Next In Line by Jeffrey Archer continues the William Warwick series of books. Warwick and his Scotland Yard team investigates the Royal Protection Command. This command guards/protects the Royal Family, but questions arise as to their competencies and if there is fraud happening at the highest levels. Archer takes us back a few years to set his tale around the commoners princess, Lady Di, and the many whispered stories of that era. Inspector Hogan gets the plum protection detail and serves as the inside man during the investigation.

This is my first Warwick series and I find I want to read the rest of the series. Archer seemed to drag in past readings, so I was excited with the pace and action given here. Ultimately, the good guys win, but I really am the winner as I want to read more of what Jeffrey Archer is writing again.

In 1988 the most famous woman in the world is Princess Diana and Scotland Yard’s elite Royalty Protection Command is responsible for keeping her and her family safe. But when the Command falls under suspicion, Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick and his squad are sent in to investigate. The team includes an ex-undercover operative, Ross Hogan, a friend of Warwick’s and somewhat of a maverick. Hogan’s task is the most sensitive and possibly the most challenging of all. He will provide protection for the Princess.

Next in Line is Jeffrey Archer’s latest book in his series featuring William Warwick and it’s pure Archer – fast-paced, lots of action, and a suspense-filled plot. This story has so many tentacles that reach into various investigations and interspersed in the drama are bits and pieces about fine art and the British royalty. It’s a wild ride that keeps up the pace right to the last page.

I have not read the previous books in this series, but that didn’t seem to hinder my enjoyment of Next in Line.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Enjoyable read but not overwhelmed by much. Good plot with Lady Di weaved in. I haven’t read all of the series so that could have played into the mediocre vibe. All in all though, well written and full of adventure.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.

Jeffrey Archer does it again with a mystery novel focusing on the Royal Protection unit with its dedicated officers. Incredibly written!

As always an excellent book by an excellent author. This book is one I would definitely recommend. I am giving this book. 5 stars

I would like to thank Killer Crime Club Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for the DAC of Next in Line the book 5 in the DCI Warrick series by Jeffrey Archer.

This book is perfect for fans of John Grisham, David Silva and Ken Follett. As usual, brilliantly written, leaving one longing for the next book! Cannot recommend more highly..There is plenty of tension given the rivalries as well as more unscrupulous characters operating from the Royal Prison. The multiple storylines are loaded with twists and turns leading to a satisfying conclusion. This one is so well written and given the subject matter, very tastefully done. And just when you think you can't take anymore, another twist in the book that you never saw coming. I devoured the novel in one sitting definitely a page burner.

DCI William Warwick is given a new assignment - the Royal Security Protection unit with his first assignment being to investigate the current staff of that elite unit. One of his team is assigned to HRH Princess Diana, whose marriage to Prince Charles is already in trouble creating a significant challenge to all involved. Of course, Warwick’s very unlikeable foes - Miles Faulkner, art collector and financial thief, and his attorney Mr. Booth Watson - continue their deceitful activities in the art world and in the courtroom to the consternation of both William and his father, Sir Julian.

Spinning a story around the elite Royalty Protection Command and hinting at their duplicitous and despicable activities felt like a strange departure from Archer’s typical subjects. Focusing a portion of this story on Princess Diana, her questionable liaisons, and painting her in a less than favorable light is puzzling. It made me wonder whether the plot is fact or fiction. It’s never a good thing when one agency is sent in on “the sly” to investigate another and while the characters of William Warwick’s team and the elite Royalty Protection Command, along with their specific functions were well described and the action is well plotted, nastiness abounds. There was just something that didn’t ring true. Maybe that is wishful thinking because if there is any truth to the narrative it is horrifying.

The secondary storyline involving Warwick’s wife and her profession was interesting and interconnected with the main plot. I thought this was the more interesting and meticulously constructed part of the book. The characters were so completely flawed and their thinking was so interesting and convoluted that the tension created was electric.

Archer’s writing is extraordinary, his plots are complex and well thought out, described and defined. I liked this installment of the Detective William Warwick Series, jurist didn’t love it. Thank you Harper 360 / HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy.

