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Robert Goddard

The murder of a British diplomat in post-WWI Paris leads to “a rip-roaring adventure” in this historical spy thriller by the Edgar Award–winning author (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review).
 
 In the spring of 1919, Paris is filled with delegates from around the world who are trying to hammer out the terms of peace after World War I. British diplomat Sir Henry Maxted is in charge of liaising with the Brazilians regarding seized ships. But before a deal is reached, Sir Henry turns up dead outside a Montparnasse apartment building, apparently having fallen from the roof. When his sons Max and Ashley arrive in Paris to collect the body, they suspect their father’s death was no mere accident. But since the murder of a diplomat could be disastrous for the peace conference, no one is keen to ask questions—except Max.
 
 What begins as an innocent inquiry into his father’s death soon leads Max, a Royal Flying Corps veteran, into a dangerous world of secret allegiances, international espionage, and double-crossing at the highest levels of government. How far is he willing to go to discover the truth about the death of a father he barely knew? And how much will the authorities—and others—let him find out before threatening his own life? The first novel in Robert Goddard’s James Maxted Thrillers, The Ways of the World takes readers deep into the shadows of postwar Paris.
 
“Robert Goddard is the master of complex, tricky thrillers that dazzle with surprises . . . Another stellar performance.” —The Sydney Morning Herald

Mysterious Press

The James Maxted Thrillers

The Ways of the World

Second in the World Wide Trilogy—“a sophisticated spy story with serious historical chops” from the Edgar Award–winning author of The Ways of the World (Kirkus Reviews).
 
 Paris, 1919. As diplomats debate the aftermath of WWI at the Versailles Peace Conference, Royal Flying Corps veteran–turned–double agent James “Max” Maxted has just received his first mission from his new boss—and sworn enemy—legendary German spy Fritz Lemmer.
 
 Traveling to Scotland’s remote Orkney Islands to collect a mysterious file, Max must keep his true allegiances in mind—and pray his cover isn’t blown. Meanwhile, in Paris, Max’s partner, Sam Twentyman, has problems of his own. A nefarious element in the Japanese delegation is out to kill Lemmer—and they believe they can reach him through Sam.
 
 With the Germans about to enter the peace negotiations, the need for reconciliation among nations is greater than ever. Any mistake in Max’s mission would be fatal—and not just for him.
 
 “Tense action and clever dialogue . . . History buffs and fans of period thrillers . . . will appreciate Goddard’s attention to detail.” —Publishers Weekly
 
 “Tremendous fun.” —Historical Novel Society

The Corners of the Globe

The third James Maxted thriller from the internationally bestselling author, “a master of the sly double- and triple-cross” (The Seattle Times).

The Treaty of Versailles has finally been signed, officially ending the World War I peace negotiations, and the action shifts east, to Tokyo, where a team assembled at Max’s behest anxiously awaits his arrival on the docks. The dashing Royal Flying Corps veteran turned secret service operative had arrived in Paris soon after the end of the Great War to investigate the suspicious death of his father, a British diplomat named Sir Henry, and soon plunged into a treacherous game of cat-and-mouse with the people behind his father’s death: German spymaster Fritz Lemmer and the dark horse of the Japanese diplomatic contingent, Count Tomura. It is in Japan—where Sir Henry worked as a young government agent—that Max hopes to finally uncover the whole truth behind his father’s murder and take down Lemmer’s spy network once and for all. But what Max’s cohort doesn’t know is that his own storyline seems to have come to an end in a villa outside Marseilles. Stuck in limbo, the team decides to pursue their only lead—right into Lemmer’s den.

Loaded with death threats, knife fights, a kidnapping or two, and a coded list that has the power to dismantle whole governmental hierarchies, The Ends of the Earth is a masterful work of historical cut-and-thrust that tests the bonds of family and country to their very limit.

“Thrilling … The third and most satisfying entry in an excellent series of old-school spy thrillers. ” —Kirkus Reviews