False Impression - Hardcover

Archer, Jeffrey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312353723 ISBN 13: 9780312353728

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2006

Synopsis

Why was an elegant lady brutally murdered the night before 9/11?
 
Why was a successful New York banker not surprised to receive a woman's left ear in the morning mail?
 
Why did a top Manhattan lawyer work only for one client, but never charge a fee?
 
Why did a young woman with a bright career steal a priceless Van Gogh painting?
Why was an Olympic gymnast paid a million dollars an assignment when she didn't have a bank account?
 
Why was an honors graduate working as a temporary secretary after inheriting a fortune?
 
Why was an English Countess ready to kill the banker, the lawyer and the gymnast even if it meant spending the rest of her life in jail?
 
Why was a Japanese steel magnate happy to hand over $50,000,000 to a woman he had only met once? 
 
Why was a senior FBI agent trying to work out the connection between these eight apparently innocent individuals?
 
All these questions are answered in Jeffrey Archer's latest novel, False Impression, but not before a breathtaking journey of twists and turns that will take readers from New York to London to Bucharest and on to Tokyo, and finally a sleepy English village, where the mystery of Van Gogh's last painting will finally be resolved.
 
And only then will readers discover that Van Gogh's Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear has a secret of its own that acts as the final twist in this unforgettable yarn.

About this title

About the Author

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University. He has served five years in Britain's House of Commons, fourteen years in the House of Lords and two in Her Majesty's prisons, which spawned three volumes of highly acclaimed Prison Diaries. All of his novels and short story collections - including Kane and Abel, Honor Among Thieves, and Sons of Fortune - have been international bestsellers, selling over 120 million copies worldwide. Archer is married with two children and lives in London and Cambridge. 

From the Back Cover

"Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages."
--The Boston Globe
 
"A storyteller in the class of Alexander Dumas…Unsurpassed skill…making the reader wonder intensely what will happen next."
--The Washington Post
 
"There isn't a better story-teller alive."
--Larry King
 
"Archer is a master entertainer."
--Time Magazine
 
"Cunning plots, silken style...Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader."
--The New York Times 

"Archer is a terrific story-teller, and meets the reader's ultimate tests - to want to turn the page to see what happens next."
--Sunday Times, London

"Probably the greatest story-teller alive."
--Mail on Sunday

From the Inside Flap

Why was an elegant lady brutally murdered the night before 9/11?

Why was a successful New York banker not surprised to receive a woman s left ear in the morning mail?

Why did a top Manhattan lawyer work only for one client, but never charge a fee?

Why did a young woman with a bright career steal a priceless Van Gogh painting?
Why was an Olympic gymnast paid a million dollars an assignment when she didn t have a bank account?

Why was an honors graduate working as a temporary secretary after inheriting a fortune?

Why was an English Countess ready to kill the banker, the lawyer and the gymnast even if it meant spending the rest of her life in jail?

Why was a Japanese steel magnate happy to hand over $50,000,000 to a woman he had only met once?

Why was a senior FBI agent trying to work out the connection between these eight apparently innocent individuals?

All these questions are answered in Jeffrey Archer s latest novel, False Impression, but not before a breathtaking journey of twists and turns that will take readers from New York to London to Bucharest and on to Tokyo, and finally a sleepy English village, where the mystery of Van Gogh s last painting will finally be resolved.

And only then will readers discover that Van Gogh s Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear has a secret of its own that acts as the final twist in this unforgettable yarn.

Reviews

Even though Archer (Sons of Fortune) grounds his international art-thievery thriller in the events of 9/11, this leisurely paced, tepid effort has a musty feel. It's September 10, 2001, and Lady Victoria Wentworth is sitting in spacious Wentworth Hall considering the sad state of family fortunes when a female intruder slips in, slashes her throat and cuts off her ear. The next day in New York, art expert Anna Petrescu heads to her job as art wrangler for wealthy magnate Bryce Fenston of Fenston Finance. The pair's offices are in the Twin Towers, and when disaster strikes, each sees the tragedy as an opportunity to manipulate a transaction scheduled to transfer ownership of a legendary Van Gogh painting, Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, from the Wentworth estate to the larcenous Fenston. The initially intriguing character, hit-woman and ex-gymnast Olga Krantz, turns out to be too lightweight, both physically and fictionally, to garner strong interest in anything other than her deadly skills with a kitchen knife. Lord Archer has been busy for the past five years or so serving half of a four-year prison sentence for perjury and writing a series of books about his prison experience; his first novel in seven years disappoints. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Archer's legion of fans have been waiting for seven years for his new thriller, and its success will probably depend on how well it sits with them. Some readers may sink right into the murderous plot involving--you guessed it--valuable works of art. Others may read several chapters, get the gist of the story and its characters (plucky heroine, on the run from homicidal financier, tries to keep Van Gogh's last painting out of his evil clutches), and think: for this, we waited? It's not a bad novel, if you don't mind a thriller that feels as though it was assembled from bits and pieces of other thrillers. Certainly Archer's writing skills have not deteriorated over the years, although they haven't improved, either. Some readers, too, may question the wisdom of using the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center as a plot point; this isn't a serious work about terrorism but, instead, simply uses the tragedy as a convenient narrative landmark. On the other hand, for those who found the appeal of The Da Vinci Code to be in its mix of art and conspiracy, this one certainly follows the formula. Expect some demand, but buy with care. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One 

Victoria Wentworth sat alone at the table where Wellington had dined with sixteen of his field officers the night before he set out for Waterloo.
 
