Stephen Swan is amazed when he hears that the uncle he thought had been killed in the Blitz is actually alive. For nearly four decades, Eldritch Swan has been locked away in an Irish prison and now, at last, has been released. Shocked and suspicious, Stephen listens to the old man’s story and is caught up in a tale that begins at the dawn of World War II, when Eldritch worked for an Antwerp diamond dealer with a trove of Picassos—highly valuable paintings that later disappeared. Stephen, who finds his uncle by turns devious, charming, and brazen, then meets Rachel Banner, a beautiful American who may have inherited the Picassos—and is determined to see justice done for her family. But in this tale of revenge and redemption, justice is the ultimate illusion. Eldritch, Stephen, and the woman Stephen has fallen in love with soon find themselves fighting for their lives—against sinister forces still guarding a secret that must never be revealed.
Long Time Coming: A Novel
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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In this irresistible thriller full of deceit, duplicity, and vengeance, British author Goddard (Name to a Face) shifts effortlessly between 1976, when 68-year-old Eldritch Swan, thought killed in the Blitz, resurfaces from 36 years in an Irish prison, and 1940, when Eldritch, a cocksure secretary for an unscrupulous Antwerp diamond merchant, Isaac Meridor, prepares to leave for America. The older Eldritch, who appears as weird as his given name implies, assures his nephew, Stephen, he'd been framed in Dublin for unspecified offenses against the state, though he admits to helping steal Meridor's Picasso collection. Eldritch needs Stephen's help to prove the collection rightfully belongs to Meridor's wife, daughter, and granddaughter, Rachel Banner. Bit by tantalizing bit the convoluted tale of Eldritch's unknowing involvement in high wartime crimes and misdemeanors during Britain's finest hour emerges, deftly counterpointed by Stephen's growing attachment to Rachel. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
An ill-gotten family fortune culled from Congolese diamond mines, a forged Picasso, and a hellish Irish prison form the nexus of this eccentric thriller. There are two narrators: the first, speaking of events in 1976, is Stephen Swan, a geologist who has long worked in the booming Texas oil fields. On his return to England, he finds that an uncle, who he was told had lost his life during the Blitz, is alive but not well, having been just released from an extended stay in an Irish prison under suspicion of spying. The second narrator is the uncle himself, who tells his nephew about criminal plots hatched during the war that have taken on strength and danger through the decades. Goddard shuttles between 1976, when the forged Picasso and other stolen works are on public display and must be recovered for the wronged owners, and 1940, when the whole conspiracy began. Although the plot is complex, Goddard’s gift for suspense never flags. --Connie Fletcher
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In 1976, sixty-eight year old Eldritch Swan arrives at his widow sister-in-law's home in Paignton after over three decades in an Irish prison. His nephew Stephen Swan is also heading to his mom's home having ended an engagement. Stephen is shocked to learn his paternal uncle is alive as he thought Eldritch died in the Nazi Blitz in 1940. He asks his Uncle Eldritch why he was incarnated all these years without anyone aware he still lived; the older man says he cannot tell anyone or he will die in that Irish prison.
In 1940 Eldritch worked as secretary to Antwerp diamond merchant, Isaac Meridor. He insists he is innocent of the traitorous charges that locked him away, but admits he helped Miles Linley steal his employer's Picasso collection and has a chance to make some money from a lawyer whose client insists tycoon Jay Brownlow owns a stolen Picasso collection that Meridor's granddaughter Rachel claims is rightfully hers.
This is a terrific thriller that effortlessly switches back and forth between 1940 and 1976 as what happened to obviously still roguish Uncle Eldritch is slowly answered with more questions arising. The two subplots are well written as Stephen and Rachel try to solve the modern day question of art ownership by deciphering the 1940 mystery with ties to Ireland's position on which side to support during WWII.
Harriet Klausner
In 1940 Eldritch worked as secretary to Antwerp diamond merchant, Isaac Meridor. He insists he is innocent of the traitorous charges that locked him away, but admits he helped Miles Linley steal his employer's Picasso collection and has a chance to make some money from a lawyer whose client insists tycoon Jay Brownlow owns a stolen Picasso collection that Meridor's granddaughter Rachel claims is rightfully hers.
This is a terrific thriller that effortlessly switches back and forth between 1940 and 1976 as what happened to obviously still roguish Uncle Eldritch is slowly answered with more questions arising. The two subplots are well written as Stephen and Rachel try to solve the modern day question of art ownership by deciphering the 1940 mystery with ties to Ireland's position on which side to support during WWII.
Harriet Klausner
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Mal Warwick
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Robert Goddard writes suspenseful novels that typically span many years in British history and demonstrate graphically the unforeseen consequences of long-ago acts. Long Time Coming is one of the 20 books he has written since the early 90s and one of 12 now available for the Kindle. I acquired an addiction for Goddard's work six or eight books ago and grab every new entry on the list as soon as it's available.
Each of Goddard's mystery novels is a standalone story. There are virtually no reappearing characters, much less a series hero. Another of the hallmarks of Goddard's writing is his mastery of complex plotting. His books are full of complications, setbacks, and surprises, and Long Time Coming is no exception.
