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  • Published: 18 March 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473575158
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $30.00

The Fine Art of Invisible Detection

The thrilling BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick




An unlikely heroine. An even more unlikely detective. And a cold case that's resurfacing with deadly consequences. The next book from 'the world's greatest storyteller' (Guardian).

Tokyo, Japan
Umiko Wada has had enough excitement in life. With an overbearing mother and her husband recently murdered, she just wants to keep her head down. As a secretary to a private detective, her life is pleasantly filled with coffee runs and paperwork.

That is, until her boss takes on a new case. A case that is surrounded by shadows. A case that means Wada will have to leave Tokyo and travel to London.

London, England
Nick Miller never knew his father, and was always told he wasn’t missing much. But when an old friend of his late mother says there are things that Nick needs to know about his parents, he can’t ignore it.

When a chance encounter brings Wada and Nick together, they couldn’t know the series of violent events set off by their investigations. And when they discover Nick’s father might have been the only witness to a dark secret forever buried, they realise there are some powerful people who will do whatever it takes to keep it that way…

  • Published: 18 March 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473575158
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $30.00

About the author

Robert Goddard

Robert Goddard's first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then, his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. He has won awards in the UK, the US and acrossEurope and his books have been translated into over thirty languages. In 2019, he won the Crime Writers’ Association’s highest accolade, the Diamond Dagger, for a lifetime achievement in Crime Writing.

Also by Robert Goddard

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Praise for The Fine Art of Invisible Detection

...the plot unwinds with a deceptively light touch that does not falter ... genuinely entertaining [with an] explosive finale

Evening Standard

One of the finest crime writers of any generation, Goddard here exercises all of his elegant, understated style and meticulous eye for detail...Goddard at his impeccable best: do not miss it.

Daily Mail

A fascinating and satisfyingly complex mystery with dark tones..Wada is a superb character... very enjoyable.

New Books

Top-class action packed storytelling

Choice Magazine

A deftly plotted page turner from this much loved author'

Saga Magazine

Mixes gentle character comedy with an alarming body count and pounding suspense... Goddard manages to pull it off perfectly.

Daily Express

'In the smartest of prose and with a stunningly fast-moving plot, Goddard brings us the heroine we've been waiting for. Umiko Wada is an unexpected joy: unassuming and tenacious, inventive and brave. If The Fine Art of Invisible Detection isn't the first in a series, then it jolly well should be!'

Lesley Kara, bestselling author of The Rumour

'If it wasn't written by Robert Goddard, you'd say 'Alexander McCall Smith meets Robert Goddard' because few people are as brilliant at plots as he is - or the broad, sweeping, twists and turns that we never see coming - that final epilogue-ultra-twist was really clever...It's an incredibly courageous move on Robert's part and it's worked in spades. . Wada's a perfect new character: intelligent, wryly funny, unhampered by domestic concerns and completely unswerving once she's set her mind on something. I sincerely hope she turns up again - often.'

Manda Scott, author of A Treachery of Spies, Sunday Times Thriller of the Month and McIlvanney Prize winner