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Into the Blue  By  cover art

Into the Blue

By: Robert Goddard
Narrated by: Paul Shelley
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Publisher's summary

Harry Barnett, a middle-aged failure, leads a shabby existence. He is reduced to caretaking a friend's villa on the island of Rhodes and working in a bar to earn his keep. Then a guest at the villa - a young woman he had instantly warmed to - disappears on a mountain peak. Under suspicion of her murder, Harry becomes obsessed by the mystery that has changed his life and begins to trace back the movements and encounters that led to the moment where she vanished into the blue.

©1990 Robert and Vaunda Goddard (P)2012 Audible Ltd

What listeners say about Into the Blue

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Thumping Good Listen

Won the 'W H Smith Thumping Good Read Award' in 1990 for this story
First of three books about Harry.

The second is 'Out of the Sun'
'Never go Back; is the third (not yet available through Audible)

And yes it is a good story. 22 years later it is still a good yarn. And well read by Paul Shelly.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Elegant writer, solid plot

I like Robert Goddard. He's evidence of a solid liberal arts education. There's nothing showy in his writing. It's more like a glass you can see through than a decorative object to admire.

The plot works, with the hero having only a couple (one big) stupid moments that serve to propel the plot without being reasonable. That's the reason I didn't give 5 stars.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Goddard never lets me down. Another great book.

I have to say, I have yet to pull a rock when choosing a Goddard title. They always have the best narrators. Even though you start to pick up a formula to his books, he is one of the few authors that can pull it off and make you want to come back for more. Everything about this book I enjoyed. The characters, scenes, plot and twists. Classic Goddard. Highly recommend to anyone.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This is a L-O-N-G book!

I was hooked by the audio narration early on, as well as Harry's likeable-schmuck-in-a-fix persona. Rhodes setting proved a strong start, with Inspector Melteades being a character I'd hoped to see more of (spoiler: we don't). I won't say the story gets "bogged down" in the middle, rather that so much happens that I had trouble keeping straight who was who; so, I paused partway through, coming back to the book after several days away. I'd say that helped as the tension escalates in the final third of the book. Strong finish with a surprise twist - at least I would never have seen it coming!

Definitely recommended, even with the complicated plotline making the story a bit of a chore to get through at times.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Better than most, but not the best Goddard

Beautifully written as he always is, intricate and surprising as usual, but not his best book. If you are new to Goddard start with Painting the Darkness or Caught in the Light, which I think are better. Narration is wonderful as always. I wish every author could use narrators of this quality.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

kept you guessing

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into the Blue?

The're quite a few as it twisted and turned and filled with suspense.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The story make you feel for the lead character as he tried to figure but where she had vanished to

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a great tale and so well performed.

Would you consider the audio edition of Into the Blue to be better than the print version?

Though I haven't read the print version, there's just something about having all of the international characters come to life with their accents and foibles that really makes the performance superior.

What other book might you compare Into the Blue to and why?

Ian Rankin's Scottish detective series. I guess because both sets of heros aren't ashamed of their flaws- they both drink and smoke too much and are well past their prime but still have some guile when they need it.

What about Paul Shelley’s performance did you like?

His ability to take on such a wide sweep of character dialogues.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's a perfect book for a looong drive at 18 hours. I usually prefer about 8 hours but this definitely kept outr interest for a long vacation drive this summer.

Any additional comments?

Into the Blue has a great mix of mystery and adventure with many characters drawn in great detail. It was one that I didn't have to cringe to listen to with my wife and family the way I sometimes do with a lot of sex and violence and profanity.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The long and winding road to a conclusion.

The story f Harry and his many acquaintances was interesting thus my 4 stars. The authors telling of the story was longer than necessary…verbose often… thus my 4 stars.
I do plan to read book 2 and book 3 because I need to find out what could possibly remain to be revealed about Harry Barnett.
The narration was very good thus my 5 stars.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Gripping if rather over-complex plot, competent characterisation, beautifully written, excellent narration - highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Convoluted plot with too many characters

It takes great concentration to keep up with all the characters in Harry’s life. The addition of gratuitous sex scenes just cheapened it more. I have rarely read many books with sixty plus chapters. I gave up after forty and the completely unnecessary graphic sex scene.

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