A multi-billion pound arms deal between two governments, art forgery, vendetta and vengeance, corruption and murder, wrongful imprisonment: this novel has them all, set as it is in stately homes, an art gallery, the corridors of government and other, more seedy, locations. Money talks, so, too, can the appearance of money, although reality can leave you vulnerable to crooks if you’re not careful. It’s not many pages in before the drama starts and the reader is whisked along a journey of many twists and turns, proving once again Jeffery Archer’s ability as a master storyteller. I mean, he’s sold 320 million copies of his books which evidences their appeal.

Miles Faulkner is both greedy and vengeful. He can see a pot of gold waiting for him, is prepared to do anything to grasp it and knows how easily money greases the wheels and makes things happen. Booth Watson is Faulkner’s crooked barrister, utterly devoted to the money he receives from his client and prepared to go to any lengths to keep him happy. DI Ross Hogan is on his trail, this time closely supported by Chief Superintendent William Warwick, who, in his more elevated position, is hardly likely to do much foot slogging.

It’s not many pages in before the drama starts and the reader is whisked along a journey of many twists and turns, proving once again Jeffery Archer’s ability as a master storyteller.

An inter-government Saudi Arms deal results in the British negotiator, Simon Hartley, being wrongly imprisoned for the murder of a competitor, who is actually murdered by a Prince – all witnessed by a call girl. Meanwhile, the old English Hartley family are likely to be robbed of a priceless ‘Fair Copy of the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson’ by the unscrupulous Faulkner – and Archer manages to link the two events in a well-conceived plot.

Overarching all of this is revenge, plotted by Faulkner who doesn’t know the meaning of the word integrity and who intends to make his enemies suffer. He is consumed by an insatiable desire for retribution against William Warwick and his delightful wife, Beth. Faulkner is a complex villain who seems to get his way every time. I understand why Hogan is prepared to bend the rules to catch him. Archer explores the thin line between justice and vengeance and challenges the reader to question their own moral compass. Whilst the reader wills him on to acquiesce to an understandable request from the authorities, Simon Hartley says, ‘there’s no such thing as a white lie’. The narrative leaps about from the glamour (and danger) of Saudi Arabia, to the quaint English countryside and on to American soil. As the narrative builds, the story gains momentum.

It all fits together, honestly! The plot is exciting and captivating even if it stretches credibility, but as I’ve said before, if I want reality, I shouldn’t read fiction.

Simon Hartley is in Saudi on behalf of the British government, trying to win a multi-billion pound arms deal, when he is caught up in an incident that ends with him being arrested for murder. There is one witness who could get him off the hook, Avril Dubois, the high-class hooker (no pun intended), but her life is in danger since powerful people in Saudi don’t want a proper investigation of the events of that night. It would also be more profitable for some if Britain doesn’t win the arms contract. Detective Inspector Ross Hogan, a man with a maverick streak, has been sent to Saudi under cover to try to extract Avril and get her safely back to the UK. It is Hartley, however, who must remain incarcerated if Chief Superintendent William Warwick’s nemesis, Miles Faulkner, who has just been released from jail, in England, is to get his revenge and a sizeable pay out to boot. Two threads merge.

Sounds complicated? It all fits together, honestly! The plot is exciting and captivating even if it stretches credibility, but as I’ve said before, if I want reality, I shouldn’t read fiction.

When I picked up this novel, I didn’t realise that it was the penultimate one of a series, following the rise of William Warwick, through the ranks of the British Police Force. It stands alone effectively but I’m sure that followers of Archer’s writing will appreciate the relationships between the characters more fully than I perhaps did and will be better acquainted with the reasons for Faulkner’s ill will towards Warwick and his wife. Nevertheless, it was a good read and Archer uses both his understanding of government and its officials as well as his love of art, to lend a knowledgeable air to the events he describes. I wiled away a few hours very pleasurably and, given the ending, I will definitely look out for the next one.


An Eye for an Eye is published by Harper Collins