Archer begins this writing about the unwritten eleventh commandment which is generally followed as most important for politics and politicians, diplomats etcetera - thou shalt not get caught - while going on about business of assassinations in other countries, toppling their governments and generally keeping them unsettled, since fair means are difficult to fight with and wiping another's line easier than drawing a longer one for oneself.
Only Archer could, however, go into this dirty politics game and make a story so very enjoyable, not by skipping the politics or the terror and the very true gory parts but by making the human element more important. He gives the reader not only a glimpse into a very dirty game, but gives them heroes and villains, and a wish that an assassin would survive because he is after all innocent, nay, a hero. His funeral brings one real disappointment and then there is the typical Archer twist that leaves one happy and smiling before closing the book, even though not all - in fact none of - the truly dirty people are dead yet. They are doing quite well, as they do in reality.
And then one realises he has left the door open for a sequel! Would be nice if he did take it up and wipe the floor with the dirty people, and let good guys win, wouldn't it! It might not happen in reality, but one is after all reading a story and this is where one can make it happen, expects it to happen ultimately, else one could read and newspaper and forget literature! And so one awaits a sequel with Dexter and Zerimski finished.
But meanwhile one is quite happy that he has allowed love and friendship and heroes and heroines to win silently in this - for most part.
Perhaps his best after As The Crow Flies and A Matter of Honour, and a bit in tradition of the latter, what with the suspense and murders and so forth with a happy ending brought about nevertheless.
Monday, December 23, 2013.
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