What do you think?
Rate this book
Umiko Wada #2
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction
Umiko Wada never set out to be a private detective, let alone become the one-woman operation behind the Kodaka Detective Agency. But so it has turned out, thanks to the death of her former boss, Kazuto Kodaka, in mysterious circumstances.
Keen to avoid a similar fate, Wada chooses the cases she takes very carefully. A businessman who wants her to track down his estranged son offers what appears to be a straightforward assignment. Soon she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy with links to a twenty-seven-year-old investigation by her late employer and to the chaos and trauma of the dying days of the Second World War.
As Wada uncovers a dizzying web of connections between then and now, it becomes clear that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the past buried. Soon those she loves most will be sucked into the orbit of one of the most powerful men in Tokyo. And he will do whatever it takes to hold on to his power...
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is another tour de force from the cunning mind of master storyteller Robert Goddard. Spanning seventy years, it takes the reader on a head-spinning journey of twist and counter-twist which keep you guessing until the final pages.
Keen to avoid a similar fate, Wada chooses the cases she takes very carefully. A businessman who wants her to track down his estranged son offers what appears to be a straightforward assignment. Soon she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy with links to a twenty-seven-year-old investigation by her late employer and to the chaos and trauma of the dying days of the Second World War.
As Wada uncovers a dizzying web of connections between then and now, it becomes clear that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the past buried. Soon those she loves most will be sucked into the orbit of one of the most powerful men in Tokyo. And he will do whatever it takes to hold on to his power...
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is another tour de force from the cunning mind of master storyteller Robert Goddard. Spanning seventy years, it takes the reader on a head-spinning journey of twist and counter-twist which keep you guessing until the final pages.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 2023
297 people are currently reading
1112 people want to read
About the author
Robert Goddard
106 books863 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
July 20, 2025
Another very enjoyable crime mystery from Robert Goddard, which is full of his trademark multiple angles, characters and clever plotting with believable storylines.
This is the second volume that features Japanese private detective Umiko Wada. Both she and the setting in Japan are very well done and opens up an excellent vein of crime mysteries for Goddard building on Japan's rich tradition and vein in this genre.
Wada - as she prefers to be called by clients, friends and acquaintances - is brought in to solve a disappearance of an estranged son of a wealthy businessman. For the one-woman owner-employee of the Kodaka Detective Agency this looks like a simple and fairly mundane case. But, as Wada finds out there are connections to her now deceased boss's work some thirty years ago, as well as events stretching from 2022 (the book's main setting) back to the end of WWII when Japan was under American occupation.
As she digs deeper Wada uncovers key events and becomes connected to various people all looking at specific events and items. These people and especially the items may lead her further to locate the missing son, but as the course becomes ever winding and more complex it is clear that for Wada and others it is a treacherous path that is not all what is seems and it is not without much personal risk.
This is the second volume that features Japanese private detective Umiko Wada. Both she and the setting in Japan are very well done and opens up an excellent vein of crime mysteries for Goddard building on Japan's rich tradition and vein in this genre.
Wada - as she prefers to be called by clients, friends and acquaintances - is brought in to solve a disappearance of an estranged son of a wealthy businessman. For the one-woman owner-employee of the Kodaka Detective Agency this looks like a simple and fairly mundane case. But, as Wada finds out there are connections to her now deceased boss's work some thirty years ago, as well as events stretching from 2022 (the book's main setting) back to the end of WWII when Japan was under American occupation.
As she digs deeper Wada uncovers key events and becomes connected to various people all looking at specific events and items. These people and especially the items may lead her further to locate the missing son, but as the course becomes ever winding and more complex it is clear that for Wada and others it is a treacherous path that is not all what is seems and it is not without much personal risk.
June 1, 2025
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the second book in the Umiko Wada series by award-winning, best-selling British author, Robert Goddard. Three years after her boss at the Kodaka Detective Agency was murdered, Umiko Wada has earned herself a reputation as a confidential, low key, effective investigator. Fumito Nagata would prefer to deal with Kodaka, but will settle for Wada because of that. He wants her to find his estranged son, Manjiro Nagata, or at least, check that the man is alive and well.
While she initially fails to locate him, she quickly establishes that he is absent from his home rather than reclusive. But following up every tiny scrap of a lead, she learns that a civil servant who was making enquiries about Manjiro is also missing. And Daiju Endo’s story, once she learns the details, is even more enigmatic, involving an earthquake “sensitive” and a wealthy filmmaker with a dubious history that extends back to the final days of WW2. Wada is unaware that Kazuto Kodaka had cases involving the same people almost three decades earlier.
Back in 1995, Kodaka had been asked by construction industry heir, Teruki Jinno to discover the recipient of the twenty-five million yen paid out of his late father’s bank account annually for almost fifty years. Kodaka’s first instinct leans towards blackmail, but information from his carefully cultivated sources leads in a different direction. A Californian wine grower, the angry American owner of a bar for US servicemen and an earthquake research centre are all important parts of the plot.
In 2022, Wada is unwittingly stepping in Kodaka’s 1995 footsteps; each of them has to consider taking a case for a client they are reluctant to serve; each finds they have a tail they need to lose; they variously rely on the expertise or inside knowledge of a bank employee, a journalist, a sound technician, a lawyer, and a road transport bureau employee.
Two clients terminate Wada’s contract before she reaches her objective; twice she is rescued from mortal danger by an unexpected saviour; Wada travels to California, witnesses two murders, and the final body count is not inconsiderable.
Goddard provides a useful (and quite necessary) character list at the start to help keep track of the many characters. He manages to convey his setting, both in Tokyo and California, with consummate ease. There’s plenty of excellent detective work, some dark humour, and not a few twists and red herrings. Fans can only hope that Goddard has more of this brave, smart and persistent protagonist and her support cast up his literary sleeve. An addictive series.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld
While she initially fails to locate him, she quickly establishes that he is absent from his home rather than reclusive. But following up every tiny scrap of a lead, she learns that a civil servant who was making enquiries about Manjiro is also missing. And Daiju Endo’s story, once she learns the details, is even more enigmatic, involving an earthquake “sensitive” and a wealthy filmmaker with a dubious history that extends back to the final days of WW2. Wada is unaware that Kazuto Kodaka had cases involving the same people almost three decades earlier.
Back in 1995, Kodaka had been asked by construction industry heir, Teruki Jinno to discover the recipient of the twenty-five million yen paid out of his late father’s bank account annually for almost fifty years. Kodaka’s first instinct leans towards blackmail, but information from his carefully cultivated sources leads in a different direction. A Californian wine grower, the angry American owner of a bar for US servicemen and an earthquake research centre are all important parts of the plot.
In 2022, Wada is unwittingly stepping in Kodaka’s 1995 footsteps; each of them has to consider taking a case for a client they are reluctant to serve; each finds they have a tail they need to lose; they variously rely on the expertise or inside knowledge of a bank employee, a journalist, a sound technician, a lawyer, and a road transport bureau employee.
Two clients terminate Wada’s contract before she reaches her objective; twice she is rescued from mortal danger by an unexpected saviour; Wada travels to California, witnesses two murders, and the final body count is not inconsiderable.
