Customer Reviews
Good, but not his best by any means - By: Devon reader, 14 Nov 2008 
I've been a fan of Robert Goddard's books for some years now, & had somehow missed this one. Having finallly caught up with it, I was a little disappointed. I found that it took a very long time - at least half the book - before it got particularly involving or interesting; unusual for one of RG's books. Once it got going, it was as slick, fast-paced, & complex as his best ones, but even the ending left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
Still, I was totallly wrong about who the baddie would turn out to be, & I did end up reading the second half in about three intense sittings, so maybe I'm being a little harsh
I recommend Robert Goddard to anyone who will listen, & do so again here....but this may not be the best of his books for a new reader to start their experience. My first was "Into the blue", & I was hooked from then onwards.
As good as ever - By: mrs waters, 16 Jun 2008 Robin Timariot has a chance encounter with a captivating women when out walking, when he returns home he finds out that the women he met was raped & murdered. Timariot becomes fascinated by the dead women & is sucked into the complex world of her family & friends.
As ever Goddard creates a very enjoyable & gripping story with many twists & turns. I have read several of his books & this for me is one of the best. It is a shame that Goddard does not get as much praise & attention as other authors. Well worth reading his central character is always just a normal person which i love.
A Moment In Time - By: Bathsheba, 18 May 2007 
If I had to describe this book in a few words, I would find it almost impossible. It works on so many levels. It begins with a brief, chance meeting which changes the narrator's life.
What happens to a family when the mother is murdered? How does a man feel when a beautiful woman is murdered just a couple of hours after a chance meeting with her? It is about coming to terms with the death of a sibling who you have betrayed. It is about family loyalties. I could go on. At the heart of the story is the murder of Louise Paxton.
Robin Timariot narrates the story of his meeting with Louise, her subsequent murder & his dealings with her family. It took several readings before it dawned on me that Robin is selfish, self-centred & not a particularly nice man. Yet, as with many of Goddard's characters, he is a well rounded character & ultimately he does put someone before himself.
This story is so cleverly crafted & the characterization is wonderful.
It has also been brought to life with an excellent narration by the actor Nicholas Farrell.
Perhaps Goddard's weakest - By: Budge Burgess, 20 Dec 2005 
Robert Goddard writes some excellent mysteries, employing a sophisticated use of language & exploration of plot & character. "Borrowed Time", his eighth novel, is perhaps the weakest I've read. It begins with a man wrestling with the angst of quitting his secure job as a Brussels mandarin, a functionary serving the European political machine; the option is to return to England & help run the family firm … making cricket bats.
I'm a Scot, which doesn't mean to say that I don't love cricket. However, managing a factory making cricket bats is hardly the most glamorous role around which a writer can spin a tale … though it's perhaps much more romantic than working in Brussels. What we have, here, is a hero who plays with a straight bat: he's safe, he'll accumulate a life rather than live it, & twenty minutes in his company would be a polite & unmemorable experience.
And then Robin Timariot goes walking & comes across a lone woman waiting on the sunset. The exchange of a few words, a few enigmatic impressions, & then she passes into history, another dot balll in Timariot's life. Until he later discovers that she has been murdered. There is an obvious suspect - DNA produces more incontrovertible statistical analysis than the study of cricket scores - but Timariot has doubts of his own, & these will lead him into an intriguing relationship with the dead woman's family & the gradual unravelling of the mystery.
It's a slow moving novel, a grinding five-day Test match rather than the fireworks of a one-day run chase. It gets a bit tortuous in places - you almost pray it'll be callled off for bad light. Neatly written, as always, but somehow lacking the passion of some of his other works. "Borrowed Time" is an interesting psychological exploration, but it never reallly catches fire, never reallly absorbs you. A well crafted work, but one which quickly loses its shine.
One of the better Robert Goddard books - By: Emmanuel Lambert, 30 Jul 2004 Very enjoybale book, full of suspense, especiallly in the 2nd half. The story drags on for a little too long however, in the beginning (typical of this author?). I liked this book better than "Into the blue" & "Out of the sun"; the story gets very sophisticated. A "must read" if you liked Robert Goddard books before.
