Book #26: "As the Crow Flies"

I'm fairly sure this is the first Jeffrey Archer book I ever read, probably because I was bugging my mother (yet again) for something new to read. It's also one of my favorites of his, with one of the best literary villains ever written.

I wish to take a moment here to talk about an endless debate my sister and I have, regarding the best Disney villain. Her vote is for Scar, since he kills his own brother and tries to kill his nephew so he can be the king. And while I agree that's reprehensible, it also makes a twisted kind of sense. He wanted something; he removed the obstacles to getting it; he got it. You don't condone his method, but you can't really fault his logic. My pick, on the other hand, employs a veritable army of minions for more than fifteen years, commits a couple of felonies and ultimately ends up dead because...she wasn't invited to a party. That's a whole different level of evil.

And while it says nothing good about me that I prefer my antagonists to be both brilliant and unhinged, I...don't actually care that much. Particularly when said antagonist just will not (or possibly cannot) let it go, already. Because inevitably, they're brought down by their own insanity, and it's very satisfying.

Also, a word about this author: his books all have some minor but weird errors. It's usually a number or a peripheral character's name that changes from chapter to chapter, and it makes me wonder who edits the manuscripts and why they don't notice. If I ever have the chance to meet him, you better believe I'll ask him.

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Potentially objectionable content: Language, some sex references, and war scenes

Where Were We?

Lost in backlog hell, that's where. My ability to get books read far exceeds my motivation to write about them, my enormous enthusiasm for this project notwithstanding. Add to that a family reunion, the creation of my first-ever Primary program (and the considerable stress experienced thereby!), and finding a book I just couldn't make myself read (more on that later on) and...well, it just fell apart. All of it.

But I'm back! And I have brought many books and, naturally, my thoughts about them. So without further ado...