An eye for an eye

Sitting down to read a new William Warwick novel is like sitting down with an old friend. Since the series began with 2019's Nothing Ventured, we've seen William go from a rookie on London's Metropolitan Police to a Chief Superintendent in charge of the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Unit. Many crime novels have a primary plot and a subplot; here, we have two primary plots. A pair of seemingly unconnected murders might have a shocking connection; and Miles Faulkner, William's nemesis (a slightly more realistic and less maniacal Professor Moriarty), is out of prison and ready to resume his efforts to ruin William and his family. Like Archer's seven-volume Clifton Chronicles, the Warwick series is constantly evolving; its characters age and take on new professional and personal roles. The stories in each book are fresh, not retreads of earlier books. Archer's gifts as a storyteller cannot be overstated: he really is a top-flight writer, and the Warwick novels represent some of his finest writing.

Archer's underwhelming seventh crime thriller featuring Scotland Yard detective William Warwick (after Traitors Gate) shakily braids together a case of national importance with one closer to Warwick's home life. Near the turn of the 21st century, Prime Minister Tony Blair dispatches banker Simon Hartley--the son of an esteemed Lord--to Saudi Arabia to negotiate a deal exchanging British arms for Saudi oil. Soon after Hartley arrives in Riyadh, he attends a reception alongside Prince Ahmed bin Majid and his favorite female companion, Avril Dubois. During the gathering, the prince stabs an Italian guest to death after he puts his hand on Avril's thigh. Though plenty of people saw what actually happened, Hartley is arrested for the crime and confined in a Saudi prison. Meanwhile, Warwick's family is targeted by his nemesis, Miles Faulkner, who seeks, from behind bars, to both sabotage Warwick's wife's career as an art museum director and steal an original version of the Declaration of Independence. While Warwick and other British officials work to free Hartley, Warwick starts to realize that the distance between Hartley's case and his own struggles with Faulkner may be shorter than he thought. Archer tanks his intriguing setup with disappointing twists and too many contrivances. It's a misfire. (Sept.)