Wada has taken over the detective agency after Kodaka's death and is flourishing.
She is asked to look into a missing man by his estranged father.
The enquiry is not straightforward and puts her in a lot of danger. Lesser people would walk away but Wada is made of sterner stuff.
The story flits between the current time and 1995 prior to when Wada worked for Kodaka. There are many strings to the story which intermingle with grace.
An entertaining and interesting read.

Umiko Wada (Wada to her friends and clients) was PI Kazuto Kodaka’s office assistant at his one-man Kodaka Detective Agency in Tokyo. When he died suddenly, she took over the reins of the agency and has made something of a success of it. She’s careful in the cases she chooses so when a wealthy businessman asks her to find his estranged son, she expects the case to be fairly straight forward. It turns out to be anything but and she soon finds herself immersed in a dangerous conspiracy that dates back to the chaotic last days of WW2 and secrets that someone wants to stay hidden.

Robert Goddard certainly spins a good yarn and is a master of red herrings and plot twists. For that reason, the plot requires a good degree of concentration but it will be well worth the effort. I also found the numerous Japanese characters difficult to keep track of, but the handy cast of characters at the front of the book helped to remind me who they all were. There are also two timelines to keep track of – Wada’s current investigation in 2020 and one in 1995 concerning an investigation Kazuto Kodaka undertook to investigate secret payments made by a business man’s father to an unknown account for decades. How the two converge in this multi faceted plot will eventually become clear as Wada puts the pieces together, despite threats to herself and her mother.

Set mostly in Tokyo, the location and culture has an authentic Japenese feel. Umiko Wada is a fine character; a middle aged, childless widow who lost her husband in the saran attack in the Tokyo underground and is comfortable with spending her life following a career as an investigator. Intelligent, brave and stubborn, she is relentless in her search for the truth and will go wherever she must to get it. Her relationship with her mother Haha and the disgraced sumo wrestler, Seijo Tago, her mother has taken in as a lodger make a diverting side story. Although this is the second book in the series, it works well as a stand alone novel and is recommended to those looking for a unique private investigator and a well written, multi faceted plot.

Robert Goddard has never written a bad book. I am proud to have read them all more than once. This, in my opinion, is his best.
As is often the case in his thrillers the plot unfolds in two separate timelines (1995 and 2022) with roots going back to WW2. From the very first page I was totally hooked by the complexities of a truly fascinating and innovative story.
Wada is one of those outstanding characters who has a nuanced personality evoking empathy and compassion. She is formidable either as the hunter or the hunted. Her moral integrity and daring-do is guaranteed to outwit the bad guys. And what a wonderful character the Kobe Sensitive is too.
This is Robert Goddard at his finest: the mystery thriller of the year.

This will be my fourth book I’ve read by Robert Goddard. First introduced to the author when I was invited to read The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by the publisher via Netgalley. This book also features Umiko Wada who is a Private Investigator. She started out in the first book as an assistant to Kodaka, however he died not long into the first book, and by the end of The Fine Art of Invisible Detection Wada had taken over the running of his agency as the sole investigator.

Because this book is set over two time periods – 2022 and 1995, Kodaka makes a reappearance in the 1995 part of the book, and we learn much more about him and how he operated as a PI. I’ll admit I really did struggle with the complexity of the plot. In alternating, quite long chapters the story goes back and forth in time, with Kodaka investigating several lines of enquiry in 1995 and Wada doing the same in 2022. Their cases are linked in some ways, and with the amount of characters in the book, all with unfamiliar but sometimes similar Japanese names, this did lead to much confusion on my part, and at times frustration trying to follow the story.

The Fine Art of Invisible Detection was quite fast paced with a lot of action, in contrast this book utilises a lot of detection and mystery solving but with less of the action and chases we saw in the previous book.

As I said, a complex plot, but as I got towards the end I felt I finally knew who was who and what was going on. I enjoyed the conclusion, when all the loose ends were tied up and the two time lines began to meld together. I also found it had quite a touching element to it in its conclusion which I enjoyed very much.

All in all an entertaining and challenging book (as in a challenging puzzle) with a very satisfactory ending. This can be read as a stand alone book, there really isn’t a need to have read the first one in the series, but I would definitely highly recommend that one too.

The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the follow up to The Fine Art of Invisible Detection featuring Umiko Wada who has now taken over the Detective Agency based in Tokyo following her boss Kodaka's death.

There were two timelines and two storylines going on which I wont rehash One from Wada from 2022 and one from Kodaka, several years ago and a complex storyline linking the two.

