Cover Image: Over My Dead Body

Over My Dead Body

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Member Reviews

For many years, Jeffrey Archer was of my 'go-to' authors, the small band of writers whose books I would buy without even reading the blurb. Recently, I have stopped reading his work because I felt it had become predictable. So I was intrigued to see what his current writing was like and was happy to receive an ARC of Over My Dead Body.
It's the fourth in a series featuring DCI William Warwick and, although I managed to keep my finger on the thread of what happened in the previous books, I would advise future readers to read from the first one, as so many nuances of the characters are lost. The writing itself is strangely old-fashioned, more reminiscent of Agatha Christie than the 1980s, and not really suited to Warwick, who is quite young.
There are two sub plots, one concerning Warwick and his wife on a cruise where he solves a murder (again very a la Christie), goes home and the plot is never mentioned again apart from a couple of seemingly irrelevant phone calls. The second one is a series of cases dropped on his new cold case team (really, another one?) all of which are mopped up by his 'superhero' type sidekick without much intervention from Warwick.
The ending is all very derring-do and there are a few flashes of near-excitement but, all in all, it's not the kind of book that will remain in my memory for very long and I think it's time to say a final goodbye to Mr. Archer.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I didn’t realise that this was part of collection, but to be honest, it was easy to read as a stand alone. Saying that, it wasn’t my favourite Jeffrey Archer novel. The writing just felt a bit dated for me somehow

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Jeffrey Archer at his best. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advance copy.

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My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

I just love this series starring William Warwick (now a DCI). If you haven't read the previous books I would recommend that you do so, although you can read this as a standalone, you would getter a better feel for each of the main characters.
Christina, widow of convict and art collector Miles Faulkner, is to marry again to Captain Ralph Neville. William's wife Beth and Christina are friends. Apparently the date of her booked cruise and stay in New York clashed with the only date available for their church wedding, Christina gifts the holiday to Beth and William.
The story begins on the high seas where, during dinner the Chairman of the Line dies. William is not convinced it was a heart attack and, with the help of the very resourceful grandson of the Chairman, investigates. This part is absolutely pure Agatha Christie. Then, a chance remark from a crew member sends William straight back to England, leaving Beth with friends in New York. William has put some pieces of a puzzle together and he will not let Miles Faulkner escape again!
Back in London William is in charge of the new cold case unit and cases are being assigned to the team.
There are loan-sharks, drug dealers, a con-artist and East End gangs involved, but most of all William and DI Ross Hogan intend to go after Faulkner.

This is a really good story where lots of strands come together, especially with DI Hogan's off-the-books assistance - much to Commander Hawksby's chagrin. I enjoy the team's relationships and interactions, as well as when William and Beth bounce ideas off one another.

What can I say - can't wait for the next one!

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Although I find Jwffrey Archer's family sagas interesting I absolutely hated this book.
At best it reminded me of the "Handsome West" novels from the 50s and 60s. A pale version of the Gideon stories.
The first quarter is det aboard ship for a closely confined murder then it widens out but doesn't become any more interesting.
If you've not read this author before - don't assume they are all ad bad

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I am afraid this was just not my cup of tea.
. The language and writing style seemed very old fashioned and upper class like an old Miss Marple novel.
Very disappointing as I enjoyed some of Jeffrey's earlier books. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for chance to review it .

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This book is part of a series of books which I didn’t realise when I started to read it. Although you can read it as a stand alone story I am sure it would be more enjoyable with the background to the characters that would be available if the books were read in order. As always with Jeffrey Archer it is a good story and is enjoyable to read and you finish one chapter wanting to go on to the next to find out just what is going to happen. An enjoyable tale from a master storyteller.

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As soon as you reads the first sentence Archer works his magic and pulls you in so you can't put the book down. I have been a massive fan of his books for many years and as always this was one of those books that i just didn't want to end.

An excellent read, as always - I am never disappointed with an Archer novel and loved this upcoming release.

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A Sweeping Thrill Ride….
A sweeping thrill ride in the latest addition to the William Warwick novels set between London, Geneva and New York. A tale of many betrayals, murder and revenge, three investigations with Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick at its’ heart, aided by former undercover operative Ross Hogan. As ever, the action does not let up with twists and turns aplenty and a wholly credible cast. The fourth in this series and a worthy addition from this natural born storyteller.

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My thanks to netgalley & the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review which I give freely

I have read many short stories by this author and have enjoyed them and I like his style of writing. This is the first full novel I have read. I am finding it difficult to decide how many * s to give and also the review.

It begins on a cruise ship to New York where a police officer is on board with his wife. The chairman & owners of the cruise line are on board, the chairman dies at the table during an evening meal. The police officer flies back from New York, while his wife stays on with a friend.

