Product Description

Richard Eusden is on his way to work in London one unremarkable winter morning when he is intercepted by his ex-wife, Gemma. She has sad news of his old friend, her other ex-husband, Marty Hewitson. Marty is dying, but needs a favour done for him - now, today, at once. Eusden reluctantly agrees and sets off on what should be a simple errand. But, soon it turns into a race for life, his and Marty's, across Belgium, Germany and Denmark and on into the Nordic heart of a mystery that somehow connects Marty's long dead grandfather, Clem Hewitson, an Isle of Wight police officer, with the tragic fate of the Russian Royal Family.Eusden discovers to his dismay that he can trust no-one, not even an old and dying friend, in a battle for survival with those who are determined to steal the secret they believe he and Marty hold - and will kill for it if they have to. Every move Eusden makes threatens to be a step into disaster. But, move he must - in pursuit of the truth, on the heels of history. It is his only hope.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50894 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From the Inside Flap
It begins with an innocent request …

One unremarkable winter morning, civil servant Richard Eusden is on his way to work in London when he is intercepted by his ex-wife, Gemma. She has sad news of his old friend, her other ex-husband, Marty Hewitson. Marty is dying, but needs one last favour done for him – now, today, at once.

Eusden reluctantly agrees.But what should be a simple errand soon it turns into a race for life – his and Marty’s.It takes him across Belgium, Germany and Denmark and on into the Nordic heart of a mystery that somehow connects Marty’s long dead grandfather, Clem Hewitson, an Isle of Wight police officer, with the tragic fate of the Russian Royal Family, murdered ninety years earlier.

To his dismay, Eusden discovers that he can trust no one, not even his old, dying friend, in his battle with those who are determined to steal the secret they believe he and Marty hold, and who will kill for it if they have to. Every move Eusden makes threatens to be a step closer to disaster. But move he must if he is to escape the clutches of history. It is his only hope …

Eusden’s pursuit of the truth takes him, and the reader, on a lightning tour of Europe while harking back to the savage and terrifying events which have cast a blight on the continent’s future for so long. From its opening page to its dramatic conclusion, Found Wanting is Robert Goddard at his spellbinding best.

About the Author
Robert Goddard was born in Hampshire and read History at Cambridge. His first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. His first Harry Barnett novel, Into the Blue, was winner of the first WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award and was dramatized for TV, starring John Thaw.

Customer Reviews

No time to pause for breath...
Amazing as it may seem, it's been more than twenty years since Robert Goddard published his first (and still his best, in my opinion) thriller, 'Past Caring'. It established the winning formula all his novels have followed since: a historical mystery which has serious repercussions in the present, usually involving famous events and familiar real-life figures from the past, all told in a pacey narrative with plenty of twists and surprises. The combination of history and mystery is an enticing one, and it's no surprise he's been a regular on the best-seller lists ever since. However, I feel that for the past decade, his work has not been of the same high quality as his earliest books. He's never less than readable, but from 'Out Of The Sun' onwards his style seemed to undergo a change. The novels got shorter and the pacing became frenetic, and some of the depth of characterisation and historical detail seemed to get lost overboard.

'Found Wanting' is his latest, and deals with the mystery surrounding the fate of the last Tsar of Russia and his family after the Revolution 80 years ago, particularly his daughter Anastasia - who, of course, allegedly reappeared in 1920 but was never able to prove her identity despite several protracted court battles. The story starts with civil servant Richard Eusden agreeing to visit his dying friend Marty in Brussels and take him a case of secret documents. It soon becomes clear there are ruthless individuals out to claim these papers for themselves, and that they may contain the key to Anastasia's identity. Murder, betrayal, the unearthing of hidden secrets and a race across Europe ensue.

This all adds up to a passable read, but it's just a shadow of Goddard's early novels. It feels like we barely have time to meet the characters before they're thrown headlong into danger and the pace never lets up from then on. I realise that some people may like the book for that very fact, but it means there's no time for any depth. It's written in very short chapters with a cliff-hanger ending to virtually every one, and it all gets a bit wearing. There are only so many times you can be thrilled by yet another group of enemies springing from nowhere to place our hero in mortal danger. At times it comes across like an old Saturday morning serial. Sure, it's entertaining, but the plot details are glossed over rather than explored in depth, and there's not a lot of substance to any of the characters, so it's difficult to feel any emotional attachment to them. And why do most of them... need to put... quite so many pauses... in their speech? It reads like something from Pinter at times.

So, it's a tolerable read for Robert Goddard fans, or anyone who wants a breakneck-paced thriller, but I wonder if he will ever write anything as good as 'Past Caring,' 'Into The Blue' or 'Painting The Darkness' again.

Formulaic and lazy. Only good for a really long flight.
It is a while since I read a Goddard novel, and this reminded me of all the reasons why I stopped. I finished it only because I was jetlagged and wide awake, with nothing else to get me through a night in Hong Kong. The Goddard formula has simply worn out.

The protagonist is like virtually every other Goddard hero: middle-aged, in a rut, romantically unconnected, unprepared for the challenges ahead, but then unexpectedly resourceful when times get tough. He will also find romance along the way. There is a lame attempt to make this a surprise, but it is screamingly obvious nonetheless.

There are far too many characters, both past and present, and their behaviour and motivations are rarely plausible. Conversations are preposterous. The plot lumbers through the cities of Northern Europe towards the inevitable one-on-one showdown with the villain. The book ends with a feeble wordplay on the title (one of the characters is called 'Wanting'.)

There is also a lack of attention to detail. When the hero is trapped in the boot of a Mercedes, he hears a whirring sound which is explained as the electric aerial. Modern cars haven't had self-extending aerials for years. In fact, Goddard seems to have a problem with cars. In an earlier novel (I forget which) a character drove a Bentley at least 20 years before the first one was created.

On the plus side, the basic research around the Romanovs and what became of them after the Ekaterinburg massacre seems to be quite thorough, and probably could have formed the basis of a passable thriller, but that is not what is delivered.

Avoid. If you want some enjoyable hokum for a journey, then try Dan Brown's 'Deception Point'. It is a modern conspiracy thriller that has nothing to do with Da Vinci, and bowls along with sufficient pace that you don't notice the flaws until you have finished.

Found Wanting
I have been a avid fan of Robbert Goddard since his first book "Past Caring" and in the intervening 15 years I have anxiously awaited his new efforts. Unfortunately, the title of this book apty describes it. It was as dissapointing as "Sea Change". "Found Wanting" was disjointed and convoluted with too many twists and turns. I will pre-order Mr. Goddard's 2009/10 book and hope for a better outcome