Goddard provides a useful (and quite necessary) character list at the start to help keep track of the many characters. He manages to convey his setting, both in Tokyo and California, with consummate ease. There’s plenty of excellent detective work, some dark humour, and not a few twists and red herrings. Fans can only hope that Goddard has more of this brave, smart and persistent protagonist and her support cast up his literary sleeve. An addictive series.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld
April 8, 2024
This is the second book in the series featuring the fabulous Umiko Wada, a very different type of detective based in Tokyo in the agency previously run by her now deceased former boss, Kazuto Kodaka and not afraid to tackle the kind of cases that, as a slightly built woman in her 50s, she should maybe leave well alone.
Goddard really brings to life this terrific character. She's brave, resourceful, contemplative and brings calm to tense and dangerous situations, working out the best ways forward without resorting to panic.
In this case, Wada is tasked with finding the whereabouts of the missing son of a successful entrepreneur, but is pulled into a darker, more sinister world of blackmail and murder linked to Japan's difficult immediate post war years and centred around the enigmatic but shady 94 year old Rinzaki.
Wada finds herself following in Kodaka's footsteps as she traces a route through the evidence that brings her almost in line with a case that he was working on years before with distinct similarities and too many coincidences to ignore.
I found the plot quite difficult to follow - you have to have your wits about you to keep up with a range of characters and two different but linked scenarios and I did think the story was a little over long and especially drawn out at the end. That said, this is a different read and introduces, for me, a unique background, a taste of Japanese culture that Goddard obviously knows a lot about and some lovely side characters, including Wada's grumbling mother and her former sumo wrestler lodger. Well worth a read but you need to keep your brain in gear to follow what is going on.
Goddard really brings to life this terrific character. She's brave, resourceful, contemplative and brings calm to tense and dangerous situations, working out the best ways forward without resorting to panic.
In this case, Wada is tasked with finding the whereabouts of the missing son of a successful entrepreneur, but is pulled into a darker, more sinister world of blackmail and murder linked to Japan's difficult immediate post war years and centred around the enigmatic but shady 94 year old Rinzaki.
Wada finds herself following in Kodaka's footsteps as she traces a route through the evidence that brings her almost in line with a case that he was working on years before with distinct similarities and too many coincidences to ignore.
I found the plot quite difficult to follow - you have to have your wits about you to keep up with a range of characters and two different but linked scenarios and I did think the story was a little over long and especially drawn out at the end. That said, this is a different read and introduces, for me, a unique background, a taste of Japanese culture that Goddard obviously knows a lot about and some lovely side characters, including Wada's grumbling mother and her former sumo wrestler lodger. Well worth a read but you need to keep your brain in gear to follow what is going on.
August 14, 2023
The good news is you don't need to have read the first one of this series to pick up who's who and what's going on because it's a completely different story.
This time Wada becomes embroiled in a mystery that, at first, seems quite simple - find a missing son. However when that starts getting more difficult and is followed with a other disappearance Wada is pointed in the direction of a case that her late boss, Kodaka, investigated in 1995.
It does get a bit complicated but, as usual, my advice is not to stress about all the characters just enjoy the story and it'll all work out in the end.
I find Wada a thoroughly engaging character probably because she's very organised and doesn't put up with any flannel from anyone (except perhaps her mother -- although how she hasn't sounded off at the brother who dispenses wisdom from thousands of miles away is anyone's guess).
Anyway, the two cases do dovetail and there's a satisfactory end. We get to learn more about Kodaka and Wada and there's quite a lot of racing about so the story clips along quite nicely.
I also enjoyed it a bit more because Goddard uses Japanese phrases (albeit in the romanised version) and since I'm trying to learn Japanese I was delighted to find I knew what everything meant without one single Google.
Thoroughly enjoyed this second outing for Wada and I look forward to a third perhaps? I'll keep my fingers crossed. No really gory buts, good plot, interesting characters, a bit of history thrown in. Almost perfect. I'd recommend this to anyone.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the advance review copy.
This time Wada becomes embroiled in a mystery that, at first, seems quite simple - find a missing son. However when that starts getting more difficult and is followed with a other disappearance Wada is pointed in the direction of a case that her late boss, Kodaka, investigated in 1995.
It does get a bit complicated but, as usual, my advice is not to stress about all the characters just enjoy the story and it'll all work out in the end.
I find Wada a thoroughly engaging character probably because she's very organised and doesn't put up with any flannel from anyone (except perhaps her mother -- although how she hasn't sounded off at the brother who dispenses wisdom from thousands of miles away is anyone's guess).
Anyway, the two cases do dovetail and there's a satisfactory end. We get to learn more about Kodaka and Wada and there's quite a lot of racing about so the story clips along quite nicely.
I also enjoyed it a bit more because Goddard uses Japanese phrases (albeit in the romanised version) and since I'm trying to learn Japanese I was delighted to find I knew what everything meant without one single Google.
Thoroughly enjoyed this second outing for Wada and I look forward to a third perhaps? I'll keep my fingers crossed. No really gory buts, good plot, interesting characters, a bit of history thrown in. Almost perfect. I'd recommend this to anyone.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the advance review copy.
November 28, 2023
This goes truly uncanny as per title and too sordid for how the crime involved with both blackmailing and unexpected missing persons/murder series. I followed Umiko Wada in her journey as a private detective after taking over the agency from her former boss, Kazuto Kodaka who has passed away 3 years ago in a mysterious incident. When a renowned businessman wants her to track down his estranged son, she finds herself pulled into a labyrinthine conspiracy with links to a 20 year old investigation that has brought the chaos and trauma of the dying days in the WWII. Someone has gone extraordinary lengths to keep the past buried and now it’s up to Wada to unravel the complot before it taken a toll and affected her life as well her own family.
The plot goes back and forth in between 2022 and 1995 having both Wada and Kodaka’s perspective when he was still around and handling a related case for the same client as Wada. A bleak almost hardboiled-noir alike setting that was appealing much to me for its quietude and mysterious vibes— bit suspense at times and its twisty blackmailing case really intrigued me on the whydunnit making me go wonder on the motive and its relation to all the missing persons, sudden death and those threats that Wada received.
Although I did not read book 1 yet, reading Kodaka’s narrative gets me invested much on his character. I like that his part involved on the Kobe earthquake incident as well glimpses on few historical events that happened during the American occupation in 1940s. Of one’s immorality and selfishness with a grim reflection from post-war and power abuse, bit on familial conflict and drama in Wada’s narrative that attention grabbing much to me esp for her interactions with Tago.
Not much of red herrings or guessing needed for the villain— a bit taken aback during the last scene and how it ended, wish it can be more thrills and tense but considering how it involved a dirty business plot and threats I guess the ending was kind of expected. Love that Kodaka’s revelation in 2011 chapter; might go with book 1 later for more of Wada’s backstory!
3.8/5 stars.
Thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!
The plot goes back and forth in between 2022 and 1995 having both Wada and Kodaka’s perspective when he was still around and handling a related case for the same client as Wada. A bleak almost hardboiled-noir alike setting that was appealing much to me for its quietude and mysterious vibes— bit suspense at times and its twisty blackmailing case really intrigued me on the whydunnit making me go wonder on the motive and its relation to all the missing persons, sudden death and those threats that Wada received.
