Nothing Ventured

I have been a Jeffrey Archer fan for many years and I am happy to say that "Nothing Ventured" did not disappoint. Detective Constable William Warwick was a worthy protagonist - intelligent and caring with a strong moral compass. Although it wasn’t a gritty detective story, I enjoyed following Warwick as he investigated the two cases and the court trials at the end were interesting and well written.

"Nothing Ventured" is the first book in a new series starring William Warwick and I look forward to following his career in the following instalments.

Entertaining but at times you could almost sense the plot twist index cards being shuffled.

Despite his privileged upbringing there is nothin more that William Warwick wants to do than be a detective. His father is an eminent barrister and his sister is following him into law so William studying Art History and then joining the Met as a beat copper seems wrong. However William is quickly seconded to the Art and Fraud department where he stumbles across the actions of a master criminal, falls in love and tries to clear his fiancee's father's name.
It is massively unfashionable to say that one is a fan of Jeffrey Archer's writing but there is no doubt that he can write an entertaining yarn. OK so it's not high literature and the dialogue is clunky at times, it's also fast paced, light and easy to read - a perfect lazy day show more distraction. show less

I thought about this story for months. No joke. Ive reached a verdict...5 stars for the beginning and 2 for the last half. Jeffrey Archer writes incredible stories, including this one, so it surprised me this felt rushed at the end. I was sucked in from the get-go. This said, my biggest problem for me was infidelity. Two rules in my fictional reads; no cheating, and NO CHEATING IN SHOUTY CAPS. I read to escape, not abandon my ideas of a healthy relationship or idyllic-in-my-head couple. You, dear reader, probably have limitations on what you read, too. Be it repugnant, immoral, boring, racist, or illegal. Mine happens to be cheating. I could go on and on about the intriguing story overall, excellent writing in the making of a young show more detective. I still have the next in the series Im excited to read, hoping this is a one off. I will say, just read it yourself. show less

Nothing Ventured is described as NOT a detective story but as a story of a detective in the making. Perhaps therein lies the rub. This book was a bit more simplistic, in all aspects, than the books I have previously read by Jeffrey Archer. It had a sort of “Golly Gee Whiz” (although in a very British way) feel about it.

Sir Julian Warwick, a jurist who has made a brilliant career of defending villains of the worst order, has high hopes that his son will follow him at his old college reading law and ultimately join him in chambers. William Warwick antithetically wants to join the Metropolitan Police Force and spend his life “making sure those…villains are locked up…not allowed to go free…. thanks to his father’s skillful show more advocacy.”

The members of the Warwick family are introduced, and each allowed to play their part in the furtherance of the story. The first two thirds of the book see William promoted from division to division eventually ending up in the Art and Antiques Squad of Scotland Yard. There is dry humor, a love interest, the investigation of an art theft, a very cheap affair, and a very interesting trial.

The last third of the book was worth wading through the earlier extraneous bits of “this and that”. Thankfully and interestingly Sir Julian plays a significant role in the latter part of the book and this is where I found Archer at his best.

Nothing Ventured was an easy, pleasant read, setting the stage for the future installments of DC William Warwick which will undoubtedly be forthcoming.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy show less

Despite his father’s objections, William Warwick eschews reading law at Oxford [as his father had done] and earns a degree in art history at King’s College London. Then he attends Hendon Police College and joins London’s Metropolitan Police Force after graduation. As a probationer at Lambeth Station, William works a beat with Constable Fred Yates, a twenty-eight-year veteran who would become his mentor.

After some eighteen months on the beat, William becomes a neophyte detective in Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiquities squad where one of his cases involves the hunt for a Rembrandt painting stolen some seven years earlier from the Fitzmoleon Museum. His career, both with the Met and with Scotland Yard, will define his life.

Serving show more as the inaugural book for a new series, “Nothing Ventured” is a genial introduction to William Warwick. With likable characters and some interesting twists in the plot, the narrative keeps the reader’s interest. Throughout the telling of the tale, William grows, both in his career and in his personal life. However, readers are likely to find that Detective Constable William Warwick’s decision near the end of the book makes no sense in light of his earlier declarations and the story’s complete lack of necessity to carry out such a questionable act. Unnecessary to the telling of the tale, it’s a decision that doesn’t fit the previously-established character of the man, thus managing to disappoint readers as it serves only to lower the readers’ opinion of the character.

And then there’s the ending that, while certainly designed to serve as a lead-in to the next book in the series, is sure to leave readers wondering why, given the circumstances, Miles Faulkner would ever voluntarily make such a comment to William. It seems completely out of character for a suave, clever, resourceful man.

Fans of “The Clifton Chronicles” are sure to enjoy the author’s new series; this pleasant introduction is encouraging enough to have readers seeking out the next volume.

Recommended. show less

book number one in his new series featuring William Warwick, of Scotland Yard, Art Theft Division. William gets put here as a 'punishment', but he loves art so it works out. I'm a great lover of book by Archer and have read them all, but this one falls a bit short as it's very predictable. However, since Archer is probably in my top five favorite authors, I'm willing to give book number 2 in this series a chance to impress.