Over My Dead Body (William Warwick Novels)

Over My Dead Body
I should probably preface this review with a disclaimer: this is not the sort of book that I usually read. I have also not read the previous books in the series, which meant that I spent the first part scrambling to figure out who the characters were and how they were related to each other; consequently, I was not immersed in the book from the start. The writing is very dialogue heavy, which, while it creates an immediacy, leaves a sense that there is something missing, and the book misses the powerful imagery and description that would have made the characters and setting come alive. Furthermore, the plot itself felt quite derivative and in places clichéd; some of the exciting reveals felt predictable, the events were at times unlikely, and I never really became invested enough in the multiple characters to care about what happened to them. That said, I did want to know what happened at the end, and I can see why readers enjoy the fast pace and interlinked plotlines. I did finish the book, but it isn’t one that will end up on my re-read pile.

Over My Dead Body is Book 4 of Archer’s William Warwick series, with Book 8 (William Warwick The Final Novel) to be published later this year. Oundle Crime read this over the Christmas break, a busy time of year when it can be nice to read something undemanding and this fitted the bill.

The story is light and has a pretty straightforward plot. DCI William Warwick is on the trail of a master criminal called Miles Faulkner. The millionaire crook and art collector had been pronounced dead from a heart attack a few months previously, but Warwick believes he’s still alive and is determined to catch him.

The novel begins with Warwick solving a crime while travelling on an ocean liner to New York. But that’s just a scene-setter which allows Archer to demonstrate Warwick’s brilliance as a detective and provide necessary background information for first-time readers such as ourselves. Solving a sleight-of-hand poisoning is just taxing enough to get the story going.

When he arrives back in the UK, Warwick discovers his new Unsolved Murders Unit has gained another recruit, in the form of ex-undercover cop DI Ross Hogan. With the support of the Met’s Commander Hawksby, the team starts working to track down Miles Faulkner.

Our verdict
Most of our book group hadn’t read anything by Jeffrey Archer before, but one person has read all the books in this series and enjoyed them very much, which helped our discussion. There’s a big market for easy-to-read crime novels and this fits into that category, although most of us found the plot predictable and the writing thin. One of our number summed it up pretty accurately as ‘fast-paced and far-fetched’.

In theory the story is built around strong – albeit clichéd – elements. The unscrupulous, cruel, millionaire crook, who will stop at nothing to get his own way and has the funds to ensure he does. His corrupt lawyer and devoted butler, attending to his every whim. The brilliant and squeaky-clean protagonist, incorruptible and doggedly persistent; and his slightly damaged, ruthless sidekick who’s happy to take the law into his own hands to get the right result.

Despite that, Over My Dead Body never caught our imagination. Eventually we agreed it’s because the writing is poor and Jeffrey Archer doesn’t provide any sort of setting for his plot. Because the descriptions of places and people are so light and insubstantial, there’s no atmosphere and nothing on which to hang the story. And that’s a shame, because in our view, atmosphere and setting are essential to build tension and allow the reader to see (and feel) things in their mind’s eye. Unfortunately, both are non-existent here.

We didn’t find the characters convincing either. We thought Warwick came across as rather smug and complacent, while Faulkner was pure parody. And there are places where the clichés make things unintentionally funny, such as when you discover that Warwick’s parents are Sir Julian and Lady Warwick, and his children are called Peter and Artemisia. Of course they are! Jeffrey Archer doesn’t do normal.

Five of us read this novel and the best rating offered was 4 Stars, with the worst 2 Stars. We realise that reading only one of the books in this series doesn’t give a fair view of the whole, and we’re not criticising Over My Dead Body for being lightweight, because that would be unfair. In our view it would be perfect to read if you’re looking for something that won’t tax you, but we didn’t think it was a novel to savour.
Review by: Oundle Crime

The book takes a while to get going, with the first few chapters bogged down by exposition and unnecessary details. The pacing only picks up midway, which may frustrate readers looking for an immediate hook.

While Jeffrey Archer is known for his twists, the surprises in Over My Dead Body often feel predictable and formulaic. Longtime fans of the genre might see the reveals coming a mile away, making the story less engaging than it could have been. As the fourth book in the William Warwick series, Over My Dead Body treads familiar ground. Archer recycles themes and plot devices from previous installments, making it feel like the series is running out of fresh ideas. The antagonists in this novel are disappointingly one-dimensional. Their motivations and actions are overly simplistic, making them less menacing and more cartoonish than compelling.

The characters, including William Warwick, lack depth in this installment. Many feel more like archetypes than fully fleshed-out individuals, which makes it difficult to connect with their struggles or triumphs on a meaningful level. The investigative aspects of the story often strain credibility. Warwick and his team seem to stumble upon convenient clues or make improbable deductions, undermining the authenticity of the police procedural elements.

Though the novel delves into high society, the depiction feels shallow and clichéd. Archer relies on stereotypes to portray wealth and privilege, missing an opportunity to provide fresh insight into this world.

After a meandering middle, the book’s conclusion feels rushed and unsatisfying. Archer ties up loose ends too quickly, leaving little room for the tension to build naturally or for readers to savor the resolution.

This series feels like the predicatable passage of a Jack Racher novel. Or that of Mitch Rapp. The challenges and tribulations are predictable. Sorry.

This is book four in the series and it’s not good reading a story where the characters were introduced and established in previous books. So, it was a bit of a challenge getting to know the characters and their dynamics. It would have been helpful if the author had included a bit more of background to the previous books.
The group did have mixed feelings about the style of writing; it felt like a lecture or a business report.

The plot was a bit unbelievable and too many sub-plots to keep track of. It took a while to figure out that the book was set in the 80s! The characters were rather stereotypical and did not break any rules. But saying that it was still understandable and enjoyable. There was nothing to tax the reader and it was an interesting read once you got into it. We liked the insights into the art world and the logistics of moving paintings. He pulled all the stories together and solved them all so weren’t left wondering. A few of the group had read previous books by Jeffrey Archer but none in this series and would possibly now read more.