KEV67 Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 I thought I would give Jeffrey Archer a go. I have always been a bit prejudiced against him in the past. It is mainly about this Detective Inspector Warwick at the yard and his team. It is also a bit about an undercover officer who used to be in the SAS. DI Warwick has a lovely wife who organises art exhibitions at the Fitzmolean Museum. There is a Mr Big who has a lot of valuable paintings, and his crooked lawyer. Then there are various other London gangsters to deal with. I had a hard time working out when it was based. It seemed to be the 80s because there were no mobile phones or internet, but the book appeared from the cover to have been recently published. It is pretty well plotted. It is not deep, but it is not bad. It is a bit more credible than some other crime fiction I have read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timebug Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 I am still prejudiced against him and will not read anything of his on principle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) Many years ago my father bought a Jeffrey Archer book and my brother went up the wall and asked me how I could let my father buy such rubbish. I pointed out that my father was entitled to make up his own mind and having never read any JA I couldn't speak to the quality. My brother calmed down and stated that all of Archer's output was complete rubbish. I still haven't read any so still can't say but I do know this, I've been surprised, and pleasantly, by reading things that I had previously considered complete rubbish and enjoying them. Conclusion : it's personal preference and there's nothing wrong with reading rubbish if you are so inclined. My brother stole the book from my father and actually put it in the bin! Edited March 17, 2023 by lunababymoonchild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEV67 Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 I have seen Mary Archer in real life. The one the judge thought was fragrant. She was the president, chairman or something like that, of the Solar Society. She is big into photovoltaic panels. I wondered whether DI Warwick's wife, Beth, was based on Mary Archer, although Mary Archer is a scientist, while the fictional Beth Warwick is a curator at an art museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 On 3/16/2023 at 11:42 AM, KEV67 said: I thought I would give Jeffrey Archer a go. I have always been a bit prejudiced against him in the past. It is mainly about this Detective Inspector Warwick at the yard and his team. It is also a bit about an undercover officer who used to be in the SAS. DI Warwick has a lovely wife who organises art exhibitions at the Fitzmolean Museum. There is a Mr Big who has a lot of valuable paintings, and his crooked lawyer. Then there are various other London gangsters to deal with. I had a hard time working out when it was based. It seemed to be the 80s because there were no mobile phones or internet, but the book appeared from the cover to have been recently published. It is pretty well plotted. It is not deep, but it is not bad. It is a bit more credible than some other crime fiction I have read. Archer has a tendency to focus upon his several obsessions, art, women,and money. You usually get treated to many financial calculations, down to decimal points of how much someone is due to get, then observations about a beautiful woman, and a few musings on art dealing. I read 500 pages of his short stories then abandoned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 9:58 AM, lunababymoonchild said: Many years ago my father bought a Jeffrey Archer book and my brother went up the wall and asked me how I could let my father buy such rubbish. I pointed out that my father was entitled to make up his own mind and having never read any JA I couldn't speak to the quality. My brother calmed down and stated that all of Archer's output was complete rubbish. I still haven't read any so still can't say but I do know this, I've been surprised, and pleasantly, by reading things that I had previously considered complete rubbish and enjoying them. Conclusion : it's personal preference and there's nothing wrong with reading rubbish if you are so inclined. My brother stole the book from my father and actually put it in the bin! Agree. I read 500 pages of Archer and concluded it is rubbish, just recently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 1 hour ago, itsmeagain said: Agree. I read 500 pages of Archer and concluded it is rubbish, just recently. His books have not appeared in our house since. And you should see the pulp fiction that my brother brings my father now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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