If heist novels are favorites, you might want to pick up Jeffrey Archer’s latest William Warwick novel, Traitors Gate. I’ll admit it’s easier to jump into it, though, if you’re following the series. The series began with Nothing Ventured. Next in Line was the fifth book, the last before Traitors Gate. The series follows the career of William Warwick, who began as a constable on the beat in London. By now, he’s Chief Superintendent at Scotland Yard. Throughout his career, he’s tangled with a master criminal, Miles Faulkner.
In Traitors Gate, Faulkner tries again to take down the men who have bested him; Warwick, Commissioner Hawksby, and Inspector Ross Hogan. Once a year, Scotland Yard is responsible for ensuring the safety of the Crown Jewels as they’re removed from the Tower of London for the Queen to wear at the State Opening of Parliament. One insider provides Faulkner with just the opportunity he wants. What if he can steal the Crown Jewels?
Of course, this is not the only storyline. Faulkner’s ex-wife, Christine, plays both sides. Although she’s a friend and partner of Warwick’s wife, Beth, if Christine sees a way to make money, she’ll negotiate with Miles. She plays games several times. Beth is one of the candidates for the position of director of the Fitzmoleon museum, and Christine sits on the board. Then, there’s that painting Miles donated to the museum in exchange for a lighter prison sentence. Beth and Warwick always wondered if it was the real painting, or a masterful forgery.
Hand-in-hand, though, with the story of Miles Faulkner’s planned heist is the story of Colonel Blood. Warwick’s children are writing a school essay about Blood’s attempt to steal the Crown Jewels in 1671. Their essay is drawn out, timed perfectly to fit Faulkner’s plans.
Archer’s riveting page-turner is timed minute by minute, with no time to waste for the heist, or for Warwick’s plans to save the Crown Jewels. Anyone interested in a clever story, with every twist carefully thought out, might want to try Traitors Gate.
Jeffrey Archer’s website is https://www.jeffreyarcher.com/
Traitors Gate by Jeffrey Archer. HarperCollins, 2023. ISBN 9780008607389 (hardcover), 384p.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent an e-galley when I agreed to review the book.
