Hand in Glove [Paperback]

Robert Goddard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1994

A compelling tale of murder, family mystery and literary scandal. Now in trade paperback, Hand in Glove in hardcover was cheered by the Washington Post Book World as "cleverly executed and entirely satisfying, right up to the last line."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stiff, archaic dialogue and an overreaching plot that snakes from contemporary England back to the Spanish Civil War makes this lengthy novel of psychological suspense by Goddard ( Debt of Dishonor ) slow going. The action begins with the murder of 85-year-old Beatrix Abberley, canny sister of England's poet-warrior Tristam Abberley, who died a hero in the Spanish Civil War. On Beatrix's death, four packets of letters revealing a predictable hoax, some depressing truths and a treasure buried since the 1930s are mailed to persons unknown. The dead woman's schoolmarmish niece Charlotte Ladram and bumbling Derek Fairfax, upright brother of an ex-con framed for the murder, set themselves to solving the puzzle of these events. With cardboard characters--a womanizing American biographer, mousy Charlotte and her brassy sister-in-law Ursula--and a string of handy coincidences, Goddard, who signals nearly every twist his story takes, delivers a mediocre effort. Paperback rights to Pocket.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Missing links play a most important role in this masterful tale about a murdered British woman whose famous-poet brother died in the Spanish Civil War. Circumstances throw the woman's goddaughter and the accused killer's brother together on a quest for 50-year-old family secrets that takes them back to Spain. Searching for a batch of legendary letters, they encounter the poet's charmingly deceptive biographer, a curmudgeonly compatriot long thought dead, and several nasty thugs. Goddard delivers complex adventure, emotional insight, and finely wrought prose. Highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671890379
• ISBN-13: 978-0671890377
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,058,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A double ending!, March 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Hand in Glove (Paperback)

The plot is well thought out. Unlike most of Goddard's books, half way through, I was sure that I fully understood what was going on and who had committed the murder. All the facts fitted my suppositions so I was a little disappointed at how easy it was to determine what was going on. Then the plot changed dramatically and all my suppositions were proved to be wrong. Red herrings galore! The final pages of the book reveal the most plausible of solutions to the scenario. As with most of RG's books, the final pages reveal a solution not thought of, but altogether too plausible. An Excellent read!
Terry Hockenhull

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spanish Civil War casts suspensenet 50 years in future, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hand in Glove (Paperback)

This is my fifth Goddard, and each maintains a freshly unique, suprising, suspensful character. The Spanish Civil War is an active character in the novel, and offers a valuable learning experience in itself. The theme of webs, connections and linkages continues from Goddard's other novels. All issues are finally resolved but not without unexpected twists and turns that make it difficult to put the book down.

4.0 out of 5 stars Master of his craft, July 8, 2011

By 

Srdjan Pesic (Minneapolis, Mn United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hand in Glove (Hardcover)

Robert Goddard is a master of the quintessential British upper class mystery. His stiff upper lip, high brow characters are flawlessly drawn on his pages. The beauty of their environment, their high class accents, the glamour of it all.
And then under the paper thin veneer, we see that they are just depressingly human like the rest of us.
"Hand in Glove " is a marvelous excercise in this specific genre.Tight, sharp and without mercy, like life itself.Praise to this great master of his craft.