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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Not a penny more Not a penny less - Jeffery Archer: A Review


 


BOOK TITLE: Not a penny more, Not a penny less

ISBN: 9780773680180, 9781250052995, 9780006478720, 9780340223192

AUTHOR: Jeffery Archer

GENRE: Thriller

NUMBER OF PAGES: 324

FORMAT: Paperback

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

REVIEW BY: Dhivya Balaji

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: This book needs no introduction, neither does the author. But the popularity of both led me to get the title in paperback and read this.

REVIEW:    

          Harvey Metcalfe, a scheming businessman, has the habit of riding the wave of business from stocks to shares and does not really bother about professional ethics. He soon becomes a millionaire and as is usual creates a new scheme for an oil rig and sells stocks for this phony business and hires people to advertise and market this scam. Four distinguished men fall for the trick and buy stocks of the company in large numbers. How they join hands and get their money back forms the rest of the story.

          Professor of Mathematics, Stephen, realises that he has been duped by a company and gets details of other such people who have been cheated. Though initially skittish, medical doctor Robin, art dealer Jean, and Earl James agree to form a plan to thwart one of the most criminal minded businessmen. Stephen becomes the brain behind the whole operation and plans ways for each of them to get back the money they had lost.

          Each of the distinguished men comes up with a plan that involves the other three of them. They play to their strengths and despite many errors and miscalculations and unwilling victim, they manage to get back their rights. Only the Earl is left without a plan though he becomes the heart and soul of the whole operation. Sir Archer places a twist right at the end that gobbles up all other plot twists and proves his mastery over both the profession and the language.

          The logic errors and plot holes in the story are over shadowed by the sheer brilliance of the whole conceived idea. Yes, there are certain questionable scenes but these will be ignored just because they add more speed to the already racy narrative. And with Sir Archer, there are certain allowances.

WHAT I LIKED: Racy plot, riveting scenes, interesting theories.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: Questionable logic and unnecessary degrading of an initially threatening villain.

VERDICT: The plot is too good to give this a miss.  A must read for fans of this genre.

RATING: 4.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–74), but resigned over a financial scandal which left him almost bankrupt. Later, after a reversal in his fortunes from the royalties of his best-selling novels, he became deputy chairman of the Conservative Party (1985–86) before resigning after another scandal, which would lead to the end of his career in elected office. He was made a life peer in 1992. His political career ended with his conviction and subsequent imprisonment (2001–03) for perjury and perverting the course of justice, which followed his second resignation. His books have sold at least 250 million copies worldwide.

          His first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, was picked up by the literary agent Deborah Owen and published first in the US, then eventually in Britain in the autumn of 1976. The book was a success and Archer avoided bankruptcy. A BBC Television adaptation of the book was broadcast in 1990, and a radio adaptation was aired on BBC Radio 4 in the early 1980s.

          Kane and Abel proved to be his best-selling work, reaching number one on The New York Times bestsellers list. It was made into a television mini-series by CBS in 1985, starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill. The following year, Granada TV screened a ten-part adaptation of another Archer bestseller, First Among Equals, which told the story of four men and their quest to become Prime Minister. In 1979, Archer purchased the Old Vicarage, Grantchester, a house associated with the poet Rupert Brooke. By now Archer was back in a comfortable financial position and began to hold shepherd's pie and Krug parties for prominent people at his London apartment, which overlooks the Houses of Parliament.

 
 

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook

PRICE: Rs. 189 for Kindle edition

BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Penny-More-Less/dp/0312997132#

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