You might think this story is about a ring.

That's only the lure.

It's a story about deception, myth, manipulation and family feuds, and it positively seethes with blackmail and corruption.

-- What's the story? --

Tim Harding agrees to do a favour for a friend by bidding on his behalf at an auction for an ancient ring. It seems a simple enough task, but Harding's friend has withheld vital information about the ring's history, which associates it with a centuries-old tragedy, an equally ancient murder and the more recent drowning of a journalist (which may or may not have been an accident).

As Harding delves deeper into the history and mysteries surrounding the ring he finds conspiracy theories aplenty, but struggles to understand how everything is connected.

Then the ring is stolen, a woman is threatened and someone is murdered.

Who, exactly, can Harding trust to help him uncover the truth?

-- What's it like? --

Continuously surprising. Consistently dramatic. Densely plotted.

Full to the brim with historical and purely fictional characters, it's impressive that Goddard manages to define them all clearly so that I never had to stop and wonder who was who or where I'd seen them last.

This is an entertaining read because it constantly surprises: Harding keeps having to re-evaluate the people he's met and the stories they've told him in light of new events. As the story develops, his focus shifts from the ring to solving a possible murder to handling the fall-out from an actual murder, and along the way there's an astonishing amount of blackmail aimed his way, trying to ensure he stays focused.

The solutions are unveiled gradually so there's always something to keep readers curious, though the ultimate reasoning behind the journalist's fate is, frankly, daft.

There's a romantic angle, too, of course, (all sleuths must be given the chance to catch a girl,) but as with everything else in this tale it's rather complicated - until it's suddenly very simple.

-- Final thoughts --

If you like a dramatic, twisty yarn and don't mind a touch of the fantastical then you'll likely enjoy this.

I read this in only two days. Admittedly, I was on holiday so I had time to do so, but the point remains that it was entertaining and I would definitely read another thriller by Robert Goddard. ( )

"when Tim Harding agrees to do a favour for a tax-exile friend by representing him at an auction in Penzance, he is unaware of the secrets that tie the ring he is sent to buy to three widely sperated events: the loss of the HMS Association with all hands off Silly in 1707; an unsolved murder in Penzance thirty years later; and the seemingly accidental drowning of a journalist diving at the Association wreck site in 1999. Very soon he discovers that by taking on this apparently simly task he had allowed himself to be drawen into a web of conspiracies."

when one of the characters is a twin, and Tim harding is sleeping with the friends wife you sort of realise what this book is. its an action suspence though not one that kept me guessing. it was still however a good read ( )

Usually a Goddard fan, I found the people on the pages struggling to fit into a plot that had to tear and stretch to fit what the story needed. I gave up. ( )

Someone once said to me that the essence of good fiction is, believable characters in fantastic situations. If, like me, you agree with that sentiment, then you'll love the works of Robert Goddard: not for him the square jawed super hero punching and shooting his way through an intrepid adventure, but rather, a chap a bit like you or me, who would rather not be in the mess that surrounds him, but is willing to see it through to its conclusion.

Mr Goddard's tangled plots are a little far fetched, but the plot moves at such a pace that they appear logical as one reads. This book is 470 pages long and tantalisingly dangles the solution, just out of reach, from page 1 to 470. I thought that I knew the secret on several occasions, only to be proved wrong by the denouement.

This book mingles a little true history into the plot - the story of King Edward II and that of HMS Association, a ship that sank off the coast of Cornwall in the early eighteenth century. Naturally, anything happening in that part of the world soon had its very own myth and this performs a crucial role in this tale. I shall not say more, partially to avoid spoiling it for a future reader and also because, with so many twists, my review would probably stretch to 570 pages!

This is one of those no messing, straight forward pleasure reads, that everyone needs occasionally. If you feel the need for same now, I thoroughly recommend this book. ( )

Based on true historic events, the sinking of HMS Association off the Scilly Isles, this is a twisting, turning mystery packed with family secrets, murders and intrigue. Having read many of Goddard's books I was looking forward to seeing how well he could keep me guessing with his twists and sub-plots. I'm sad to say on this occasion I really struggled. I feel there were just too many characters in this book. I found myself having to flick back through the pages to remind myself of who people were and where they fitted into a plot that might have gone a couple of twists too far. However, I won't let this put me off reading more Goddard in the future as his previous efforts are far superior to this. ( )