The Ways of the World: Robert Goddard

Paris of 1919 is full of spies and intrigue. Following World War I, a peace treaty is being negotiated, and Sir Henry Maxted is present as an adviser to the British deputation. While there he falls off a building to his death; the authorities and the politicians are anxious to call his death accidental, and the proximity to a possible mistress in Paris makes the event embarrassing to his family.

Sir Henry's two sons go to Paris to claim the body. The elder brother, now Sir Ashley, wants to accept things at face value and get back home. James “Max” Maxted, recently released from his assignment as a pilot in the  Royal Flying Corps, has a feeling that the truth is being covered up and feels a duty to follow up on his intuition.  He and his friend, mechanic Sam Twentyman, had planned to run an air field back in the UK but he feels he must put those plans on hold.

The remainder of the book follows Max's adventures in Paris as he looks into his father's involvement in the peace talks and the machinations and double-dealing going on among representatives of various nations. Sam Twentyman joins him in Paris and gets a job as a mechanic for the British delegation to help out behind the scenes.

The plot seemed to wander at times and there were a lot of names and nationalities to keep track. Usually this doesn't bother me, but some of the relationships never became clear to me. At times, the story seemed too melodramatic. On the other hand, I like that Max was not willing to toe the family line and hide the true facts of his father's death (which will not be clear without some digging into the facts). I liked the division in the family, with the elder brother's wife, Lydia, trying to influence events in her favor and Max's mother rooting for him.

The book has a definite cliffhanger ending. Since the book has been marketed as the first part of a trilogy, that did not surprise me. In this case, although the ending was abrupt, it was the ending I expected and it did not bother me. I feel like I have enough closure with this book that I could read on to the next book or not, and the reading experience would still be satisfactory. Other readers have complained strongly about this aspect of the story, so I feel I should include a warning.

In summary, I found this to be a light, entertaining espionage story, fine if you don't mind family drama and a bit of romance included. Of course I enjoyed the setting in time and place and the connection to World War I. This type of historical mystery is a favorite type of read for me. This is the first book by Robert Goddard I have read. I expect to follow up on book 2 in the trilogy eventually, and I have three other books by this author to read.

As far as I can tell, only this first book in the trilogy has been published in the US; the second and third books have been published in the UK.

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Publisher:   Mysterious Press, 2015 (orig. pub. 2013)
Length:      416 pages
Format:      e-book
Series:       James Maxted, #1
Setting:      Paris, France (primarily)
Genre:        Thriller, Espionage
Source:      Provided by the publisher for review via NetGalley

New (to me) Authors: April through June 2015

Today I am joining in on the meme for the best new-to-me crime fiction authors at Mysteries in Paradise. This meme runs at the end of each quarter. Check out other posts for this quarter.

This quarter I have read books by seven authors that I have never read before.

White Heat by M. J. McGrath
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
Tainted by Ross Pennie
The Case of the Dotty Dowager by Cathy Ace
The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard
See Also Murder by Larry D. Sweazy
Susannah Screaming by Carolyn Weston

I have reviewed all of these book except for The Ways of the World and Susannah Screaming. I will be reviewing both books soon.

Robert Goddard has written over twenty mystery thrillers. They cover various periods in history. Per the author's website: "What they all have in common is the infinite capacity for intrigue and conspiracy in human nature - and the lengths to which some at least will go to combat them."

Publisher's Weekly describes The Ways of the World:

The Paris peace talks of 1919 provide the backdrop for Edgar-winner Goddard’s enjoyable first in a trilogy featuring James “Max” Maxted, “late of the Royal Flying Corps.” When Max’s father, aging diplomat Henry Maxted, is found dead outside his mistress’s Montparnasse apartment building, the police and some members of the British delegation maintain Henry simply fell from the roof or jumped. Yet the doggedly curious Max and his sidekick—former plane mechanic Sam Twentyman—spot a pattern of suspicious circumstances indicating otherwise.

Per Brash Books, Carolyn Weston is the author of the three, ground-breaking police procedurals that became the hit TV series The Streets of San Francisco. Susannah Screaming was the second book in that series. As a fan of the TV show starring Karl Malden and Michael Douglas, I was eager to give the books a try. Brash Books is releasing new editions of all three books.