A sunny autumn afternoon, a hot cup of tea and a Jeffrey Archer book to read. I cannot imagine a better indulgence than that. This second offering in the William Warwick series has every element that you would expect in a Jeffrey Archer book, not the least a spectacular plot with an amazing bunch of characters. Pure ecstasy! And that reminds me of the ecstasy tablet that so nearly got the better of Lamont & his team as they raided the estate of the thorn in their flesh, Miles Faulkner. A joy you wouldn’t want to miss!
With his Warwick Series, Jeffrey Archer has created such memorable characters that remain etched in every reader’s memory forever and leaving him craving for more. Hidden In Plain Sight carries forward the spectacular chase that was started in “Nothing Ventured”, not falling short on any expectation that the first book in the series would have left you with. To start with, we have all the prominent characters from the first book being carried forward here – Sir Julian Warwick, William, Beth, the Hawk, Bruce Lamont, Jackie Roycroft, the vile Miles Faulkner, his wife Christina to name a few. This book sees William being promoted to Detective Sergeant rank and this time round, their entire team is to work in the Drugs Squad rather than the Arts & Antique Squad of the previous part. They are joined by constable Paul Adaja – a recruit from the minority segment – in their chase – which this time is to catch a minacious drug baron.
This is a story that plays the cat & mouse game to the hilt – so brilliantly choreographed by Archer. Just when one seems to be on the up, the other stands up to deliver a punch that turns the table up side down. The old thorn Faulkner is this time round found in possession of 12 grams of cocaine, which would be a whole task to prove in court even for the adroit Sir Julian. This second installment introduces the readers to a second exceedingly treacherous & elusive villain, Assem Rashidi – who is a step worse than Faulkner. This drug baron runs a kingdom of his own – all under cover and hidden from the public eye. He leads a double life of sorts, one as a respectable tea merchant, and the other as an invincible drug supplier. And then starts the chase to put these two men behind the bars and how the two parallel stories become intertwined.
Jeffrey Archer proves once again why no one can really catch up with him when it comes to story telling and playing around with characters. The twists & turns that Archer delivers never falls short on excitement. The small touches so typical of Archer – the way the Hawk exchanges messages with MM for instance, the court room arguments or the ingenious Trojan Horse plan, the escape of Faulkner, the stealing of the Vermeer – its all so exhilarating to read.
The book leaves the doors wide open for it’s sequel with a bunch of unanswered questions & situations to build upon. What happens to Lamont? Does he get exposed? Does William resign? Does Faulkner get caught again? It’s all too inviting and a great prospect to look forward to.
I don’t think I can emphasize enough how I have loved this book. I have no hesitation in acknowledging, I am a huge huge Jeffrey Archer fan! I am tempted to say this is Archer at his best only to be reminded of Kane & Abel or The Prodigal Daughter. Probably any comparison is unwarranted & it is only best to sit back and enjoy each of his brilliant works.
More in The William Warwick Series here – Over My Dead Body (Jeffrey Archer)
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