A Matter of Honour

It was a pretty long time I last read a Jeffrey Archer novel. My last one was False Impression which impressed me like hell. The story-line, the pace and the way the whole thing went about, was just too good and I found it much better that the other novels, Prodigal Daughter, Sons of Fortune, etc that I read. But after False Impression, I suddenly forgot I knew how to read. I read almost nothing and to force the habit back in, I re-read what I already finished...

Once I brought the habit back in, I was flying. I did the Twilight series in a matter of days which I still repent because I had no other books to read. Thankfully, Dan Brown's latest, Lost Symbol came out and I finished it in a mad rush too. It was a good book, but somehow couldn't compare to the other Robert Langdon stories. I also found Deception Point to be better than Lost Symbol. So in the end, Lost Symbol came only 4th out of the 5.

After that it was another brief dull span when my sister suddenly borrowed Jeff Archer's, A Matter of Honour from her friend. I read the description on the back cover, and instantly flew at the book. I knew this would be thrilling to read. Scott the main character opens a letter that was passed on by his father, who in turn received it from his father. After translating the letter, which involves (SPOILER WARNING) a Russian Icon inside which a treaty is hidden that was proof to the buying of the 49th state of USA (Alaska) from Russia, a sudden chain of events completely change Scott's life. It starts with his new found love being killed and the story leaps from there. Suddenly he's escaping multiple groups from different countries. He doesn't know whom to trust and whom not to, and it comes to point where he even gets suspicious about his best friend. The escaping, chasing, brutality, and some soft moments with people who help him in his cause (right from musicians to teenagers to prostitutes), really set the kind of delicate balance needed in the whole story. In the end it was a great read and probably the best I read this year.

Funnily enough, this is one of his early books and it turned out to be my latest read. To make it even weirder, I didn't read 'Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less' yet which is his first! But of course, I will not procrastinate anymore. I'll soon be having that novel under my finished books list.

As of now, I'm letting my time fly with 'The False Impression'. Again. And I'm truly enjoying it. Again!