Jeffrey Archer
This is what I’d call a publisher’s book on at least a couple of counts. One, the slow movement of the different plots suggest that this could have been the book to finish the series, but we will have to wait for the next. Two, the ethnicity of the characters – while it could be argued that this is a reflection of the changing times (as per the plot’s timeframe, late 70s) it could also be an indication of the markets the publisher wants to specially address – the US, India and Turkey.
While the first and the last were natural progressions from the previous books, the presence has been greatly enhanced. The second, I found to be an unnecessary detour that added nothing to the overall plots, unless that somehow happens in the next book. Add to that, the deceptive cover that almost implies there is a significant India play in the book, and we have my reasons to believe that the publisher dictated the proceedings.
I found this book to be a little less engaging than the others in the series. That the book still doesn’t bore you is a testament to the author’s skills in narration. Archer does his trademark twists and turns, and has the occasional wit thrown in, but somehow it seemed more like an exercise in filling pages. That’s largely due to the meandering nature of the plots from the previous books. Except for some changes in the state of the antagonists, it’s almost as though the characters have been left at pretty much the same place as they were after ‘Mightier than the sword’. But you will have to obviously read this before you read the final book in the series (I hope!) and that’s exactly what I did.
