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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit pedestrian at times, December 4, 2006
Jeffrey Archer does two types of books. On the one hand he does the epic family thing, typically following a group of two or more people through their lives, observing their families, friendships, business triumphs and defeats, and loves and losses. Typically his characters in something like this are either business tycoons or politicians. On the other hand, he also does suspense novels, a sort of poor man's Ken Follett, with a writing style more on par with someone like Jack Higgins, though Archer's books are longer. False Impression falls into the latter category. The plot centers around a millionaire art collector and megalomaniac who contrives to have people killed and wind up with their property without having to pay for it. He specializes in loaning money to people who have expensive art, and who won't be able to pay off their loans, especially not with the terms he negotiates. The book starts the day before 9/11/01, with him finalizing a "deal" that will bring him one of Van Gogh's self-portraits, worth tens of millions, for next to nothing. He runs into a snag, though, in that his office is in the World Trade Center. Though he escapes unharmed, he finds former and current employees working to sabotage the deal and see that the Van Gogh winds up in proper hands. This is a reasonably good book, but it definitely has its flaws. The protagonists all sound British, and there's one scene in particular where a pair of truckers attack a woman, intending to rape her, for no other reason than that the author needed the plot device, and of course most Europeans think that sort of thing happens in America all the time. A few days after 9/11, it seems doubtful, to say the least. All of the characters come across as cardboard cut-outs, other than the English Lady who shows up way too rarely in the plot. The above objections aside, the plot is relatively entertaining, and at least it reads fast. Whatever else he says or does, Archer has no pretensions: he's writing a potboiler, he knows it, and he doesn't bother to try and convince you otherwise. It's a good thing he doesn't.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Prison life seems to have ruined Archer, July 7, 2006
A favourite writer goes to prison, keeps a diary which proves to be an enjoyable read, then, upon his release, writes the worst book of his career. The concept of the book is good, as is the idea to blend the characters into the 9-11 tragedy. The first 20 pages flow with typical Archer style. Then the characters begin to make a series of continuously irrational decisions. My personnal favourite is when 2 characters independantly consider driving either to Canada or Mexico in order to fly to Europe during the 9-11 grounding of air traffic. The idea that New Yorkers wouldn't know that Montreal is the nearest international airport seem laughable. While there is a direct highway to Montreal, Archer sends the main character to Toronto which reqires a least 6 different highway changes, is in the wrong direction and nearly twice the drive. Once at the border, the border patrol guard turns out to be a world class art historian who apparantly doesn't know that McGill University is in Montreal not Toronto as is claimed by our hero. The guard then remarks that he will "meet" a collegue of the hero when that peron travels up to the conference. The idea that only one border guard is working the dozens of eastern US/Canadian border crossings, with multi-lane checkpoints 24/7 is simply the work of a mind out of touch with reality. Its fine to change details to enhance the plot and structure of a story, but there is simply no benefit to this sillyness. Dan Cormier
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A suspensful masterpiece, March 28, 2006
September 10, 2001. Victoria Wentworth, an heiress whose family fortune has declined tremendously due to financial mismanagement, is murdered in her home after deciding to sell a Van Gogh painting to pay off her debts. Dr. Anna Petrescu, an employee of her creditor, recommended this course of action in a report given to both Wentworth and Petrescu's employer, Bryce Fenston. But Fentson wanted the painting, not the money, and will stop at nothing to get it. Fenston fires Petrescu, and as she is cleaning out her desk in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, disaster strikes. Assumed dead, Petrescu determines to prevent Fenston from getting the Van Gogh, if it's the last thing she does. And with an assasin on her tail, it just might be ... Jeffrey Archer has written a suspensful masterpiece in False Impression. Even though you know almost from the beginning who killed Wentworth, and why, it doesn't matter - Archer creates plenty of edge-of-your-seat action. And this is a thriller that doesn't skimp on characterization, even though the "single, intelligent woman meets single, intelligent cop/FBI agent" theme has been done before. Anna Petrescu is a very intelligent protagonist, who recognizes exactly what kind of danger she is in at every turn. You never know who is going to get to her first - the FBI agent who isn't quite sure if she's an innocent woman trying to do the right thing or an accessory to murder, or the hired assasin who has killed so many times already. Archer sends her running across the globe, but she always knows exactly where she's going, and why she's going there - and how to throw her pursuers off her trail. I've never studied art history - I wouldn't know a Monet from a Manet. But I enjoyed this book, and even learned a little bit in the process. The only problem I had with the book was that one plot point (why Petrescu's friend Tina worked for Fenston) wasn't mentioned very often in the book, even though it got a big mention on the back cover. But that didn't mar my enjoyment of this book. Make sure you have some time to read, though, beause you won't want to put this one down until you finish it. I haven't read any Jeffrey Archer before, but I think I may have to start.
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