I enjoyed this police procedural - and the character Detective Chief Inspector Warwick and will be reading the preceding stories featuring him. There are two threads in the book. I did not enjoy the one featuring Lady Diana too much - but enjoyed the shenanigans of the prisoner who had escaped prison. I have always enjoyed Archer’s books and this one was not an exception

This book was a little different than what I expected. It is a wonderful blend of fiction with a feel of reality. Using real life characters in part of it really makes a person wonder if there is some hidden truth in this story. There was a lot of detail in this book. After reading I was curious about the author and did some research on him. Jeffrey Archer is an interesting person and it explains why he did such a fantastic job on his detail.
Miles is a very intriguing character. Was all of his money made from being a crook? The way he is able to work the system makes a person wonder how often something like this happens in true life. It is very hard to distinguish this book from a true story.

Not what i was expecting. The blurb did not lead me to believe Miles Faulkner and Boith Watson would be such a prominent characters. Multiple story lines and a lot of characters bogged it down. This one just didn't hold my interest like many of his previous books.

Jeffrey Archer is a masterful storyteller whose characters straddle the line between good and evil. His villains are devious but engaging and his protagonists put themselves in harms way to save society. Fans of The William Warwick series will be 'next in line' for his latest book.

Thanks to #NetGalley, I had the good fortune to read an advance copy of #NextinLine in exchange for an honest review and it didn't disappoint. Archer's powerful prose and trademark chase scenes will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final chapter. It's Faulkner vs Warwick again and readers will have to read to find out who are the pawns in their chess match.

What I love about Archer's books is that while penning charismatic characters, he reflects that there's good and evil in all of us. Even law protecting citizens may skirt the line in order to achieve desired outcomes while criminals may put themselves in danger to save others.

I'm sad to see this chapter come to a close. Looking forward to the story continuing in 2023. Until then, it's time to revisit old haunts and how the rivalry commenced.

It is 1988 , the whole world loves and watches Princess Diana like true worshippers and there are multiple plots afoot requiring the services of Scotland Yard.
I love British police procedurals , they always have such decorum and a certain rhythm that I cannot explain.
This particular book has romance, danger, drama, a crook, a terrorist, a rich crooks wife and a corrupt lawyer.
Also a normal family, a sense of humor and a bunch of money.
A fast, easy to follow and very enjoyable book. I recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Next in Line.

It took me a while to get into this book, because it was the first I had read of the Warwick series. Diseregading the fact that i was not aware of the characters backrounds, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved that it featured the late Princess Diana and that the author had met her back in his early days.

I would reccommend this book, but first make sure to read the rest of William Warwick books.

Thank you, once again Harper Collins and NetGalley.

Published by ‎ HarperCollins on September 27, 2022

One wonders how many novels Jeffrey Archer can milk from the career of William Warwick and his relentless battle against the nefarious criminal Miles Faulkner, as well as Faulkner’s unethical lawyer, Booth Watson. At least one more, apparently, as Next in Line leaves a plot thread dangling.

Princess Diana, the world’s favorite royal after the Queen grew to old to do anything interesting, is taking a break from Prince Charles. She’s yachting (and presumably canoodling) with a rich fellow when terrorists controlled by Gaddafi capture the yacht and take her captive. That’s a crime that differs from William Warwick’s usual fare. Perhaps Archer thought it was time to add some excitement to William’s drab life.

Now if Diana had actually been kidnapped, the world might have noticed, so this book might need to be viewed as an alternate history. In a brief statement at the end, Archer apologizes for making small changes in history while applauding himself for his meticulous research.

In any event, the kidnapping is a late addition to the plot. Most of the novel follows the usual path of a William Warwick story. William’s pretentious father is again prosecuting Faulkner, this time for the prison escape that occurred in Over My Dead Body. Watson tries to enrich himself by defrauding Faulkner and his client’s ex-wife Christina, who is once again playing tug-of-war with her ex-husband over his art collection. Unless it’s Christina’s art collection now — it’s difficult to keep track.

Inspector Ross Hogan takes a job as Diana’s personal protection officer, while William is assigned to an undercover job with Royal Protection (the British equivalent of America’s Secret Service, albeit charged with protecting royals rather than politicians). Warwick is investigating fraudulent claims for expense reimbursements submitted by the cops, which seems small potatoes compared to the money spent by British citizens to fund the royals. It is a big deal to William, however, who is absolute in his view that the police should never break the law — unless, of course, he’s kidnapping Faulkner in Spain and hauling him back to England without bothering to pursue an extradition. Like most people who make a show of their rectitude, William’s principles are flexible when it comes to William.

