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Sight Unseen (2006)

Sight Unseen (2006)

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Genre
Rating
3.73 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
0440242800 (ISBN13: 9780440242802)
Language
English
Publisher
delta

About book Sight Unseen (2006)

SIGHT UNSEEN (Mystery-UK-Cont) – GGoddard, Robert – 15th novelBantam Press, 2006- Hardcover*** On a summer day in 1981, PhD student, David Umber, is waiting to meet an unidentified man who claims he can help David with his research into Junius, a political polemicist during the 1700s. While waiting, he sees a young nanny with three children and witnesses the kidnapping of one child and the hit-and-run death of a second. Years later, Umber, now a tour guide in Prague, is approached by now-retired Chief Inspector George Sharp. Sharp was in charge of the original investigation and now convinces Umber to return to England so they can learn what really happened and who was responsible.*** Reading UK authors occasionally points out how lacking is my knowledge of English history in that I had never heard of Janius. While that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book, I did wonder about it’s significance to the plot for quite a ways into the book. There were a lot of characters and it became a bit confusing at time, but following David on his path of discovery compelled me to keep turning the pages as I really wanted to find out where the story was going. The characters were interesting and well-drawn. The revelations were well placed through the story. Although I enjoyed the book, when I looked at it a week later, I had trouble remembering what it was about. So, it was a good read, but definitely not outstanding

I am not sure exactly what to think. On the one hand, I liked how events unravelled and I did not find it difficult to follow, as some suggest. It was an easy read and the suspense kept me reading. On the other hand, I also believe the characters were somewhat superficial and I had hoped for a more intriguing ending. (view spoiler)[The fact that David Umber ultimately did run out on everyone together with Chantelle was kind of a shock. It didn't really suit his personality. And although he thought he had left Sally in the lurch as well some years earlier, it seems to me that that was quite different. Perhaps it would have been better for the story had Chantelle actually committed suicide. I also did not like how George Sharp disappeared half-way through never to return again. Then there were the characters of whom you'd think they had some more bearing on the story, but actually had not. I thought Nevinson was given too much attention for what he actually meant to the plot in the end, which was nothing. Then there was the 'stumbling upon Griffin'-part, which I thought was too convenient and not believable.(view spoiler)[ It just feels like there was more to it than what the ending suggested. (hide spoiler)]

Do You like book Sight Unseen (2006)?

Sight Unseen is an engrossing mystery that interfered with my sleep. It's the kind of book I could have easily read in one sitting, if I had the time. I will admit that the preface and first chapter(s) left me more confused than anything, but still managed to draw me into the story. After that, the story settles into its groove. I felt involved in the story, like I was there with Umber. The one other thing that could get confusing was the repeated appearance of the Junius letters. It was hard to figure out how they were involved in a kidnapping/murder case. By the end it is cleared up, but I still feel that the Junius search took too much time. Overall, Sight Unseen is a really intriguing mystery that makes me want to read Goddard's work again.
—Michelle Jones

I've read a few of Robert Goddard's book now, and to be honest, I find it a bit hit and miss. Some are great, others are a bit "meh". This one tends towards the "meh". It's a good story, and the twists and turns of the plot always keep you guessing as you go along. Unfortunately, the big reveal at the end was something that you will easily guess at. I also had a problem with the chapters in Kew, where all the previous good work is undone by a very unbelievable coincidence that enables the protagonist to track down another character. The main character, David Umber, is a bit bland (a problem I have with most of Goddard's books).What lifts this book is Goddard's obvious knowledge of the historical elements of the book, and the way he can weave them into the plot, he does this much better than Dan Brown. So, the positive and the negative tend to cancel each other out, leaving me with a three star rating. I will read more Goddard, but I won't go looking.
—Ian Fenton

Eén keer gelezen, maar dat is te lang geleden voor een goede recensie. Dus, eerst nog een keer lezen, dan horen jullie wat ik ervan vind.Intend to release this one at the meeting on Terschelling, so will read this in the course of next week. After a considerable time I re-read this book. This time, liked it a lot better than the first, when I compared it too much with Verboden te lezen, a book by the same author. Now that I did not read them one after the other, I am able to talk about this book.There's a lot going on in this book. Occasionally I had trouble following the leaps of thought of certain characters, how he/she came to the conclusion .... I'm not saying that everything should always be written in great detail, but because there were some unexplained things, the story lines came together very late. As a reader I'd have preferred to know some reasons / causes earlier on in the story. Most likely I would have appreciated the book more.It is certainly not a bad book, but I have read more exciting / better books. The only scene that really stood out for me was the one near the end of the book, at the tain station. That was very well done. I won't say anything more.... ;-)
—BoekenTrol

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