Hand in Glove: A Novel

I first became familar with the author's work after reading a blurb by Steven King on what he was reading. Goddard is not macabre but his characters are sometimes sinister and dark. King also remarked that he devoured the first few and slowed his pace down to enjoy the books. There is one left for me to read and I am saving it for a Holiday gift for myself.

I like Robert Goddard and find his novels whimsical and engaging. So I bought this one with enthusiasm. Plot sounded good and intriging. What a let-down. The main character Charlotte has no back-bone and I really could'nt believe how pliable she was, made inane comments about important events and did not challenge some bizarre behaviour from the main characters. I persevered when I really wnated to give up in the hope the writing and plot would improve. Neither did. Do not waste your time on this book, there are many other Goddard books that are far better - well written with complex plots that keep you guessing to the end. This was dreadful.

This is a very thrilling story - kept me in suspense wondering where will it go next.I love Mr.Goddard's style of writing. Will read more of his stories.

Goddard is an exceptionally fine novelist. He creates believable characters in realistic settings with complex and unpredictable plots. However, he often repeats underlying themes. For example, a leading character who makes a sequence of obviously wrong choices but gets it right just in time, and a seemingly omnipotent opponent who has a crisis of conscience just in time. Also, I find that there almost always comes a point when I want to fling the book away and cry 'this is just too stupid!'. All apply here.This is an early work and, as others have noted, is much in need of severe editing. With the strong exception of the Maxted trilogy, his more recent novels are better.

Robert Goddard is an author who always keeps you guessing. Where is the story going, what on earth is going to happen next. He also develops a terrific sense of identity for the characters.

I loved it. Just when you think you've understood everything the story takes a new turn making you want to keep on reading to the end. Robert is a great storyteller.

A surprise mystery novel. It seems like it won't work itself into something satisfying- a story about a dead poet. It does.

This was the second Goddard book I've read and I enjoyed it much better than his first novel. What I like: all of his books are present day, but centered around a mystery from a recognizable event from the past. In the case of Hand in Glove, a mystery from the Spanish Civil War reaches out from the past to embroil modern day characters in a mystery that threatens their lives. So we end up with a story that in order to save people's lives, the characters have to try to sort out events from the past with little clues to go off of.The mystery serves up the standard lot of suspects and while the endings are never too much of a surprise, the process of getting there is satisfying for history buffs. As seems to be the case for most Goddard books, Hand in Glove starts off strong and then weakens in the final third of the story....I'm not sure if that is because he tries to string the story out too long (his books average 600 pages or so) or if he just loses interest as the goes, but it seems to be a pattern for his books. The strength of the first portions of the stories, however, make them worthwhile reads. I'll certainly read more of his novels, but suggest them as a library read.

Beautifully written, superbly crafted story line of clever twists and turns, believable characters, and evocative descriptions of the historical context that frames the plot. Wonderful.

I have read 5 of Robert Goddard's novels this year and loved them all. Masterly writer, great characters and engaging, mysterious atmosphere. All so different too, with more depth of character insight than many writers. He deserves to be much more widely known. I only discovered him this year by accident.

I always enjoy Robert Goddard. Wonderful plots that twist and turn until the last page. You can never forsee the final chapter in his books. Characters are well developed and believable.

A very clever and devious plot that unfolds at many levels. Intriguing. My problem was, it needed a strong edit. There was much repetition and over lengthy detail, that really muddied the tension, at least for me.

Great read. Twists and turns as usual. I thoughly enjoyed it, as i do most of Robert Goddard's books