Short description
Rupert Alder has vanished. His employers believe he is guilty of major fraud. A Japanese businessman claims he has stolen a document of vital importance. And a private detective has discovered a mysterious death near Glastonbury, back in 1963. Rupert's friend, Lance Bradley, must uncover the truth.
Long description
It is autumn in the Somerset town of Glastonbury. Lance Bradley is idling away his life there as usual when he receives a call for help from the eccentric sister of his old friend Rupert Alder. Inexplicably, Rupe has stopped sending the money that his dysfunctional siblings depend on. Reluctantly, Lance goes to London to learn what he can, only to find that his friend has vanished. His employers, a shipping company, believe he is guilty of a major fraud. A Japanese businessman called Hashimoto claims he has stolen a document of life and death importance. And a private detective who has been trying to trace on Rupert's behalf an American called Townley has been warned off by unnamed but immensely powerful interests. Townley, it seems, was involved in a mysterious death at Wilderness Farm, near Glastonbury, back in 1963, that year of so many shattering events which just happens also to be the year of Lance's birth. No sooner has Lance decided that whatever Rupert was up to is too risky for him to get involved in than he finds that he already is involved, and the only way out is to get in deeper still. Where is Rupert? What is the document he has stolen? Who is Townley? And what happened in the summer of 1963 that holds the key to a secret more devastating than Lance Bradley could ever have imagined? Dying To Tell is a classic Robert Goddard mystery, intricate, compelling, and this time with a denoument that is, quite literally, sensational.
Review
Robert Goddard has been spinning great yarns for more than a decade, and Dying to Tell will not disappoint his legions of fans. Lance Bradley is not particularly happy with his quality of life in Glastonbury, but neither is he particularly unhappy. His failed relationship does not cause him any unnecessary pain and, while his father thinks he should have a successful career, Lance is happier to sit in the pub nursing a pint. An unexpected visit from an old schoolfriend's sister, however, stings him out of his inertia, and he is soon involved in a high-risk game involving an international cast of characters and a seemingly unrelated series of links to two high-profile 1960s crimes and a seedy family drama. Lance's pursuit of the truth - and of his shipping-agent friend, Rupert, who once saved his life - takes him to London, Berlin, Japan, San Francisco and finally back to Glastonbury, which is where the final twist in the tale becomes apparent. It may be too late for Lance to save his friend, but he must now make a choice that will determine whether he himself survives. One of Goddard's strengths is his detailed eye for location, and his portrayal of an unwelcome encounter in a Berlin park is particularly spooky. The body count might mount with every chapter, and the connection to real-life events might be outrageously audacious, but the author has a deft touch, Lance is a likeable enough narrator, and in all, this is a cracking good read. (Kirkus UK)