Brilliantly plotted and excellent pacing brought out the best in Wada, whose character really stole the show. Umiko takes a roundabout route, travelling from London to New York City then, not to Alaska, as she hopes will be assumed, but to Reykjavik, where she believes both Martin and the man who was Peter Evans, may be. I liked the mix of countries and culture that the story showed, including the little titbits of Japanese culture that were sprinkled throughout the book. she’s followed, imprisoned, witnesses murder and much more in this interesting, fast paced adventure, where she must try to keep at least one step ahead of her powerful adversaries.

Now I've read the book I know its not and feel the cover design doesn't really match the book, so it was a bit misleading. I enjoyed that the characters and threads were not over-elaborated, keeping it simple and to the point. Nick's world is shattered when he finds out both his mother and April have lied to him about his parentage. Well yes and this is where the book starts putting on the mileage as separately Wada and Nick travel to Devon to see if they can find their mysterious contact, missing each other they then end up in Iceland. Three generations of women in the Skelf family operating both a funeral home and a private investigation agency may sound like an unusual premise for a crime fiction book, however author Doug Johnstone makes it work.In the smartest of prose and with a stunningly fast-moving plot, Goddard brings us the heroine we've been waiting for.

Umiko Wada never set out to be a private detective, let alone become the one-woman operation behind the Kodaka Detective Agency. She’s driven by the fact that Nishizaki not only had her boss murdered, but was connected to the leader of the cult that released the poison. We celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, traditions and living cultures; and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. This week Sara is joined by comedians Mel Giedroyc and Griff Rhys Jones, Strictly’s reigning champion Oti Mabuse and presenter Rick Edwards.

This fast moving, smart and complex thriller is full of intrigue and suspense with twists at every turn. In her quest to find out who killed him and who was also behind the death of her husband, Wada has to travel across the globe, make links with dangerous mobsters and steer clear of 3 or 4 even more dangerous people who would like to see her stopped in her tracks. Umiko Wada, whose husband was killed in a sarin gas subway attack, works as a secretary to Kazuto Kodaka, a private detective in Tokyo, and enjoys the uneventful routine life she leads. Alternating between Wado and Nick’s perspectives, there is enough to sink your teeth into throughout with murder, abduction, yakuza involvement and betrayal bringing an explosive and exhilarating thriller and a complete breath of fresh air in the genre.

For one thing, I think the way the author has framed the story using the Tokyo subway sarin atrocity is, frankly, rather distasteful. Almost as if the middle-aged untravelled Japanese woman is actually a well-travelled Western man for whom this wouldn't be a big deal, hmmmm.

I loved how, although the story was complex with multiple characters, the author found an (un-annoying) way of keeping you up to speed with the story line.

The start was mildly interesting - Wada, an independent woman, indispensable PA to a Tokyo detective, is asked to pose as a client in England. He is the master of the plot twist, a compelling and engrossing storyteller and one of the best known advocates for the traditional virtues of pace, plot and narrative drive. It doesnt have to be dramatic but it draws you in and makes you feel welcome and you just know that you are going to enjoy the experience. The Fine Art of Uncanny Prediction is another tour de force from the cunning mind of master storyteller Robert Goddard.

There is more than one secret being hidden, and more than one person who will kill to make sure that those secrets remain hidden.