Nothing Ventured

Book: Nothing Ventured
Series: Detective William Warwick #1
Author: Jeffrey Archer

William Warwick has always wanted to be a detective, and decides, much to his father’s dismay, that rather than become a lawyer like his father, Sir Julian Warwick QC, and his sister Grace, he will join London’s Metropolitan Police Force.

After graduating from university, William begins a career that will define his life: from his early months on the beat under the watchful eye of his first mentor, Constable Fred Yates, to his first high-stakes case as a fledgling detective in Scotland Yard’s arts and antiquities squad. Investigating the theft of a priceless Rembrandt painting from the Fitzmolean Museum, he meets Beth Rainsford, a research assistant at the gallery who he falls hopelessly in love with, even as Beth guards a secret of her own that she’s terrified will come to light.

While William follows the trail of the missing masterpiece, he comes up against suave art collector Miles Faulkner and his brilliant lawyer, Booth Watson QC, who are willing to bend the law to breaking point to stay one step ahead of William. Meanwhile, Miles Faulkner’s wife, Christina, befriends William, but whose side is she really on?-Goodreads

Review: The Clifton Chronicles is a very successful series by this author (I confess I haven't read it yet) and this book is a prequel of sorts about one of those characters, Detective William Warwick. The author is clear that this isn't a detective story, rather a story about a detective. The good? It's an easy read and I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes. I loved William's father. The not so good? The story itself around counterfeit artwork was very boring and I had a hard time staying engaged in the story. I'll probably give book 2 a chance. 

Grade: 2/5