Hidden in plain sight by Jeffrey Archer

"Hidden in plain sight" by Jeffrey Archer - English atmosphere!

This book was published by Pan in 2020 and has 304 pages. This is Book 2 of William Warwick series.

William Warwick is promoted as Detective Sargent and shifted to drug squad. His first case is to apprehend a drug lynchpin without identity, known only as Viper. Miles Faulkner, his nemesis from Book 1 is still roaming free due to suspended sentence.

It's an interesting cast. Sir Julian Warwick, QC and William's father. Old style. William's sister, a fiery Lesbian lawyer. The Hawk, William's boss. MM, the undercover police officer in drug network. Miles Faulkner, the law breaker and art embezzler. Christina, wife of Miles Faulkner. Beth, William's fiancée and later wife. William, an upright police officer who will do what is right, earning him the nickname 'choir boy'. 

It's an English setting. British English. Feels good not to read American English for a change. The story is also steeped in British bureaucracy and traditions. The story has a leisurely pace.

Court scenes are good. Action is almost missing. Prisoner escape idea and execution is very good. 

When the book ends, the story doesn't end. It's only a pause, to be continued in Book 3. Reader is perplexed for a while, at the end, till he realizes that he will have to wait for another book. 

Why did I read this book? New series by author. 

What did I like? English atmosphere and language. 

What I didn't like? Slow pace. 

Read if you plan to read the series. 

Celtic empire" by Clive and Dirk Cussler

"Celtic empire" by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler - Predictable!

This book is published by Michael Joseph and has 464 pages. This is Book 25 of Dirk Pitt series. 

Dirk Pitt and El Giordino are testing a new version of sonars in a lake in El Salvador, Africa, when unknown assailants kill American agricultural scientists and try to kill another one by blowing a dam. Pitt saves her. Dirk Jr. And Summer Pitt (Drik Jr's twin) are in Egypt when a team of assailants tries to kill them and steal a child's mummy. There is an accident and oil spill in Detroit bay. Biorem global, a company owned by Ivana McGee, has a bio product for cleanup. 

Dirk and El Giordino are working on one front and someone tries to kill them. Dirk Jr. and Summer are working on something else and someone tries to kill them too. The stories converge in Ireland. 

This time authors have chosen Egyptian Princess Meritaten, daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten & sister of King Tutankhamen, who moved from Egypt to Ireland with something that is needed to save humanity. Pitts at your service. 

The story is mildly interesting. It's predictable.  There is a customary rich person. This time a woman. There is an attempt to ensnare Dirk Pitt's wife Senator Lauren. There are customary under and over water adventures. 

Why tear down map when you can take a snap? Why keep your foot in boot while using it as for jam when you can remove boot and use it?

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What I didn't like? Predictability.

What did I like? Seed.

Read if you are reading the series. 

First Sight by Danielle Steele

"First Sight" by Danielle Steele -  Midlife love story!

This book is published by Corgi in 2014 and has 512 pages.

48 year old Timmie O'Neill is a very successful fashion designer and owner of a big fashion house. Despite being in fashion business, she is humble. When in Paris for a show, she has to undergo a surgery. Her doctor Jean-Charles and she strike a bond.

Why did her marriage fail? What surgery? What bond? What about her boyfriend?

Timmie was orphaned at 4, was shunted from one foster home to another and had a  troubled childhood. Her marriage also failed and her success had nothing to do with it. Despite being highly successful and a good human being she is lonely. 

She funds a charity for kids. She has no one she can call her own and is supported by Jade, her friend and personal assistant and David her friend and VP Marketing. Despite having everything, she is alone. When she falls in love, things appear very rosy. Until this point it's a decent story. But after this point it goes downhill. 

Distance creates the first hurdle. Prior commitments create second hurdle. An unexpected news creates third hurdle. It's aggravated by loneliness. Author had to resort to unreasonable things to create drama. But once the drama is created author doesn't carry it into climax. The climax is simple and without any drama. 

Danielle Steele has sold more than 600 million copies of her novels. What I like most is that, she doesn't write series and sequels. She doesn't capitalize on past success. Each of her novel is a stand alone novel. Her novels are not thrillers. They deal in emotions. Her protagonist is a female. Usually they are interesting. This one isn't that interesting. 

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What I didn't like? Melodrama.

What did I like? Anti climax. 

Read if you have spare time and nothing else to do.

Old bones by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

"Old bones" by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Cold, dry, slow!

This book is published by Grand Central Publishing in 2020 and has 400 pages. This is Book 1 of Nora Kelly series. 

Dr. Benton approaches famous field archeologist Dr. Nora Kelly to find and excavate the lost camp of Donner party and find the lost treasure. There is a murder, a theft, multiple grave robberies. Agent Corrie Swanson is assigned her first independent investigation. She establishes the link. The victims are all descendants of one man. A man from Donner party's lost camp. A man who carried the treasure.

The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. They spent the winter of 1846–1847 in the snowy mountains of Sierra Nevada and had to resort to cannibalism. 

It's a long story. Little excitement. Limited thrill. Slow pace. Handling is not compact. Readers tend to nod off or lose interest occasionally. Like the weather, the story is cold, dry, slow. Authors have blended the Donner party fact with fiction of lost camp and its inhabitants seamlessly. 

Field archeologist Nora Kelly and freshly minted FBI agent Corrie Swanson appeared in Pendergast novels of the authors as characters. Now they get a prominent platform. Two more books in this series are already published. 

