Shall We Tell The President? by Jeffrey Archer
November 2nd 2006 05:11
Shall We Tell The President? by Jeffrey Archer
Jeffrey Archer's neat little thriller Shall we tell the President? follows the fortunes of Florentyna Kane, the newly elected first woman president of the United States. Florentyna first appeared as a side character in Archer's iconic Kane and Abel. Archer then gave her a full-length novel The Prodigal Daughter, wherein she was at a hair's breadth from becoming the President. Tise novel opens with her inauguration as the President
When an illegal immigrant is shot in the leg and requests to talk with the head of FBI, two agents are sent to the hospital. The man tells them of a plot to assassinate the President and very quickly one of the agents and thier boss are murdered and so is the informant. It falls to the other agent Mark Andrews to foil the assassination attempt.
Now, here is the problem I have with this novel. The informant was an illegal immigrant from Greece who waited at a table, because the people had asked for a waiter who didn't know English. Our man could not speak English but could very much understand it. So, when the conspirators gab on about their supposed plan in the earshot of the waiter, the plot kicks off. I know we need an informant but why in the heck will people converse about an assassination attmept in a hotel room after asking for a waiter?
After this uncovincing start, the novel pretty much develops into a high-octane chase to catch the conspirators including a senator. Archer is a Tory and he has that fascicantion of noticing how things are done and fills the novel with many little details about ceremonies, status and power. But this is one lean book and our interest never flags for a moment. In fact, I read this novel in one sitting.
Not one of Archer's best but a very entertaining novel.
| 62 |
| Vote |
