Book Review of Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer – Entertaining As Usual
Table of Contents
My Rating – 4 Out Of 5
Plot Summary (Storyline) – Over My Dead Body
Inspector William Warwick is back, for the second time this year with the fourth installment of Jeffrey Archer’s lovable series involving the Detective. Interestingly, William Warwick was a fictional character in Jeffrey Archer’s series before this one – The Clifton Chronicles, and now with the William Warwick Novels, he’s notionally come to life! Needless to say, the twists in the stories fly thick and fast, as is Mr. Archer’s wont. However, longtime Jeffrey Archer fans, like me, still find the novels – Kane & Abel, Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less, Shall We Tell The President, etc. to be at a much higher level of literary excellence than the current series.
Coming back to Over My Dead Body – This takes off after Turn a Blind Eye (April 2021) with William and his wife Beth are cruising over to New York aboard the SS Alden, for a spell of rest and relaxation. But William’s perennial nemesis or bugbear (whichever you like) – Miles Faulkner surfaces again. William has attended Miles’ funeral but is convinced that all that is a show and he has reincarnated, with the help of medical technology, as RN Captain Ralph Neville. Ralph and Christina (Miles’ wife) are getting married, while William and Beth are away on their cruise. William is convinced that all this has been done to keep him away from that marriage.
On the cruise, the Chairman of the Pilgrim Lines – who own the SS Alden – Fraser Buchanan dies during dinner of an apparent heart attack. His teenage grandson, James, seeks William’s help as he is convinced that his grandfather was murdered. William also thinks so but his efforts are scuppered by the family’s decision to bury the Chairman at sea. This sidebar of a story has little to do with the main narrative, and I suspect, that the thread will resurface in later sequels of this series. However, an update William receives, causes his hurried departure from New York, leaving Beth to holiday alone. He is convinced Capt. Ralph Neville can only be captured by a devious trap.
While apprehending Miles Faulkner remains top of the list for William, his Commander, Hawksby (known as The Hawk) puts him in charge of a squad investigating cold murder cases, where the prime suspect remains free due to lack of evidence. William, along with his second-in-command DS Ross Hogan, formulates the plan to nab Miles before he can slip out of their grasp once again. That takes us across the channel to Barcelona and Miles’ new hideout. But the devious criminal has his escape plans in place and hits back with his own offensive tactic that hits closer home. DS Hogan now has all the motivation to bring down the world on Miles’ head, come what may! A breathless chase ensues…
Conclusion – Book Review of Over My Dead Body
There are very few who can tell a story as wonderfully as Mr. Archer, with his typical acerbic wit and trademark surprises at every corner. The William Warwick Novels are set in the 1980s and sitting in today’s modern world of technological advances, to write about the times when things like criminal investigations were not so simple, takes a lot of creativity and imagination. No DNA, forensic analysis was far behind, no comprehensive database to search from at the tips of your fingers, no mobile phones for instant communication – the hurdles were many. But it also highlights the diligence with which Police forces around the world, serve and protect.
Though not in the league of his previous towering bestsellers, these books are fun and easy to read. The gore and violence are suitably toned down and you never realize how fast time passes once you start reading these books. Highly recommended, and if you are a fan, more fodder for your fandom!
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How is it possible that Ross has a mobile phone (and a disposable one, no less), if the story is set in 1988?