William Warwick has wanted to be a detective since childhood and solving the case of the missing Mars bar. Much to the dismay of his father, Sir Julian Warwick QC.
After graduating from university and two years on the beat under the tutelage of seasoned copper Fred Yates, William finds himself as part of the Art and Antiquities division at Scotland Yard. Quickly embroiled in a high-stakes case William must find his feet as a fledgling detective whilst trying to save one of the worlds most priceless works of art.
On his journey William meets a young research assistant of the Fitzmolean Museum, Beth Rainsford, and falls madly in love, but Beth has a secret she fears will jeopardise this new found relationship.
Can William navigate his way through cases and dealing with forgers, art collectors and lawyers that are willing to bend the law to breaking point, or will they always be one step ahead of him?
I was extremely happy to be approved for this ARC. Jeffrey Archer is high on my list of favourite storytellers. I found this series to be an interesting concept having been the works of a former character, Harry Clifton. Unfortunately, I am yet to pick up the Clifton Chronicle series as a family member let some spoilers slip, but they are on my TBR list for when I have forgotten the details!
I can already tell the Warwick family are going to become one of my fictional favourites, they are full of love yet easily mock each other without true judgement. The conversations that take place around the dinner table are so typical of this author, making the reader want to take a seat and join in. William makes for a wonderful protagonist, he is easily likeable and shows great passion for his chosen field. He sometimes shows a little naivety, but I found this to be endearing rather than annoyingly obvious. The other characters, and Williams relationships with them, enhance the story and also develop possible plot lines for the future.
As usual Archer had me laughing within the first pages and then only a few chapters later I was wiping away tears. I simply cannot wait to follow William through his career and see where life, and Archer, take him.
** Thanks to Pan Macmillan, via NetGalley, for this ARC **