July 17, 2023
A plot to steal Britain’s crown jewels animates bestseller Archer’s flaccid sixth crime caper featuring Royal Protection Supt. William Warwick (after 2022’s Next in Line). It’s 1996, and Warwick’s longtime nemesis, master thief Miles Faulkner, has engineered an elaborate scheme to steal England’s crown and sword of state while they’re in transit between Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. Meanwhile, Warwick’s wife, Beth, deals with a sticky case of art forgery in her new position with the prestigious Fitzmolean Museum, and Warwick’s right-hand man, Insp. Ross Hogan, defends himself in court after an ethical lapse with a juror in an earlier case. Unfortunately, Archer fails to make these plotlines gel: there’s too much time spent away from the main thread, relegating Warwick to a background player in his own story, and the dialogue-heavy action lacks punch. A satisfying ending rescues some of the cluttered proceedings, and Archer’s fans will no doubt enjoy the heist’s familiar rhythms, but this is unlikely to draw in new readers. Anglophiles have a bounty of better British crime fiction to choose from.
July 1, 2023
British cop William Warwick's nemesis--the art collector and career criminal Miles Faulkner--returns with gusto in the sixth novel in this excellent series. Warwick, who was a constable in the first book (Nothing Ventured, 2019), is now chief superintendent with responsibilities that include supervising the once-a-year transfer of the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London to the Palace of Westminster. It's always gone off without a hitch, but this year Faulkner has a brilliant and audacious plan that might allow him to do what no one has ever done before. Can Warwick stop him? The plot takes the characters around London's top tourism spots, including Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, allowing for fun and thrill-filled armchair travel. This is Archer's second series after the Clifton Chronicles, and it's really very good. By following Warwick as he climbs the professional ladder, Archer situates his lead in a new role in each book, investigating different kinds of crimes. There is no formula here, no ""been there, done that"" repetition. Archer fans will be lining up for this one.
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Starred review from September 1, 2023
Once a year, Scotland Yard is responsible for security as the crown jewels are removed from the Tower of London for the queen to wear at the opening of Parliament. It's a nerve-wracking job for Chief Superintendent William Warwick, and it's a relief when he can forget about it for another year. He would rather worry about career-criminal Miles Faulkner, just released from prison. When an insider offers Faulkner the chance of a lifetime, to steal the crown jewels, he's quick to grab at it. If he and his team can pull it off, he can discredit Warwick and all of Scotland Yard. Archer's riveting page-turner follows a minute-by-minute timetable of the heist, along with a frantic countdown as Warwick and other Scotland Yard officers backtrack to find the missing jewels before Faulkner's theft is revealed to the newspapers. VERDICT The sixth William Warwick novel (after Next in Line) pits master criminal Miles Faulkner against the Warwick family in a riveting cat-and-mouse game. Best for fans of the series, although the book can be read as a stand-alone heist novel.--Lesa Holstine
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