The Fine Art of Invisible Detection: An intricately crafted thriller from ‘the best literary storyteller in Britain’
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- Create Date：2021-05-12 00:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert Goddard
- ISBN：0552172626
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Summary
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…
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…
Reviews
Nic
，
I’d heard great things about the Fine Art of Invisible Detection and it is an excellent read。 An intricate and twisty mystery with a decent splash of hokum thrown in。 Our main protagonist is Wada， a middle aged administrator in a Tokyo detective agency。 When she gets sent to London to meet a contact on behalf of one of her bosses clients， an incredible chain of events begins。 Add in New York， Rekyavik， bad guys galore and a James Bond style secret auction and this is superb escapism。 However， th I’d heard great things about the Fine Art of Invisible Detection and it is an excellent read。 An intricate and twisty mystery with a decent splash of hokum thrown in。 Our main protagonist is Wada， a middle aged administrator in a Tokyo detective agency。 When she gets sent to London to meet a contact on behalf of one of her bosses clients， an incredible chain of events begins。 Add in New York， Rekyavik， bad guys galore and a James Bond style secret auction and this is superb escapism。 However， that is not to understate the clever plotting， smart storyline and brilliant ending。 I’m hoping for another instalment。 I listened to the audiobook and the narration was really good。 Although you need to concentrate to keep up with the plot！ 。。。more
jason callow
，
Back to his bestRobert goddard back to his best after several recent books that have been very poor ，cant wait for next installment。
Rebecca
，
Really enjoyed main character Wada。 Writing was very simplistic but riveting。 I’d read another of his books。 Far-fetched plot but I didn’t care。 It was fun。
Jo
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I loved Umiko Wada， the star of this book。 I'm hoping this is the first in a series。 I loved Umiko Wada， the star of this book。 I'm hoping this is the first in a series。 。。。more
Elvina Zafril
，
I heard a lot of good things about Robert Goddard。 This is my first book from him。 In his latest book， The Fine Art of Invisible Detection tells a story of Umiko Wada who is a secretary to a private detective Kazuro Kodaka。 She tries to find put the truth behind some tragic event happened in 1977。 She was unexpectedly sent to London by her boss on a murder case。 This book is totally a clever and kept me guessing from beginning to end。I needed to concentrate while reading this book because i didn I heard a lot of good things about Robert Goddard。 This is my first book from him。 In his latest book， The Fine Art of Invisible Detection tells a story of Umiko Wada who is a secretary to a private detective Kazuro Kodaka。 She tries to find put the truth behind some tragic event happened in 1977。 She was unexpectedly sent to London by her boss on a murder case。 This book is totally a clever and kept me guessing from beginning to end。I needed to concentrate while reading this book because i didn't want to miss any important details。 I must say that I rarely read a historical crime books， but this book is such a good one。 The pace is quite fast。 It is very exciting to travel to so many places。 From Tokyo to London。 From London to Iceland and lastly to Cornwall。I really love Umiko Wada。 She has a strong personality。 Umiko Wada is an incredible character。 I felt more engaging with her。 Chapter after chapter， her character developed became more interesting and resourceful。The ending is so good！ All the questions have been answered with the final revelation。 If you love reading about corruptions， fraud and secrets， this book is for you。Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy of The Fine Art of Invisible Detection in return for an honest review。 This book is available at all good bookstores。 。。。more
Chris Moore
，
Regretfully had to give up on this。 Very disappointed as， usually， Robert Goddard books are devoured cover to cover。
Susanna Walker
，
I loved The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard， he is a brilliant author and a firm favourwite of mine。Umika Wada is a beautifully written， strong female protagonist。The plot is fast and pacy， it keeps you glued to the page until the very end。Highly recommended！
Olga
，
Robert Goddard’s books are always guaranteed to be well-written， interesting and entertaining; and The Fine Art of Invisible Detection is no exception。 Actually， I think it’s my favourite one。 Set in several different countries and cultures， full of colourful ，memorable characters， this twisty story grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go until the last page。 I really hope there will be a continuation as I would love to read more of Wada’s invisible detections。 Many thanks to Netgalley a Robert Goddard’s books are always guaranteed to be well-written， interesting and entertaining; and The Fine Art of Invisible Detection is no exception。 Actually， I think it’s my favourite one。 Set in several different countries and cultures， full of colourful ，memorable characters， this twisty story grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go until the last page。 I really hope there will be a continuation as I would love to read more of Wada’s invisible detections。 Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Shiva Patel
