Finished reading: October 21st 2014 “Adam took one hand off the handlebars and fingered the envelope in his inside pocket like a schoolboy the day before his birthday feeling the shape of a present in the hope of discovering some clue as to its contents.”(view spoiler)[This book was recommended to me by a friend who knows I like historical fiction and the thriller/mystery genre. And he was right: I always enjoy reading books set in the Europe of the last century, especially when they are related to WWI, WWII or the Cold War. In this case, A Matter of Honour is set during the Cold War and tells us about a lost Soviet treasure that can possibly give the Soviets the right to claim back one of the US states. Jeffrey Archer takes us on a journey through various European countries where the Soviets chase the man that supposedly is in the possession of the painting that holds the document. An interesting read and recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction and spy thrillers in general.When the Soviets find out the original painting wasn't destroyed in a plane crash, all hell breaks loose. The document that is hidden inside that painting can force the Americans to sell one of their states, but the document is only valid for one more month... And they start a frantic search in order to find the painting that has been considered 'lost' since the Revolution. In the mean time in the UK, Adam Scott inherited an old envelope from his father. Inside, he finds a letter from the German Goering, promising his father something that has been deposited in a Swiss bank for him to pick up. As you can guess, it involves the exact same painting the Russians are looking for. As soon as he picks up his package, the KGB murder his girlfriend and start a manhunt to catch Adam... And soon everybody is looking for him in order to obtain the precious painting. Will Adam be able to escape death and finally restore his father's honor?Even though it was an interesting read, I felt there was something missing to consider it as a pageturner. It was hard to stay focused at some points in the story and not every plot detail was as convincing as I would have hoped... The fact that Adam was able to continue the way he did, and that he had a lot of 'luck' in meeting just the right people seemed a bit unbelievable to me. Still, it is a nice read and I will try to read more of Archer's work in the future. (hide spoiler)]
I am a fan of a number of Jeffery Archer's other books such as 'As the Crow Flies', however this is not up to that same standard. The book started off with great promise, and by the quarter-way point I was getting into it, convinced that some big plot points were on their way. Unfortunately though, it was a great disappointment. There are allusions and tantalising hints to intensity and intrigue, but at the end, you always knew what the outcome was going to be for each sub-plot/character, despite your hopes for a plot change of some sort along the way.Another big problem is that the main character is made more and more inhuman as the plot develops, removing all affiliation you feel towards him at the start of the book. (view spoiler)[ He develops from your average ex-military storybook guy into a torture-proof, super IQ, fully espionage trained character in the pass of a few weeks, meaning that all relation to the character is removed by around three quarters of the way through the book.It is not the worst book I have read, and it was an adequate charity-shop-time-killer for part of a long flight, but I would not give it - or recommend it - to a friend, and it will find itself back on a charity shop shelf rather than using up valuable space on my bookshelf in the future. Choose one of Archer's other books to read if you have the choice. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about A Matter Of Honor (2004)?
Have never actually read a Jeffrey Archer book before. Another of my ridiculously held prejudices; member of Maggie's government etc etc. Anyway, time has passed, I've grown up, he's still writing and people speak very highly of him so thought I'd give it a go. I really liked this book. It's 'comfortably' written (I think I mean that it's easy to read, not to challenging grammatically perhaps) but also actually very educational. This is, basically, a spy story set in the 1960s. I'm a bit too young to have appreciated the politics of the time other than the fact that Russia was the country that we, in the west, should hold in fear. I think that this was well researched and, for that reason, I found it educational. It was also a good read. Interesting. No massive twist but just gradually lead me through things. I enjoyed it, didn't set me book reading heart on fire but I would definitely read another of Mr Archer's books.
—Flapper72
Just gone back to Jeffrey Archer after many years gap - forgotten how good he really is. I think people dismiss him for his politics and past - but they really should read his books. He is a very good story teller and an incredibly detailed writer.I loved this book (although I do all of them so far). It was fascinating to read about the super powers in the 60's in comparison to the super powers of today. If the story had been true what a twist in history it would have been. The torture scene although gorey was very well written. His characters are very believable.Now intend to work my way through all his books that i haven't already read.
—Julie
Até que ponto se pode ir quando se tenta fazer o que é certo?Quando pessoas morrem por essa busca pela verdade, devemos parar de procurá-la?Existem segredos que devem ficar escondidos?Algumas perguntas como estas têm a sua resposta nesse livro sobre política e que se passa em plena Guerra Fria.A história leva-nos ao mundo dos espiões (Adam Scott só o descobre mais tarde, muuuito mais tarde...) e a tudo o que parece ser mas não é.O pai não é traidor, o amigo não trabalha num banco, a herança não é inocente.Vemos que a tentativa de um homem recuperar de um período difícil que culminou com a morte do pai se torna numa busca pelo que ele pensa ser seu de direito (um ícone russo valioso) e na fuga de um implacável espião russo, Romanov.Gostei especialmente do fim, duvidei tanto do Lawrence e foi ele quem fez aquilo que desejei fazer o livro todo.Ah! E também o happy end para o casal Adam e Robin. :)
—Florinda
