From Library Journal
These productions of Goddard's suspense-filled novels are equally well read by Paul Shelley (Take No Farewell) and Michael Kitchen (Painting the Darkness). Both readers skillfully portray ordinary middle-class British professional men who are caught in circumstances beyond their abilities to cope. Driven to take any risk to save their loved ones, they act out of impulse, not intelligence, often with unfortunate results. Take No Farewell centers around a cad, Geoffrey Staddon, who left Consuela, the love of his life, in an abusive marriage so that he could shine as an architect in proper Edwardian England. Years later when Consuela is charged with murder and her daughter appeals to him for help, he realizes that he can redeem himself at least in his own eyes and, in an unexpected twist, even in Consuela's. William Trenchard of Painting the Darkness is threatened when his wife's first love, believed dead, reappears to claim his inheritance and Mrs. Trenchard. Trenchard fights with all his heart, but, unfortunately, his skills are not equal to those of his enemy's. Goddard is known for his intricate plot twists and ability to keep the listener intensely involved to the last sentence. Shelley and Kitchen are fine readers, modulating their voices and accents to differentiate characters and adapting their pacing to reflect the mood of the scene. Both recordings are recommended for popular collections. Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Love, ambition, passion, betrayal, honor, redemption. These are the stuff of every successful family saga. Add murder, and you have Robert Goddard's newest addictively entertaining tale of the havoc wrought by love. Paul Shelley brings nuance and sensitivity to his reading of this story, set in 1923. He gives protagonist Paul Staddon, for example, an educated, yet self-serving voice, which reveals the character's essential weakness. For her one period of true happiness, the voice of Paul's wife melts from brittle upper-crust to girlishly naïve--and back again upon betrayal. A penniless blackmailer sounds desperate behind his threatening tone. All these voices are joined by a well-paced, modulated narration. This is a great romantic listen. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