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The fine art of invisible detection is a intriguing thriller by Robert Goddard。Umiko Wada is an assistant to a private detective in Tokyo。When a case forces her to travel to England on a clients behalf， the case starts to get complicated。Wada has to decide does she carry on or leave the case altogether？A fantastic story which lots of twists and turns until the end。
John Lee
，
I reckon that it must be about 25 years ago that I last read a Robert Goddard book。 I remember it as a good book if slightly heavy going and a complex read。 That was back in the days when in deciding on which book to take from the library ， the decision was taken as much on the physical weight of the book， especially if taking it on holiday， as its reading quality。I have had other Robert Goddard books on my e-shelves since but never actually got around to them。 Things will change now。I dont know I reckon that it must be about 25 years ago that I last read a Robert Goddard book。 I remember it as a good book if slightly heavy going and a complex read。 That was back in the days when in deciding on which book to take from the library ， the decision was taken as much on the physical weight of the book， especially if taking it on holiday， as its reading quality。I have had other Robert Goddard books on my e-shelves since but never actually got around to them。 Things will change now。I dont know if Goddard has changed publisher but the cover of this one is of a different mould completely。 Why this one should tempt me when none of the previous ones have， I dont know。 However， I am very pleased that it did。There is something in the way that， what I shall call a 'good' （ for want of a better adjective） author starts to write a story。 It doesnt have to be dramatic but it draws you in and makes you feel welcome and you just know that you are going to enjoy the experience。I found it here in an out of the way Private Detective's office in Nihonbashi， Tokyo。It would be wrong to call this a fast paced novel but it certainly is not slow and the skillful switching between scenarios and characters ensures you wont get bored while you start to appreciate a well constructed plot piece by piece。Whereas books that I have read recently tend to save the excitement up to the big ending this has plenty all the way through。I particularly liked all of the clever ending。I think that I shall be reading much more of Mr Goddard's work over the next few years than I did over the last。 。。。more
Iman Danial Hakim
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Umiko Wada， PA detektif Kodaka。 Suaminya mati selepas 12 tahun koma dek serangan gas sarin di Tokyo。 Menerima tugas bahaya， Wada terima panggilan bosnya mati dilanggar lari。 Dia segera terbang London untuk mencari jawapan， atau melarikan diri？ Siapa kawan， siapa lawan？3。5/5⭐ Macam aku pernah komen sebelum ini， novel ini tidaklah meh， tetapi ia juga tidaklah terlalu wow。 Cukup rasa orang kata。✅ Karakter yang menarik✅ Pacing pantas✅ Pusing dunia！ Jepun， England， Iceland！ ✅ Thrill yang walaupun dij Umiko Wada， PA detektif Kodaka。 Suaminya mati selepas 12 tahun koma dek serangan gas sarin di Tokyo。 Menerima tugas bahaya， Wada terima panggilan bosnya mati dilanggar lari。 Dia segera terbang London untuk mencari jawapan， atau melarikan diri？ Siapa kawan， siapa lawan？3。5/5⭐ Macam aku pernah komen sebelum ini， novel ini tidaklah meh， tetapi ia juga tidaklah terlalu wow。 Cukup rasa orang kata。✅ Karakter yang menarik✅ Pacing pantas✅ Pusing dunia！ Jepun， England， Iceland！ ✅ Thrill yang walaupun dijangka， tetap mendebarkanBanyak konflik & watak yang saling bersilang。 Pembaca perlu peka supaya sentiasa tahu apa yang berlaku， siapa yang terlibat， berlaku di mana？Aku tertarik dengan karakter Wada: berani & pintar。 Berdepan dengan gangster paling pailang， dia selamba je sinis berbalas kata。Robert Goddard bijak membina situasi tak senang duduk。 Situasi do or die yang membuatkan pembaca sama-sama merasai ketegangan dilema yang dihadapi watak-watak novel。Ia memberi pengalaman thriller yang memuaskan。Aku mahu berterima kasih kepada Times Read kerana menghadiahkan novel ini sebagai pertukaran kepada reviu jujur。 The Fine Art of Invisible Detection boleh dibeli secara atas talian/online melalui pautan ini 👇🏻https://www。timesreads。com/stockists 。。。more
Suradha
，
This is a fun book as far as I got！ Lots of it-the characters， the setting， the narrative style- are reminiscent of the Robert Galbraith series （don't read books from that series， please， it's written by a transphobe！） but really has a strong voice of its own！ Couldn't entirely finish it and will be getting the ebook to finish it ASAP！ Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e- ARC in exchange for an honest review！ This is a fun book as far as I got！ Lots of it-the characters， the setting， the narrative style- are reminiscent of the Robert Galbraith series （don't read books from that series， please， it's written by a transphobe！） but really has a strong voice of its own！ Couldn't entirely finish it and will be getting the ebook to finish it ASAP！ Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e- ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Peter Langston
