Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less, this debut novel of the legendary
Jeffrey Archer is one of those rare novels which excites, entertains and thrill its readers till the very end. It is one of the stories that has very unusual and unexpected ends. The pace at which the events unfold and the dramatic end not only justifies the title but makes an excellent reading experience for light hearted times. Probably the novel was the perfect reason for establishing Jeffrey as a master story teller.
About the book.
Four people find themselves penniless overnight.Now they must get their money back one way or the other. What trauma these four persons undergo and how they manage to come up with a plan to outwit the person who put them in such peril, makes for exciting and fun reading. The plot loosens a bit here and there but that could only be attributed to the fact that it was the author’s first novel.
Also the characters compliment each other very well. The incidents take place one after the other so as a reader at no point one gets bored of it. Archer has been able to explain the complexities of the business world and corporate working in details without getting into the un-necessary technicalities. Also through the medium of the four characters and one villan the author has been successful in his description of various jobs an individual has to pursue in one’s career. All this in just over 300 pages. This makes it none-put-downable book.
Overall:
I rate this book as highly recommended overall. The style of writing and the plot of the book keeps one engrossed. Moreover one can finish it in a few hours. Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less in itself is a new concept. The basic thing is that one would sieze exactly the same amount one was stripped off. The four characters : the heir to an earldom, A Harley Street doctor, a Bond Street
art dealer and an Oxford don show immense character to sting the crook who robbed them for exactly what they lost: To the penny. Not a Penny more, Not a Penny Less!