The Water Dancer tells the story of Hiram Walker a man with a gift, and a curse. He was born between worlds: his father a white plantation master, his mother a slave. Unbeknown to him, he was born with the special power of conduction, the ability to harness memory to teleport enslaved people to freedom. When he is sold to a new mistress as punishment for attempting to escape, Hiram discovers her home is a secret hub of the underground railroad: a training ground for its agents. Hiram fast becomes a highly skilled agent, retrieving the enslaved from the most dangerous circumstances and gradually learning to harness his power - but betrayals lurk everywhere. Eventually, Hiram must risk everything to return to his father's plantation and free the friends he left behind. The book is a commentary on the physical and emotional toll of slavery, interlaced with fantasy based on popular slave mythology about magical ways of escaping enslavement.  It is an intriguing and thought-provoking read. 

‘In prose that sings and imagination that soars, Coates further cements himself as one of this generation’s most important writers, tacking one of America’s oldest and darkest periods with grace and inventiveness. This is bold, dazzling, and not to be missed.’ Publishers Weekly

Past Caring tells the story of Martin Radford, a disgraced history teacher who is given a chance to redeem himself. Invited by a friend to holiday in Madeira, Radford is shown the journal of former British cabinet minister, Edwin Strafford, and invited to investigate why Strafford suddenly resigned at the height of his parliamentary career, and why did Strafford’s lover reject him so coldly and without explanation? Why, sixty-seven years later, should people go to such lengths - even as far as murder - to prevent the truth from being revealed? Radford's investigations trigger a violent series of events, which throw him straight into the path of those who believed they had escaped punishment for crimes long past but never paid for.

Goddard's first novel, nominated for the Booker prize, is a poised telling of a complex tale. A fascinating "could this be true?'' story within a story is reminiscent of Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time. . . In one sense a historical thriller, and in another a romantic novel of a love affair gone disastrously wrong, . . . a wonderful read.

- Publishers Weekly

In Sea Change, 1721 London is reeling from the collapse of the South Sea Bubble, which plunged the nation into recession. William Spandrel, a penniless mapmaker, is offered a discharge of his debts by Sir Theodore Janssen, a director of the South Sea Company, on condition he secretly convey an important package to Amsterdam. With the package safely delivered, Spandrel barely survives an attempt on his life, only to discover that the recipient of the package has been murdered, and that he himself is the prime suspect. Spandrel has become a pawn in a very dangerous game. British Government agents and others are on his trail, believing that the mysterious package contains secrets that could spark a revolution in England. Spandrel’s only chance of survival is to recover the package and place its contents in the right hands. But what are the contents and whose exactly are the right hands?

[A] picaresque tale of high adventure and low intrigue . . . The historical period is vividly conjured up and the narrative flows effortlessly . . . Engrossing storytelling of a very high order. 

- Observer (UK)