The story is a bit dull, if only because it seems like something series readers have encountered before — four times before when it comes to crimes involving Faulkner’s art collection. While the plot enlivens when the terrorists make their appearance, the terrorists are nearly as stupid as Bond villains. They discuss their plans within earshot of witnesses, not pausing to consider that the witnesses might have been planted by the police because they speak the terrorists’ language. They spare the life of a cop for no obvious reason other than Archer’s desire to avoid disappointing his readers by killing off a character they might care about.

Lengthy bits of the novel focus on two British obsessions: cricket and the correct protocol to follow when encountering a member of the royal family. British readers might find these bits of interest. I’ve read several novels that describe cricket matches and still can’t figure out how the match is scored, although I do like the customary break for tea in the middle of the game. Alan Lazard recently pretended to pour tea (or maybe a psychedelic drink) after scoring a touchdown for the Packers, but I can’t see impatient and uncivilized Americans tolerating a real tea break in any sport. On the other hand, some Americans do take an interest in royals, at least when they’re misbehaving. Archer portrays Diana as a misbehaving wife, although the world was willing to forgive Diana anything for enduring a marriage to the current king.

Maybe fans of royal scandals are a good audience for this book. I wouldn’t recommend the novel as a standalone because it is premised on so many events developed in the earlier novels. Readers who read the first four might as well read this one, but the last novel remains the best in the series, probably because it overcame the privileged stuffiness of the central characters.

RECOMMENDED

I always look forward to Jeffrey Archer's books and I'm never disappointed. This book is part of a series where the main character is William Warwick. It's been fascinating seeing William grow and change through the series and it's always interesting to see familiar characters again.

Archer is an excellent writer who invites you into the world he's created and presents a story with great characters, intriguing plots, and a hope that when it ends, there will be a continuation in future books.
Very enjoyable

Excellent new book from Jeffrey Archer! Next in Line is filled with twists, turns and multiple storylines running smoothly together throughout the novel. True to his usual style, his writing and characters are complex while sharing insider British information with the reader. The book moves along easily while engaging the reader with the various characters including London itself a starring role.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper360 for the opportunity to read this great ARC.

It’s 1988, Princess Diana, London crime. Archer is so good. Archer deftly nails the era and the mood. A conspiracy style suspense and crime. What could be better. Great novel.

Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer is another totally engrossing novel featuring Inspector William Warwick. Most of the novel regards the Met’s responsibility to guard the royal family, one in particular: Princess Diana. It also roots out corruption in the palace protection detail and includes more on the escapades of master criminal, Miles Faulkner, and his errant ex-wife and lawyer. The man is powerful, even when he is in prison, as he is now. His ex-wife, Christina is a friend of Warwick’s wife, Beth, although one they all know cannot be trusted. This is an amazingly plotted book as it is chock full of intrigue, plots, and lies. Never confusing them and getting everything right is due to Archer’s diligence and talent.

William Warwick is a dedicated police officer as well as a dedicated father to his two children. I love this character. This book could almost be labeled a farce except that it isn’t. There are some very tense moments as the police join forces with the military, including the English version of a Seal team. There are many humorous moments as William navigates the politics of being a police officer, as well as the politics of being a son and husband. Inspector Ross Hogan, who has promoted to be Princess Diana’s guard, provides some interesting, as well as, harrowing moments. He is an excellent character, the father of William and Beth’s third daughter, Jo-Jo. There is no way to describe all that goes on in this book, other than to say, “You must read it for yourself!”

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Next in Line by Harper Collins, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #Netgalley #HarperCollins #JeffreyArcher #NextInLine

I've loved all of Jeffrey Archer's books, but hadn't read the Warwick series until now. I'd bought them all for my father, who recently passed away, he enjoyed the series so I figured I'd give this a try.

I see why he enjoyed the books so much. The characters engage well together, I didn't feel at all lost even though I hadn't read the other books, and there's a bit of history mixed into the fiction (Princess Diana). Mystery, friendship and espionage are main topics of this book, so any reader who enjoys these will love this book!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I so love these characters. Especially Miles and Christina Faulkner.. Love the insight into the art world. Fun bringing Princess Diana into this story. Glad to hear there will be another book next year. Can't wait!