Traitors Gate

The greed and smug attitudes of the characters annoyed me more in this William Warwick installment than any of the previous books in the series. The plot to exchange a Rubens for a fake had complicated choreography that was dizzying. Stealing the Crown Jewels, although similar to the Rubens swap, took the story in a different direction making the novel choppy. Another twisty crime story made up of the dirty tactics of unpleasant people. How I loathe the despicable Boothe-Watson. A good yarn but not Archer’s best.

In the latest installment, William is still being vexed by Miles Faulkner. After William is promoted, and Beth is offered the job as the director of the Fitzmolean Gallery, they are both involved in schemes where Faulkner is trying to outwit them.
William is tasked with protecting the crown jewels from being stolen, and Beth has to reclaim the artwork that Miles has in his NYC apartment and exchange it for the copy hanging in the museum. Their children play a pivotal role in the solving of one of the heists.
Always enjoyable to read a Jeffrey Archer novel.

Miles Faulkner has returned to London and is vowing revenge on William Warwick, Commander Hawksby and Ross Hogan. This only intensifies as the Rubens painting that he supposedly donated to the Fitzmolean Museum has been swapped for the copy he actually donated. Faulkner hatches a plan to bring them all down by arranging the heist of the century, to steal the Crown. As Britain welcomes in the Blair era the police have a very short time to sort this out.
As ever, Archer is the consummate storyteller and this book is no exception. I find these novels rather quaint, not quite cosy crime but definitely an edge of the seats thriller. Everything is quite gentlemanly and dated which fits the late 20th century setting. The period references are show more perfect and this is another wonderfully fun book. It doesn't challenge but it does entertain. show less

Twice a year, the British monarch wears the Imperial State Crown and carries Sword of State when addressing parliament. The rest of the year these extremely valuable items are kept locked up. The days when they are displayed, a special team is required to transport them for safety
In TRAITORS GATE, Jeffrey Archer creates a situation in which an attempt made to steal the items. The book describes the plans to accomplish it by the criminals. Superintendent William Warwick and his team are signed duty to protect it on its journey from House to Buckingham Palace.
A second plot brings back Miles Faulkner as he continues to try to hold onto his extensive art collection and substitute copies of them to cover up his crime.
As usual, the plot is show more intricate. The Warwick family, especially his wife, his team members and Faulkner’s wife are included.
While the story is somewhat intricate, the re-introduction of Miles Faulkner doing his usual things, carrying a grudge and seeming to evade punishment is too repetitive. show less

I loved Kane and Abel all those years ago, expected to love this, not the least for all the historical details inserted. But I spotted a tiny mistake early on (Raleigh was executed, not released) that made me question all the others. And I also found myself rooting for the criminal rather than the self-righteous good guys, and getting annoyed when Archer withheld information. That said, it was an enjoyable read and I whipped through it….

Absolutely wonderful to step right into the same group of characters readers of this series are already so familiar with and what a series of tightly told interwoven and eventful stories. Archer continues to produce these tales!!!! Thank goodness!!!

An enjoyable suspense crime thriller with dirty tactics thrown in.