I enjoyed this book, but it took me a bit longer longer than usual to read, not really sure why or if I just read it too late at night. I found the glossary of characters really useful as there were quite a few characters in the book and occasionally have to remind myself who they were. I did wonder if this might happen as haven't read many books which list all the characters and a little of their background at the beginning.

I'd rate this book with 4/5 stars and would be very keen to read any other books by Robert Goddard, who is a great storyteller.

A big thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Robert Goddard writes a remarkably smart and complex sequel to The Fine Art of Invisible Detection, a Toyko based series, featuring his stellar character of PI Umiko Wada, an understated, unassuming middle aged woman, who is making a surprising success of the Kodaka Detective Agency, after the untimely death of her boss. She shares his tenacious determination as she shapes up to be independent and resilient in a case that goes back and forth in time, which links with Kodaka's investigations back in 1995. The story opens amidst the devastation of Japan at the end of WW2 and the acquisition of a box kept in the safe of an orphanage by 16 year old orphan, Goro Rinzaki.

In the present, Wada takes on a twisty missing person case, whilst trying to determine who the 'lodger' her elderly mother has taken into her home is. Her client is Fumito Nagata, a man in his seventies who is prepared to pay well and wants her to make contact with his estranged son, Manjiro, who will not even open his door to him. It turns out that an elaborate deception has been taking place and Manjiro has not been living at his supposed home for some time, with Wada stumbling across another missing person. She is to face desperate danger with obstacle after obstacle thrown in her path as she travels to California, acquiring an American client. In 1995, Kodaka is tasked with finding out, by the owner of Jinno Construction, why his recently deceased father, had made substantial decades long secret payments to an unknown person or organisation.

A complicated and intricate mystery, this will require some initial patience, but it's not long before it becomes a gripping read that will not let go, right up to the thrilling finale and the final pages. It covers a large time period, from the post-war years right through to the present, allowing us to compare and contrast the personalities of Kodaka, a man of integrity who will not let himself be compromised when it comes to his run ins with Rinzaki, with that of Wada, with her own style of investigating and obstinate stubbornness that will not allow the elderly, but still formidable Rinzaki, prevent her from getting to the truth, even when he threatens her nearest and dearest.

This is fascinating and intelligent storytelling, with a wonderful and disparate set of characters, I particularly loved Seijo Tago, that I can see appealing to readers of crime and mysteries who are looking for something a little on the epic scale to become immersed in. I cannot wait to become reaquainted with Wada in the next book in this marvellous series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I have enjoyed previous books from Robert Goddard.
This was something different
A true delight
It was really readable
Well done

3.5 Stars rounded up

Although not as fast-paced as the first book, the second novel focusing on Wada's adventures as a private investigator is enjoyable and full of mysteries. The plot is complex and multi-layered and told from two different perspectives across two time lines, which makes it more interesting, even if I struggled to remember all characters initially and draw connections between the different times. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone interested in a well-presented, sophisticated and sometimes gory mystery.

Sadly this was a DNF for me. I’m not fond of stories that flit between different time lines unless it’s easy to keep track of everyone, but there are so many characters in this book that it proved difficult. There is a list at the beginning of whom all the characters are, and a bit about them, but there’s too much to remember. Personally I prefer stories with a limited number of characters, so this book obviously wouldn’t have worked for me in light of the above, but if you like both those things you’d probably like this

The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction by Robert Goddard – the second novel featuring Tokyo PI Umiko Wada – fulfils all the expectations that one would have of a Goddard thriller: intricate plot, impactful characters, and twists galore.

Widowed at a young age, Umiko Wada was retained as a secretary by Kazuto Kodaka, an accomplished detective with a thriving single-person operation, more than twenty years ago. Though she used to handle mostly administrative work until Kodaka’s untimely death three years ago, Wada has established herself as an effective investigator since then, successfully running the agency on her own. When a man in his seventies wants Wada to check on the wellbeing of his nearly fifty-year-old son, who hasn’t been responding to his calls, she thinks it to be a simple matter. But the seemingly straightforward assignment turns complex when Wada finds that the son has vanished without a trace, and an elaborate ruse to hide his disappearance has been put in place – either by himself or by someone who made him go away. Wada puts more effort into her search and unearths a little clue that thrusts her into a high-stakes conspiracy involving a ruthless old entrepreneur named Goro Rinzaki, whom many believe to be a criminal but has never been prosecuted.

