Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

Rating:
Summary: Set The Record Straight
Review: A good sign, for me, that I have loved a book is when looking at the cover brings back strong emotions, and visualizations of the stories within the story.

This definitely is the case for "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less."

This story is about a businessman who bilked $1,000,000 out of 4 men. Each of these men are from very different professions. And each of these men decided to get together to devise a plan that will get their money back. They emphasize the exact amount, not a penny more, nor less.

For those who don't believe in revenge, deception of the like, I still say that this book is great, because their focus is upon their worthiness, using the crook's, that is Harvey Metcalfe's style and fears against him.

As I read this book, I there were so many "wow's," "Uh oh's," and "go for it's," that I was there, a strong part of the plot.

And the phrase that has stuck in my mind the most, from this book, the phrase that the 4 men used to guide them to get what is rightfully there's is, "Think Like a Jew. Act Like a Brit."

For me, while I understand that this phrase counts upon stereotypes, this means be analytic, decisive and determined, while you remain charismatic - The results are always pleasant.

But, it's a great book, anyway.

Rating:
Summary: READ WITH SUAVE ASSURANCE
Review: British mystery master Jeffrey Archer never fails to intrigue with his imaginative plotting and incomparable characters. Anyone who has ever been bilked can well relate to the four profiled in "Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less." We're talking about being stiffed big time here - each lost everything he had to Harvey Metcalfe, con man par excellence.

The four men are strangers but they're brought together by a common goal - get Harvey Metcalfe, and get him good. It's a dissimilar quartet, an Oxford don, a physician, a French art dealer, and an English lord. However, between them they produce a plan that will not only break Metcalfe but make him suffer to boot.

Listeners are treated to an action filled chase that takes them to some of the most glamorous spots in the world - Monte Carlo, Ascot, New York, and London. Revenge is the name of this game, and they won't quit until they've exacted it.

Martin Jarvis reads with suave assurance as he carries us along on a fascinating chase. Can four fellows inexperienced in duplicity out con a first-rate con man?

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: READ WITH SUAVE ASSURANCE
Review: British mystery master Jeffrey Archer never fails to intrigue with his imaginative plotting and incomparable characters. Anyone who has ever been bilked can well relate to the four profiled in "Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less." We're talking about being stiffed big time here - each lost everything he had to Harvey Metcalfe, con man par excellence.

The four men are strangers but they're brought together by a common goal - get Harvey Metcalfe, and get him good. It's a dissimilar quartet, an Oxford don, a physician, a French art dealer, and an English lord. However, between them they produce a plan that will not only break Metcalfe but make him suffer to boot.

Listeners are treated to an action filled chase that takes them to some of the most glamorous spots in the world - Monte Carlo, Ascot, New York, and London. Revenge is the name of this game, and they won't quit until they've exacted it.

Martin Jarvis reads with suave assurance as he carries us along on a fascinating chase. Can four fellows inexperienced in duplicity out con a first-rate con man?

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: A truly enjoyable read - one of the best books I've read.
Review: Couldn't wait to read this each day and was sorry when I finished it because I didn't have the pleasure of anticipation the next day. Jeffrey Archer has woven a thoroughly enjoyable tale of a scoundral - Harvey - who cheats anyone anyway he can. Through an innocent third party, he manages to dupe four men out of a total of $1,000,000. One of these, a university professor, determines to follow his father's motto: don't get angry, get even. The professor puts together a dossier on Harvey and contacts the three other men and convinces them to come up with a way to get the money they lost back. (They had all invested in north sea oil shares that turned out to be worthless.) The schemes they develop and carry out are not only brilliant, but also very humorous reading. The delightful twist at the end had me laughing all through the last chapter. This book is skillfully written and sure to be enjoyed by Archer fans. Anyone who has not read his books, would surely become a fan after reading "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less".

Rating:
Summary: Amusing tale of a swindler swindled
Review: Harvey Metcalfe, an unscrupulous American businessman, cons four different men into between them investing a million dollars in a dud oil company, Prospecta Oil. Then the oil company vanishes along with the money. The four men get together and decide to recover their lost money by in turn swindling Harvey for the exact amount he took from them - hence the title, not a penny more, not a penny less. They all come up with complex, cunning schemes for getting omeny out of Harvey, and carry out each scheme in turn. The first one, involving a very sahdy art deal, was my favourite, but they are all clever, though several of them come close to failure. There are several clever plot twists in this story, and a very amusing ending. I felt that the characters were a bit indistinct, none of them struck me as particulalry memorable, but in a story of this kind the plot is the thing, and the plot in this one is amusing and gripping enough to keep you turning the pages until the end, and the ending is very good.

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Revenge Novel---Liberally Laced With Humor
Review: Have you ever wanted to get even? I mean *really* even. That's the plot in Jeffrey Archer's first novel. Four disparate men are each swindled out of their life's savings by a clever con man. How they combine to get even and try to reclaim what is rightfully theirs makes for a brilliantly plotted, fact-paced read peopled by sympathetic characters. Stephen, an Oxford professor, Robin, a Harley Street physician, Jean-Pierre Lamanns, a French art dealer, and James Brigsley, an English lord, all find themselves in identical circumstances. Singularly, they are powerless, but united they develop a plan to win back their lost money without exacting any further punishment than attaining not a penny more, not a penny less, of that which was stolen from them.

Although this is quite different from Archer's later family sagas such as KANE AND ABEL, AS THE CROW FLIES, and others, it is no less ingenious or entertaining. This is a light-hearted romp filled with humor, romance, and revenge. There's also a knock-your-socks off ending to end all endings.

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Revenge Novel---Liberally Laced With Humor
Review: Have you ever wanted to get even? I mean *really* even. That's the plot in Jeffrey Archer's first novel. Four disparate men are each swindled out of their life's savings by a clever con man. How they combine to get even and try to reclaim what is rightfully theirs makes for a brilliantly plotted, fact-paced read peopled by sympathetic characters. Stephen, an Oxford professor, Robin, a Harley Street physician, Jean-Pierre Lamanns, a French art dealer, and James Brigsley, an English lord, all find themselves in identical circumstances. Singularly, they are powerless, but united they develop a plan to win back their lost money without exacting any further punishment than attaining not a penny more, not a penny less, of that which was stolen from them.

Although this is quite different from Archer's later family sagas such as KANE AND ABEL, AS THE CROW FLIES, and others, it is no less ingenious or entertaining. This is a light-hearted romp filled with humor, romance, and revenge. There's also a knock-your-socks off ending to end all endings.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read with a great ending
Review: Having read a wide variety of authors, I can say that I truly enjoy Archer's entertaining writing, with his abundant humorous and/or dramatic turns. This book is no exception. An American businessman has bilked four different men with an intricate scheme to the tune of $1,000,000. But one of the men is determined to get his money back.

Gathering the victims together, the four men develop individually elaborate plans to recoup their losses from the infamous Mr. Harvey. Each plan is exceptionally creative, daring, and very entertaining as they get all of their money back, not a penny more, not a penny less.

Archer's style creates a very reader-friendly text, with good pace. And the ending is outlandishly funny. A great read.

Rating:
Summary: Greed can get you anywhere
Review: I found this book to be my cure for long waits in the doctor's waiting room. With this book with me I never minded the wait, in fact the time flew and I just didn't want to put it down. I was always trying to guess the next twist and turn that the story took. Don't read if you want something to help you fall asleep.

Rating:
Summary: Absolute Reader Heaven...
Review: I think this is easily the 2nd best J.A I have read till date. I havent read all but from the ones that I have this book stands due its complex yet simple thrill. I think its a very good account of a man's life for a certain portion of the book. Turns out the hero's a villain but then is he? It keeps you guessing , a definite page turner. It made me realise Mr.Archer has this absolute gift to give the best possible starts to any book. The start that this book had made me stay awake on a midnight for five consecutive hours of reading after which I finished the book the following day. I think anyone remotely interested in knowing more than what they know and beyond what they know should get it. No I do not mean it in a stereotype way. Ah Well, I'll shut up now. Enjoy this read.