General Sir Harry Wentworth sat at the right hand of the Iron Duke that night, and was commanding his left flank when a defeated Napoleon rode off the battlefield and into exile. A grateful monarch bestowed on the general the title Earl of Wentworth, which the family had borne proudly since 1815.
 
These thoughts were running through Victoria’s mind as she read Dr. Petrescu’s report for a second time. When she turned the last page, she let out a sigh of relief. A solution to all her problems had been found, quite literally at the eleventh hour.
 
The dining-room door opened noiselessly and Andrews, who from second footman to butler had served three generations of Wentworths, deftly removed her ladyship’s dessert plate.
 
“Thank you,” Victoria said, and waited until he had reached the door before she added, “And has everything been arranged for the removal of the painting?” She couldn’t bring herself to mention the artist’s name.
 
“Yes, m’lady,” Andrews replied, turning back to face his mistress. “The picture will have been dispatched before you come down for breakfast.”
 
“And has everything been prepared for Dr. Petrescu’s visit?”
 
“Yes, m’lady,” repeated Andrews. “Dr. Petrescu is expected around midday on Wednesday, and I have already informed cook that she will be joining you for lunch in the conservatory.”
 
“Thank you, Andrews,” said Victoria. The butler gave a slight bow and quietly closed the heavy oak door behind him.
 
By the time Dr. Petrescu arrived, one of the family’s most treasured heirlooms would be on its way to America, and although the masterpiece would never be seen at Wentworth Hall again, no one outside the immediate family need be any the wiser.
 
Victoria folded her napkin and rose from the table. She picked up Dr. Petrescu’s report and walked out of the dining room and into the hall. The sound of her shoes echoed in the marble hallway. She paused at the foot of the staircase to admire Gainsborough’s full-length portrait of Catherine, Lady Wentworth, who was dressed in a magnificent long silk and taffeta gown, set off by a diamond necklace and matching earrings. Victoria touched her ear and smiled at the thought that such an extravagant bauble must have been considered quite risqué at the time.
 
Victoria looked steadfastly ahead as she climbed the wide marble staircase to her bedroom on the first floor. She felt unable to look into the eyes of her ancestors, brought to life by Romney, Lawrence, Reynolds, Lely, and Kneller, conscious of having let them all down. Victoria accepted that before she retired to bed she must finally write to her sister and let her know the decision she had come to.
 
Arabella was so wise and sensible. If only her beloved twin had been born a few minutes earlier rather than a few minutes later, then she would have inherited the estate and undoubtedly handled the problem with considerably more panache. And worse, when Arabella learned the news, she would neither complain nor remonstrate, just continue to display the family’s stiff upper lip.
 
Victoria closed the bedroom door, walked across the room, and placed Dr. Petrescu’s report on her desk. She undid her bun, allowing the hair to cascade onto her shoulders. She spent the next few minutes brushing her hair before taking off her clothes and slipping on a silk nightgown, which a maid had laid out on the end of the bed. Finally she stepped into her bedroom slippers. Unable to avoid the responsibility any longer, she sat down at her writing desk and picked up her fountain pen.
 
 
Wentworth Hall
 
September 10th, 2001
 
My dearest Arabella,
 
I have put off writing this letter for far too long, as you are the last person who deserves to learn such distressing news.
 
When dear Papa died and I inherited the estate, it was some time before I appreciated the full extent of the debts he had run up. I fear my lack of business experience, coupled with crippling death duties, only exacerbated the problem.
 
I thought the answer was to borrow even more, but that has simply made matters worse. At one point I feared that because of my naïveté we might even end up having to sell our family’s estate. But I am pleased to tell you that a solution has been found.
 
On Wednesday, I will be seeing—
 
 
Victoria thought she heard the bedroom door open. She wondered which of her servants would have considered entering the room without knocking.
 
By the time Victoria had turned to find out who it was, she was already standing by her side.
 
Victoria stared up at a woman she had never seen before. She was young, slim, and even shorter than Victoria. She smiled sweetly, which made her appear vulnerable. Victoria returned her smile, and then noticed she was carrying a kitchen knife in her right hand.
 
“Who—” began Victoria as a hand shot out, grabbed her by the hair, and snapped her head back against the chair. Victoria felt the thin, razor-sharp blade as it touched the skin of her neck. In one swift movement the knife sliced open her throat as if she were a lamb being sent to slaughter.
 
Moments before Victoria died, the young woman cut off her left ear.
 
Copyright © 2006 by Jeffrey Archer. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312353723
• ISBN 13: 9780312353728
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384