The Barrington-Clifton drama continues in the latest installment of the Clifton Chronicles.Mightier than the Sword literally opens with a bang as the bomb planted by the IRA explodes on the MV Buckingham. But the quick thinking of Harry Clifton saves the day. The bomb rocks the ship quite hard and damages the turbine. Emma Clifton (nee Barrington), the chairman of the Buckingham Shipping Company along with her other board members fabricate a story about the Home Fleet carrying out night time exercises in the Atlantic although they were far off, on a clear night they sound considerably close. The cover up becomes a problem for Emma in the entirety of the book as the family’s arch enemy, Lady Virginia Fenwick is out to sabotage the company’s name again with the help of her loyal sidekick, Major Alex Fisher.
Meanwhile, Harry Clifton is made the president of the English PEN and spends several years trying to get his hands on ‘Uncle Joe’, the controversial book written by Anatoly Babakov, the interpreter of Josef Stalin. The book recounts the horrible endeavours of Stalin. All the copies of the book are destroyed in Russia as Harry launches a campaign for the release of Babakov. But hell breaks loose and Harry finds himself in grave danger.
A lot of limelight is showered on Sebastian Clifton. He rises in position in Farthings Bank where he works under the notorious Adriane Sloane. He falls in love with an American girl, Samantha but suffers heartbreak when she leaves him because of the change in his nature. The story sees him going after her to New York.
Besides Sebastian, Giles Barrington is struck by the love-bug too when he returns from an official trip from Berlin which does not end as a diplomatic success. But, problems arise when scandalous pictures of him are released to the press. His wife Gwyneth leaves him for good but does this mean that Giles will lose his seat?
Jeffrey Archer delivers shock after shock every fifteen pages that keep you at the edge of your seat. Another commendable book from the master of modern literature. The book takes you on a roller-coaster ride that is full of drama, revenge, diplomacy, violence, love and pretty much everything that you can think of. Though it’s an episodic book it’s also a stand-alone. First time readers can pick up the fifth book in the installment and still not feel lost. For avid fans of the Clifton Chronicles, this book is more than what you were expecting for.
My Verdict
4
After completing the book I couldn’t wait for the next book to come out. It’s nail-biting and will make you groan as Archer keeps you hanging in the end.