，
It’s the first book I’ve read from this author。 It rolled along nicely， all be it that some of the characters were far fetched and the actions of the antagonists were inconsistent。 A sort of engaging holiday at the beach read which takes little work。
Justin Hygate
，
Wada is wonderfulA good read。 From Japan， the UK and Iceland。 Old mysteries come together in a gripping way。 Wada is a wonderful character and her calm approach to life is a great contrast to the chaos around her。
Chris
，
Robert Goddard back to his imperious best。 A cracking read， very difficult to put down。 Intruiging twist to finish， could there be a follow up。。。。。。。。。。。？
Nick
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3。5
Steve Robinson
，
Very enjoyable read - I'm liking this guy。 Very enjoyable read - I'm liking this guy。 。。。more
Jane Hunt
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This is an international mystery thriller with great attention to detail and numerous twists。 The locations range from Japan to London with many diverse characters。 Wada is an intriguing character whose investigations are fraught with danger as powerful people act to protect the secrets they need to stay hidden。 The pacing and plot twists keep the reader engaged， and the numerous characters offer an insight into human behaviour。I received a copy of this book from Random House UK-Transworld in re This is an international mystery thriller with great attention to detail and numerous twists。 The locations range from Japan to London with many diverse characters。 Wada is an intriguing character whose investigations are fraught with danger as powerful people act to protect the secrets they need to stay hidden。 The pacing and plot twists keep the reader engaged， and the numerous characters offer an insight into human behaviour。I received a copy of this book from Random House UK-Transworld in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Lesley
，
I was sent a copy of The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard to read and review by NetGalley。 This was an intricate and quite engaging novel spanning between Japan， England and Iceland。 With quite a large cast of characters it centred around two main protagonists; Umiko Wada and Nick Miller， both from different countries but with a converging trail to follow。 The novel seemed well researched and was an enjoyable read with many twists and turns。 The characters were well drawn and th I was sent a copy of The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard to read and review by NetGalley。 This was an intricate and quite engaging novel spanning between Japan， England and Iceland。 With quite a large cast of characters it centred around two main protagonists; Umiko Wada and Nick Miller， both from different countries but with a converging trail to follow。 The novel seemed well researched and was an enjoyable read with many twists and turns。 The characters were well drawn and there was enough intrigue and excitement to keep me reading。 I can’t rate it as one of my absolute favourite mystery-thrillers but I would definitely recommend it nonetheless。 。。。more
Steve Fellows
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2。5
Athena
，
It was an enjoyable read especially with the main character being a middle-aged Asian woman which I don't think is especially common。 To top it off， in a mystery/thriller novel it is most certainly an oddity which makes it refreshing。 It was an enjoyable read especially with the main character being a middle-aged Asian woman which I don't think is especially common。 To top it off， in a mystery/thriller novel it is most certainly an oddity which makes it refreshing。 。。。more
Margaret
，
A complex fast paced thriller that takes you on an incredible journey from Japan to England and Iceland building deceit and intrigue as it develops 。 Wada makes a wonderful and credible character who ends up as a detective by default as she initially assists her employer then after his sudden death takes up the cudgel and sets off to complete the investigation he started。 She is resourceful and dogged following diverse leads。I throughly enjoyed this latest addition to Robert Goddard’s repertoire A complex fast paced thriller that takes you on an incredible journey from Japan to England and Iceland building deceit and intrigue as it develops 。 Wada makes a wonderful and credible character who ends up as a detective by default as she initially assists her employer then after his sudden death takes up the cudgel and sets off to complete the investigation he started。 She is resourceful and dogged following diverse leads。I throughly enjoyed this latest addition to Robert Goddard’s repertoire。 My criticism might coping with the unfamiliar Japanese and Icelandic names as there are many characters in this story 。。。more
Daniel Kincaid
，