In Long Time Coming, the story is rooted in the legendarily brutal Belgian empire in the Congo in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. But the action shifts back and forth from England to Ireland to Belgium, with episodes alternating from 1976 to 1940 and back again at regular intervals and concluding with shorter scenes in 1922 and 2008.
Long Time Coming tells the tale of Stephen Swan, a young English geologist relocated in 1976 to his home after a stint in the Texas oilfields, and his uncle, Eldritch Swan, who has suddenly appeared in Stephen's life after 36 years in an Irish prison. Stephen's parents had always told him his father's brother had died in the Blitz, but Eldritch, to the young man's chagrin, is very much alive. And he proceeds to involve his nephew in a perilous chase through London, Dublin, and Antwerp in search of proof that he was innocent of the charge that confined him to prison for more than a third of a century.
Along the way we meet a crooked Antwerp diamond merchant and his beautiful young granddaughter, an IRA terrorist with a world-class talent at forging art, a priceless collection of Picassos, a ruthless and venal former MI6 operative now living the life of a rural squire, and an assortment of police officers, secret service agents, and lawyers in England, Ireland, and Belgium.
Long Time Coming is no mere whodunit but a genuine novel of suspense, peopled by three-dimensional characters living in a moral universe painted in shades of gray.
(From Mal Warwick's Blog on Books)
Each of Goddard's mystery novels is a standalone story. There are virtually no reappearing characters, much less a series hero. Another of the hallmarks of Goddard's writing is his mastery of complex plotting. His books are full of complications, setbacks, and surprises, and Long Time Coming is no exception.
In Long Time Coming, the story is rooted in the legendarily brutal Belgian empire in the Congo in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. But the action shifts back and forth from England to Ireland to Belgium, with episodes alternating from 1976 to 1940 and back again at regular intervals and concluding with shorter scenes in 1922 and 2008.
Long Time Coming tells the tale of Stephen Swan, a young English geologist relocated in 1976 to his home after a stint in the Texas oilfields, and his uncle, Eldritch Swan, who has suddenly appeared in Stephen's life after 36 years in an Irish prison. Stephen's parents had always told him his father's brother had died in the Blitz, but Eldritch, to the young man's chagrin, is very much alive. And he proceeds to involve his nephew in a perilous chase through London, Dublin, and Antwerp in search of proof that he was innocent of the charge that confined him to prison for more than a third of a century.
Along the way we meet a crooked Antwerp diamond merchant and his beautiful young granddaughter, an IRA terrorist with a world-class talent at forging art, a priceless collection of Picassos, a ruthless and venal former MI6 operative now living the life of a rural squire, and an assortment of police officers, secret service agents, and lawyers in England, Ireland, and Belgium.
Long Time Coming is no mere whodunit but a genuine novel of suspense, peopled by three-dimensional characters living in a moral universe painted in shades of gray.
(From Mal Warwick's Blog on Books)
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Cockatoo
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I look forward to each new book by this remarkable author. And I haven't read a Robert Goddard book I didn't like but I have read others I enjoyed more than this one. Don't get me wrong, it's still streets ahead of most other novels I have read but it didn't capture me the way "Past Caring" and "In Pale Battalions" did. I couldn't put them down. Still worth reading.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual and Well Thought Out Plot
Rather surprisingly given that Robert Goddard is such a prolific author, this is the first of his books which I have read. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Brett H
4.0 out of 5 stars
Long Time Coming
I really enjoy Robert Goddard's intriguing story lines and style of writing. This is a page turner from beginning to end..
Published 5 days ago by Annie Van Es
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another winner by Robert Goddard.
Every one of his books is great and at the same time unique. The stories are gripping and well written with a few history leasons included for free. I recommend them all.
Published 4 months ago by Jim B
3.0 out of 5 stars
Goddard gets (some) of his groove back
Thank goodness, to have a reasonable tale by Robert Goddard again after the inferior material he has produced in recent years, particularly "Found Wanting". Read more
Published 11 months ago by John Fitzpatrick
4.0 out of 5 stars
Goddard LT Coming
Love the intrigue, mystery, and historical settings of Goddard's books. This was unique in that the couple appear together at the end, not standard for his novels. Read more
Published 14 months ago by PTLMK
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinarily well written
No point in repeating a summary of the plot or characters here, well covered elsewhere. Notwithstanding, it is fair to say that Goddard is an exceptional writer who captures... Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Gleason
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasing Mix of Past and Present
My favorite Robert Goddard novel is "In Pale Batallions," and nothing he's written since compares to the power of that book -- which isn't to say that he hasn't written good... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Ohioan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast- moving, complex Eire Historical Fiction
This is the first book I've read by Robert Goddard and I really enjoyed it. Reading about Ireland, England and WWII was interesting and insightful. Read more
Published 23 months ago by P. White
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent, literate, and difficult
"Long Time Coming" by Robert Goddard is difficult in several ways.
Granted, Goddard is as intelligent and literate as ever. His writing is charming, elegant, and . . . Read more
Granted, Goddard is as intelligent and literate as ever. His writing is charming, elegant, and . . . Read more
Published 23 months ago by Nico Brusso
1.0 out of 5 stars
All Too Aptly Titled
Robert Goddard, where did it all go wrong? We met in South Africa and you kept me company on the long flight home. Read more
Published 24 months ago by MJS
