Traitor's Gate by Jeffrey Archer

 

"But they didn't have to hand over any money, which was all part of Faulkner's plan to make sure they ended up with the wrong picture. William had once told her that it's easy to be conned if you want to believe the conman."

                    -Beth Warwick's thoughts, from the novel

I really didn't like this novel at all. Perhaps because there were numerous characters or maybe I didn't realize this was #6 in a William Warwick series. Then again, I am not a Brit, so I don't really appreciate all the pomp and ceremony involved in the government surrounding the royal family. Of course, it didn't help that the story begins with the effort to retrieve an original painting that was surreptitiously replaced with a fake in a museum only to devolve into a second plot of revenge to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. I stayed confused through much of the book. Not sure why I finished it except that is what I do!

The part of the story I found entertaining was the Warwick kids working on a school project about an historical character named Colonel Blood who had stolen the Crown Jewels. Very ironic since their father, William of Scotland Yard, would soon be involved with such a heist.

I can't recommend this one. I've rated it a 2. So many mysteries and thrillers out there that MUST be better!