard did the opposite. He could have ended this book in half a dozen ways, and any one of them would have been believable and satisfying.
October 5, 2018
I have read quite a number of Robert Goddard's books over time but this one seems to have slipped under my net. It is narrated by Robin Timariot who is a EU Commission executive who is lured back to the family Cricket Bat manufactures, as works manager with a seat on the board of directors. His elder brother Adrian is up to no good trying to sell out to an Australian concern. Meanwhile Robin had been walking part of Offa's Dyke long distance footpath, where he meets the mysterious Lady Louise Paxton. He doesn't know it at the time but she is shortly to meet an artist friend and they will both be murdered. There is lots of intrigue within the family business and with the murders, as Robin becomes increasingly involved.
Although the pace of the story is not slow you feel as if the narrator is very precise and deliberate as he gives his account. Then just as the tale appears to reach a climax there is a twist and then yet more before you reach the surprising conclusion.
I liked a lot about this book, not least that the Cricket Bat factory and Steep, where Robin lives is but a dozen miles from my own home. Recommended read.
Although the pace of the story is not slow you feel as if the narrator is very precise and deliberate as he gives his account. Then just as the tale appears to reach a climax there is a twist and then yet more before you reach the surprising conclusion.
I liked a lot about this book, not least that the Cricket Bat factory and Steep, where Robin lives is but a dozen miles from my own home. Recommended read.
January 25, 2008
There are three types of mystery novels. The best of them grab you by the throat and pull you along. You give up eating and sleeping to get through them in one sitting. The worst of them can be encapsulized in a page and a half, you've figured out who the killer is in three sentences, and you can safely consign them to the fire without enduring the rest of the writing therein. The third type sits between the two. It's well-written enough, and fine while you're reading it, but you don't feel that compulsion to continue when something else beckons; you don't resent the phone ringing when you hear it. These are the good mysteries (as opposed to the great ones). Robert Goddard writes good mysteries. This is his eighth, the story of how a man on a hike's chance encounter with a beautiful woman gets him (and some members of his family) tangled up in her family's odd twists and turns. It's well plotted, moves along at a steady if not brisk pace, and there are enough satisfying twists and turns to keep the reader occupied. But it doesn't beg to be picked up every time it's put down. Perhaps the problem lies in Goddard's writing style, which is a bit on the thick side; perhaps it's just his characters, who always seem to be teetering on the brink of two-dimensionality without ever actually getting there (that, of course, is a charge that can be laid against many mysteries, including some of the best; Spillane's female characters, e.g., had all the depth of a lasagna noodle). Or perhaps, Borrowed Time just doesn't read as fast as some of its contemporaries. It's certainly not a bad novel, and mystery fans who have grown tired of reading the same authors over and over again might do well to refresh themselves with a dip in Goddard's pool. Just don't be expecting another Lehane, Parker, or Highsmith. ** 1/2
February 11, 2019
Somewhere between a 1-star and a 2-star, I'm rounding this up because it was at least 'readable' and I do acknowledge that it was more a case of this not being 'my kind of thing', as opposed to being a bad book.
But yes, I found this a slog. Full of inconceivably tedious co-incidences and irritatingly middle-class throughout, this novel follows a man after he finds himself involved in the murder of a woman he has a passing acquaintance with having spoken briefly to her prior to her murder whilst walking in the hills. From this grows an involvement with the mystery, her family and friends, some very dull business squabbles, more Deus ex machina than you can shake a stick at, twists and last-second heroism. It just to me seemed ridiculous - mainly because I just couldn't believe that someone would get so involved in something when initially so tangential to the events. I found the resources of money, time and insight unconvincingly endless, the cast of characters were almost without exception uninteresting and/or unlikeable, and Goddard's writing style kept turning to pretentious twaddle every five or ten pages - just a phrase or two, but a jarring phrase or two each time.
In the end I didn't so much as 'finish it' as 'waded from one end of the stupid bog to the other'. I am going to pre-emptively put a couple of other books by the same author (with this) in my charity donation bag. Not my kind of crime novel.
But yes, I found this a slog. Full of inconceivably tedious co-incidences and irritatingly middle-class throughout, this novel follows a man after he finds himself involved in the murder of a woman he has a passing acquaintance with having spoken briefly to her prior to her murder whilst walking in the hills. From this grows an involvement with the mystery, her family and friends, some very dull business squabbles, more Deus ex machina than you can shake a stick at, twists and last-second heroism. It just to me seemed ridiculous - mainly because I just couldn't believe that someone would get so involved in something when initially so tangential to the events. I found the resources of money, time and insight unconvincingly endless, the cast of characters were almost without exception uninteresting and/or unlikeable, and Goddard's writing style kept turning to pretentious twaddle every five or ten pages - just a phrase or two, but a jarring phrase or two each time.
