Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
Written by Jeffrey Archer
Narrated by Martin Jarvis
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
The thrilling novel that launched #1 New York Times bestseller Jeffrey Archer's career, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less.
THE SWINDLE IS INGENIOUS
The conned: an Oxford don, a revered society physician, a chic French art dealer, and a charming English lord. They have one thing in common. Overnight, each novice investor lost his life's fortune to one man. The con: Harvey Metcalfe. A brilliant, self-made guru of deceit. A very dangerous individual. And now, a hunted man.
SO IS THE REVENGE
With nothing left to lose, four strangers are about to come together—each expert in their own field. Their plan: find Harvey, shadow him, trap him, and penny-for-penny, destroy him. From the luxurious casinos of Monte Carlo to the high-stakes windows at Ascot to the bustling streets of Wall Street to fashionable London galleries, their own ingenious game has begun.
It's called revenge—and they were taught by a master.
Jeffrey Archer
Jeffrey Archer, whose novels and short stories include the Clifton Chronicles, Kane and Abel and Cat O’ Nine Tales, is one of the world’s favourite storytellers and has topped the bestseller lists around the world in a career spanning four decades. His work has been sold in 97 countries and in more than 37 languages. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). Jeffrey is also an art collector and amateur auctioneer, and has raised more than £50m for different charities over the years. A member of the House of Lords for over a quarter of a century, the author is married to Dame Mary Archer, and they have two sons, two granddaughters and two grandsons.
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Reviews for Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
447 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was OK, but this early novel of Archer's is not his best. A shady character gets investors to part with their money. When the money is lost the four biggest losers hatch a plan to get back every penny. It was quite far-fetched to think that someone as sharp-witted as Harvey Metcalfe would have been taken in by their antics. I noticed this won an ALA Best Books for Young Adults award. I'm sure Archer didn't intend it as a YA story, but it is a suitable choice.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What fun! This has always been my favorite, and I laughed aloud as much listening as I did reading. Narration was very good as well.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I very much enjoyed this little romp of revenge - a shadowy businessman runs a sharemarket pump and dump scam stealing a million dollars from four investors. Upon realising they've been scammed the four people join forces to recover the exact amount, not a penny more, not a penny less, back through various schemes.The various schemes and developments in the story line keep the pages turning as you keep wondering if they're really going to pull it off or if this is the time they'll get caught making for an entertaining and captivating read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Four strangers who have been duped get together to reclaim their losses in a series of stings. A light-hearted romp full of stereotypes including a charming Frenchman and an ignorant but wealthy American. And a lot of name-dropping of expensive wines.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first proper thriller I've ever read. Many years ago. Great fun, clever plot.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I love Jeffrey Archer's writing but this book was probably one of my least favorites among the books of his that I have read. With that said he is such a good author that I still gave the book three stars.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Most popular books have durability but this one is not among them. Reason is that the last 3 chapters or so were stabs at comedy that went wide off the mark. Although my enjoyment and my remembrance of this book and my smile faltered near the end, for most of the story I pronounced it a perfect 5/5. I enjoyed it immensely. Nevertheless the plot in retrospective seems less clever in the cold light of the day. It was one of those books that don't have much staying power and cannot be enjoyed a second time. I should mentioned though that as an author, Jeffrey Archer has grown on me and I'm curious about his books. Watch this space.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5It's a very insipid book, as far as revenge thriller story goes. It's author's first and favourite book, so I gave it a try - and it's quick read no doubt - but immaturity of writing reflects. Story is patchy, schemes just okay. Worst thing is characterization. You supposedly have four smart people who not only want revenge but will cook up huge plans, break laws, and take efforts to take it, but very same people were stupider than average Joe when they lost money. Similarly you have a global mastermind who plays stock market to his advantage and then just signs a cash check in the name of university chancellor without question. Harping on "no a penny more" was getting irritating in the end. Last share of $250k was not even winning from scheme, but voluntary gift by Harvey to his daughter. Parts of stories are left hanging, such as detective who was investigating stock market scam and fate of fall-guy David.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Archer's first novel begins slowly as we see Harvey Metcalfe's rise from the son of poor Polish emigrants to the owner of a corperation. Many of his achievements are done by bribes and shady deals.In the second part of the novel we see the fun Archer has with characterization and language. Metcalfe swindles four men, Stepehn Bradley, a mathmatical genius, Dr. Robert Oakley, a society doctor, Jean-Pierre Lamanns, owner of an art store, and James Brigsley an English lord.Somewhat authbiographical since Archer was close to bankruptcy and resigned from public office to write this book in hope of repaying his creditors.An enjoyable read for the patient reader.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent book. Thoroughly enjoyable. Jeffery Archer's way of writing book is very good. The only thing I didn't understand in this book is how can a person so intelligent be made fool so easily. That is the reason of 4 rating.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. As usual, Jeffrey Archer delivers. The only reason I could not give it 5 stars was because as I was reading it I was fully aware of how dated it had become. This is not a sign of poor writing by any means, but merely that certain things are no longer relevant.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My favorite of Archer's books. I think the scheme at Oxford is the best of the four. But the very end is just great.CMB