Customer Reviews
Found Wanting a True Goddard Thriller! - By: Ray J. Palen Jr., 29 Nov 2008 
Robert Goddard has been called "master of the twist" & you really cannot go wrong with any of the delightful mystery/thrillers he has written.
This being said, "Found Wanting" is one of his less impressive efforts & does not deliver the classic Goddard twist. The premise is an interesting one - a man seeking to uncover the truth about the infamous Anastasia & a woman who had claimed to be the Russian Grand Duchess. However, Goddard proceedsin this novel to hit the reader with a slew of characters (many of whom barely live through a chapter) & so many European/Eastern European locations that your head will be spinningin an attempt to keep track of the plot. The climax is mostly unsatisfying & the entire ride feels like a Jason Bourne novel on steroids.
A decent escapist piece, but the reader will definitely be found wanting some of Goddard's prior works.
What has happened to Mr.Goddard? ... - By: A. B. Taylor, 29 Nov 2008 I have been a fan of Robert Goddard for ages & ordered this from the library.
At first I was really drawnin with the promised excitement of a plot featuring the Anastasia mystery ~ something which has fascinated mein real life, & yes it started ok with the adventuresin Europe of Richard & Marty, however as others have said ... THEN it changed.
I found the frenetic pace, short chapters & plethora of characters (many of which were not very developed) became too much to concentrate on & the Scandinavian names & occasional untranslated little phrases just far too annoying, unfamiliar & frequent.
This made it all a bit of an ordeal to get through to the end & while the ending satisfied, the book as a whole was definitely worthy of it's title!
Loved his earlier books so am wondering what happened to this one!
Decline continues - By: Jeff, 22 Nov 2008 
It gives me no pleasure to agree with most others here that this is another poor book by a writer who used to be one of my favourites. There's nothing here other than a frenetic rush around Scandinavia -is there? I'm glad someone else didn't really understand the ending but by then I'd long lost interest anyway. I thought the story & theories about Anastasia had been played out long ago & exhausted so why Goddard has to chew over the bones as well might indicate how desperate he's getting for 'new' plot material. Perhaps he's writing too often - he hasn't been anywhere near his old self for about ten years. I've also just finished Jeffrey Archer's 'Prisoner of Birth' & frankly, it's better.
Not top 10 Goddard - By: T. M. Chaney, 16 Oct 2008 I've read them all & love lots. Found Wanting starts OK as it chases through Europein typical Goddard style but the last 80 or so pages? What the heck is going on? Very confusing & at the end of the marathon escapade you are so exhausted trying to understand all the family dynamics & intertwined history, you don't care anymore - just want to be over with it.And the guy (hero) gets the girl, who he thought was murdered earlierin the book.C'mon.......is happy ever after stillin fashion?
If you like Goddard try R.J Ellory, particularly ' A Quiet Beliefin Angels' for a starter.
Reliable Robert (as opposed to a Great Goddard) - By: Simon Whaley, 15 Oct 2008 
Robert Goddard is one of the few authors whom I pre-orderin hardback irrespective of price.
He's a master storyteller & adept at ending chapters at a climatic point.
For me, what makes this one a 'reliable Robert' & not a 'great Goddard' is its european setting. I'm not a great traveller outside of the UK & as a result I find it difficult to connect with the european settings & their unusually spelt placenames. This one also has quite a few characters & at one point I was confused as to who was who, forcing me to reread a chapter (no great hardship) just to clarifyin my mind who everyone was. Again the foreign spelt names didn't ease the confusion.
His British based novels are easier for me to identify with, 9 times out of 10, because I have been to the places where they are set. I know from these novels that his attention to detail when describing places is excellent, & therefore I assume that the european based novels are subject to just as high a level of detail.
If you're a hardened fan, you'll enjoy the book & no doubt devour it quickly, as they're meant to be enjoyed. If you're new to Robert Goddard, I'd be tempted to say read this, & then read "Into The Blue", "Handin Glove", "Sight Unseen" or "Play to the End". That way your experience of this author will improve.
