Robert Goddard’s first novel ‘Past Caring’ was published in 1986 and I think that it must have been shortly after that when my wife and I discovered him. He has since published more than twenty books and they tend to come out every eighteen months to two years. Strangely, he fits the profile of a number of the British authors I like and have reviewed in my posts in that he is pushing on in his late sixties, well educated, tried journalism and writes books that appeal to me. It is probably debatable whether he fits comfortably in the genre of detective fiction in that none of his principal characters are really detectives. However, his books always involve intricate and unpredictable plots which are investigated by these main characters and that’s good enough for me!
In his Wikipedia pages, his books are described as often having a historical element (I’m not so sure many of them do although we have seen some series more recently which fit into that description), usually set in English provincial towns and cities and having many plot twists. It goes on to say that the lead character usually has to uncover some conspiracy or another and I might add that these characters are not always the most exciting of individuals although they are certainly interesting and Goddard has a real gift in helping us to get inside the characters and get to know them.
At this stage, I’m not convinced that I’m painting the most appealing picture here and, if you’re into Jack Reacher, Harry Bosch, Myron Bolitar, Lucas Davenport and suchlike, Robert Goddard may not be for you. He does have one recurring hero in his earlier books in Harry Barnett but he’s not an ex-cop or a private detective or a Vietnam veteran. In fact, he’s pretty ordinary but appealing and a bit quirky. One of these books, ‘Into the Blue’, was adapted for television and starred the late John Thaw which might give you an indication of the sort of character he is. However, I have found every single Robert Goddard book which I have read very enjoyable indeed and I watch out for new ones coming out and read them as soon as I can. I have yet to be disappointed.
If you are inclined to try them, I think you might find similarities with Jeffrey Archer, in particular, the Clifton Chronicles and William Warwick series which I refer to in another post. I can’t help feeling that, if you liked them, you will like Robert Goddard. If you are inclined to try them (and I hope you do), unlike many of the authors I have recommended, I think you can begin with any one and there is no need to read them in any order. They are virtually all stand-alone, apart from the Harry Barnett ones, although he recently produced a trilogy featuring a character called, James Maxted, so read these in order! I also think that the Maxted series might be a good starting point for acquiring a taste for Goddard, especially you are a fan of Jeffrey Archer.
I mentioned his first novel, Past Caring, and that might be another good place to start. Written in the mid 1980s, it is very much a product of that time, but it is a pretty good story with plenty of twists and, interestingly, I think, not the most appealing of principal characters although I think I warmed to him eventually! One surprising thing worth mentioning about this book is that it was republished quite recently and, although I was sure I had read it before, I thought I would try it again. This is quite a risky business as, while I might not be able to remember anything about a book I have read before, even after reading the blurb on the flysheet, I tend to find after a few pages that it all comes flooding back to me. Not the case at all with Past Caring! Okay, I possibly felt I heard some dim bells ringing but, generally, it was like reading it for the first time, probably about thirty years on! I’m not really sure what this says about the book and about Robert Goddard and it may just suggest that his books are not very memorable. However, I am a big fan and what it meant for me was that I got an extra book which I really enjoyed second time around and I might try it with another one!
Overall, as I said in the title of this post, Robert Goddard is something a little different for the blog but, in my view, he is certainly worth trying and, as I’ve said a couple of times already, I think that is particularly the case if you like Jeffrey Archer. This is a strong recommendation and with more than twenty books, there’s a lot of material, if you do like him. So, at least give him a try, see what you think and let me know.