Authors probably thought that they couldn't pull off the book with Nora and Corrie, so they decided to bring in Special Agent Pendergast to find the treasure. Crutches of Pendergast weren't really needed. 

Why did I read this book? Authors. 

What did I like? Donner party fact fiction blend. 

What I didn't like? Pace. Lack of excitement. 

Give it a miss. 

Honour among thieves by Jeffrey Archer

"Honour among thieves" by Jeffrey Archer -  Too long!

This book was published by Pan Macmillan in 2010 and has 416 pages.

Saddam Hussein manages to steal American Declaration of independence by replacing it with a copy. Iraq has ordered a safe from Swedish company, that can withstand nuclear blast. Former Israeli model and now Mossad agent Hannah Kopek has killed an American agent and has penetrated Iraqi foreign ministry by posing as a secretary. Professor Scott Bradley is tasked to retrieve the declaration by using the safe. A team of Israeli agents is given to assist him for this operation titled 'Operation Desert Calm'.

Why did Hanna kill agent of a friendly country? Why does Saddam steal the declaration? What's his plan? How will the safe help? Can Prof. Scott Bradley retrieve the declaration?

The story has various characters. Prof. Scott Bradely, who teaches Constitutional Law, and is also a CIA agent. Hannah, a former model turned Mossad spy, who has loved only once and killed her lover. Now, her only aim is to kill Saddam. Dollar Bill is the forger who became one to escape mediocrity. Colonel Cratz, the Mossad spy, turns the tide. Antonio Cavalli, lawyer and a mafia boss, whose only God is money. Al Obeidi, Iraq's Deputy Ambassador to UN. Dexter Hutchins Dy director CIA. Saddam Hussein and Bill Clinton are also important characters in this story. 

It's a long story. As a result, its not crisp. A lot of time is spent until the theft. Then begins the mission. The mission is doomed. It's not very exciting either. 

Story shows Saddam's sycophants, their fear, their behaviour, their reactions looking at their leader and how an honest man is turned into a daemon. These things are captured well. 

Why would Dy. Director of CIA take a commercial flight in an emergency situation where time is of essence, instead of a chartered flight? Why would he take the road instead of chopper?

If the book was 50-80 pages shorter, it would have become crisp. 

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What I didn't like? Length. 

What did I like? Saddam's world. 

Not a must read. 

Nine Lives by Danielle Stee

"Nine Lives" by Danielle Steel - Simple and sweet!

This book is published by Delacorte Press in 2021 and has 272 pages. 

Maggie's dad was a test pilot and was killed leaving her mother a broken woman. Death of Maggie's brother in war eventually killed her mother. Maggie loves Paul Gilmore, a boy who's an adventure seeker, a risk taker, is dangerous. Maggie parts ways with him. She marries Brad, an accountant, has a son and lives a happy life until an aircraft accident leaves her a widow. A chance encounter with a formula one driver gives a turn to her life. 

Why does Maggie breakup? Who does she encounter? What is the twist? Who has 9 lives?

It's about the dread of losing someone you love. A fear anticipating the death of near and dear one. Maggie's mother has suffered it and Maggie is terrified of same. But her husband, who never ventured into anything dangerous, died and Paul who lives dangerously is alive. Does he have 9 lives?

It's about what you have and don't have. Sometimes you don't cherish what you have and are attracted to what you don't have. Sometimes you have everything but are still empty. Sometimes you love someone but hate what the person does. On one hand Maggie is  terrified of Paul's lifestyle but on the other she loves him. It's a tug of war of emotions. 

Paul's character is adorable. He likes to live on the edge. Be it racing, helicopter skiing, mountain climbing or brush with tax authorities. He is rich, famous but is still down to earth. He is supremely confident but not over confident. He can get anyone but loves Maggie. He and Aiden like each other.

It's not a big book. The story is simple. Easy going but interesting. Nice characters. Not extremely complicated plot. A standalone novel. Danielle Steele's USPs.

Maggie is in two minds and readers want to know how it ends. Does she accept Paul or does she leave him. Read it to know it. It's simple and sweet. 

Why did I read this book? Author.

What did I like? Simplicity.

What I didn't like? Predictability. 

Recommend reading.

Fast Ice by Clive Cussler & a Graham Brown

"Fast Ice" by Clive Cussler & a Graham Brown - Return of ice age?

This book is published by Michael Joseph in 2021 and has 416 pages. This is Book 18 of NUMA files. 

A Nazi German expedition has found something in Antarctica. An oligarch wants to extract oil from below the snow of arctic circle. His sister is staunch supporter of environment. An ex Numa scientist sends SOS to Rudy Gunn. Her ship is attacked and everyone is killed. 

What did the Nazi expedition find? Why are the Oligarch brother and Environmentalist sister at loggerheads? Who killed the crew of ex-Numa scientist's ship? What is fast ice?

This time it's about the snowball theory. How the ice age comes and how the earth regenerates. It's about a bacteria found beneath the permafrost. There is a customary mad wealthy man and a scientist. 

There are Kurt and Joe. There's their enjoyable banter. There's action, this time on ice and snow. There's even an avalanche. There's a beautiful lady. There is world to save. 

The story is interesting. Action is good. This time we have a Ship made of ice, not steel. A tunnel in ice serving as pipeline. Alge that converts water to ice. Fast ice.

Why did I read this book? Author. Series. 

What I didn't like? Not very exciting climax. 

What did I like? Kurt-Joe banter

Recommend reading, if you are reading the series.