Title: Hidden in Plain Sight
Author: Jeffrey Archer
Series: William Warwick Series
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Genre: Crime, Mystery Thriller
First Publication: 2020
Language: English
Major Characters: William Warwick, Sir Julian Warwick QC, Grace, Beth Rainsford, Miles Faulkner, Christina, Viper
Narration: Third Person
Book Summary: Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer
Filled with Jeffrey Archer’s trademark twists and turns, Hidden in Plain Sight is the gripping next instalment in the life of William Warwick.
Newly promoted, Detective Sergeant William Warwick has been reassigned to the drugs squad. His first case: to investigate a notorious south London drug lord known as the Viper.
But as William and his team close the net around a criminal network unlike any they have ever encountered, he is also faced with an old enemy, Miles Faulkner. It will take all of William’s cunning to devise a means to bring both men to justice, a trap neither will expect, one that is hidden in plain sight . . .
Hidden in Plain Sight follows on from Nothing Ventured and continues with Turn a Blind Eye, but can be read as a standalone story.
Book Review: Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer
The adventures that were started in the first book, Nothing Ventured, will continue in the second book, Hidden in Plain Sight. However, William has received a promotion to the position of Detective Sergeant this time around. The events of the story begin in the year 1986. William and the rest of his squad have been tasked with finding a drug lord known only by his street moniker, Viper. This person’s true identity was a complete mystery to the team. He is as secretive as a shadow in the night, but William and the team come up with a cunning scheme to track him down and put an end to his slaughter as well.
That’s just not it. Miles Faulkner, the con artist we met in the previous book, is planning to exact his vengeance on his wife by ensuring that she would be left penniless after divorcing him. He wants her to have no assets at all. William Warwick is determined to finally bring Miles Faulkner to justice for the crime he has committed in the art world, for which he escaped serving a prison sentence. William is devising a strategy to demonstrate that Faulkner is guilty of the crime. It’s mind-boggling to think about how William and his crew are able to pull this off.
The premise of Hidden in Plain Sight is, of course, very fantastic, with the squad focusing on the investigation of a drug lord while also tackling some unfinished business from the Art and Antiquities Squad. I must confess that William’s father, Sir Julian Warwick QC, was definitely my favourite character in the book. I enjoyed the courtroom sequences when the prosecutors and defence did their best to outsmart one other, and I have to say that the court scenes were probably my favourite part of the novel. The 1980s London setting was spot on, and, in classic Jeffrey Archer fashion, there are many shocking revelations in the latter chapters.
The plot takes a surprising number of turns and twists throughout the novel, many of which are not expected. In addition to the excitement of unravelling the mystery and mastery of the drug lord, Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer features a number of touching moments that are shared between William and Beth, William and his father, and Grace and her father. These moments contributed to the book’s overall appeal and applause-worthy quality. William Warwick is quickly becoming one of the most famous fictional detectives in the world of literature.
Although I am a huge fan of Jeffrey Archer’s books and writing, I have to say that I had a hard time getting into the first book in this series. However, despite the fact that Hidden in Plain Sight was able to grab my interest much more quickly than the previous book in the series, I couldn’t help but feel that it didn’t quite live up to the reputation of Jeffrey Archer’s other works. Nonetheless, there’s no denying that Jeffrey Archer is still the master storyteller; the storyline is intricately woven and well-thought-out, and it will force you to do some serious mental gymnastics. It has always been evident in the author’s earlier works, and this book is no different, that the author draws on his personal experiences for some of these storylines. With a narrative that is so grounded in reality that you might think you’re reading it straight from the newspaper!
In addition to a thrilling police investigation and suspenseful courtroom drama, Jeffrey Archer gives us with a variety of interesting characters, both good and evil. The museum’s closure was a direct result of Faulkner’s actions. It’s been exciting to see William take strides toward his goals, and we expect big things for him in the future. The narrative focuses on people—their actions, their emotions, their gut reactions, and their connections—both positive and negative—with the larger community. Characters’ interactions with one another and with the world around them offer the context that humanises them beyond their roles as lawbreakers or law enforcers. They are convincing and do not give up easily. The reader experiences the events from both the protagonist’s and antagonist’s points of view. However, things are not always what they seem to be, and sometimes individuals lie in order to obtain what they want.
