Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer

Born on the same day near the turn of the century on opposite sides of the world, both men are brought together by fate and the quest of a dream.  These two men -- ambitious, powerful, ruthless -- are locked in a relentless struggle to build an empire, fuelled by their all-consuming hatred. Over 60 years and three generations, through war, marriage, fortune, and disaster, Kane and Abel battle for the success and triumph that only one man can have.

Review:

Jeffrey Archer

I've read many of Archer's novels but I'll surely rate this one as my best. The characters, the plot, the narration - everything near perfect, swept me off my feet. Jeffrey Archer, a master in his craft, brings Abel Rosnovski and William Lowell Kane right before your eyes with his efficient portrayal and his natural God-blessed style. These two are such powerful characters that I could hardly remember any other character even remotely close to matching them.
The bruised and battered life of Abel in war-torn Poland, his escape from his captors and his working up the ladder of power and money are all a treat to read. On the other hand, you have William Lowell Kane. A guy born to a rich family, loses his father at a young age, hates his stepfather and even finds out the truth behind his acquaintance with his mother. Right from their childhood, both persons are very manly, smart and quick to learn.

After escaping, Abel comes to USA and works his way up while Kane grows from strength to strength as a banker. Their paths cross for the first time in a hotel where Abel works as a waiter. The first meeting was not as explosive as it was expected to be but just Abel wanting to be like Kane. Later, Abel becomes the Manager of a group of hotels and the owner gets himself in a mess with  Kane's bank and commits suicide. Outraged by his mentor's condition, Abel vows revenge on Kane. Thus begins the most enthralling story of two people striving for money, power and fame. And yes, Jeffrey Archer is just the master.

The final twist adds a new dimension to the story altogether and watch out for it! I would strongly recommend this to everyone. A must read!

Rating:

4.6/5

The Racketeer - John Grisham

Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered.

Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.
Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday . . .

Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.

Review:

John Grisham

A very ordinary read. The story is very very unrealistic and though Grisham claims at the end that all works are fiction, I felt it was very over-stretched. The FBI dances to the tunes of Malcolm Bannister, the characters can just walk around with bars of gold without getting caught and most important, if you need to smuggle something out of USA, all you to do is hire a yacht. Thats almost close to fantasy.

The characters are very shallow and I never got a clear picture of the lead character even after I finished the book. It was as if Grisham was in a hurry to publish something with his name on it. The plot also gets a little confising at times with the character switching between two identities - Malcolm Bannister and Max Reed Baldwin. Suddenly Nathan appears out of the blue and every Tome, Dick and Harry would have guessed why he was brought in. I found the plot right from the beginning, given that the book title reveals almost the entire plot. I will never understand how a single man can make the FBI do whatever he wants. Two men plan together in jail, fool the FBI, then reveal to them that they were fooled. The FBI even knew that Bannister is in possession of gold bars but they don't do anything about it.

His so-called ' revenge' on the US government, was not much of a revenge as the Feds's reputation remained undamaged and in fact they were handed the case on a platter by him . In addition,Nathan Cooley's character just got dumped on us without any background tease to give us a chance to guess his involvement n this. 

The authors note at the end that says: "Almost nothing ... was based on reality. Research, hardly a priority, was rarely called upon. Accuracy was not deemed crucial. Long paragraphs of fiction were used to avoid looking up facts." sums it all up. This one is not for serious readers. A very ordinary plot with lots of holes. I expected a lot more from Grisham.

Rating:
2.3/5

A Prisoner of Birth - Jeffrey Archer

International bestseller and master storyteller Jeffrey Archer is at the very top of his game in this story of fate and fortune, redemption and revenge.

If Danny Cartwright had proposed to Beth Wilson the day before, or the day after, he would not have been arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend. But when the four prosecution witnesses are a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat, and the youngest partner in an established firm's history, who is going to believe his side of the story?

Danny is sentenced to twenty-two years and sent to Belmarsh prison, the highest-security jail in the land, from where no inmate has ever escaped.

However, Spencer Craig, Lawrence Davenport, Gerald Payne, and Toby Mortimer all underestimate Danny's determination to seek revenge, and Beth's relentless quest to pursue justice, which ends up with all four fighting for their lives.

Thus begins Jeffrey Archer's most powerful novel since Kane and Abel,with a cast of characters that will remain with you long after you've turned the last page.

And if that is not enough, prepare for an ending that will shock even the most ardent of Archer's fans.

Review:

Jeffrey Archer

Wow! I had high hopes for Jeffrey Archer after reading Kane and Abel, and he did not disappoint me. This book is a scorcher that just swept me off my feet. The story takes off at a swift pace right from the initial courtroom scenes. The arguments from both the prosecution and defense are fantastically brought about and I found it difficult to put this book down. Apart from a few glitches here and there, this one is a real entertainer from cover to cover.

The characters are portrayed in depth and every reader is able to put himself in the shoes of Daniel Cartwright. Unlike other novels, the reader knows right from the start who was the criminal but the way the author builds up the story without having much suspense in his hand is great. The jail scenes are neatly written and I could almost feel myself surrounded by walls. Danny's thirst for freedom and vengeance, and a bit of luck, somehow frees him from prison. His slow and methodical tackling of Hugo Moncrieff with the help of Fraser Munro, his constant suspicions about his cover being blown, and his friendship with Big Al are all refreshing and deserves a praise. But I was a little disappointed with the revenge part as I expected much more, but all Danny could manage was inflicting a financial breakdown on his adversaries.

The final courtroom scenes were the Redmaynes support Danny are epic! I've read many such courtroom arguments, but this one stands out as the best. I especially liked the part where Fraser Munro appears as witness and also the part where Sir Redmayne questions Spencer Craig. I loved the scenes and have read those pages nearly 3 times.

Overall a must read for everyone! Don't miss this one. Its simply irresistible.

Rating:

4.5/5