Once back in London, the real story begins, where a team of detectives are on the hunt for a criminal who had escaped prison, and not long after died. The Met police do not believe his dead although the police attended his funeral

Quite a lot of crimes take place, murder, drugs, loan sharks. Plenty of characters in this tale, and I found it hard to follow at times.

It was an interesting read.


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This is definitely a fan pleaser for fans of The Clifton Chronicles and, as a result William Warwick. I always know what to expect starting one of these reads, that is partly my problem, I know what to expect, it would be nice if something a little different was thrown into the mix. Nevertheless they are always enjoyable and I like catching up with William and family.
This read centres, again, around Miles Faulkner, there are some extra plot threads as well but I think it would be nice for Archer to step away from this character a bit as I think it is becoming a bit tired.
This book has his faults but is still thoroughly enjoyable and fans of Archer will love it.

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This is the first book I have read f Jeffrey Archer and was pleasantly surprised but later realised I have now read the final book about Detective Chief William Warwick and his hunt for Miles Faulkner. The world believes that Faulkner is dead - Warwick even attended his funeral to make sure but doubts are raised during a cruise Warwick takes with his wife.

When he returns from holiday, he is to take the lead in a new police unit that re-investigates cold cases but his focus stays strongly with proving Faulkner is still alive and is determined to put him back in prison.

A great read - and will be reading all the earlier books to follow William Warwicks journey.

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William Warwick, once again, finds himself heading up a new unit at the Met. This time it’s unsolved murders, a cold case squad tasked to catch the killers no one else could.

Ross Hogan, undercover operative, is leaving the guise of Marlborough Man behind and re-joining the ranks as William’s right-hand man.

Whilst the rest of the team investigate long ago closed cases, William and Ross are soon embroiled in a greater challenge - discovering why Booth Watson is still representing a dead man


Archer is a master storyteller, and I have come to expect nothing less than being thoroughly immersed in his prose eagerly tearing through each page. This book was no exception.

I won’t go into too much detail regarding the story itself, but as always the plot was full of well thought out twists and trademark shocks. This book is a must-read for fans of this author and crime fiction junkies alike…but definitely start at the beginning!

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Still writing in the same old style, far too predictable. Very disappointing don’t bother to waste your time on this book.

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Another well written, easy to read thriller by J. Archer. I had not read the previous books about William Warwick but for those in the same boat, just to say that it is not a problem. I gather that there are thowbacks and perhaps for that reason the book is all the more enjoyable if you have more of the background story, but it is still a good standalone read. However I did feel that the ending was somewhat abrupt. I gather that this is the last in the series but is it really? I can see William turning up again, perhaps in the book of a different character. A case of watch out, I think!

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Definitely what I would call a good yarn. The book is all action without much character depth or twists/turns.. I guess from the outset you know/hope that the baddie will be caught.
Well worth a read

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An interesting story of a battle of wits between a detective and an escaped millionaire who has escaped from prison and disappeared under new guise. The millionaire is an art collector ho always gains what he wants by fair means or foul. Having escaped capture once the detectives have to devise a way bait him out of hiding with the aid of Spanish police from is Spanish lair. How it all works oit is a complex and engrossing story.

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This is the 4th book in the series and I am glad that I had read a couple of the previous books. I found this book a little disjointed. The first part of the book was set on board a luxury liner when William Warwick was on holiday. A murder was committed and it did not seem to have any real relevance to the plot. It seemed as if a number of ideas under the guise of 'cold cases' were included in the plot too. There were so many strands and characters that needed to be bought together and I felt that it was a bit rushed in order to get to the end.
Although I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t one of his best.
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for the advance copy of this book.

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This is a detective story in which the reader who is familiar with Archer’s writing encounters an old acquaintance, Chief Detective William Warrick. Given that this is his fourth appearance in Archer’s stories, he must have a quite respectable number of followers whose excitement I fail to share.

Chief Inspector Warrick is on the hunt for Miles Faulkner – art thief, escaped from prison and presumed dead. At the same time, he also oversees the investigation of a number of old cases, which all find their satisfying resolution with the help of his side-kick and super hero Ross Hogan, who employs rather unorthodox methods. We also get a glimpse into the private lives of both men in the sense that both their partners provide some of the motivation for their actions.

This story is totally disconnected from anything that matters in life, where other stories of this genre are embedded in some kind of historical or contemporary context, there is a gaping void in Archer’s book. For this reason, I found myself emotionally completely disengaged from the story and its characters. Given the absence of anything that could be seen as delaying the fast progression of the plot, I am sure others may find it fast paced and entertaining but this book is well and truly not for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jeffrey Archer is not everybody's cup of tea, but he is a formidable writer. This book is no exception to his talent. A recommended read.

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