What do You think about Take No Farewell (1992)?
This is not the best Robert Goddard book I've read - it was quite disappointing in a way...I didn't warm to the central character and that is something I have done in all his other books. His main person is always male, often a bit shady or a bit casual in some regard, and what happens allows him some element of redemption. I didn't care for Geoffrey Staddon much at all, I despised the way he'd behaved and yet felt curiously let down by the end of the book. It seemed like a cop out to me...I gave it 3 stars because it was a complex, twisting story, places I've not visited were described so you might think in the end you'd been there yourself and his characters do come off the pages...I've just been spoilt by others of his books
—Lizzie
Main character plodding along in life? Check. Events in the past coming back to haunt him? Check. Flashbacks to weave said events into narrative? Check. Everything not as it seems? Check. Scenes in italics when a journal is being read? Check. Exquisite use of language? Check. Yep, it's another Robert Goddard mystery/thriller/historical fiction novel.Goddard's grasp and use of English is a joy to behold; broad enough so that the odd word makes you think, but without ever showing off to the extent that the reader needs a dictionary to hand (no problem anyway if you're lucky enough to own a Kindle!). Take No Farewell is a fairly long book, but Goddard's flowing style and excellent story telling ensures that it never drags.I rarely give a 5 star rating, and nearly knocked it down to 4 due to an issue with the main character, Geoffrey Staddon. As an architect who has designed and built a number of impressive buildings, I would expect him to be a clever chap. However, at times he proved gullible beyond belief. This was obviously required to make the plot work and I suppose Goddard would say it's part of his character, but it seemed a bit convenient. However, in the end I rated the book on my overall experience of it which was first rate.
—Joe Stamber
A Goddard novel is always a great way to start a vacation, that is if you are done with everything Agatha Christie ever wrote. This is another typical example of a Goddard-paced plot, with all the expected twists, the wronged femme fatale and of course the hot-headed protagonist who manages to prolong the action by losing his temper just when someone is about the reveal to him what he needs to know, leaving him to muse "if only I had known then, what I know now." The end is disappointingly slow and drawn out.
—Biogeek
