False Impression

By: Jeffrey Archer

Narrated by: Byron Jennings

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A thrilling novel of suspense from the international bestselling author of The Clifton Chronicles, Jeffery Archer's False Impression.

Why was an elegant lady brutally murdered the night before 9/11?

Why was a successful New York banker not surprised to receive a woman's left ear in the morning mail?

Why did a top Manhattan lawyer work only for one client, but never charge a fee?

Why did a young woman with a bright career steal a priceless Van Gogh painting?

All these questions and more are answered in Jeffrey Archer's novel, False Impression, but not before a breathtaking journey of twists and turns that will take listeners from New York to London to Bucharest and on to Tokyo, and finally a sleepy English village, where the mystery of Van Gogh's last painting will finally be resolved.

©2006 Jeffrey Archer (P)2006 Audio Renaissance

Very enjoyable

This was my first 'Archer' book and I found it very enjoyable. I love books that get my attention from the first page and this one didn't disappoint me at all.

Predictable

Not one of his best but still enjoyable.

Very Entertaining

I really enjoyed listening to this story. My only complaint was the lack of character depth in the "villains". It was easy to tell that a man had authored this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not His Best

I can’t say this was my favourite Jeffrey Archer book, he has so many better ones to offer so I wouldn’t particularly recommend this one.

It wasn’t bad – just not one of his best, yet I have to say that it did serve its purpose which was to give me a distracting break before getting back to another longer more tedious book that I am determined to finish!

Although I didn’t enjoy it that much, overall I am still a Jeffrey Archer fan – like I’ve said about him in the past: he is usually dependably entertaining.

Terrible accents, idiotic dialogue

I have always enjoyed Jeffrey Archer's books, until now. The plot in this one is rather thin, the accents are bad, and the FBI agents come across as slow and stupid. The main character is smarter than the FBI agents. I made it through the whole book, but his others are much better.

OMG! The accents!

First, I should say that I do not write reviews very often. Second, I must say I am a big fan of J. Archer, the author. The book was good - cute and somewhat predictable - but good. On to the bad. The narration was horrible ... awful ... the worst I have ever heard ... ever. The narrator was trying to do a Romanian accent, but ended up sounding like a cross between an Irish lilt and mid-western Norwegian. He attempted to do a Japanese accent, failed miserably. I really do not know what the producers were thinking. It was just painful to listen.

Ho-Hum

I'm a Jeffery Archer fan but this book seemed to be written by someone else...perhaps Danielle Steel. Obviously a poor attempt to capture the female audience. Good narrator for such a tedious book.

Very disappointing

I've never read an Archer that I haven't liked -- except for this one. Something was missing. It was too predictable; there was no twist, no sudden surprises. If this is your first foray into Archer thrillers, don't start here. Try his older books first. Archer is a fine storyteller but this one will only leave you with a false impression.

False Impression

Any additional comments?

Audiobook. I’ve been a fan of Jeffrey Archer for years, long before the popularity of the audiobook. My first exposure being Kane & Abel in paperback format, and I was engrossed in absolutely wonderful story. Considering that Kane & Abel was one of Archer’s very earliest books, I’m wondering if he’s beginning to burn out. Briefly, False Impression centers around the ownership, stealing, and recovery of a valuable Van Gogh painting. It begins with a hair raising escape from the north tower of the World Trade Center in 2001, but has nothing to do with the terrorism involved. The inclusion of this horrific event seemed almost gratuitous. There are no typical Archer twists, no surprises. Simply a well outlined plot and the author moves through his story in a predictable fashion.

Given that this review is of the audiobook, a few comments about the narration are warranted. A few of the voices are well done. Lady Arabella, in particular, is very nice. Most of the male voices are distinctive and recognizable throughout the book. However, Anna, the lead character, is atrocious and difficult to listen to, as her accent simply seemed … wrong. Given the necessary dialogue of this character, I had some trouble staying with the story without frowning on occasion. False Impression is narrated by Byron Jennings

Couldn't Get Past the Accents

This may very well be a great book, but I couldn't listen to more than about 30 minutes. I couldn't stand the accents used for the main characters. The narration was inconsistent. At times, it seemed very monotone, and at other times it seems rushed. I just stopped listening. Then, when I picked up a copy of the book at the store, I couldn't read it without hearing those same accents in my head!! It's a shame, it seems like it would have been a pretty good book.