Ali Karim was a Board Member of Bouchercon [The World Crime & Mystery Convention] and co-chaired programming for Bouchercon Raleigh, North Carolina in 2015. He is Assistant Editor of Shots eZine, British correspondent for The Rap Sheet and writes and reviews for many US magazines & Ezines.
The Crime Writers Association awarded Robert Goddard the 2019 Diamond Dagger in recognition of his writing talent. Apart from his ‘Wide-World Trilogy’, Goddard’s work over the last thirty years has been hard to classify. However, beneath the surface narrative, belays an exploration into human nature, fallibility with plots-twists that make one gasp. His latest is no exception, a mystery novel, but one told through the lens of an international thriller.
Tokyo, Japan is the initial backdrop for this amusingly-dark tale of Umika Wada; a middle-aged [and widowed] secretary to renowned Private Detective Kazuro Kodaka. The reader needs to pack an overnight bag, as the narrative traverses the globe, as the adventure unfurls.
Next stop – London, where we’re introduced to Nick Miller who is uncovering a secret from the past, one that will force him to reconsider all he held to be true. It appears that Miller’s parents had something to conceal.
Dispatched by her boss to London on behalf of a new [and enigmatic] client - Mimori Takenaga; Wada blends into the background like the detective she is becoming - unassuming and invisible, as the novel’s title alludes to. Wada needs to become hidden - part of the backdrop, as dangerous forces are at work in London, as well as England’s South West and most curiously other parts of the globe.
Wada was sent to London by Kodaka’s Detective Agency to meet with Martin Caldwell as he has information regarding the suicide of their client’s father [nearly thirty years ago in London].
It appears that the mysterious Mr Caldwell also has knowledge regarding Nick Miller’s deceased father, and so our two main protagonists’ paths will cross. Private Detective Kazuro Kodaka, back in Japan dies in a curious accident, one of many bodies that start to pile-up, as the team of Koda and Miller find themselves involved in an international conspiracy that is personal to both of them.
Engaging, terse and a fast-read: this thriller has the pace and the high-stakes of Goddard’s previous work Panic Room and One False Move.
In today’s world where travel is restricted due to the ubiquity of this COVID business, the adventures of Wada and Miller allow one to traverse the globe from the comfort [and safety] of ones’ armchair.
And a helpful tip -
When reading The Fine Art of Invisible Detection under lock-down in your house, you will not require either anti-viral hand-gel, an N-95 face-mask or a book-mark - as Goddard’s latest is a one-sitting read, filled with vicarious thrills and a killer dénouement.
There is one unanswered question, to the master of the stand-alone mystery-thriller, and it relates to Umika Wada, the invisible detective. You’ll understand the question if you crack the spine of this book.
Highly recommended.
