Be careful what you wish for

The Clifton Chronicles book #4

The fourth novel in the Clifton Chronicles series picks up minutes where the “Best Kept Secret” left. Set in England and spanning the years 1957-1964 we follow the Clifton-Barrington family saga in their face off with Don Pedro Martinez, a smuggler who became a staunch enemy in the preceding book and is hell-bent to destroying them.

You definitely need to read the three first books before you get to this one. We do not have many details and the characters’ background to have a complete idea of what the Clifton Chronicles are about. (It would be a big miss on your part). Mr. Archer weaves an “unputdownable” story with the use of such simplest possible words. He is so easy to read, I wanted to keep show more reading just to find out what was happening to the Cliftons and the Barringtons and in what kind of troubles they managed to get into this time (the best part in my books). The story contains thrilling surprises page after page and is plotted with skills to play a cat-and mouse game with us. The tension and the built-up are terrific and have kept me on the edge of my seat.

No family saga is without a villain, this book has a good one, a well-drawn and believable character. While telling this tale, Mr. Archer's characters, even in the midst of blazing run-ins maintain their British elegance and dry sense of humour. What a treat to read.

Being a marvelous storyteller and a tease that he is, has managed to leave the story with an excellent cliff-hanger that constrains us to get the following installment (I already have it).

“Be Careful What You Wish For” is thoroughly engaging. show less

This fourth installment of The Clifton Chronicles continues from where Mr. Archer had left the previous one hanging and proceeds through a series of attacks and counter-attacks towards another cliffhanger ending. The new characters introduced in this book are quite interesting and I would like to see more of Mr. Hardcastle. The combat between the good and the bad guys, again too convenient for the good ones at many instances, makes this one a page-turning read.
I'm not sure whether the glass-in-fish-paste episode was necessary, as it doesn't add anything to the story.
Despite all its flaws, this series is quite an entertainer and I'm off to read the next book in the line!

This book starts by following up the last book's cliffhanger, and ends on a cliffhanger of its own.Ensconced in between these two events is a relentlessly page turning storytelling both archaic in its cogs and wheels but also ultra modern in its pacing.

This book is the reason why I prefer a less niche genre of historical fiction rather than the more lofty genre of the criminal thriller. Here Jeffrey Archer did himself proud by keeping his events moving fluidly, using a villain of the previous book, one Don Pedro Martinez. Archer writes both for England and the USA, as his perch on the New York Times bestseller list proves. But he knows on which side his bread is buttered. Not even the most stiff upper lip could be immune to the charms show more of a book with so many twists and turns.

Archer is never afraid of making his good guys thoroughly - and unrealistically, good. His villains may be vile but they are never ferocious, sadistic, impulsive, or stupid. I began this book with low expectations and I'm now in no doubt as to how rare is this book's quality and how sharp is Archer's mind. This is the type of work that has a humble aim, that of entertaining. If you don't ask entertainment of a book that's not apologetic of its design, then this book is not for you. If you want to enjoy a story that remains about the same with your brain turned on or off, then may I suggest Be Careful What You Wish For. Can't wait to see what happens in the fifth book. show less

The Barrington/Clifton clan continues to attract powerful enemies and equally powerful friends. Don Pedro Martinez continues to use Major Alex Fisher as a pawn in his vendetta against the entire family, and he will make even more dangerous connections. But they will find an unlikely heroes in a mild-mannered bank manager from Yorkshire and a fish paste magnate from the north of England. Though the series is called the Clifton Chronicles, it is as much the story of Barrington Shipping as that of Harry Clifton, and Emma will be hard-pressed to defend her grandfather’s beloved business against Martinez’s machinations. The focus has shifted quite away from Harry, who seems to have nearly finished his character arc and now wanders in and show more out of frame as a kindly middle-aged man with no key role to play, and toward both Emma and the younger generation.

If you skim some of the shipping business deliberations, you’re left with a tense and exciting read. Martinez is resourceful and patient and it’s not at all clear—even by the end, which is a cliffhanger—to what extent he will succeed. Indeed, he does succeed in bringing tragedy to the family, but it is left to the final book to find out both whether he can sink them entirely and what his efforts have cost him. show less

It’s hard for me to review this book, not because I didn’t like it (I did a lot) but because it is the first book I have read in this series. In fact, it is the first book by Jeffrey Archer I have read. Had I known it was the fourth in an on-going series, I wouldn’t have read it. But, you know what, I’m glad I did.

My biggest problems with the book and this review is that I don’t know how much of the story is new and how much is a continuation of the story line. Since I don’t know, I can’t say much about the actual story since I’m not sure what is already known by its loyal followers (and, given how good this book is, I suspect they’re legion) and what would be spoiler so I will say very little about that. Except… The show more book opens with a bang – a car carrying two young men is forced off the road and one is killed and the other survives although severely injured. This hooked me right away. However, it became clear pretty fast that the murder was no mystery to anyone except maybe me. I realized I was missing a whole lot of background that would have clarified much. However, by this time I was thoroughly hooked on the tale which was surprising because, in many ways, it’s kind of like a soap opera about rich Britishers and I have never been a fan of soap opera except maybe Dark Shadows when I was a kid. I mean, this is one heck of a pageturner and that’s high praise considering half the time I had no clue what was going on and I was still sucked into the story.

My one complaint: it ends on one gigantic cliffhanger and, apparently, the next installment won’t be out until 2015. Ah well, that gives me plenty of time to read the first three books so I can find out what the hell was really going on. show less

First words:
~Sebastian tightened his grip on the steering wheel of the little MG. The lorry behind him touched his rear bumper and jolted the car forward, sending its number plate flying high into the air~

Some other reviews have good things to say about Jeffrey Archer – Booklist, "One of the top ten storytellers in the world." -- Los Angeles Times "Archer is a master entertainer." -- Time Magazine "There isn't a better story-teller alive."

I agree with all of the above. This guys’ imagination is so much fun! Only a few days ago I discovered the term “deus ex machina” and guess what? These books are full of them. I love it. This is fiction after all and so what if someone from out in left field comes in to save the day. More power show more to the author. If you are creating a story with complex story lines and characters with full lives, why not have fantastic things happen to them. As a writer, you control the world, anything can happen. But this is not magical realism, but rather, fiction that stretches reality.

Wonderful things happen, but tragedy strikes also and one particular tragedy struck me with quite a shock. I actually said out loud, “no, no, no”. I am still sad. Not everything has a happy ending in this world.

4 stars show less

Another excellent book in this series, which is very addictive. I hope to continue straight on with the next one - this is always inportant with this series as the author always leaves it on a cliff hanger and you NEED to know what happens next. This one was set in the early 1960s and has plenty of action, as well as the good guys and the bad guys. References are made during the book to some key events, e.g. the U.K. trying to join the EEC, and Nelson Mandela being imprisoned. One of the key characters doesn't survive in the book and I'm not sure the author and I are talking at the moment, but specially the way that person was written out of the series! That moment certainly had an impact on me.