Soon, Wada is pressured by various means into quitting the case, but she is nothing if not tenacious, and is resolved to see it through to the end. Her probe reveals that her case is somehow connected to another that her erstwhile boss had investigated twenty-seven years ago – before he hired Wada – and its roots seem to lie in the final days of the Second World War, connected to a murky part of Japanese history. Bodies start to fall, and Wada comes to mortal peril as she unravels layer after layer of the decades-old mystery, and the only way she can save herself and the people she cares for is to get to the secret before she is caught by the bad ones.

Pitting Wada’s determination and resourcefulness against the formidable strength of her opponents, Goddard serves up yet another delectable page-turner in The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction. Wada is a solid, immensely appealing character with a quiet competence and an authenticity that has the reader immediately rooting for her. Her erstwhile employer, Kodaka, is also a superbly crafted character that enthrals and entertains. While he plays a small-but-important part in this novel, Seiji Tago – Wada’s mother Haha’s mysterious lodger – is another intriguing character that I would like to see more of in the future. Goddard lets the complicated mystery unfold at a perfect pace that is neither too hurried nor too languid – alternating between Wada’s present investigation and that of Kodaka’s twenty-seven years ago – towards a highly satisfying finish. His descriptions bring the places, characters, and events to life, and the way he expertly blends real incidents with fiction makes the entire story utterly believable. I do not know much about Japanese life and culture, but I am convinced Goddard has rendered both to perfection in this absorbing narrative. While this is the second novel in the series, reading its predecessor does not seem necessary before getting to this one.

I tremendously enjoyed reading The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction and would recommend it, as I would any of Goddard’s novels, to all thriller aficionados who like their fiction to have some heft.

My sincere gratitude to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the Digital Review Copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (plenty of reviews like that out there already!)

I am a huge fan of Robert Goddard's work, and was delighted to learn that he'd written another novel featuring Umika Wada (or Wada as she prefers to be known).

This novel has a great twisty-turny plot, featuring a dual timeline to lead us to the truth behind current events. I absolutely love the way Robert Goddard always has a time element in his novels, and it was used to great effect in this novel.

The writing is very atmospheric - whether describing everyday situations or scenes of peril - and I was on the edge of my seat several times! The action moves between Japan and the USA - as usual all settings described so well that you can picture them.

We learn more about Wada herself - her past and her family - which makes me hopeful that Mr Goddard intends to write further novels in this series (pretty please!!!)

I was truly riveted to the book and stayed up late to finish it as I needed to know how it ended.

Now waiting (im)patiently for Robert Goddard's next book...

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

A twisting, complex tale of blackmail told across two timelines, The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction brings with it the return of reluctant sleuth Umiko Wada as she tries to solve her case, while back in the 90's, another familiar sleuth is working on a case that has it's fingers reaching through time to affect Wada's. Perfectly paced, filled with unexpected turns, betrayals, and an overarching narrative about Japan of the past and present, this book is a great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for access to this ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advance copy of The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction, the second novel to feature Tokyo based PI Umiko Wada.

Wada, as she prefers to be called, inherited the detective agency after her boss, Kazuto Kodaka died in unnatural circumstances. She chooses her cases carefully to avoid the same fate, so happily accepts a client looking to trace his missing son. Straightforward until she finds links to a twenty-two year old case Kodaka worked on and some old secrets that date back to the chaotic post war years. Secrets that someone is desperate to keep hidden.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction, which is a sprawling novel that covers a lot of ground and contains some unexpected twists. It is quite a long, complex novel with what I think is a hint of irony and some humorous moments.

The novel covers two distinct investigations, Wada’s present day investigation into the missing son and Kodaka’s 1995 investigation into some irregular payments made by a captain of industry. There are links between the two cases, chiefly the families involved, and that gives the reader some familiarity with the characters and seminal events, but mostly they operate independently of each other. They are both compulsive reading once the reader grasps what is going on. Sadly the novel has reinforced that I am getting old as I found the Japanese names difficult to remember and relied on context to place them correctly.

I think that this is an extremely clever novel and I was impressed by how the author links the two cases together and how each one fills the gaps in the different cases. Both detectives are smart and relentless so their discoveries and what they do with the uncovered information dovetail nicely, like they are two sides of the one coin. I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved the way they were able to dupe the person they are investigating. The one thing about the novel, despite the title, is that it is entirely unpredictable and it made me laugh that the whole driving force behind the bad guy’s actions is fairly worthless. Thus the novel is all about possession and what some people will do for it.

I love Wada. She’s a middle aged, unassuming Japanese woman with a will of iron and a strong code of ethics. She will see her cases through, no matter what obstacles are put in her way and in this novel some of them are formidable. Kodaka is more of a schemer, while she wins with honesty and practicality.