Although I did not read book 1 yet, reading Kodaka’s narrative gets me invested much on his character. I like that his part involved on the Kobe earthquake incident as well glimpses on few historical events that happened during the American occupation in 1940s. Of one’s immorality and selfishness with a grim reflection from post-war and power abuse, bit on familial conflict and drama in Wada’s narrative that attention grabbing much to me esp for her interactions with Tago.
Not much of red herrings or guessing needed for the villain— a bit taken aback during the last scene and how it ended, wish it can be more thrills and tense but considering how it involved a dirty business plot and threats I guess the ending was kind of expected. Love that Kodaka’s revelation in 2011 chapter; might go with book 1 later for more of Wada’s backstory!
3.8/5 stars.
Thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!
September 17, 2023
This is a very emotional and powerful story about past deeds and the present consequences, secrets and lies, two generations and their values. It is about history and how one person can change its course. Umiko Wada is one of my favorite detectives, she is not beautiful, young and flashy, no, Wada is middle age, she is invisible to the common man, she does not give up in the pursuit of the truth, is ruled by a strict code of conduct, has an impeccable work ethic and is never afraid to act. Wada is different…she is a force to be reckoned with.
Whether you want to call Goddard a master storyteller, wordsmith or in this case sensei, the author possess the gift of carefully and skillfully intertwining ten stories or more, making them all thrilling and exciting while creating memorable characters in each one. Goddard is that good. His books are immersed in history, he let history define the plot and the characters.
In my review of the first installment I suggested Wada-san was too good of a character to be confined to only one book, this is the second book in the series and I cannot wait for the next. Wada/Goddard has a way of making everything difficult look effortless.
Whether you want to call Goddard a master storyteller, wordsmith or in this case sensei, the author possess the gift of carefully and skillfully intertwining ten stories or more, making them all thrilling and exciting while creating memorable characters in each one. Goddard is that good. His books are immersed in history, he let history define the plot and the characters.
In my review of the first installment I suggested Wada-san was too good of a character to be confined to only one book, this is the second book in the series and I cannot wait for the next. Wada/Goddard has a way of making everything difficult look effortless.
August 21, 2023
Wada now runs the Kodaka detective agency now Kodaka is dead. She is hired by a father whose son is missing, his apartment made to look occupied. Then Endo a civil servant is missing. Wada’s search takes her to California where things fall apart. The missing link is a file of names (the ‘asset’) of children and their adoptive parents, the children being orphaned in the war: big money is involved and blackmail. As usual with Goddard the plot twists and turns and is hard to follow to a Westerner because there is a long list of characters, who appear as a glossary at the beginning – a great help on hard copy but on Kindle it’s a pain checking on those difficult to remember names. The plot itself is a challenge enough let alone the characters. I struggled through to the end but didn’t enjoy this book as much as others of Goddard.
October 3, 2024
Actually quite good, plenty of twists and turns and I’m not talking about the streets of Tokyo
September 11, 2023
Two timelines, two (or more) storylines, and a long list of characters. The twist at the end is less surprising than usual for Goddard.
October 12, 2025
This was all right. The writing was quite workmanlike, but the mystery was constructed well enough that it wasn't a chore to get through.
December 22, 2023
Robert Goddard’s novel “The Fine Art of Invisible Detection” was an absolutely mind-blowing piece of detective fiction; a globetrotting adventure that featured the uniquely engaging detective, Umiko Wada, and which became a smash hit following its inclusion on BBC2’s “Between the Covers” a few years ago. I only came to the novel this year (after having it on my shelf for a long time!) and I was shocked by how perfectly constructed it was. Goddard’s characters and world were expertly realised, while the characters were fleshed out and engaging. I was eager to dive in and read more Umiko Wada, so it was a happy accident then, that the sequel, “The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction” was released earlier this year.
This second novel featuring detective Umiko Wada ticks all of the same boxes as its predecessor. Boasting an intricate mystery, though scaling back the globetrotting from “Invisible Detection,” this sequel expands both the world and the characters in ways I hadn’t really expected. Picking up a few years after the events of the first novel, we find that Umiko Wada is still running the detective agency founded by her former employer, Kazuro Kodaka, and sees her pulled into a new mystery that feels much closer to home. Goddard then flips things by introducing a second narrative set in 1995 starring Kodaka himself. Kodaka was more of a spectral presence in “Invisible Detection,” so it was especially fun to see him make a broader appearance in “Uncanny Prediction.” Effectively serving as the story’s second lead, Kodaka is undertaking a similarly standard mystery, which starts to become deeper as the novel progresses.
There is a nice payoff towards the end and some great tying up of loose threads, but Goddard really excels at presenting us with two parallel stories starring two detectives who are clearly cut from the same cloth. Wada’s experiences in “Invisible Detection,” along with her training under Kodaka, inform the kind of investigator she is, while we can see that Kodaka is a colder, more calculating detective. There feels like there is more humanity in Wada’s methodology than in Kodaka’s, but both are prime examples of excellent investigators.
I did not want “The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction” to end. At just over 400 pages, it is a fairly standard size and is paced rapidly with short chapters allowing you to flit back and forth between the two protagonists. I only hope that there is more Umiko Wada in Robert Goddard’s writing future – and I wouldn’t mind if he found some way for Kazuro Kodaka to pop back in for a bit, too.
This second novel featuring detective Umiko Wada ticks all of the same boxes as its predecessor. Boasting an intricate mystery, though scaling back the globetrotting from “Invisible Detection,” this sequel expands both the world and the characters in ways I hadn’t really expected. Picking up a few years after the events of the first novel, we find that Umiko Wada is still running the detective agency founded by her former employer, Kazuro Kodaka, and sees her pulled into a new mystery that feels much closer to home. Goddard then flips things by introducing a second narrative set in 1995 starring Kodaka himself. Kodaka was more of a spectral presence in “Invisible Detection,” so it was especially fun to see him make a broader appearance in “Uncanny Prediction.” Effectively serving as the story’s second lead, Kodaka is undertaking a similarly standard mystery, which starts to become deeper as the novel progresses.
There is a nice payoff towards the end and some great tying up of loose threads, but Goddard really excels at presenting us with two parallel stories starring two detectives who are clearly cut from the same cloth. Wada’s experiences in “Invisible Detection,” along with her training under Kodaka, inform the kind of investigator she is, while we can see that Kodaka is a colder, more calculating detective. There feels like there is more humanity in Wada’s methodology than in Kodaka’s, but both are prime examples of excellent investigators.
I did not want “The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction” to end. At just over 400 pages, it is a fairly standard size and is paced rapidly with short chapters allowing you to flit back and forth between the two protagonists. I only hope that there is more Umiko Wada in Robert Goddard’s writing future – and I wouldn’t mind if he found some way for Kazuro Kodaka to pop back in for a bit, too.
July 21, 2023
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the follow up to The Fine Art of Invisible Detection featuring Umiko Wada who has now taken over the Detective Agency based in Tokyo following her boss Kodaka's death.
There were two timelines and two storylines going on which I wont rehash One from Wada from 2022 and one from Kodaka, several years ago and a complex storyline linking the two.
