Customer Reviews

Caught in the Light

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first Goddard I read. The metaphor of light reflected from his previous novels - Painting the Darkness, Into the Blue, In Pale Batallions. Light even plays an important role in the cover drawings in the Corgi editions of Borrowed Time and Out of the Sun. A web of intrigue enters the life of a photographer, and all he meet are eventually seen, in another light, to be working for his downfall. Worth a transit through Gatwick or Heathrow to buy, but now easily available through Amazon. As with other Goddards, the people seem "normal," and that is what makes the possibility of hidden forces reaching out and turning life upside down seem so convincing.

This is a novel of love, loss, deception and amateur detection. Part ghost story, part historical mystery with a visit to the magical beginnings of early photography thrown in for good measure.

Goddard has outdone himself in executing this intricate suspense filled plot loaded with double-crosses, theft and murder as well as the deeper themes of love and loss.

Goddard's talent is such that this acrostic like "puzzle" engages the reader completely....and each time you think you have the solution you are given yet another piece of the puzzle that takes you in another direction.

Although I sometimes became infuriated with our "hero", Ian Jarrett, wanting to shout out, "Why don't you just use the phone and call rather than going there", the resolution of the story came as quite a heartbreaking suprise.

I do not like to give long, in-depth descriptions of the story (why buy the book and read it if every plot point his been disclosed in a review). Suffice to say, readers will not be disappointed and will find themselves caught in the light of Goddard's storytelling genius.

Blending the past and present seamlessly, Goddard had written a brilliant novel that keeps the reader guessing from one page to the next. The totally believable initial encounter between Jarret and Marian sets the stage for the events that follow.How does one explain a physical and torridly sexual tryst with an enchanting woman who lived in another century? This is where Goddard's skill lies--he spins a sensitive and thrilling romance where it all seems so very possible.

I've only recently 'discovered' the author Robert Goddard and this is the third book I've read by him. It was fantastic, I particularly liked the flashbacks to the 1820s relating to the history of photography, it was so convincing that you wondered what was fact and what was fiction. You develop a real affinity with the main character Ian and are devastaed by the turn of events at the end - well worth reading!

I never cease to be amazed at the scope of research this author must undertake to provide the diverse and elevated content, while weaving the intrigue and suspense of the story line. The twists are so unexpected that at one point I found myself giving an audible gasp in a public place, when snatching an opportunity for a few more pages! I do hope the author is eating lots of good 'brain food' because I can't wait for his next title.

An amazing read. This was the first Goddard I had read and I am hooked. It is amazingly well crafted and executed. Goddard has an old world style that is refreshingly not modern. This work in particular caught my imagination. And yes, it does blend historical fact with fiction. If the result ought to be 'faction' such a description belies the degree of success of Goddard's muse - definitely a case of true literary synergy where the product is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.Like no other contemporary author, this first novel I read by Goddard impelled me to read more ...

Ian Jarrett enjoys his work as a photographer. His current assignment has him in Vienna where by sheer luck he meets and falls in love with Marian Esguard. They agree to soon rendezvous in England.

Ian returns home to inform his spouse and daughter that he found someone else and is leaving them. Ian journeys to meet Marian, but she fails to show up at their pre-arranged spot. Ian begins to search for his beloved, only to meet Dr. Daphne Sanger, a psychotherapist who is also seeking Marian. Daphne explains to Ian that Marian is her missing patient. Marian believes she is the reincarnation of a nineteenth century woman who may have discovered photography a decade before Fox receives credit for the accomplishment. Ian continues his present day search by looking into the past even though he knows there may be a bitter ending when he finds what he seeks.

Internationally renowned best selling author Robert Goddard scribes a wonderful blending of a contemporary amateur sleuth tale with elements of a historical mystery. The modern day mystery is well designed due to the desperate antics of Ian. However, it is the loving insight into the history of photography that turns CAUGHT IN THE LIGHT into necessary reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

Robert Goddard is a genius - in his books, nothing is what it seems. Of all his books (yes, I have read them all), this has the best twist. But this is also his saddest book - there were tears in my eyes towards the end. No one in the world writes like Robert Goddard - his words penetrate to the soul and touch the heart.

I picked up this book by chance in Australia last April and it made the 18 hour flight back to the States seem like a mere blink. I can't remember the last time a work of fiction so completely surprised me. I've been devouring his books ever since. Goddard's books aren't easily categorized - they're part mystery, part thriller, part history - but they're all fascinating. I'm amazed they aren't more popular in the U.S. If you like well-written mysteries that respect the intelligence of the reader, Goddard is a must.

Robert Goddard is an exceptional writer who has the ability to make you question the things in which you may or may not believe. His only downfall here was that he almost made the cast of characters too large to keep track of, especially when one of them keeps using different names. However, his description of Eris Moberly's/Marian Esguard's fugue states and forays into the past is so believable you can almost conceptualize being there. The characters and events are so intricately woven you sometimes can't tell where one ends and another begins. Definitely not a fast-paced thriller, but a book to be read slowly and savored right to the last page.