OVER MY DEAD BODY

4 stars out of 5

When I read any book that I'm planning to review, I jot on a 3 x 5 lined pad notes of important characters and events to refresh my memory when I've finished. Well, for this book I ended up with nine pages - far exceeding my usual three or four. That should tell you that if you read this one, you'll need to pay close attention because there are a ton of characters and subplots that switch at the drop of a paragraph. That said, I found it to be quite enjoyable, and it stands alone well despite being the fourth in a series (coming from one who didn't read the first three).

The London Metro Police's Unsolved Murders Unit includes several top-notch investigators such as Detective William Warwick - basically the star of the series - and the more offbeat Ross Hogan, who recently was pulled in to help after some years as an undercover agent. They've got no shortage of cases, though at the top of the list is tracking down Miles Faulkner, a millionaire art collected who's gone afoul of the law. Problem is, he turned up dead a couple of months earlier, as attested to by officers who attended his funeral. Warwick, though, is convinced the death was faked - aided and abetted by his long-time and super-loyal attorney, Booth Watson. To help, Warwick turns to his museum-employed wife, Beth, who's an air-kissing friend of Faulkner's greedy ex-wife, Christina.

While the Warwicks are on a vacation cruise, the detective meets the grandson of a family business dynasty. The young kid hopes to emulate William and go into law enforcement, so they do a bit of bonding - especially after the iron-fisted grandfather turns up dead. Back in the office, other members of the team are trying to bring down a loan shark who doesn't take it lightly when borrowers can't pay up and a husband who may be trying to add his new wife to the list of former wives the team think he also murdered.

Each of these scenarios brings its own set of characters and locales and transition among them all isn't always clear (thus underscoring the caution I made earlier about the need to pay close attention). But the tension - and the team's moving their investigations along to a successful end - kept me reading and, I must say, warming up to Warwick and Hogan (emphasis on the latter) to the point of looking forward to their next adventure. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for introducing me to this series by way of a pre-release review copy. Well done!

Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer (HarperCollins, October 2021); 354 pp.