I enjoyed this book, but it took me a bit longer longer than usual to read, not really sure why or if I just read it too late at night. I found the glossary of characters really useful as there were quite a few characters in the book and occasionally had to remind myself who they were. I did wonder if this might happen as haven't read many books which list all the characters and a little of their background at the beginning.
I'd rate this book with 4/5 stars and would be very keen to read any other books by Robert Goddard, who is a great storyteller.
A big thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book
There were two timelines and two storylines going on which I wont rehash One from Wada from 2022 and one from Kodaka, several years ago and a complex storyline linking the two.
I enjoyed this book, but it took me a bit longer longer than usual to read, not really sure why or if I just read it too late at night. I found the glossary of characters really useful as there were quite a few characters in the book and occasionally had to remind myself who they were. I did wonder if this might happen as haven't read many books which list all the characters and a little of their background at the beginning.
I'd rate this book with 4/5 stars and would be very keen to read any other books by Robert Goddard, who is a great storyteller.
A big thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book
August 23, 2023
Normally a mystery plot with plenty of characters and a complicated story is kind of hard to follow and can make me feel impatient and disinterested in the book. But The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction though containing both a multitude of characters and an intricate plot, has a precise and intriguing narration that makes it hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind of action as Umiko Wada, the tenacious detective from Tokyo, tries to solve the latest case that has arrived at the Kodaka Detective Agency.
Although the book is the second installment in the Umiko Wada series, it can be read as a stand alone book. Umiko Wada is managing the Kodaka Detective Agency after the untimely death of her employer, Kazuto Kodaka. She is organized, immaculate, persistent and nothing but efficient in uncovering the truth when dealing with all her cases, which has made her more successful than perhaps Kodaka too. When a wealthy businessman comes to her seeking her help in locating his missing son, it leads her on a labyrinthine trail that takes her to California. Wada is after an ancient secret asset that many other parties are also seeking and they will stop at nothing until they lay their hands on it. The narration also follows a case that Kodaka was looking into in 1995, about a mystery woman who had predicted the disastrous earthquake in Kobe in January of 1995 and dubbed as 'Kobe Sensitive' by the media and public. The narration alternates between Wada's investigation in 2022 and Kodaka's endeavors to locate the 'Kobe Sensitive' and leads the reader on how both are linked by a common thread.
The writing is immaculate and fascinating and you cannot help but root for Wada, the steadfast detective with the quest for truth. A special mention for the character of Seiji Tago and hope that he gets a comeback in the next book because there were so many unresolved questions about him, primary being why did he get expelled from sumo? I have found another favorite series that I will be definitely following and another favorite detective to add in my list. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Although the book is the second installment in the Umiko Wada series, it can be read as a stand alone book. Umiko Wada is managing the Kodaka Detective Agency after the untimely death of her employer, Kazuto Kodaka. She is organized, immaculate, persistent and nothing but efficient in uncovering the truth when dealing with all her cases, which has made her more successful than perhaps Kodaka too. When a wealthy businessman comes to her seeking her help in locating his missing son, it leads her on a labyrinthine trail that takes her to California. Wada is after an ancient secret asset that many other parties are also seeking and they will stop at nothing until they lay their hands on it. The narration also follows a case that Kodaka was looking into in 1995, about a mystery woman who had predicted the disastrous earthquake in Kobe in January of 1995 and dubbed as 'Kobe Sensitive' by the media and public. The narration alternates between Wada's investigation in 2022 and Kodaka's endeavors to locate the 'Kobe Sensitive' and leads the reader on how both are linked by a common thread.
The writing is immaculate and fascinating and you cannot help but root for Wada, the steadfast detective with the quest for truth. A special mention for the character of Seiji Tago and hope that he gets a comeback in the next book because there were so many unresolved questions about him, primary being why did he get expelled from sumo? I have found another favorite series that I will be definitely following and another favorite detective to add in my list. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
September 20, 2023
4.5 stars
Don’t be fooled by the quirky title and snazzy cover, this is not the light, cosy mystery it appears to be. A bit like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it has fangs that bite. And you will need all your wits about you to deal with it.
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the second instalment in Goddard’s Kodaka Detective Agency series. Set in Tokyo, and spanning 70 years, it is a cunningly intricate tale of conspiracy, blackmail and murder. With its labyrinthine plotting, scintillating twists and enigmatic heroine, it’s a literary delight for the more cerebral reader.
Said heroine is Umaka Wada, who has inherited the Kodaka agency from her late boss. It’s not the career she planned, but it’s a job she’s surprisingly good at. When she takes on the case of a businessmen seeking to find his missing son, little does she know what complications lie in store.
This was quite a difficult book to get into, as it introduces multiple characters and bounces between two timelines (1995 and 2022) and two separate investigations; and this, after a tantalizing prologue set in 1945.
It’s a lot to digest, but Goddard’s writing is heavy on the kind of detail that makes you want to keep on reading, and your perseverance is rewarded as soon as the two strands start to merge. I found the complexity quite challenging but greatly appreciated the plot recaps that Goddard cleverly wove into the narrative, which helped keep me on track.
Wada is a formidable, if enigmatic, protagonist. Middle-aged and nondescript — qualities perfect for her role as detective — she is whip smart and frighteningly self-sufficient. But she’s very much a closed book. We know she was widowed when her husband was killed in the Tokyo subway sarin attack, that she has a difficult relationship with her family, and that her work is her life. What she keeps carefully hidden are her emotions. I hope to see her gradually soften in future instalments.
For me, the only downside of this novel was the vast cast. Although Goddard provides a useful glossary of principal characters (some 30 in total), I really struggled to differentiate and cement all the Japanese names in my head. This may be a quirk on my part, but I’d be interested to know how other readers fare.
This notwithstanding, I absolutely love this series and can’t wait to see what future adventures are in store for Wada.
Don’t be fooled by the quirky title and snazzy cover, this is not the light, cosy mystery it appears to be. A bit like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it has fangs that bite. And you will need all your wits about you to deal with it.
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the second instalment in Goddard’s Kodaka Detective Agency series. Set in Tokyo, and spanning 70 years, it is a cunningly intricate tale of conspiracy, blackmail and murder. With its labyrinthine plotting, scintillating twists and enigmatic heroine, it’s a literary delight for the more cerebral reader.
Said heroine is Umaka Wada, who has inherited the Kodaka agency from her late boss. It’s not the career she planned, but it’s a job she’s surprisingly good at. When she takes on the case of a businessmen seeking to find his missing son, little does she know what complications lie in store.
This was quite a difficult book to get into, as it introduces multiple characters and bounces between two timelines (1995 and 2022) and two separate investigations; and this, after a tantalizing prologue set in 1945.
It’s a lot to digest, but Goddard’s writing is heavy on the kind of detail that makes you want to keep on reading, and your perseverance is rewarded as soon as the two strands start to merge. I found the complexity quite challenging but greatly appreciated the plot recaps that Goddard cleverly wove into the narrative, which helped keep me on track.
