Book #87: "Honor Among Thieves"

I own several of this author's books, and I can't remember where I got this one. My guess would be a library sale, though most library hardcover jackets are wrapped in plastic to protect them, and mine isn't. It's also an older edition, so it seems less likely it was a donation they couldn't use (though possible, if someone donated books they've had for a while.) What I do know for sure is that I've never read it before; I bought it based on the author alone.

Quick aside about name recognition: when I was in eighth grade, I had a speech teacher tell me that books are usually published with the title at the top and the author at the bottom. But once an author gets famous enough (and I'm not sure what formula they would use to calculate "famous enough"-total copies sold, maybe?) they would switch the author and the title, on the assumption that the author's name would be a better way to attract attention and thereby sales. This makes sense, although it's not universally true; the Harry Potter books spring to mind as an exception. It's also supported by evidence from other mediums: movie posters, covers and even opening credits all use this to some degree. (That wasn't as quick as I intended it to be.)

Back to the book: It feels like it's from earlier in his career (indeed, a quick internet search reveals that it was his eighth published novel) and doesn't have any of the plot devices that show up so often in his later work. And because of the summary, I wondered for a while if the idea for this movie originated here. There are some parallels; the stealing of the Declaration of Independence is really only the beginning of the adventure, rather than the climax; decoys are used in both stories; someone who is an academic becomes more of an action hero; etc. (Since I'm making this comparison, I'll just say it: Disney did it better. I was more invested in both the outcome and the characters in their story, and if there's one thing Jeffrey Archer really lacks in his books, it's a sense of humor.) I also thought it had some problems with pacing (something he also struggles with) and both character and plot could have used better development. 

Despite being the "Cars" of his novels, it's a decent one; I always like a good caper, especially one tied to American history, and this delivers on that aspect of it at least. We'll see how I feel about it if I ever make it back around. 

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Potentially objectionable content: It's REALLY violent; at least 20 people end up dead, and some of them are described in a bit more detail than anyone needs. There's also a fair amount of language and some sexual references (though nothing graphic)