The Fine Art of Invisible Detection: The thrilling BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick

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Well, Wada might be an unlikely detective, but when she sets her mind on something she will not be thrown off track. Brilliantly plotted and excellent pacing brought out the best in Wada, whose character really stole the show. Unable to go herself, it's arranged Kodaka's secretary, the unassuming Umiko Wada will go in her place. I enjoyed that the characters and threads were not over-elaborated, keeping it simple and to the point. From the moment she fortuitously found the keys to an empty house in someone's kitchen, pinched them and used them, strokes of luck carried her through the convoluted plot.

There are kidnappings, break-ins, threats, fights, cold-blooded killings… but driving it all are these two characters who you’d never look twice at.

I can't say the same for Nick Miller (the other protagonist), he seemed washed out when compared to Wada. Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Random House, UK for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. However, everything suddenly gets a whole lot more dangerous when Kazuto is murdered in a hit and run.

She is to meet a man in London who has information their client requires, if she can pass herself off as the client it will be an nice easy job for her except we know things never go to plan. The guests will also each bring with them their favourite book of all time to share with the other guests. She wants to find out what Caldwell knows about her father’s contact with a Westerner in a photograph she’s seen, but instead of flying to London to meet him, she asks Kodaka to help.

This is a scintillating read with a wickedly twisty plot and enough suspense to give you heart palpitations. Quiet and resilient, Umiko Wada is the perfect invisible undercover detective who should never be underestimated. 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.

They will all be sharing their favourite books, as well as reviewing this week’s two book club picks: Our Big Hitter from last year, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and the first of our new books, The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard.Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person’s decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. The police in the novel seem incompetent and unbelievably so, which facilitates a lot of what goes on. The agency is hired by Mimori Takenaga to investigate her father’s apparent suicide in London twenty seven years ago.

However, she has a thread of steel and determination in her personality, plus she has a personal stake in the case with the sarin attacks, although not knowing what she is up against naturally means she make mistakes. There’s something very refreshing about this character, whose efficient and philosophical way of controlling her emotions and dealing with threats feels just like the characters in authentic Japanese crime novels. That’s the concept behind the Italian crime show The Red Door – La Porta Rossa – and it’s a good one.She's such an endearing character you're willing her on all the way (even if, admittedly, some of her escapades may be a little if a stretch! Martin Caldwell, whom both Wada and Nick Miller are seeking, has disappeared and after a fair bit of trekking between London and Devon, both characters, separately, find themselves heading to Iceland. There is more than one secret being hidden, and more than one person who will kill to make sure that those secrets remain hidden. This is a complex thriller with several well-developed characters, some interesting plot twists, and plenty of action. It is these qualities that are to make her a rather good detective when she is unexpectedly sent to London by her boss on a case that turns out to be so dangerous that he is murdered in a hit and run incident.