Hidden in plain sight

After what seems to have been too long a wait, but was in fact only a little more than a year, Archer brings us the second installment of the William Warwick mystery series (following Nothing Ventured, 2019). Warwick, newly promoted to detective sergeant, is transferred from the art squad of the London Metropolitan Police Force to a newly created drug squad, one that will operate independent of routine drug investigations. Its mission: to bring down one of South London's most powerful drug kingpins. Not a simple proposition--the kingpin is himself well insulated by multiple layers of street-level dealers and enforcers--but William comes up with a scheme to trap the villain. It's risky, but it's worth a shot. Like the first Warwick novel, this sequel takes the form of a police procedural, but in terms of story, it's equal parts crime drama and family saga (William and his fiancée, Beth, are deep into planning their wedding). Archer has said he intends the series to follow William as he rises through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police, and we can only hope he follows through.

Set in 1986, bestseller Archer's disappointing sequel to 2019's Nothing Ventured finds London police officer William Warwick promoted to detective sergeant and transferred to a new specialized unit, "whose sole purpose will be to track down one particular drug baron and take him out." Though this drug lord, known as the Viper, controls half of the city's narcotics trade, the police know almost nothing about him, including what he looks like. Warwick's new assignment coincides with the trial of Miles Faulkner, who was previously convicted of fraud, for possessing cocaine with the intent to sell. As it happens, the Crown's court case is led by Warwick's father, Sir Julian, an eminent attorney, aided by Warwick's sister, Grace. Meanwhile, Warwick is preparing to get married. Faulkner shows up at the wedding and interrupts the ceremony to allege that Warwick slept with his wife, Christina. Fortunately, Christina is on hand to explain that Warwick actually rejected her advances. More contrivances follow. Paper-thin characters do nothing to redeem an implausible plot, and a cliffhanger ending doesn't help. This won't go down as one of Archer's better works. (Nov.)

Though starring Det. William Warwick, this second in a series (after Nothing Ventured) is billed as saga, with the accent on relationships. Still, there's action. Warwick has been reassigned to the Drugs Squad and charged with tracking down a nasty South London drug dealer, which brings him in contact with a miscreant financier and a drug-dealing school buddy even as Warwick himself faces marriage. With a 150,000-copy first printing.