The Ways of the World: A James Maxted Thriller: 1 - Brossura

Former Lt. James (Max) Maxted, the dashing protagonist of Robert Goddard's historical espionage thriller . . . is a refreshing throwback to an earlier romantic tradition of heroes . . . A rip-roaring adventure . . . Paris in 1919 is a snake pit of spies, counterspies, traitors and turncoats just the setting for this convoluted tale . . . We’re sure to see this charismatic chap again in what the author promises will be a trilogy of high-action adventures.” New York Times Book Review

Wildly entertaining . . . Goddard has long been one of the genre’s cleverest plotters and most accomplished prose stylists . . . Goddard assembles around Max as savvy, as well spoken, and as treacherous a band of double-dealing con artists as we’ve seen since Caspar Gutman, Joel Cairo, and Brigid Shaughnessy joined forces to hunt a black bird.” Booklist (starred review)

Goddard paints the Paris of that era with sure strokes.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Robert Goddard is the master of complex, tricky thrillers that dazzle with surprises. . . Another stellar performance.” Sydney Morning Herald

Enjoyable . . . Goddard evokes time and place with an expert hand . . . Fans of period mysteries set in times of historical transition will be satisfied.” Publishers Weekly

[Goddard is] still producing the riffs on historical crime fiction that are his sweet spot, but his new book's absorbing language and artful depictions of physical locations, along with a plot that falls somewhere between Georges Simenon and Graham Greene, should keep readers rapt . . . A sly, highbrow take on the espionage thriller with a rich background that lends sophistication to an already opulent story.” Kirkus Reviews

Dashed good yarn-spinning. . . . The action is insistent and often deadly.” Toronto Star

Cleverly plotted . . . there is plenty here to keep the pages turning . . . Most of all, it is exceptionally well written.” Reviewing the Evidence

Robert Goddard is the Edgar Award-winning, internationally best-selling author ofLong Time Coming, Past Caring, and Into the Blue, which won the first WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award. Goddard read history at the University of Cambridge and lives in Cornwall.