Un agréable "plot" ( )

Once you read one Goddard, you start to hunger for more. This is my 4th. Or maybe my 5th. If you don’t like long, involved and convoluted plots with lots of characters (many not what they seem), shenanigans and the unexpected, don’t read him. If you do like all those things along with a dash of the historical, I’m sure you’ll become an addict like me once you read one.

As usual, one of the main characters is drawn into the plot indirectly and it is quite a while before we know precisely why. Ostensibly it’s for one reason, but Goddard is never so straightforward and I was just waiting for the truth. He’s taken for one hell of a ride. Mostly, he’s a pawn and is used and abused pretty much the whole time.

Then there’s James Norton and his bid to get back into his family’s good graces and claim his inheritance. I knew better than to become emotionally connected to him or his cause. His family didn’t help me though; what a bunch of spiteful, entitled assholes. Only Constance got any sympathy from me, but I had a feeling she was going to suffer in the end, too. I can’t give anything more away, but if you like sordid family dramas, check this out. It's not quite as tight and addictive as some of his other books; it meanders quite a bit and lacks some of the physical danger and relentless pacing, but it is good and rewards the effort. ( )

I just finished reading Painting the Darkness by Robert Goddard. It's bit of an involved plot, but I'll try to explain it. One mild autumn day in 1882, William Trenchard sits smoking his pipe in his family home. When a stranger approaches him, he is puzzled but not overly worried. Trenchard cannot know what havoc will be wrought on his life and all he holds dear.

The stranger announces he is James Norton - but is, in reality Sir James Davenell - former fiance of Trenchard's wife, Constance. He disappeared 11 years ago and was declared a suicide. Now he's back to claim his inheritance and Constance. Sir Hugo, James' brother, and his mother Lady Catherine, are convinced that James Norton is an imposter and force Trenchard - who fears the loss of his wife - into an uneasy alliance against him. But Trenchard must plumb the depths of his despair before he can uncover the shocking secrets of the Davenell family.

I thought this book was really well-written, although the plot was very convoluted it was very good. I give this story an A! ( )

I really enjoyed this book as I always do with Goddard, as someone said, 'once you have read one you want to read them all', but now I think I have done that. Goddard is THE master of intrigue, every detail of the story is important and it is necessary to concentrate on every word. This story is further back into history than usual and he has used the language appropriate for the time which is very clever. Right to the very end I was astonished at how all the loose ends were tied up but the twists and turns still kept coming. The last few pages left me gasping. Yes I REALLY enjoyed it. ( )

Robert Goddard is a master of the mystery genre. Beware - if you read one of his books, you'll probably want to read them all 13 or 14 off the reel.

This elaborately plotted story, like some other of RG's books, is set among the upper classes of late Victorian England. ( )