Wada is a formidable, if enigmatic, protagonist. Middle-aged and nondescript — qualities perfect for her role as detective — she is whip smart and frighteningly self-sufficient. But she’s very much a closed book. We know she was widowed when her husband was killed in the Tokyo subway sarin attack, that she has a difficult relationship with her family, and that her work is her life. What she keeps carefully hidden are her emotions. I hope to see her gradually soften in future instalments.
For me, the only downside of this novel was the vast cast. Although Goddard provides a useful glossary of principal characters (some 30 in total), I really struggled to differentiate and cement all the Japanese names in my head. This may be a quirk on my part, but I’d be interested to know how other readers fare.
This notwithstanding, I absolutely love this series and can’t wait to see what future adventures are in store for Wada.
August 24, 2025
You might think it strange that, despite reading volume one of this series in about three days, I actually far preferred this instalment despite taking about six weeks to read it. This was no fault of the book. Job and accompanying lifestyle changes left me little energy or concentration for reading, but I found when I did have time to spend with Wada, I loved it. Maybe by taking longer to read this, I was able to savour it more? The two threads approach, used so well in “Invisible Detection” appears again, but this time, we have two separate timelines (2022 and 1995) which bestows the significant bonus of being able to follow and get to know Wada’s deceased boss, Kodaka; a genius approach that added greatly to my enjoyment. Again this story feels more like the Goddard of old, fantastic!
February 22, 2025
This was an absolute banger!!! A multi layered detective story evolving over a period of around 75 years. Great characterisation and sharp dialogue throughout. Main character Wada’s curt and to the point manner of speaking was a particular highlight as she continually second guessed and shut down those she was dealing with. The unraveling of the origin plot blended seamlessly with the drawing together of clues to be wrapped up in a clever and tidy way. I had no previous affinity with the author but was on the local library website quick sticks to order a second book from the “The fine Art of………” series.
October 28, 2023
CAWPILE 7.14
The second in the Umiko Wada series by Robert Goddard.
I came across the first by chance and knew I wanted to read the sequel.
One of the many things I love about this series is our main character Wada is a middle aged Japanese widow- she's not a super skinny superhero with secret powers, she's not a seductress or a spy- she's a very relatable woman and that makes her fascinating as she finds herself in some truly shocking circumstances.
I love the settings, the writing is fantastic and compelling and the mystery isn't an easy 'whodunnit', it makes you think, it makes you guess wrong and I loved it. If the series continues then I'd love to read any sequels.
The second in the Umiko Wada series by Robert Goddard.
I came across the first by chance and knew I wanted to read the sequel.
One of the many things I love about this series is our main character Wada is a middle aged Japanese widow- she's not a super skinny superhero with secret powers, she's not a seductress or a spy- she's a very relatable woman and that makes her fascinating as she finds herself in some truly shocking circumstances.
I love the settings, the writing is fantastic and compelling and the mystery isn't an easy 'whodunnit', it makes you think, it makes you guess wrong and I loved it. If the series continues then I'd love to read any sequels.
December 16, 2023
A complex read involving dual timelines with the same characters in both means it needs concentration to keep hold of the plot as well as all the various Japanese names and places . The helpful list of people and their roles at the beginning of my copy aided me but it was still a slow read for me .
September 5, 2024
I am ashamed to say I’ve never read any of Goddard’s books before. This was excellent. I found the Japanese names a little hard to pronounce , but it didn’t hinder the pace of the plot. The book was exciting and I would recommend it to anyone.
November 4, 2023
This is a fun read that kept my interest throughout. The opening chapter is in post WWII Tokyo and is the backstory for the rest of the book which flips between events in 1995 and 2022. WIth the large cast of characters (the glossary in the front proved very helpful) and the many twists, I don’t suggest dipping into the book in lieu of long stretches of reading. In my case I had to spend time reminding myself who was what and where and what was going on due to putting the book down often. It would also be of interest to anyone familiar with Tokyo and Japanese culture
I love the female detective - Wada-san - a real bad ass: smart, intuitive, tough, uncompromising, persistent -- I would hire her in a sec.
You don't need to read the first book before to follow this one, however I also recommend it.
I love the female detective - Wada-san - a real bad ass: smart, intuitive, tough, uncompromising, persistent -- I would hire her in a sec.
You don't need to read the first book before to follow this one, however I also recommend it.
June 27, 2024
Another great read , I love Wada and her uncluttered way of talking …. Once you get into the book the speed of the story picks up and then you can’t put it down
August 1, 2024
I enjoyed the sort, Wada’s character and the intricate plot. Although there were a lot of characters and different timelines, this was not a problem for me. I hope there will be more of the Kodaka Detrctive Agency series with the persistent and unflappable Wada.
August 16, 2024
A complex story spanning two time periods that knits together beautifully. The ‘Glossary of Principal Characters’ at the start was most useful.
November 30, 2024
I loved this! I'll have to read more of the series. Two parallel detectives in different times working on cases that are connected.
October 23, 2024
Another great story that intertwined Japanese culture with that of ‘the West’. The heroine, Wada, again plays a cracking role, bringing two stories into one. I loved it. Recommended!
September 3, 2023
I must confess to not having read anything by Robert Goddard (left) for a few years. Back in the day I enjoyed his James Maxted trilogy, which comprised The Ways of the World (2013), The Corners of the Globe (2014) and The Ends of The Earth (2015), which focused on a young former RAF pilot and his involvement in the political fallout in Europe after the Versailles Conference ended in 1920. I reviewed his standalone novel Panic Room in 2018 (click the link to read what I thought), and I quickly became immersed in his latest novel The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction. Goddard introduced his unusual Tokyo private detective Umiko Wada in The Fine Art of Invisible Detection (2021). She returns in this novel, which is intricately plotted and rather complex at times. A widow, (her husband died as a result of the 1995 Tokyo Sarin Gas attack) she was once assistant to PI Kozuto Kodaka, but since his death she has shaped the business in her own way.
The strange title refers to a Japanese urban legend, which states that an unknown woman known as the Kobe Sensitive – predicted both the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the tsunami which caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster 1n 2011. On both occasions she phoned the authorities, and on both occasions she was ignored, or so the story goes. The book spans over 70 years, but in three time frames – the immediate aftermath of Japan’s defeat in WW2, the 1990s and the present day. In the wreckage of 1945 Tokyo we meet Goro Rinzaki, the teenage factotum to the owner of an orphanage. After an accident in the ruins, Rinzaki allows his boss to die, but escapes with the a steel box which was locked in the orphanage’s safe, and it is Rinzaki who sits at the centre of Goddard’s narrative web like a malevolent spider. What the box contains is integral to the story.
We then switch to the present day where Wada is engaged by businessman Fumito Nagata who wants her to make contact with his estranged son Manjiro. The 1995 time frame begins with the late Kozuto Kodaka being hired by Terruki Jinno, millionaire chairman of Jinno Construction, to investigate the financial dealings of his recently deceased father – and founder of the company – Arinobu Jinno. If this all sounds complicated, that’s because it most certainly is, but it’s how Goddard pulls the disparate threads together that makes this such an intriguing read.
