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Into the Blue

Robert Goddard

1990 · Mystery

tense moodfast pacedbalanced toneresolved and happy ending

How it reads

Into the Blue is mystery (international historical mystery, specifically), and its dominant mood is tense. The suspense is the kind you feel in your shoulders. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in an international setting, in the recent past, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are secrets, justice and loss and grief. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.

Pick it up if…

  • you're in the mood for something tense
  • you want a book that pulls you through
  • you want a complete story in one book

Maybe not if…

  • you need something cosy or heartwarming
  • you want dense, lingering prose

All 15 dimensions

Genre
mystery
Author gender
male
Author experience
established
Setting: place
international
Setting: time
recent past
Mood / feeling
tense
Tone / weight
balanced
Length
medium
Narrative style
third person, one viewpoint
Publication era
modern classic
Popularity
well known
Series vs standalone
standalone
Themes
secrets, justice, loss and grief
Ending style
resolved and happy

What these mean: the 15 dimensions of a book.

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