Goddard grew up in Fareham, Hampshire, before studying history at Peterhouse, Cambridge. After working in journalism and teaching, he worked for a time as an educational administrator in Devon before becoming a full-time novelist. His thrillers usually have a historical element and settings in English towns and cities, and many plot twists. They usually involve the lead character gradually uncovering a secret or conspiracy which has long been kept secret, by means of historical documents such as diaries or by means of word-of-mouth accounts that have been handed down from one person to another. Goddard's first novel, Past Caring, was published in 1986. He has since written more than twenty novels.[citation needed]
Awards
Goddard's 1990 book Into the Blue was the inaugural winner of the W H Smith Thumping Good Read Award, presented to the best new fiction author of the year.
Goddard's book Long Time Coming won the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback and was nominated for the 2011 Anthony award in the same category.[2][3]
The books Into the Blue, Out of the Sun and Never Go Back,[5] although distinct books in their own right, form a chronological series featuring the central character of Harry Barnett. Barnett also appears in both of Goddard's two published short stories, one of which, Toupee for a Bald Tyre, is set in 1970 before the events of the books.
Into the Blue was adapted for television in 1997 and starred John Thaw in the lead role of Harry Barnett.[citation needed]
Personal life
Goddard lives with his wife Vaunda in Truro, Cornwall.
Bibliography
Novels
Past Caring (August 1986), ISBN0-7090-2743-5 (also published as The Historian)
↑ Smith, Kerrie (June 2006). "NEVER GO BACK: Robert Goddard". Reviewer's Choice. Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
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