There is, almost inevitably, an American connection. Clyde Braxton was an American Army officer who was very much a ‘Mr Big’ during the post war occupation, and one of his remits was to monitor a reviving Japanese film industry. By ‘monitor’, I mean that exercised an absolute veto on the subject matter of new films. After leaving the army, he used his (probably ill-gotten) wealth to start a Californian winery, but when his family died in a catastrophic earthquake of he dedicated his time and money to the possibility of predicting future disasters, which is where his Japanese connections came good. One of the film-makers who prospered under his authority was none other than Goro Rinzaki. And Rinzaki believes he can offer Bryant the Kobe Sensitive.
As Wado searches for Manjiro Nagata she uncovers a conspiracy that puts her life in danger, as well as the lives of her friends and family. At every turn, both in Tokyo and California – where she goes to try to unravel the mystery – it seems that Goro Rinzaki has strings to pull and people on the inside of all major institutions – the press, the government and industry. We eventually learn what was in the steel box rescued from the ruins in 1945, but along the way Goddard entertains us with an intricate and elegant plot, with Wada – calm, resourceful and courageous – at its very centre. The book is published by Bantam and is available now.
The strange title refers to a Japanese urban legend, which states that an unknown woman known as the Kobe Sensitive – predicted both the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the tsunami which caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster 1n 2011. On both occasions she phoned the authorities, and on both occasions she was ignored, or so the story goes. The book spans over 70 years, but in three time frames – the immediate aftermath of Japan’s defeat in WW2, the 1990s and the present day. In the wreckage of 1945 Tokyo we meet Goro Rinzaki, the teenage factotum to the owner of an orphanage. After an accident in the ruins, Rinzaki allows his boss to die, but escapes with the a steel box which was locked in the orphanage’s safe, and it is Rinzaki who sits at the centre of Goddard’s narrative web like a malevolent spider. What the box contains is integral to the story.
We then switch to the present day where Wada is engaged by businessman Fumito Nagata who wants her to make contact with his estranged son Manjiro. The 1995 time frame begins with the late Kozuto Kodaka being hired by Terruki Jinno, millionaire chairman of Jinno Construction, to investigate the financial dealings of his recently deceased father – and founder of the company – Arinobu Jinno. If this all sounds complicated, that’s because it most certainly is, but it’s how Goddard pulls the disparate threads together that makes this such an intriguing read.
There is, almost inevitably, an American connection. Clyde Braxton was an American Army officer who was very much a ‘Mr Big’ during the post war occupation, and one of his remits was to monitor a reviving Japanese film industry. By ‘monitor’, I mean that exercised an absolute veto on the subject matter of new films. After leaving the army, he used his (probably ill-gotten) wealth to start a Californian winery, but when his family died in a catastrophic earthquake of he dedicated his time and money to the possibility of predicting future disasters, which is where his Japanese connections came good. One of the film-makers who prospered under his authority was none other than Goro Rinzaki. And Rinzaki believes he can offer Bryant the Kobe Sensitive.
As Wado searches for Manjiro Nagata she uncovers a conspiracy that puts her life in danger, as well as the lives of her friends and family. At every turn, both in Tokyo and California – where she goes to try to unravel the mystery – it seems that Goro Rinzaki has strings to pull and people on the inside of all major institutions – the press, the government and industry. We eventually learn what was in the steel box rescued from the ruins in 1945, but along the way Goddard entertains us with an intricate and elegant plot, with Wada – calm, resourceful and courageous – at its very centre. The book is published by Bantam and is available now.
July 2, 2023
My original review of this superb thriller on Mystery and Suspense Magazine is here:
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction by Robert Goddard – the second novel featuring Tokyo PI Umiko Wada – fulfils all the expectations that one would have of a Goddard thriller: intricate plot, impactful characters, and twists galore.
Widowed at a young age, Umiko Wada was retained as a secretary by Kazuto Kodaka, an accomplished detective with a thriving single-person operation, more than twenty years ago. Though she used to handle mostly administrative work until Kodaka’s untimely death three years ago, Wada has established herself as an effective investigator since then, successfully running the agency on her own. When a man in his seventies wants Wada to check on the wellbeing of his nearly fifty-year-old son, who hasn’t been responding to his calls, she thinks it to be a simple matter. But the seemingly straightforward assignment turns complex when Wada finds that the son has vanished without a trace, and an elaborate ruse to hide his disappearance has been put in place – either by himself or by someone who made him go away. Wada puts more effort into her search and unearths a little clue that thrusts her into a high-stakes conspiracy involving a ruthless old entrepreneur named Goro Rinzaki, whom many believe to be a criminal but has never been prosecuted.
Soon, Wada is pressured by various means into quitting the case, but she is nothing if not tenacious, and is resolved to see it through to the end. Her probe reveals that her case is somehow connected to another that her erstwhile boss had investigated twenty-seven years ago – before he hired Wada – and its roots seem to lie in the final days of the Second World War, connected to a murky part of Japanese history. Bodies start to fall, and Wada comes to mortal peril as she unravels layer after layer of the decades-old mystery, and the only way she can save herself and the people she cares for is to get to the secret before she is caught by the bad ones.
Pitting Wada’s determination and resourcefulness against the formidable strength of her opponents, Goddard serves up yet another delectable page-turner in The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction. Wada is a solid, immensely appealing character with a quiet competence and an authenticity that has the reader immediately rooting for her. Her erstwhile employer, Kodaka, is also a superbly crafted character that enthrals and entertains. While he plays a small-but-important part in this novel, Seiji Tago – Wada’s mother Haha’s mysterious lodger – is another intriguing character that I would like to see more of in the future. Goddard lets the complicated mystery unfold at a perfect pace that is neither too hurried nor too languid – alternating between Wada’s present investigation and that of Kodaka’s twenty-seven years ago – towards a highly satisfying finish. His descriptions bring the places, characters, and events to life, and the way he expertly blends real incidents with fiction makes the entire story utterly believable. I do not know much about Japanese life and culture, but I am convinced Goddard has rendered both to perfection in this absorbing narrative. While this is the second novel in the series, reading its predecessor does not seem necessary before getting to this one.
I tremendously enjoyed reading The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction and would recommend it, as I would any of Goddard’s novels, to all thriller aficionados who like their fiction to have some heft.
My sincere gratitude to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the Digital Review Copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction by Robert Goddard – the second novel featuring Tokyo PI Umiko Wada – fulfils all the expectations that one would have of a Goddard thriller: intricate plot, impactful characters, and twists galore.
Widowed at a young age, Umiko Wada was retained as a secretary by Kazuto Kodaka, an accomplished detective with a thriving single-person operation, more than twenty years ago. Though she used to handle mostly administrative work until Kodaka’s untimely death three years ago, Wada has established herself as an effective investigator since then, successfully running the agency on her own. When a man in his seventies wants Wada to check on the wellbeing of his nearly fifty-year-old son, who hasn’t been responding to his calls, she thinks it to be a simple matter. But the seemingly straightforward assignment turns complex when Wada finds that the son has vanished without a trace, and an elaborate ruse to hide his disappearance has been put in place – either by himself or by someone who made him go away. Wada puts more effort into her search and unearths a little clue that thrusts her into a high-stakes conspiracy involving a ruthless old entrepreneur named Goro Rinzaki, whom many believe to be a criminal but has never been prosecuted.
