Caught in the Light

By: Robert Goddard

Narrated by: Michael Kitchen

On assignment in Vienna, photographer Ian Jarrett falls suddenly and desperately in love with a woman he meets by pure chance, Marian Esguard. Back in England, he separates from his wife and goes to meet Marian at an agreed rendezvous, only to hear her tell him on the telephone that she will not, after all, be coming. Then she vanishes from his life as mysteriously as she entered it.

Who and where is the woman he met and fell in love with in Vienna?

©1998 Robert and Vaunda Goddard (P)2012 Audible Ltd

Enjoyable escape

Suspenseful to the end, this is a thoroughly enjoyable listen for those of us fascinated by ghosts from the past. The protagonist's history and relationships get entangled with the early history of photography. There's romance, suspense, and uncomfortable family relationships, but--in a manner true to life--some things never quite get resolved. The protagonist is not an especially likeable character, as other reviewers have noted, but that leaves room for him to grow and see his life in new ways. Other characters are well delineated through his somewhat narcissistic gaze. Best of all--and the reason I got this title in the first place--is Michael Kitchen's crisp, somewhat idiosyncratic, quite entrancing delivery. Having adored him as Inspector Foyle, I could listen to him read a laundry list with pleasure.

Good, Could Have Been Excellent

What did you like best about Caught in the Light? What did you like least?

I did enjoy the story, I read the other reviews and I guess I was expecting a little more. I did like the story. I know this is fiction, but it was just not believable enough for me.

If you’ve listened to books by Robert Goddard before, how does this one compare?

No

What about Michael Kitchen’s performance did you like?

I did like Michael Kitchen's performance. He did a fine job.

Was Caught in the Light worth the listening time?

It was good enough

Captivating! Spellbinding! A winner!

What made the experience of listening to Caught in the Light the most enjoyable?

Goddard's masterful weaving of characters and their entangled interactions with each other developed into an intriguing plot that held me captivated throughout the entire book! I could never anticipate the next development nor foresee the ultimate consequences of the current developments.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Caught in the Light?

Without giving this intriguing plot away, Ian's sheer shock, then his debilitating sorrow, and finally his justifiable rage when he reads Marian's letter of explanation was most memorable to me. Ah ha! Once Ian absorbs this 'confession', the plot thickens!

What about Michael Kitchen’s performance did you like?

Excellent performance -- Michael was walking in Ian's shoes.

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

It held me spellbound. I could hardly fathom the all-too-believable twists and turns.

Any additional comments?

Caught in the Light is Goddard at his best! I recommend readers read this book first and then rush, don't walk, to purchase the next achievement of this gifted mystery writer.

Hmmm

My second Goddard book. I have to say he is a great writer and a fantastic creator of suspense. Once you start you just have to keep reading. BUT that's not to say I love the story.

I absolutely loved this book until Part III. There is a "historical" element that is fascinating and compelling and i adored the characters. It went on much too long and most of it was completely unnecessary for the overall plot, but I didn't care. I wish he had extracted that part and made a standalone book about it! But just like Painting the Darkness, it then took a huge nosedive once the great reveal was made. My love turned into hate, irritation and a feeling of being manipulated and screwed over by the writer.

SPOLIER ALERT!!


The villain in this was a caricature of evil, so over the top and ridiculous, After everything we go through in the set up, we are forced to be subjected to an insane sociopath. He is written to be so irritating--all knowing and superhuman and of course ten million steps ahead of everyone else. He was a caricature, unreal and silly. Worst of all, there is a murder of a child. I was so angry that Goddard made this happen. I do not think it was necessary and just seemed gratuitous horror. Goddard was much too enamoured of his evil puppet.

He is a great writer but his moral compass is whacked.

Another riveting listen!

Have you listened to any of Michael Kitchen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I think this "read" was even better then the last ("Painted in Darkness" by Goddard) - if that's possible!

Michael Kitchen reads lines so wonderfully and seems to understand each character so well that the slightest inflection or pause gives us hints of what is behind the written word - which is how the author would want it to be. His talent as a character actor teams up so well with Goddard's novels!! I hope there are many more to come.

Super!

This is my second Robert Goddard book and if anything, I liked it even better than the first (Past Caring). I did take Blood Count out of the library, but for me, it had too much violence and I couldn't continue it. Not surprising when one of the settings is Bosnia, but I gave it a try. But again with this book, you want to stop everything you are doing and stay with the book. I enjoyed Michael Kitchen (Foyle's War) as the narrator and for quite awhile, was picturing him as the main character, but in the second half, I was lost in his very effective narration. The books deserve great narrators and so far, they all have been!

