Jan 11, 2006 11:50 AM
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(Updated Jan 11, 2006 11:50 AM)
Jeffrey Archer's fans have waited seven years for his latest thriller to come into stores. In fact this novel in a lot of ways are Lord Archers tentative steps to rehab after his days in prison and so forth. And well the thriller novel may certainly not disappoint you; that is if you don’t mind a thriller that feels as though it’s been cut and assembled from various others you may have read before.
For some of you who found the appeal in “The Da Vinci Code”, this too promises to be a perfect concocted formula of art and conspiracy.
The book starts of with the brutal murder of an aristocratic old lady in her country home the night before 9/11, and it takes pretty much the entire FBI and Interpol working tirelessly in the wake of 9/11 attacks to make the connection between the motive for her death and a priceless Van Gogh painting.
While some readers may sink right into the plot of the story and get a gist of the characters, you may stop to think Archer’s writing skills have not certainly deteriorated over the years but then again, they certainly haven’t improved either. Using the 9/11 attacks, as the plot point was a rather a convenient narrative landmark, in fact brilliantly done, instead of using it as a serious work of terrorism.
The protagonist, an art Historian Anna Petrescu is on the run from ruthless banker boss, Bryce Fenston, who swindles people off millions my confiscating their works of art and also polishing them off the face of earth. Anna is on the run post the 9/11 attacks in her desperate attempts to keep the Van Gogh’s last painting (self portrait with bandaged ear) out of fenston’s evil clutch. Presumed dead as her office was in the north tower of the World Trade Centre, Petrescu hops across the globe, with surprisingly little cash and a lot of ease, while being pursued by a hired assassin and an FBI agent who, well naturally and hopelessly falls in love with her.
Throw in a best friend for Anna- Tina, who is the bankers boss’s secretary and another one for the Fenston, his legal aid and traitor friend who in the end joins hands with the FBI to sting Fenston, but gets killed in the process.
In order not to reveal the final plot (not that there is much left to guess from the start), I stop right here and recommend the book for flights and journey times. It is certainly not something that qualifies for a great read and on that account Archer certainly does disappoint you. If you are a great fan you could add this on to your collection, as neither is it a really bad book!
About the book
The book: False Impression
Author: Jeffrey Archer
Priced: Rs 255/- for the paperback version
Published by: PAN Books
Little about the author:
Archer was born in 1940 and educated at Wellington School and Brasenose College, Oxford. At the age of 29 he claimed to be the youngest member of the House of Commons, where he served until 1974. Nearly facing bankruptcy in 1974, Archer stood down as MP and turned to writing with ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less’ which turned tables for him by becoming a success. Now the author is coined as the world’s most successful storytellers with bestsellers like Kane And Abel, The Prodigal Daughter, As The Crow Flies, A Twist In The Tale and The Fourth Estate to his credit.
