Landscaper Tim Harding travels to West Cornwall at the request of Barney Tozer, one of his wealthy clients. His task is simple: attend an auction and purchase an antique ring of special value to Tozer’s family. Once Tim arrives though, he finds that there’s much more to the story than Barney has shared with him. First there is some suspicion regarding Barney’s involvement in a local diving accident years earlier (the girl slipped into a coma and never recovered). Then there is the complicated relationship among the various Tovers and the history of the ring itself.
Caught up in this mystery is a young woman who looks remarkably like the girl from the diving accident. Tim finds himself surrounded by people with secrets: every lie seems to have another lie behind it. His quest for the truth will take him back into English history and forward to dangers he can no longer avoid.
I liked the layered mysteries and overlapping schemes—Goddard does present an interesting puzzle. I felt that the characters had their less-believable moments but not enough to detract from the story. If you like your mystery with a dash of history and a sprinkling of mysticism, you’re likely to enjoy Name to a Face.
