Prisoner of Birth and TSAR

I just came back from a trip where I had planned to read two books. I did some online research on both before purchasing them. I was disappointed with one book (and my faulty research on it). I didn't finish it. The other book I completed and enjoyed it.

The two books were Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer and TSAR by Ted Bell. I didn't complete TSAR because of the foul language, Bell's overstretched efforts to make his hero Hawke bigger than life, and the gratuitous sex and crudeness in language of some situational depictions that I choose not to read. I didn't come across any reviews which warned readers of these issues and so when I went into the book store to pick them up as I was leaving on my trip, I didn't take the time to thumb through the pages and read a few passages. My dumb mistake. For this reason, I will not review the book, but if you are looking for any of the above or if you are trying to avoid it, you are now forewarned.

I enjoy Archer books, even though I wish the author were a little less prideful about his talent. This is as good as any he has written. I enjoyed Kane and Abel and The Prodigal Daughter more, because they were the first books of Archer's that I read, but this was written just as well. Archer provides and interesting twist on Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo. Archer's tale takes place in the UK, on London's East End, in Belmarsh Prison, the posh West End of London, and brief visits to Scotland and Switzerland. Along the way the reader is treated with insights into the details of prison life, class structure and the legal process in the UK, Swiss banks, some really good people and some truly despicable people. There were few surprises, but I found myself cheering on the good guys--especially at the end of the book. Archer allows his hero treat retribution and revenge with the same semantic meaning, which was disappointing, but perhaps that was a flaw intentionally placed in Danny's character on purpose.

Apart from the issues of class structure in the novel, the author does a good job of pointing out that no matter where you are born or find yourself along the path of life, you can be a good person. If you are looking for an enjoyable read, only minimal deep thought, and a chance to cheer on the good guys, this will be a happy purchase.