Nothing Ventured: William Warwick Book 1
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4.1 • 617 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Nothing Ventured is the incredible and thrilling novel by the master storyteller and bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer.
This is not a detective story, this is a story about the making of a detective...
William Warwick has always wanted to be a detective, and decides, much to his father's dismay, that rather than become a barrister like his father, Sir Julian Warwick QC, and his sister Grace, he will join London's Metropolitan Police Force.
After graduating from university, William begins a career that will define his life: from his early months on the beat under the watchful eye of his first mentor, Constable Fred Yates, to his first high-stakes case as a fledgling detective in Scotland Yard's arts and antiquities squad. Investigating the theft of a priceless Rembrandt painting from the Fitzmolean Museum, he meets Beth Rainsford, a research assistant at the gallery who he falls hopelessly in love with, even as Beth guards a secret of her own that she's terrified will come to light.
While William follows the trail of the missing masterpiece, he comes up against suave art collector Miles Faulkner and his brilliant lawyer, Booth Watson QC, who are willing to bend the law to breaking point to stay one step ahead of William. Meanwhile, Miles Faulkner's wife, Christina, befriends William, but whose side is she really on?
Nothing Ventured heralds the start of a brand new series in the style of Jeffrey Archer's number one Sunday Times bestselling The Clifton Chronicles: telling the story of the life of William Warwick - as a family man and a detective who will battle throughout his career against a powerful criminal nemesis. Through twists, triumph and tragedy, this series will show that William Warwick is destined to become one of Jeffrey Archer's most enduring legacies.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A young police detective with a deep love of art, William Warwick sees his twin passions intertwine in surprising ways in Nothing Ventured, the first novel in a new series from master storyteller Jeffrey Archer. The intricate plot sees William depart from his family’s tradition of pursuing a career as lawyer, instead joining the police force. Thrust into the London art world of the 1980s, William juggles youthful ambition and would-be romance against an increasingly corrupt backdrop. Archer exhibits his usual narrative finesse in this compelling origin story, taking us from museums to courtrooms and beyond.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An opening note to bestseller Archer's enjoyable series launch informs the reader: "This is not a detective story, this is a story about a detective," the detective being William Warwick from the author's Clifton Chronicles (This Was a Man, etc.). In 1979, William, who has always wanted to be a police detective, tells his father he's not going to follow in his father's footsteps and become a barrister. Joining the London police force straight out of school, he quickly proves himself to his superiors and in short order moves from patrol officer to fledgling detective for Scotland Yard's Arts and Antiquities unit, where he investigates forgeries, counterfeit antiquities, a missing Rembrandt, and a master art thief. A fully realized character, the intelligent Warrick is ambitious but naive with a lot to learn. He's surrounded by a distinctive cast of family, colleagues, and villains, while a well-placed romantic situation fills out a near-perfect hand. The final section dealing with dueling courtroom dramas brings genuine suspense to a relatively bloodless, but thoroughly gripping, tale. Archer reinforces his position as a master storyteller. 300,000 announced first printing.
Customer Reviews
Classic Archer
Great to be back reading Archer and a series too - even better
Not what I have come to expect .
Another masterful tale written by the wonderful Lord Archer.
I have read every novel published, and greatly enjoyed and yet for some inexplicable reason, I felt that I could see Lord Archer reclining in a comfortable armchair and narrating this novel to a note taker, who then when on to transcribe.
Perhaps it was the way that many of the sentences were started with ‘But’ .
I had always been taught that was unacceptable grammar , and on at least one occasion this happened 4 times in one paragraph. Admittedly I’m probably just being too picky, having just edited a book for a friend.
All in all , another exciting plot twister, thoroughly enjoyed .
Nothing Ventured Book 1
A simple and straightforward story about police work and the law. The story line is straightforward and correct in terminology and procedures.
A good read.