In the end I didn't so much as 'finish it' as 'waded from one end of the stupid bog to the other'. I am going to pre-emptively put a couple of other books by the same author (with this) in my charity donation bag. Not my kind of crime novel.
May 3, 2009
Once again, a clever, twisting plot which I couldn't figure out right to the end.
However this time I was less than convinced. I found the characters, especially Robin, shallow and underdeveloped. I could not find any explanation for Robin's obsession for a woman with whom he only ever exchanged a couple of sentences, nor for Sarah and Paul's behaviour. I suppose the main characters were basically all lacking in depth.
A pity because Goddard knows how to think up a really good mystery.
However this time I was less than convinced. I found the characters, especially Robin, shallow and underdeveloped. I could not find any explanation for Robin's obsession for a woman with whom he only ever exchanged a couple of sentences, nor for Sarah and Paul's behaviour. I suppose the main characters were basically all lacking in depth.
A pity because Goddard knows how to think up a really good mystery.
January 16, 2016
I love reading Robert Goddard books because I know that as soon as I pick it up, it will be hard to put down. This one was no different and did not disappoint. It had lots of twists and turns and kept me reading until the very end. The characters are well developed and the plot was very realistic. I'm looking forward to reading my next Goddard book. I highly recommend it to lovers of suspense and mystery.
May 10, 2020
The introduction to my first Robert Goddard book, it won't be my last. I thought I figured out the story, but I was mostly mistaken. What happens when you meet a beautiful woman when you are walking a trail? Robin is unable to forget this stranger and is therefore pulled into her dysfunctional family. I definitely recommend
September 18, 2023
Virtually impossible to put down, this must be the best Goddard-book I've read (i.e., making it one of the best mystery/suspense/thrillers I know :-)). A random short encounter and a grisly double killing is followed by the involvement of the main character in a sequence of events where seemingly small decisions have life-altering consequences. And of course, nothing is quite what it seems.
March 5, 2022
Robert Goddard is one of those writers you know will keep you guessing and this book is no different. There is a fantastic sense of time and place and you get to know his characters well.
My biggest issue here is that I really didn’t like any of the characters and found Robin’s determination to involve himself in the life of the other family extremely strange. There are certain novels where the outsider character does this in a more reasoned way but here it felt a bit unlikely.
Still a good book though, that I read in 2 sittings.
My biggest issue here is that I really didn’t like any of the characters and found Robin’s determination to involve himself in the life of the other family extremely strange. There are certain novels where the outsider character does this in a more reasoned way but here it felt a bit unlikely.
Still a good book though, that I read in 2 sittings.
June 11, 2021
A good yarn. Plot twists right to the end. Almost 4 stars, but too much flowery language.
December 27, 2021
Plot twists. Lots of plot twists.
August 21, 2023
Blindsided by the many twists and turns of the story but it took a while for the plot to pick the fuck up.
July 31, 2025
Robert Goddard was one of my favourite authors but I haven't read any of his books for many years. I picked this up randomly and was a bit disappointed.
It's an interesting premise that all the men in the book project their views/desires/expectations on the woman who dies in the first few pages! Most of them never knew her but filled in the gaps in their own way, leading to at least three different versions of the story of her murder.
I almost gave up reading this but then got into the story. Better at the end and on reflection afterwards.
It's an interesting premise that all the men in the book project their views/desires/expectations on the woman who dies in the first few pages! Most of them never knew her but filled in the gaps in their own way, leading to at least three different versions of the story of her murder.
I almost gave up reading this but then got into the story. Better at the end and on reflection afterwards.
June 26, 2023
I am halfway through the book, so my rating is not really fair. But so far it's been a drag.I picked up this book after reading the goodreads review but I am totally disappointed. I can't understand where the whole thing is going?? Robin meets a lady,a stranger during his walk,makes little conversation with her and goes on his way. Once back, he discovers the lady he met is murdered...And the murderer is caught and convicted.
It's supposed to be a mystery/thriller.. but there's nothing gripping about the novel. The characters are nowhere near to being mysterious or interesting. Louise Paxton is supposed to be ( the lady murdered) but i find nothing mystifying about her or her death.
I picked the book assuming it will be a thorough entertainer but now I am very tempted to stop it halfway and return it back to the library.
But I shall continue because I hate leaving any book I start unfinished.The plot is supposed to pick up in the second half.. I hope it does !
I'll come back here to change the rating if it turns out to be good in the end.
Alright, i finished it. The pace did pick up in the second half. But the end was pretty disappointing. Like i have rated, it is just OK.
It's supposed to be a mystery/thriller.. but there's nothing gripping about the novel. The characters are nowhere near to being mysterious or interesting. Louise Paxton is supposed to be ( the lady murdered) but i find nothing mystifying about her or her death.
I picked the book assuming it will be a thorough entertainer but now I am very tempted to stop it halfway and return it back to the library.