Umiko Wada is a secretary to a private detective in Japan。 She's happy in her life， not looking for any excitement or something truly out of the ordinary。 But life has other plans。 When her husband takes a new job， one he suspects might be too dangerous， he sends her to England to gather some information。 But then he gets killed himself， presumably by a hit-and-run。 In order to found out and why and in the process save her own life， she starts to investigate the case- the death of a man in 197o' Umiko Wada is a secretary to a private detective in Japan。 She's happy in her life， not looking for any excitement or something truly out of the ordinary。 But life has other plans。 When her husband takes a new job， one he suspects might be too dangerous， he sends her to England to gather some information。 But then he gets killed himself， presumably by a hit-and-run。 In order to found out and why and in the process save her own life， she starts to investigate the case- the death of a man in 197o's that somehow connects to a the suspicious death of two students in England in the 70's as well， one of the only presumed dead as his body was never found。 And how is all of this connected to a company that deals with selling land？ And a deadly Japanese businessman， so ruthless， everyone that stand in his way disappears or dies？Wada discovers that being a private detective isn't easy， especially as the stakes rises and lives are at stake， and that there are good reasons why secrets are stayed buried， even for a long period of time。 But in order to save lives and stop a deadly conspiracy she must unravel the past， no matter what the stakes are。 An edge-of-your-seat thriller， a fun roller-coaster ride that never lets up for a second。 Filled with twists and turns， break-neck pace， wonderful characters that are well fleshed out- flawed， human， and real， everyday people who are thrust into impossible situations- labyrinthine， complex plotting and excellent prose， as usual。 There really is nothing more to be said。 Robert Goddard promises， and delivers in spades， as always。 Four and a half stars。If you're already familiar with Goddard's work， then this novel will not disappoint， as it's a wonderful adventure。 If you're new， than hop on and join the joyride。 You'd be glad you did。 。。。more
Ann
，
This was an amazingly good story and I really hope there are more stories involving Wada and the detective agency。 I really enjoyed watching how she evolved， I loved the constantly moving locations， I found the parallel storytelling very effective， and I was fascinated by the depth of knowledge Goddard shows re eg Sarin gas， the very dodgy world of high finance， politics， and much more。 I'd only read Goddard's history novels， so this was a revelation。 This was an amazingly good story and I really hope there are more stories involving Wada and the detective agency。 I really enjoyed watching how she evolved， I loved the constantly moving locations， I found the parallel storytelling very effective， and I was fascinated by the depth of knowledge Goddard shows re eg Sarin gas， the very dodgy world of high finance， politics， and much more。 I'd only read Goddard's history novels， so this was a revelation。 。。。more
Sandra Danby
，
I always look forward to a new Robert Goddard book but wasn’t sure what to expect from his latest， ‘The Fine Art of Invisible Detection’。 Partly， I think， because the blurb seemed more a detective novel than a thriller。 Actually， this is both。 Goddard has creative a heart-warming， realistic new hero， Umiko Wada， known simply as Wada。 I raced through this book， full of Goddard’s clever twisty plotting， emotional dilemmas， should-I-shouldn’t-I moments。Wada is a 47-year-old secretary at a detective I always look forward to a new Robert Goddard book but wasn’t sure what to expect from his latest， ‘The Fine Art of Invisible Detection’。 Partly， I think， because the blurb seemed more a detective novel than a thriller。 Actually， this is both。 Goddard has creative a heart-warming， realistic new hero， Umiko Wada， known simply as Wada。 I raced through this book， full of Goddard’s clever twisty plotting， emotional dilemmas， should-I-shouldn’t-I moments。Wada is a 47-year-old secretary at a detective agency in Tokyo， making tea， writing reports for her technology-incompetent boss Kodaka。 Widowed after her husband was killed in the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995， Wada is quiet， efficient and invisible。 But burning deep is a sense of righteousness。 So when her boss asks for her help with a new case， she agrees to go to London to pose as the client who wants to find out if her father really committed suicide almost three decades earlier， or if he was murdered。 From this point on， Wada’s life becomes unpredictable and her talent for being invisible becomes a lifesaver。 Her boss dies in a car accident。 The man she is due to meet in London has gone missing。 Always logical， she follows the one clue she has。 Nick Miller is also due to meet the same man in London。 Nick， a 41-year-old Londoner， is hoping to learn more about the father he has never met。 Nick and Wada’s paths keep missing each other as they separately follow the trail of mystifying clues about the past。 The action moves from Tokyo to London， Rekyjavik and the wilds of Iceland to Cornwall。 There is a high-technology fraud， plus hints of terrorism and Japanese gang warfare， but this is not a violent read。Wada is at the heart of this novel。 Her logic and calm reasoning drive the narrative forward in that just-one-more-chapter way that makes this book a quick and fulfilling read。 She is ordinary but extraordinary。 I hope she returns in another novel。Read more of my book reviews at http://www。sandradanby。com/book-revie。。。 。。。more