Soon, Wada is pressured by various means into quitting the case, but she is nothing if not tenacious, and is resolved to see it through to the end. Her probe reveals that her case is somehow connected to another that her erstwhile boss had investigated twenty-seven years ago – before he hired Wada – and its roots seem to lie in the final days of the Second World War, connected to a murky part of Japanese history. Bodies start to fall, and Wada comes to mortal peril as she unravels layer after layer of the decades-old mystery, and the only way she can save herself and the people she cares for is to get to the secret before she is caught by the bad ones.
Pitting Wada’s determination and resourcefulness against the formidable strength of her opponents, Goddard serves up yet another delectable page-turner in The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction. Wada is a solid, immensely appealing character with a quiet competence and an authenticity that has the reader immediately rooting for her. Her erstwhile employer, Kodaka, is also a superbly crafted character that enthrals and entertains. While he plays a small-but-important part in this novel, Seiji Tago – Wada’s mother Haha’s mysterious lodger – is another intriguing character that I would like to see more of in the future. Goddard lets the complicated mystery unfold at a perfect pace that is neither too hurried nor too languid – alternating between Wada’s present investigation and that of Kodaka’s twenty-seven years ago – towards a highly satisfying finish. His descriptions bring the places, characters, and events to life, and the way he expertly blends real incidents with fiction makes the entire story utterly believable. I do not know much about Japanese life and culture, but I am convinced Goddard has rendered both to perfection in this absorbing narrative. While this is the second novel in the series, reading its predecessor does not seem necessary before getting to this one.
I tremendously enjoyed reading The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction and would recommend it, as I would any of Goddard’s novels, to all thriller aficionados who like their fiction to have some heft.
My sincere gratitude to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the Digital Review Copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.
September 14, 2023
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓽 𝓞𝓯 𝓤𝓷𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝔂 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Robert Goddard
💭The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the second novel of the Umiko Wada series. Three years after her boss at the Kodaka Detective Agency was murdered, Umiko Wada has earned herself a reputation as a confidential, low-key, effective investigator. This time Wada becomes embroiled in a mystery that, at first, seems quite simple - find a missing son. However, when that starts getting more difficult and is followed by another disappearance Wada is pointed in the direction of a case that her late boss, Kodaka, investigated in 1995.
Normally a mystery plot with plenty of characters and a complicated story is kind of hard to follow and can make me feel impatient and disinterested in the book. But The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction though containing both a multitude of characters and an intricate plot, has a precise and intriguing narration that makes it hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind of action.
It's a great thriller with an intricate plot, impactful characters, and twists galore. This is a really fun, engrossing, captivating, mesmerizing story, and intrigue from start to finish.
Goddard lets the complicated mystery unfold at a perfect pace that is neither too hurried nor too languid – alternating between Wada’s present investigation and that of Kodaka’s twenty-seven years ago – towards a highly satisfying finish.
Wada is a solid, immensely appealing character with quiet competence, organized, immaculate, persistent, and nothing but efficient in uncovering the truth when dealing with all her cases, and an authenticity that has the reader immediately rooting for her.
Kodaka is also a superbly crafted character that enthralls and entertains. While he plays a small but important part in this novel.
Seiji Tago – Wada’s mother Haha’s mysterious lodger – is another intriguing character that I would like to see more of in the future because there were so many unresolved questions about him, the primary being why he got expelled from sumo.
Overall, I think that this is an extremely clever novel and I was impressed by how the author links the two cases together and how each one fills the gaps in the different cases. Both detectives are smart and relentless so their discoveries and what they do with the uncovered information dovetail nicely, like they are two sides of one coin.
A complicated and intricate mystery, this will require some initial patience, but it's not long before it becomes a gripping read that will not let go, right up to the thrilling finale and the final pages.
𝐏.𝐒 All the Japanese names and places can be too much in the starting but you will get a hang of it then it will be easy to read!!
𝐏.𝐒.𝐒 Although the book is the second installment in the Umiko Wada series, it can be read as a stand-alone book.
🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔸𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4.49 (95)
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Mystery, Thriller and Fiction
🔸𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: Umiko Wada (Book 2)
🔸𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Yes!!
🔸 𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:
"Never resist change, Wada-san. It is a cardinal error.’
‘Because change is always good?’
‘No. Because change is inevitable. And you should always be on the side of inevitability"
"‘Sometimes people cannot be helped. However hard you try."
"If you don’t try to touch the bottom, Umiko, you won’t need to worry about how deep the water is."
"The truth is not always agreeable."
"A man with a grudge is a man with information."
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Robert Goddard
💭The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the second novel of the Umiko Wada series. Three years after her boss at the Kodaka Detective Agency was murdered, Umiko Wada has earned herself a reputation as a confidential, low-key, effective investigator. This time Wada becomes embroiled in a mystery that, at first, seems quite simple - find a missing son. However, when that starts getting more difficult and is followed by another disappearance Wada is pointed in the direction of a case that her late boss, Kodaka, investigated in 1995.
Normally a mystery plot with plenty of characters and a complicated story is kind of hard to follow and can make me feel impatient and disinterested in the book. But The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction though containing both a multitude of characters and an intricate plot, has a precise and intriguing narration that makes it hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind of action.
It's a great thriller with an intricate plot, impactful characters, and twists galore. This is a really fun, engrossing, captivating, mesmerizing story, and intrigue from start to finish.
Goddard lets the complicated mystery unfold at a perfect pace that is neither too hurried nor too languid – alternating between Wada’s present investigation and that of Kodaka’s twenty-seven years ago – towards a highly satisfying finish.
Wada is a solid, immensely appealing character with quiet competence, organized, immaculate, persistent, and nothing but efficient in uncovering the truth when dealing with all her cases, and an authenticity that has the reader immediately rooting for her.
Kodaka is also a superbly crafted character that enthralls and entertains. While he plays a small but important part in this novel.
Seiji Tago – Wada’s mother Haha’s mysterious lodger – is another intriguing character that I would like to see more of in the future because there were so many unresolved questions about him, the primary being why he got expelled from sumo.
Overall, I think that this is an extremely clever novel and I was impressed by how the author links the two cases together and how each one fills the gaps in the different cases. Both detectives are smart and relentless so their discoveries and what they do with the uncovered information dovetail nicely, like they are two sides of one coin.
A complicated and intricate mystery, this will require some initial patience, but it's not long before it becomes a gripping read that will not let go, right up to the thrilling finale and the final pages.
𝐏.𝐒 All the Japanese names and places can be too much in the starting but you will get a hang of it then it will be easy to read!!
𝐏.𝐒.𝐒 Although the book is the second installment in the Umiko Wada series, it can be read as a stand-alone book.
🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔸𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4.49 (95)
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Mystery, Thriller and Fiction
🔸𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: Umiko Wada (Book 2)
🔸𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Yes!!
🔸 𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:
"Never resist change, Wada-san. It is a cardinal error.’
‘Because change is always good?’
‘No. Because change is inevitable. And you should always be on the side of inevitability"
"‘Sometimes people cannot be helped. However hard you try."
"If you don’t try to touch the bottom, Umiko, you won’t need to worry about how deep the water is."