But I shall continue because I hate leaving any book I start unfinished.The plot is supposed to pick up in the second half.. I hope it does !
I'll come back here to change the rating if it turns out to be good in the end.
Alright, i finished it. The pace did pick up in the second half. But the end was pretty disappointing. Like i have rated, it is just OK.
March 1, 2009
Having finished reading my trip-book on the way to my parents' house, I asked my mom to lend me a book while I was visiting, something somewhat suspenseful that would keep my attention. She had just read this book and recommended it, although she has liked other books by this author better. I had a lot of free time and therefore got through it pretty quickly, and it did the job that it was supposed to do. I think there are books that I qualify as "stuck" books--- good for if you're stuck at an airport, at your parents' house, in the hospital, etc. As in, not something you'd choose if you had greater choice, but entertaining enough.
So, if you're stuck somewhere and want to read a mystery book with lots of surprise twists in it, you could do worse.
So, if you're stuck somewhere and want to read a mystery book with lots of surprise twists in it, you could do worse.
June 14, 2011
Once again, Goddard managed to keep me flipping the pages because of his intelligent characters, interesting commentary, solid plot and ingenious twists. What I appreciated about Borrowed Time is that it starts with a single event (in this case, a bit of small talk between two strangers) and expands it into a plot that stretches into the past and future. The central event is always the narrative's reference point, which prevents the story from getting too unbalanced and, furthermore, always makes the ending quite satisfying. The various elements, such as impressionist art, the protagonist's struggling family-run cricket manufacturing firm and the complex, wealthy and secretive family of the victim were all weaved into this twisty, well plotted mystery.
May 23, 2012
Though not as consistently engaging as his Past Caring or as emotionally interesting as Pale Battalions, Goddard manages to squeeze in as many twists and turns as possible in this thriller. In fact, by the end, I have to admit I had lost track of which crime we were trying to solve, and if the original accused murderer who was later shown to be innocent but who it turns out had actually confessed to the crime but had been hired unknowingly to kill the victim, but not before he had been betrayed by ... you see what I mean? Still, a worthwhile beach or airport read.
September 27, 2012
Excellent vacation read for the mystery lover. The writing is uniformly pleasant and the plot twists are really well done. I particularly liked the way that I kept forming and reforming an opinion of the victim's character, as the facts were reinterpreted in light of new information. It made me think about how often we do make character judgments on incomplete information based on what is plausible in light of the information known. And the book is available on Kindle from the library; what could be better! I will definitely look for more books by him.
September 22, 2017
Checking back I did read a book by this author a couple of years back and wasn't particularly impressed. This one hasn't impressed me much either, there were plenty of twist and turns to keep you guessing, I didn't see them coming, but the whole way through I just kept thinking why is this man getting so involved with s family after one chance meeting, and a very brief exchange. It just didn't feel right to me.
December 22, 2017
Händelserna utspelar sig i Wessex, Bristol, Petersfield och Offas Dyke, Wales.
Berättare är EU-tjänstemannen Robin Timariot, 35ish. Övriga personer: Hans syskon Adrian, Jenny och Simon som tillsammans äger ett företag som tillverkar slagträn för cricket. Övriga personer: Bella, svägerska och familjen Paxton. Louise Paxton och konstnären Oscar Bantock hittas mördade.
Ganska dålig historia och omständlig. Slutet ett riktigt antiklimax. Ej översatt till svenska och det kan man förstå.
Berättare är EU-tjänstemannen Robin Timariot, 35ish. Övriga personer: Hans syskon Adrian, Jenny och Simon som tillsammans äger ett företag som tillverkar slagträn för cricket. Övriga personer: Bella, svägerska och familjen Paxton. Louise Paxton och konstnären Oscar Bantock hittas mördade.
Ganska dålig historia och omständlig. Slutet ett riktigt antiklimax. Ej översatt till svenska och det kan man förstå.
October 14, 2015
This wasn't the first Goddard book I read so I'd expected a bit more than this. There were the trademark twists and turns but since these were easily anticipated, I'd hoped for something special. However it was pretty much what you'd find in any other book of this genre. Entertaining but nothing more.
November 5, 2024
A very convoluted plot that took concentration to follow, maybe just one twist too many. Also, Robin has a chance meeting with Louise and becomes slightly obsessed with her, so much so that he becomes mixed up with the family she left behind - he was effectively a stalker except the woman he is stalking is deceased.
June 16, 2013
I normally like Robert Goddard's books as they usually have a fantastic twist. This was not one of his good ones. I found the main character unlikeable and the story pretty pedestrian. I wouldn't recommend this one.
December 1, 2014
Good suspense as always from Robert Goddard. Didn't warm to the self absorbed lead with a fixation about a woman he had only met for two minutes. Found the story a little creepy as it was set in an area where I used to live so recognised all the landmarks.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews