Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Chronicles) (The Clifton Chronicles, 1)

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Whether it’s his own career in politics, his passionate interest in art, or the wealth of fascinating background detail – inspired by the extraordinary network of friends he has built over a lifetime at the heart of Britain’s establishment – his novels provide a fascinating glimpse into a range of closed worlds. Maisie Clifton - Harry's mother who after sudden death of her husband Arthur, tries to make ends meet to support her family and Harry's education. Their hitherto smooth operations have hit a snag — Miles Faulkner, a wily criminal mastermind, has charted an audacious theft that could upend history itself. His team are focused on investigating Detective Jerry Summers, but when he develops a relationship with a member of William's team, the whole operation could be compromised.

The birthday party had apparently been going swimmingly until my father burst into the room, and then he hardly spoke again. Meanwhile in Geneva, a millionaire art collector was pronounced dead more than two months ago, but his lawyer continues to represent a dead client . The writing flowed eloquently, and at times, maybe a little too much, but this was saved by the masterful storytelling. A heart warming story set back in the early 1900’s which follows a young lad named Harry Clifton as he faces the many obstacles throughout his life’s journey to manhood. Clifton forges ahead to make a name for himself, while living under the shadow of never having met his father.The reader also learns of Clifton's mother, Maisie, who seeks to put a troubled past out of her mind and make a name for herself, all while concerned that Harry might discover the truth about his father. This was the first book I read by Jeffrey Archer, but I have every intention of reading many more after this one. Relatively plotless, the story was however so engaging it was difficult to put down, with the interesting technique of revealing the tale little by little from different character's points of view. It was also made into a successful serial for BBC Radio 4, and was later televised in 1990 by the BBC.

The author attempts to end every chapter with some sort of mysterious tease, clearly intended to make the reader curious but it gets annoying after a bit because it always ends in predictable anti-climax. Penniless, he has little choice but to accept the help of Sefton Jelks, a respected Manhattan lawyer, but after Tom is tried and found guilty, Jelks disappears.

Richly imagined and populated with remarkable characters, the Clifton Chronicles will take you on a powerful journey, bringing to life one hundred years of family history in a story neither you, nor Harry, could ever have dreamt of.

Only Time Will Tell covers the years from 1920 to 1940, and includes a cast of memorable characters that The Times has compared to The Forsyte Saga. I haven't come across that sort of blatant ass-kissing of a fictional character since I read Stephanie Meyer's homage to the Supreme Glorious Awesome Majestic Sparkleness that is His Magnificence, Edward Cullen. I also think Old Jack Tar is my favourite character in the book, though I don't want to give anything away as to why that is.It may sound strange, but: Archer's novels are not quite thriller, not quite family drama and not quite history novel, and yet, it's ALL of it! Spanning the period between the world wars (roughly 1920-1940) and set in Britain, this first book traces Harry’s school career to his likelihood of entering the Navy as it seems war with Hitler is on the horizon. On ne peut que se précipiter pour lire la suite de ses ouvrages afin de savoir s’il existe une justice immanente. If it hadn’t been for a personal intervention by the Frob, I might have suffered the same fate at Bristol Grammar.