Most of the first half of the book is spent on Stafford's story and it is engrossing. It is a story of love and shattered dreams. As a young politician, Stafford wanted to put his mark on the world and make a difference. It only takes one day for his life to be forever destroyed, leading to a series of repercussions that affects Radford in ways he could never imagine. However, nothing is quite as it seems and there are people who, even decades later, want to prevent the truth from ever coming out. It is at this point that one's patient reading pays off. It is a long book and not to be rushed and so good that every detail is important. PAST CARING is worth all the careful attention a reader can pay it. Goddard has his masterpiece here. I did guess, almost immediately from whence came the villainy of the events of 1910, and what crime would have been committed, against the upstanding and moral Cabinet member Radford is researching in the 1970s. Not to mention the veritable army of untrustworthy souls in the 70’s Past Caring is lengthy, but that is because it has to fit in the diaries of a long dead British minister as well as the historical research of the less than ideal Martin Radford. Radford is a failed academic and teacher who seems to enjoy drink more than books. A chance visit to Madeira leads him to hunt down the story of Edwin Strafford, a rising political star in 1910 who disappeared from politics for mysterious reasons. As he digs deeper, Radford finds that there are those who wish to keep the story buried along with Strafford.

Thirdly, it is similarly inconceivable that Elizabeth would not have told Edwin. When first told herself, her initial reaction would have been one of utter disbelief - evidence notwithstanding. She would have been quite desperate to get to the truth of the matter. She would have gone through as many scenarios as she could imagine that would have exonerated her intended. The narration is steady and clear and helps keep the plot focussed. This story is long so is good value for money and the ending is unexpected so you keep going all the way to the last few minutes. So, for the first half of the book one is continually wondering what revelation could possible cause her (and Asquith) to behave in the way they did, and for the second half one is incredulous at the frankly bizarre and insipid behaviour of two people supposedly deeply in love.Why only three stars then? Well, as much as I enjoyed this book, it wasn't without flaws, the principle flaw being the pacing. Although I enjoyed this book immensely, it was let down by the absurdity of it's main premise: That two people who were very much in love could be broken up by a lie, in the way it was presented here. This breathless and unending case takes Max to London from far North of Scotland and all the way to Paris, where the world’s government are still but bartering over the spoils right in the aftermath of the Great war. The stakes here are so high and it is a matter of life and death to everyone involved. Martin’s investigations trigger a violent series of events, throwing him straight into the path of those who believed they had escaped punishment for crimes long past but never paid for . . . And Martin himself may find that he must risk his life to discover the truth. Robert Goddard's first novel, PAST CARING, made an impression when it came out almost twenty years ago, receiving great praise from critics and a Booker Award nomination for Best First Novel. Now with the book's latest printing, nothing has changed. It is still a great book and new readers, always hoping for a good mystery, will be pleased to discover it.

Goddard's 1997 book Beyond Recall was nominated for the Edgar Award Best Novel prize but lost out to Mr. White's Confession by Robert Clark. A wonderful read . . . the satisfying climax weaves together the strands of past and present . . . A poised telling of a complex tale.” Publishers WeeklyFrom a collection of more than 20 mystery thrillers, that will indeed enthrall and satisfy you as a lover of such genre, to unprincipled chicanery and unforgiven betrayals as well as unforgotten jealousy, are just but part of the infinite capacity of imagination and intrigues that Robert Goddard books will present to you. Basically, Robert novels and especially his thrillers do have a historical settings and elements staged in some provincial English towns and cities bringing in a number of plots twists.Plus, his books always involve the lead character, gradually unraveling a conspiracy which for a very long time been kept as a secret, and through means of historical documents like the diaries or simply by word of mouth testimonies that have been handed down from one individual to another. Combines the expert suspense manipulation skills of a Daphne DuMaurier romance with those of a John Le Carre thriller.” New York Times

Robert William Goddard (born 13 November 1954 in Fareham, Hampshire) is an English novelist. [1] Life and career [ edit ] The thing I loved the most about this book is that Goddard doesn't let himself be constrained by genre or genre expectations. There are so many different elements of this book that you wouldn't normally find together in one novel. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers but I was really impressed by this. The story actually felt more realistic due to this blending of different genres and tones; life doesn't abide by genre conventions after all. Firstly, it is all but inconceivable that the prior marriage could have been kept secret from the world at large, even without considering the behaviour of the two main actors: Elizabeth and Erwin. At one point of this story, the protagonist is advised “nothing is as it seems”. That is a vast understatement in this tangled web of deceit, double-dealing and revenge. As with my prior outing with Goddard, I must work at not giving away any of the plot as spoilers would be difficult to avoid. Suffice it to say that there are few truly good people involved, and they are put upon badly by the self-serving villains whose bad deeds flow into and escalate over six decades, erupting when a young history researcher is given a commission to look into a memoir found in an old villa. The narrative is liberally dotted with familiar names from Edwardian parliamentary politics, and I did have to pay attention to keep up with political issues that I had only a passing familiarity with. Combines the expert suspensemanipulation skills of a Daphne DuMaurier romance with those of a John Le Carre thriller.” New York TimesMany years ago, when I was a teenager, my father read this book and was very moved by the story. I read it too, and like the Hardy poem the author quotes, I've felt haunted by this story for a long time, even after forgetting the name of the book and the names of the main characters. Martin Radford is a floundering, unemployed historian with a dim future who jumps at the chance to research the memoirs of Edwin Strafford, a young Edwardian cabinet minister and contemporary of Churchill and Lloyd George with a promising career that went mysteriously astray. Radford’s own blunders will unfold on this journey as he investigates Strafford’s past in this blended mix of politics, romance and historical thriller. At a luxurious villa on the sun-soaked island of Madeira, unemployed historian Martin Radford is given a second chance. Martin is shown the leather-bound journal of another ruined man, former British cabinet minister Edwin Strafford. Plot wise, this is a 5 star mystery...not a thriller per se, more of a gradual burner, which builds in sophistication, complexity and urgency. Goddard always plays fair - the characters stay in character, and the inevitable coincidences are believable. The ending is very satisfying and well brought together. This is in no way a fast paced, regular thriller kind of book. This is well-written, being rather literary in places and is considered and smooth in its pace. This is a steady, delectable, slow burn of a book, yet it does not flag or become bogged down.

Secondly, it is absolutely inconceivable that some with the capability to become home secretary at such a young age (or, indeed, at any age) would not have dug and pushed and prodded until he had found out his supposed crime.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

He is given the opportunity of lifetime when he is asked to come to the island of Madeira, off the Portuguese coast, to listen to a proposal by a man named Leo Sellitt. He has bought an estate that used to belong to Edwin Stafford, appointed Home Secretary in 1908, who disappeared from politics under mysterious circumstances. Stafford left a journal behind that might shed light on his life.