Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Found Wanting a True Goddard Thriller! November 29, 2008
Robert Goddard has been called "master of the twist" and you really cannot go wrong with any of the delightful mystery/thrillers he has written.
This being said, "Found Wanting" is one of his less impressive efforts and does not deliver the classic Goddard twist. The premise is an interesting one - a man seeking to uncover the truth about the infamous Anastasia and a woman who had claimed to be the Russian Grand Duchess. However, Goddard proceeds in this novel to hit the reader with a slew of characters (many of whom barely live through a chapter) and so many European/Eastern European locations that your head will be spinning in an attempt to keep track of the plot. The climax is mostly unsatisfying and the entire ride feels like a Jason Bourne novel on steroids.
A decent escapist piece, but the reader will definitely be found wanting some of Goddard's prior works.
What has happened to Mr.Goddard? ... November 29, 2008
I have been a fan of Robert Goddard for ages & ordered this from the library.
At first I was really drawn in with the promised excitement of a plot featuring the Anastasia mystery ~ something which has fascinated me in real life, and yes it started ok with the adventures in Europe of Richard & Marty, however as others have said ... THEN it changed.
I found the frenetic pace, short chapters & plethora of characters (many of which were not very developed) became too much to concentrate on and the Scandinavian names & occasional untranslated little phrases just far too annoying, unfamiliar and frequent.
This made it all a bit of an ordeal to get through to the end and while the ending satisfied, the book as a whole was definitely worthy of it's title!
Loved his earlier books so am wondering what happened to this one!
 Decline continues November 22, 2008
It gives me no pleasure to agree with most others here that this is another poor book by a writer who used to be one of my favourites. There's nothing here other than a frenetic rush around Scandinavia -is there? I'm glad someone else didn't really understand the ending but by then I'd long lost interest anyway. I thought the story and theories about Anastasia had been played out long ago and exhausted so why Goddard has to chew over the bones as well might indicate how desperate he's getting for 'new' plot material. Perhaps he's writing too often - he hasn't been anywhere near his old self for about ten years. I've also just finished Jeffrey Archer's 'Prisoner of Birth' and frankly, it's better.
Not top 10 Goddard October 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've read them all and love lots. Found Wanting starts OK as it chases through Europe in typical Goddard style but the last 80 or so pages? What the heck is going on? Very confusing and at the end of the marathon escapade you are so exhausted trying to understand all the family dynamics and intertwined history, you don't care anymore - just want to be over with it.And the guy (hero) gets the girl, who he thought was murdered earlier in the book.C'mon.......is happy ever after still in fashion?
If you like Goddard try R.J Ellory, particularly ' A Quiet Belief in Angels' for a starter.
 Reliable Robert (as opposed to a Great Goddard) October 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Robert Goddard is one of the few authors whom I pre-order in hardback irrespective of price.
He's a master storyteller and adept at ending chapters at a climatic point.
For me, what makes this one a 'reliable Robert' and not a 'great Goddard' is its european setting. I'm not a great traveller outside of the UK and as a result I find it difficult to connect with the european settings and their unusually spelt placenames. This one also has quite a few characters and at one point I was confused as to who was who, forcing me to reread a chapter (no great hardship) just to clarify in my mind who everyone was. Again the foreign spelt names didn't ease the confusion.
His British based novels are easier for me to identify with, 9 times out of 10, because I have been to the places where they are set. I know from these novels that his attention to detail when describing places is excellent, and therefore I assume that the european based novels are subject to just as high a level of detail.
If you're a hardened fan, you'll enjoy the book and no doubt devour it quickly, as they're meant to be enjoyed. If you're new to Robert Goddard, I'd be tempted to say read this, and then read "Into The Blue", "Hand in Glove", "Sight Unseen" or "Play to the End". That way your experience of this author will improve.
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