A superb 4.5*

This is the Night They Come for You is a deftly plotted and exceptionally smart slow burn thriller weaved around real life events. Talib is a policeman nearing retirement in Algeria - a nation still recovering from recent decades of violence. When a recently paroled prisoner, supposedly under house arrest, disappears it open old wounds of corruption, not least because the prisoner’s accomplice stitched him up and escaped with millions in State funds many years before. Talib is put on the case with Hidouchi, a young female officer from Algerian Secret Intelligence. While we get the sense we can trust Talib, the same can be said of no one else.

Alongside is Stephen Gray, a British man renovating his late fathers cottage and seemingly innocuous. Surprised to receive a visit from Suzette, the daughter of a man he visited several times in Algeria in the 1970s/1980s, when Stephen was on the trail of his missing older sister. Suzette has received an offer and it will be one which uncovers the past for both of them and reveals the history which Talib and Hidouchi are chasing.

Robert Goddard not only tells a great tale, he shines a light on the brutal politics and events of Algerian independence and beyond, starting with de Gaulle in 1960s Paris.

The main characters are superb and the book is well paced. I would thoroughly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House and Transworld for an ARC.

I have really struggled with this book. I feel as if I have been reading for weeks and am only at 25%
I have not managed to feel engaged with any of the characters and h having followed my own rule of getting to the 25% stage I am giving up.
it is not for me, sorry!

Another riveting read from Robert Goddard. Enjoyed his fast moving well researched thriller. The story takes to back to October 1961 in Paris ,to the present day in Algeria, Paris and London.
Algeria is rising against the French domination and wanting independence, murder is on the streets of Paris with The French dealing with the Algerian riots with a heavy hand.

Nigel Dalby gets involved later with two Algerian activists who plot to unearth the organisers of the atrocities but his .girlfriend gets dragged into the scheme and pass heavily for her involvement. Nigel himself dies in the disturbances in Algeria.

Years later, the girlfriends brother Stephen, who is on a quest to uncover what happened to her, receives communication regarding a document found, which written by Nigel Dalby draws light to the previous enterprise citing the two Algerians . Two Algerian officers are on the same case unbeknown to Stephen .Taleb and Hidouchi search for the two ex Algerian activists who now have fled the country but are after the Nigel Dalby document which incriminate them.

Danger of their lives ,anyone with knowledge of the document is at risk, as the Algerians will not stop until they have their hands on it.

Great fast moving thriller which leaves the reader breathless and wanting more .

4+ stars

At Police HQ Algiers Supt Mouloud Taleb is summoned by Director Baras as he has a special task for him which takes a deep dive into the past. I’m 1999 Laboul fled the country after embezzling the national oil company and left his friend Wassim Zarbi to face the music. He served a lengthy prison sentence and following his release he’s gone missing. Taleb will work with DSS (Intelligence Service) agent Souad Hidouchi to find Zarbi who is presumed to have gone after Laloul. Meanwhile in Hampshire Stephen Gray is visited by Suzette Fontaine nee Dalby whose family he knew in Algiers. Stephen’s sister Harriet disappeared in Paris in the 1960’s, she had links to Suzette’s father and to Zarbi. What the visit is about is central to the tangled web of deception that unfurls in England, France and Algiers.

There’s a very good reason why I’ve read so many Robert Goddard books over the years- he writes darned good thrillers and they’re all very different. This one is a terrific read in the best thriller tradition. The historical context of the background of Algeria and its colonial past with France is obviously integral to the plot with much linking back to events in Paris in 1961 under de Gaulle against the Algerian community. This makes for fascinating if very uncomfortable reading. I knew the bare bones of Algeria’s recent history but feel I now have more understanding. I love the inclusion of film maker Jacques Tati and Tativille via the character of Harriet.

The plot is a complex one but it’s very clever, it’s written in such a way that it engages from the start and part of this is to do with the characters of Hidouchi and especially of Taleb who I like very much. There’s great banter between them some of which is very amusing. This has all the ingredients of a compelling thriller from retribution to conspiracy theory and fact, there’s murder, mayhem, set ups and double crossing the double crossers with added warnings, threats and beaucoup de mensonges (lies) by the bucket load with the security services in Algiers and France adding their own brand of deception. It goes without saying there are plenty of plot twists in this fast paced novel as ghosts from the past continue to haunt the present. There are a lot of characters to keep track of so you have to concentrate but it’s worth it for the thrill of the ride.

Overall, if you like clever complex thrillers that are well researched and which lends an air of authenticity then this is for you.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K./Transworld/Bantam Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This Is The Night They Come For You is the latest thriller from master story-teller Robert Goddard.
As well as a cracking story the book will come as an education to most as it involves possibly the darkest moment in post-war France's history, the massacre of ,and brutal violence meted out to Algerian migrants in Paris in 1961 and Algeria's turbulent post-independence history and politics.

Superintendent Taleb ,based at Police HQ in Algiers is considering retirement when he's given a case that has massive political implications and sees him teamed up with young motorcycle-riding Secret Service agent Hidouchi . The odd couple find themselves entangled in a case that on the service is the hunt for a former Algerian agent ,but dark and secretive forces have another agenda.
Meanwhile in Britain there are others who want to find the missing man for reasons of their own, both party's search leads them to Paris and it's game on.

Like all of Robert Goddard's book this is a real treat,well-written, thought-provoking and plenty of thrills. Taleb and Hidouchi are chalk and cheese, the plodding old Tec with the smoker's cough and the tough young Woman going places in Algeria's sinister secret police. It shouldn't work but in Goddard's capable hands their changing relationship and eventual respect for each other as "old school" meets "young whippersnapper" is completely credible.

