BOOK TITLE: Not
a penny more, Not a penny less
ISBN: 9780773680180, 9781250052995, 9780006478720, 9780340223192
AUTHOR: Jeffery
Archer
GENRE: Thriller
NUMBER OF PAGES: 324
FORMAT: Paperback
SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone
REVIEW BY: Dhivya
Balaji
HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: This
book needs no introduction, neither does the author. But the popularity of both
led me to get the title in paperback and read this.
REVIEW:
Harvey Metcalfe, a scheming
businessman, has the habit of riding the wave of business from stocks to shares
and does not really bother about professional ethics. He soon becomes a
millionaire and as is usual creates a new scheme for an oil rig and sells
stocks for this phony business and hires people to advertise and market this scam.
Four distinguished men fall for the trick and buy stocks of the company in
large numbers. How they join hands and get their money back forms the rest of
the story.
Professor of Mathematics, Stephen,
realises that he has been duped by a company and gets details of other such
people who have been cheated. Though initially skittish, medical doctor Robin,
art dealer Jean, and Earl James agree to form a plan to thwart one of the most
criminal minded businessmen. Stephen becomes the brain behind the whole operation
and plans ways for each of them to get back the money they had lost.
Each of the distinguished men comes up
with a plan that involves the other three of them. They play to their strengths
and despite many errors and miscalculations and unwilling victim, they manage
to get back their rights. Only the Earl is left without a plan though he
becomes the heart and soul of the whole operation. Sir Archer places a twist
right at the end that gobbles up all other plot twists and proves his mastery
over both the profession and the language.
The logic errors and plot holes in the
story are over shadowed by the sheer brilliance of the whole conceived idea.
Yes, there are certain questionable scenes but these will be ignored just
because they add more speed to the already racy narrative. And with Sir Archer,
there are certain allowances.
WHAT I LIKED: Racy
plot, riveting scenes, interesting theories.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: Questionable
logic and unnecessary degrading of an initially threatening villain.
VERDICT: The
plot is too good to give this a miss. A
must read for fans of this genre.
RATING: 4.5/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former
politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–74),
but resigned over a financial scandal which left him almost bankrupt. Later,
after a reversal in his fortunes from the royalties of his best-selling novels,
he became deputy chairman of the Conservative Party
(1985–86) before resigning after another scandal, which would lead to the end
of his career in elected office. He was made a life peer in 1992. His political career ended with his
conviction and subsequent imprisonment (2001–03) for perjury and perverting the
course of justice, which followed his second resignation. His books
have sold at least 250 million copies worldwide.
His first book, Not a Penny
More, Not a Penny Less, was picked up by the literary agent
Deborah Owen and published first in the US, then eventually in Britain in the
autumn of 1976. The book was a success and Archer avoided bankruptcy. A BBC
Television adaptation of the book was broadcast in 1990, and a radio adaptation
was aired on BBC Radio 4 in the early
1980s.
Kane and Abel proved to be his best-selling work, reaching number one
on The New York Times
bestsellers list. It was made into a television mini-series by CBS in 1985, starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill. The following year, Granada TV screened a ten-part adaptation of another Archer
bestseller, First Among Equals,
which told the story of four men and their quest to become Prime Minister. In
1979, Archer purchased the Old Vicarage, Grantchester,
a house associated with the poet Rupert Brooke. By now Archer was back in a comfortable
financial position and began to hold shepherd's pie and Krug parties for prominent people at his London apartment,
which overlooks the Houses of Parliament.
EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Kindle,
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook
PRICE: Rs.
189 for Kindle edition
BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.com/Not-Penny-More-Less/dp/0312997132#
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