Powerful story with hairpin twists and turns

If you could sum up Caught in the Light in three words, what would they be?

This is one book that just cannot be summed up in three words!

What did you like best about this story?

This is a powerful story of attachment, loss, and idealized love.It underscores for the reader how enduring and destructive revenge can be. It also demonstrated the role that unequal marital relationships can play in crushing creativity and achievement. This is the 6th Goddard book I have listened to in the last few months. They are all excellent in different ways, but this one was the first that prompted me to write a review!

Have you listened to any of Michael Kitchen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think I have heard Michael Kitchen before, but in the hundreds of audible books I have listened to, I think he is the best narrator thus far. He is so good that you never notice the narration - you feel you are listening to the different characters as they speak. Fantastic.

If you could rename Caught in the Light, what would you call it?

I think this was the perfect name for the novel in view of the number of the meanings that it pulls from the story.

Any additional comments?

Audible needs to purchase more Goddard books! I am almost done with the ones you currently have.

Nothing Is As It Seems

(Warning: one itty-bitty spoiler that you may not catch....)

No one writes mystery like the Brits, and _Caught In The Light_ is no exception. This was my first book by Robert Goddard, but it will NOT be my last. If you can't get enough of the "edge-of-your-seat, shredding-your-nails, MUST-find-out-what-happens-next" kind of books, then this is your next read/listen. Here you will find intrigue, history, sex, vengeance, cold-hearted betrayal and single-minded perseverance, a strange and wonderfully well-written sort of time-travel, and Goddard weaves in numerous plot-twists, and rabbit-trails that round out the story beautifully. He is incredibly gifted with the written word. His prose is often achingly simple, yet elegant in context and his use of descriptors made me feel as if I had been there, inside the story, not wanting it to end (e.g. "The only thing left in an empty life is time. I could almost touch it as it passed that spring and summer. Amy's existence slipped away behind me like a single turning on a long, straight road. I looked back at it fixedly, fearing that if I once glanced away it would vanish forever"). The characters as he has written them are real and very personally flawed, but I continually found myself wanting things to be put right for the protagonist, Ian Jarrett.

When the end finally came, it was not predictable as I had feared, but neither was it far-fetched. Just don't expect it to be happy. The story gripped me from the start, probably because I greatly admire Michael Kitchen ("Foyle's War") and, not surprisingly, his reading is another EXCELLENT performance. Once hooked I kept listening because I just could not stop and I finished the book in less than two days (it's nearly 24 hours long).

I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook version due to Michael Kitchen's massive talent. Mr. Kitchen's theater background enables him to portray this story's historical as well as its contemporary persons very convincingly. He reads female characters' dialog in a softer tone, not using an abrasive falsetto as some male readers do, distinguishing between male and female characters without vexing the listener. In my opinion, nothing lends authenticity to a great Brit mystery like having it read by a truly gifted player who can correctly pronounce proper names, locations, and who can switch seemlessly between different dialects. Do yourself a favor and skip the print version and go directly to the audiobook.

A disappointing end

Frankly there should have been more.

This is my first Goddard book and I think it was well done, the performance was wonderful. The writing itself is good, and care was taken to get at least some of the bits of photography love correct. It is that it was about a photographer that brought me to it. And all of that was reasonably fun.

The entire premise however is a bit shaky when it finally comes to light, and the ending is very lackluster and leaves you wondering what the point was.

I really wanted to give this more than 2 stars for the story but there is not enough "reason" for all that happens, and its so obscured to begin with, and given to us on a silver plate to let us halfway through understand the reason. Then to end with nothing resolved, and nothing learned.

That being said the performance was good and the overall experience did not lessen my life for having listened.

Pulls you in

Would you listen to Caught in the Light again? Why?

The story was full of twists and surprises. Each time I thought I'd worked out what was going to happen, it took another turn. Right to the end it kept me guessing. It was my first Goddard book but won't be my last.

What about Michael Kitchen’s performance did you like?

The narration by Michael Kitchen really enhanced this intriguing book, which got me in from the beginning. He really knows how to tell a story. His delivery grabbed my attention and his ability to voice the different characters was excellent.

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

It wasn't possible to listen to this book in one sitting because of the length but I reached for it at every opportunity and couldn't wait to go back to it whenever I had the chance.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. As one of my first Audible books, I'm certainly pleased that I joined up.