Some of the most shocking parts of the book are the facts, the massacre in Paris, the ongoing terror in Algeria both during the fight for Independence and in it's wake, events that directly affect most of the main characters and form the background to the story.

This isn't just up to Robert Goddard's usual standards,I'd say it's his best book so far.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (plenty of other reviews like that out there if that's what you are looking for!)

I've long been a fan of Robert Goddard, so was delighted to be invited to read this, his latest novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - as usual it featured a time shift (not a criticism by the way, it's something of a trademark feature of his work, and one I always appreciate!).

This time the events in both the past and present day are disturbing - the former more so because they are based on very real events of which I was unaware (I was horrified to learn what happened in France and Algeria - showing the sheer ruthlessness of regimes the world over when it comes to maintaining power, and the lengths they will go to!) The plot was excellent, gripping, and had twists that I didn't see coming.

I loved the main characters of Taleb and Hidouchi, and the way their partnership and chemistry developed from an unpromising start. There are also some excellently drawn "baddies". I liked the way that - as in other Robert Goddard novels - the actions of those in the past carried on affecting people in the present, driving them on to seek out the truth in order to find peace.

I would like to read more about the two main characters, and hope that they might feature in a future novel.

I shall - as always - look forward to reading the next gripping novel by this excellent storyteller!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Robert Goddard’s latest novel This Is The Night They Come For You is both a spy and detective thriller. Set in England, France and Algeria it spans the decades from Charles de Gaulle to the modern day. A young Englishman smitten by a young woman called Harriet, stupidly assists two Algerians who persuade him to befriend a French official so that they can gain access to the official’s apartment in Paris. The Englishman realises his naivety when the official is found brutally murdered. With this act of naivety, a butterfly effect is about to ripple down through the decades and cause many deaths. Robert Goddard has a unique writing style and is a master of the narrative, furthermore he has the gift of making the transition between past a present a pleasure, not a drudge. Goddard uses a gossamer light approach to the ‘C’ word, yes coronavirus is mentioned but very infrequently and not to the detriment of the story.
The novel is full of colourful characters and the pace of events absolutely appropriate to the quality of the writing. To give it five stars hardly does it justice.

How much will you give for your country, I guess it depends what's asked of you. This is a fast paced multiple characters of great quality

I love this novel/thriller it has a really well thought out plot, ot is incredibly well researched the history between Algeria and France is an eye opener to me. The story starts with a dark night back in 1961 in Paris and comes up to the present time covid and all. Don't let that put you off, the death of possibly hundreds of Algerians set of a state of events and assassinations the rise to power of various characters.

I don't want to give too much away so let me tell you why I've given it 5 stars, You can see from above a bit but the plot is excellent assume great twists and it stays true to History I learnt a lot but that's not why I chose the book to lessen but its certainly a bonus. The story comes from a few angles but they aren't confusing just well worked out and excellently written, from my point of view that is and I hope your as well feel confident most well agree. Well we're all different. It's written so you have a great felt love or liking of the main characters the goodies that is even if they have some attribute at times but i don't want a book for mice.

I really hope you enjoy it as much as I have I feel it is well worth the time and money.

A thrilling and suspenseful read from start to finish. This is the first Robert Goddard book I have read, I didn't realise what I was missing. The plot is wonderfully convoluted but tightly controlled with plenty of unexpected twists, I loved the character of Taleb and the gentle humour that accompanied him. The historical aspects of the story were fascinating and well-researched. All in all this was an exciting fast-paced read and I will certainly be reading more Robert Goddard books from now on.

A story which spans more than fifty years taking place in France, Algeria and England. It is a complicated plot involving a lot of characters which can be confusing at times, but I think I worked out who were the good guys in the end!

This is a book cleverly written in the present but referring to events during the political violence between Algeria and France starting in the 1960s culminating in the former's quest for independence. It takes us through an uneasy alliance between the Algerian Police and and the country's Intelligence Service with some Brits thrown into the mix! With the intricacies of the plot one has to really concentrate on the reading but, yes, what a skillfully written novel by this author.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is never a dull moment in a novel by Robert Goddard. His plots grab one in a vice-like grip and hold tight through the many twists and turns of each new revelation. Yet despite the brilliance of his plotting it is his intensely drawn characters that drive the mysteries forward. Most usually they are chameleons with more than a skeleton or two in their closets.
Robert Goddard has long been adept at using history as a plot device and here the political violence of Algeria, before and after so-called independence, is a perfect backdrop for a thrilling premise. There are also evocative scenes at Tativille during the production of Playtime.
Superintendent Taleb and Agent Hidouchi are characters I will never forget and 'God forbid!' Barbarossa.
Robert Goddard remains unmatched and unrivaled with a great story told with poignant integrity and skill.

I haven’t read a recent Robert Goddard novel but in some respects this one is exactly as I’d expect from my reading of his early work - convoluted yet fast-moving plot, intertwining characters and back stories coming to a neat conclusion. On the other hand, though, I hadn’t anticipated the deeply political content. My knowledge of Algerians’ experiences leading up to and after independence, right up to the present day, was sketchy at best and I found this book’s exposition fascinating, albeit more gruesome than I could have imagined. A real eye-opener and a very welcome one.

I had some prior knowledge of the dark history of Algeria but this book relates it in such depth I felt like a child in history class, add to that a beautifully crafted and well told story, well done sir well done