Mike
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A Cracking Read from Beginning to End！
Helen French
，
A well-written intelligent crime read that will have you slowly putting all the pieces together。。。Wada is a secretary to a private detective in Japan when he pulls her onto a mystery that won't let go。He sends her to England， to find out more about a man who went missing decades ago。 There's nothing tying Wada to Japan - her husband died 12 years earlier in a sarin attack - and she's happy to go and investigate。But things turn tricky， quickly。 Her boss dies。 She's attacked while digging around f A well-written intelligent crime read that will have you slowly putting all the pieces together。。。Wada is a secretary to a private detective in Japan when he pulls her onto a mystery that won't let go。He sends her to England， to find out more about a man who went missing decades ago。 There's nothing tying Wada to Japan - her husband died 12 years earlier in a sarin attack - and she's happy to go and investigate。But things turn tricky， quickly。 Her boss dies。 She's attacked while digging around for info。 Someone out there doesn't want her looking into the missing man， or the missing man's past。Elsewhere we meet Nick Miller， a young man who doesn't know who his father is - who ends up on the same trail as Wada， and in just as much danger。。。This is a complicated story that jumps between Japan， Cornwall， London and Iceland。 There's a lot of characters and names to keep track of。 It's well-told and I found the main characters intriguing。 There were times where I wished Nick/Wada's paths could cross more often， but ultimately I think the structure worked。 I enjoyed the ending。 。。。more
MarmottanReads
，
I really enjoyed this mystery which was a Japanese / British mix and involves some great locations across the world。 The mix of Wada and Nick， both undertaking investigations that interlink but for very different reasons， is cleverly plotted and a really enjoyable read。 I thought it slightly wavered at points， getting a little convoluted， but then we were off and running again and it all ended in great style。
Alan
，
'Spring was advancing。 Cherry blossom viewing spots in Kitanomaru Park were hard to come by。 The world went on its way。 It was business as usual。Until it wasn't。'A really enjoyable fast-paced thriller， but one with a more than convoluted plot that sort of works itself out but took me a while to get my head around。 Our doughty heroine is Umiko Wada， who works as a secretary-cum-assistant at the Kodaka Detective Agency in Tokyo。 Now a widow - her husband being a victim of the Sarin underground att 'Spring was advancing。 Cherry blossom viewing spots in Kitanomaru Park were hard to come by。 The world went on its way。 It was business as usual。Until it wasn't。'A really enjoyable fast-paced thriller， but one with a more than convoluted plot that sort of works itself out but took me a while to get my head around。 Our doughty heroine is Umiko Wada， who works as a secretary-cum-assistant at the Kodaka Detective Agency in Tokyo。 Now a widow - her husband being a victim of the Sarin underground attacks which had left him in a coma for many years - her main ability is to blend in with the crowd， to be unremarkable， invisible even。 Wada is sent off to London， because of her fluency in English， on a case instigated by a woman who thinks her father's death some years earlier was murder， not suicide， and who has received information that someone connected with his death may be still be alive。 On arrival in London， Wada learns that her boss back in Tokyo has been killed in a hit and run incident， and suddenly all hell breaks loose。I won't go into the plot details （frankly， it's complicated） but there are links to the Sarin attacks， Japanese gangsters， environmental protesters， shady land deals and lots more。 The action moves quickly from Japan to London to Iceland to Cornwall。 And as well as Wada， we have a second narrative strand in which Nick Miller is looking for his real father， and who is also connected to the case that Wada is investigating。This is perfect page-turner material， with enough breathless action and cliff-hangers to keep even the most cynical entertained。 Wada is a charming central figure， somehow manging to escape life or death situations and doggedly pursuing the truth。 There is a dramatic dénouement on a Cornish beach， where the narrative suddenly shifts into the present tense and where Wada and Nick finally meet each other， tying up the loose ends of the twin narratives。 Or does it。。。。。？ Fast and furious fun， definitely one of the best thrillers I've read for a while。 A 'fine' 4。5 stars。 。。。more
Pam Sartain
，