The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The reluctant private investigator Umiko Wada returns in The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction which is a very enjoyable and engrossing book by Robert Goddard.

There are numerous twists and turns throughout and the dual timeline storytelling works very well due to the deft hand of the author.

Hugely enjoyable.

Robert Goddard is the consummate detective /crime writer and can create and weave a plot that can challenge the most ardent crime enthusiast. This is the second in the series with leading protagonist Wada the private detective. This is a story of blackmail and betrayal and is very cleverly plotted dividing a storyline across events from the 1990s ( involving Wada’s late lamented employer Kodaka) to the present day with a search for a missing earthquake forecaster and subsequent individuals involved in trying to track down a mysterious package linked to the end of WWII - whilst it appears everyone is being manipulated by the enigmatic elderly Mr Rinzaki.
This is a complex plot and also taps into the tragic events of Japan’s recent history ; a great pace and cleverly constructed , this is a wonderful successor to the previous “ Fine Art “ story. Wada is such an intriguing character and her understated approach drives the novel. A winning story

Robert Goddard is a brilliant storyteller and this second instalment featuring personal assistant turned private investigator Wada reinforces his reputation. A twisted and intriguing mystery, Wada is an enigmatic character and I enjoyed the secondary characters too. Look forward to reading more in this series. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I loved "The fine art of Invisible Art" which introduced us to Umiko Wada, so couldn't wait for the next instalment, it did not disappoint. Umiko is now the sole owner of Kodaka Detective Agency! She takes on the seemingly straightforward task of tracking down an estranged son for a businessman. It soon turns into something more. Robert Goddard writes with such finesse and creates characters that we care about, so much subterfuge, twists and turns a fantastic book!!!

The second book in the series featuring Japanese detective, Umiko Wada. It is a riveting and exciting read. Wada is charged with finding the missing son of her client but her case becomes more and more complex as it unravels. Paralleling the story of her own case is a case in 1995 of her former boss. As the two stories unfold, it becomes clear that they are linked.
This book has a very large cast of characters and thankfully, there is a full list at the front of the book. The story is complex and twisting and I must admit that the two storylines initially had me rather confused. The plot is tightly controlled and the pace of the story is good. I did feel that the ending seemed to peter out and felt a bit flat after the excitement of the main body of the book.
Overall, this was an exciting read with an excellent leading character.

The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction by Robert Goddard sees the very welcome return of Tokyo Private Detective Umiko Wada. First introduced in The Fine Art of Invisible Detection Wada, she prefers to be known by her surname, is an unassuming and unremarkable middle-aged woman who started as a secretary to Private Detective Kazuto Kodaka then continued his business after his mysterious demise.
Wada takes on what appears to be a routine missing persons case which very quickly escalates and drags her into events that started in the aftermath of Japan's defeat in World War 2 and threatens to unearth the secrets of powerful who will do anything to keep them hidden.
This is a complex story involving several people and constantly jumps between different eras, from the 1940's to 2022 via 1995. There is a useful list of characters at the front of the book for those who lose track and there are also scenes where characters basically precis the "story so far" which I found very useful. As Wada finds herself immersed in a decades old conspiracy she discovers that her late late boss Kodaka had investigated many of the same characters.
As ever with a Robert Goddard book the tale is intelligent and involving. Wada is one of my favourite fictional detectives, falling into the role by accident she's both very ordinary and extraordinary.
Another winner from the master story-teller.

4.5* The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is the second in Robert Goddard’s series with Umiko Wada - a plain and dowdy Tokyo widow who is a perceptive and brilliant private investigator.

When Wada is engaged by a worried father to check on his adult son, who won’t respond to any contact, a spiders web of issues are brought to the fore - leading to the chairman of a film corporation who is hiding dark secrets. Taking us from Tokyo to a US naval base and then on to California, Wada puts herself in the ultimate peril to unravel a truth that has been hidden since WWII.

Initially unbeknown to Wada, her case has parallels to a similarly tricky investigation undertaken by her predecessor and former boss Kodaka. Skirting around the same shifty characters that Wada subsequently encounters, the clever weaving of the plots is sublime.

I adored this book, having equally enjoyed the first in the series (The Art of Invisible Detection). Each book would stand as a fantastic stand alone.

The core characters, particularly the recurring ones, are a real treat. The plotting is tight and smart, with the timelines weaving together brilliantly. I was initially a little overwhelmed by the character list at the start of the book (always tricky to go backwards and forwards on Kindle) but once I was into this book, I could not put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House and Transworld for the ARC. Fingers crossed for another Wada outing.