Another of my favourites

Robert Goddard has long been my favourite author.  I was travelling to Plymouth by train years ago for a weekend with the Joint Services Interrogation Unit to which I was attached and was reading a Wilbur Smith adventure novel.  A man sitting opposite asked if I had read Goddard.  When I told him I had not, he recommended the books to me, suggesting I should first read In Pale Battalions.  I did, and was very quickly hooked.  Nowadays, when I suggest to people that they might enjoy the books, I always make the same recommendation: read In Pale Battalions first.

Back when I started reading his books, Mr Goddard had only about three published.  He has since brought out one a year, each one of which I have bought, and the next is due out on 4th July.  The synopsis/introduction I have seen is

1919. The eyes of the world are on Paris, where statesmen, diplomats and politicians have gathered to discuss the fate of half the world’s nations in the aftermath of the Great War. A horde of journalists, spies and opportunists have also gathered in the city and the last thing the British diplomatic community needs at such a time is the mysterious death of a senior member of their delegation. So, when Sir Henry Maxted falls from the roof of his mistress’s apartment building in unexplained circumstances, their first instinct is to suppress all suspicious aspects of the event...

 I shall be placing my order as soon as I get back to my computer.

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Meanwhile, this is probably where we will be eating tonight, the restaurant in our village in France.  The patron's wife, Florence, does the cooking and very good it is too, while Nicholas sees to front of house.  He has been described as a combination of Basil Fawlty and Manuel, which is not all that far from the truth!  A cabaret in his own right, but I do have to get myself into the right frame of mind to enjoy it.