"The truth is not always agreeable."
"A man with a grudge is a man with information."
June 11, 2023
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advance copy of The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction, the second novel to feature Tokyo based PI Umiko Wada.
Wada, as she prefers to be called, inherited the detective agency after her boss, Kazuto Kodaka died in unnatural circumstances. She chooses her cases carefully to avoid the same fate, so happily accepts a client looking to trace his missing son. Straightforward until she finds links to a twenty-two year old case Kodaka worked on and some old secrets that date back to the chaotic post war years. Secrets that someone is desperate to keep hidden.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction, which is a sprawling novel that covers a lot of ground and contains some unexpected twists. It is quite a long, complex novel with what I think is a hint of irony and some humorous moments.
The novel covers two distinct investigations, Wada’s present day investigation into the missing son and Kodaka’s 1995 investigation into some irregular payments made by a captain of industry. There are links between the two cases, chiefly the families involved, and that gives the reader some familiarity with the characters and seminal events, but mostly they operate independently of each other. They are both compulsive reading once the reader grasps what is going on. Sadly the novel has reinforced that I am getting old as I found the Japanese names difficult to remember and relied on context to place them correctly.
I think that this is an extremely clever novel and I was impressed by how the author links the two cases together and how each one fills the gaps in the different cases. Both detectives are smart and relentless so their discoveries and what they do with the uncovered information dovetail nicely, like they are two sides of the one coin. I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved the way they were able to dupe the person they are investigating. The one thing about the novel, despite the title, is that it is entirely unpredictable and it made me laugh that the whole driving force behind the bad guy’s actions is fairly worthless. Thus the novel is all about possession and what some people will do for it.
I love Wada. She’s a middle aged, unassuming Japanese woman with a will of iron and a strong code of ethics. She will see her cases through, no matter what obstacles are put in her way and in this novel some of them are formidable. Kodaka is more of a schemer, while she wins with honesty and practicality.
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Wada, as she prefers to be called, inherited the detective agency after her boss, Kazuto Kodaka died in unnatural circumstances. She chooses her cases carefully to avoid the same fate, so happily accepts a client looking to trace his missing son. Straightforward until she finds links to a twenty-two year old case Kodaka worked on and some old secrets that date back to the chaotic post war years. Secrets that someone is desperate to keep hidden.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction, which is a sprawling novel that covers a lot of ground and contains some unexpected twists. It is quite a long, complex novel with what I think is a hint of irony and some humorous moments.
The novel covers two distinct investigations, Wada’s present day investigation into the missing son and Kodaka’s 1995 investigation into some irregular payments made by a captain of industry. There are links between the two cases, chiefly the families involved, and that gives the reader some familiarity with the characters and seminal events, but mostly they operate independently of each other. They are both compulsive reading once the reader grasps what is going on. Sadly the novel has reinforced that I am getting old as I found the Japanese names difficult to remember and relied on context to place them correctly.
I think that this is an extremely clever novel and I was impressed by how the author links the two cases together and how each one fills the gaps in the different cases. Both detectives are smart and relentless so their discoveries and what they do with the uncovered information dovetail nicely, like they are two sides of the one coin. I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved the way they were able to dupe the person they are investigating. The one thing about the novel, despite the title, is that it is entirely unpredictable and it made me laugh that the whole driving force behind the bad guy’s actions is fairly worthless. Thus the novel is all about possession and what some people will do for it.
I love Wada. She’s a middle aged, unassuming Japanese woman with a will of iron and a strong code of ethics. She will see her cases through, no matter what obstacles are put in her way and in this novel some of them are formidable. Kodaka is more of a schemer, while she wins with honesty and practicality.
The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
July 20, 2023
Robert Goddard writes a remarkably smart and complex sequel to The Fine Art of Invisible Detection, a Toyko based series, featuring his stellar character of PI Umiko Wada, an understated, unassuming middle aged woman, who is making a surprising success of the Kodaka Detective Agency, after the untimely death of her boss. She shares his tenacious determination as she shapes up to be independent and resilient in a case that goes back and forth in time, which links with Kodaka's investigations back in 1995. The story opens amidst the devastation of Japan at the end of WW2 and the acquisition of a box kept in the safe of an orphanage by 16 year old orphan, Goro Rinzaki.
In the present, Wada takes on a twisty missing person case, whilst trying to determine who the 'lodger' her elderly mother has taken into her home is. Her client is Fumito Nagata, a man in his seventies who is prepared to pay well and wants her to make contact with his estranged son, Manjiro, who will not even open his door to him. It turns out that an elaborate deception has been taking place and Manjiro has not been living at his supposed home for some time, with Wada stumbling across another missing person. She is to face desperate danger with obstacle after obstacle thrown in her path as she travels to California, acquiring an American client. In 1995, Kodaka is tasked with finding out, by the owner of Jinno Construction, why his recently deceased father, had made substantial decades long secret payments to an unknown person or organisation.
A complicated and intricate mystery, this will require some initial patience, but it's not long before it becomes a gripping read that will not let go, right up to the thrilling finale and the final pages. It covers a large time period, from the post-war years right through to the present, allowing us to compare and contrast the personalities of Kodaka, a man of integrity who will not let himself be compromised when it comes to his run ins with Rinzaki, with that of Wada, with her own style of investigating and obstinate stubbornness that will not allow the elderly, but still formidable Rinzaki, prevent her from getting to the truth, even when he threatens her nearest and dearest.
This is fascinating and intelligent storytelling, with a wonderful and disparate set of characters, I particularly loved Seijo Tago, that I can see appealing to readers of crime and mysteries who are looking for something a little on the epic scale to become immersed in. I cannot wait to become reaquainted with Wada in the next book in this marvellous series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
In the present, Wada takes on a twisty missing person case, whilst trying to determine who the 'lodger' her elderly mother has taken into her home is. Her client is Fumito Nagata, a man in his seventies who is prepared to pay well and wants her to make contact with his estranged son, Manjiro, who will not even open his door to him. It turns out that an elaborate deception has been taking place and Manjiro has not been living at his supposed home for some time, with Wada stumbling across another missing person. She is to face desperate danger with obstacle after obstacle thrown in her path as she travels to California, acquiring an American client. In 1995, Kodaka is tasked with finding out, by the owner of Jinno Construction, why his recently deceased father, had made substantial decades long secret payments to an unknown person or organisation.
A complicated and intricate mystery, this will require some initial patience, but it's not long before it becomes a gripping read that will not let go, right up to the thrilling finale and the final pages. It covers a large time period, from the post-war years right through to the present, allowing us to compare and contrast the personalities of Kodaka, a man of integrity who will not let himself be compromised when it comes to his run ins with Rinzaki, with that of Wada, with her own style of investigating and obstinate stubbornness that will not allow the elderly, but still formidable Rinzaki, prevent her from getting to the truth, even when he threatens her nearest and dearest.
This is fascinating and intelligent storytelling, with a wonderful and disparate set of characters, I particularly loved Seijo Tago, that I can see appealing to readers of crime and mysteries who are looking for something a little on the epic scale to become immersed in. I cannot wait to become reaquainted with Wada in the next book in this marvellous series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews