From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Archer (Kane and Abel) pays homage to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic. Four upper-crust friends from Cambridge University known as the Musketeers conspire to frame Danny Cartwright, an illiterate London East Ender, for the murder of Danny's oldest friend and brother-in-law to be, Bernie Wilson. The outcome of the intriguing trial, which pits a relatively novice defense lawyer against a skilled prosecutor, is a 22-year sentence for Danny. In maximum-security Belmarsh prison, Danny is lucky enough to share a cell with Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, the book's Abbé Faria figure, who teaches him to read and write. In a trick familiar to those who know their Dumas, Danny escapes by impersonating Moncrieff and hatches an intricate scheme to punish the Musketeers and clear his name. While Archer doesn't explore the cost to Danny's soul his revenge exacts, the author's firsthand knowledge of prison life and legal maneuvers helps make this a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. 250,000-copy printing; author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Audiofile
Several themes that run through Archer's latest novel are reminiscent of the stories of Alexander Dumas, and there's no better person to narrate this 21st-century adventure than Roger Allam. He takes you through a murder, the trial, prison life, escape, revenge, and redemption. These events are all set in motion when Danny Cartwright is framed by four friends from Cambridge University for the murder of his best friend, who is also his fiancˆ©e's brother. Like Edmond Dantˆ®s, in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, Cartwright is mentored by a fellow prisoner and, also like the Count, his retribution is well planned and fitting. Allam narrates the multiple layers and numerous characters of this complex plot with alacrity. His reading, together with the story's ending, will leave listeners fulfilled. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
