The Absence of Guilt by Mark Gimenez

 

Synopsis :

An ISIS attack on America is narrowly averted when the FBI uncovers a plot to detonate a weapon of mass destruction in Cowboys Stadium during the Super Bowl. 

A federal grand jury indicts twenty-four co-conspirators, including the most dangerous man in Dallas, Omar al Mustafa. He is a notorious and charismatic Muslim cleric known for his incendiary anti-American diatribes on YouTube and Fox News. His mosque is a veritable breeding ground for Islamic jihadists. His arrest is greeted with cheers around the world and relief at home. The plot was thwarted, the terrorists are in jail, and the Super Bowl is safe. The president goes on national television and "We won!" 

There is only one there is no evidence against Mustafa. That problem falls to the presiding judge, newly appointed U.S. District Judge A. Scott Fenney. If Mustafa is innocent, Scott must set the most dangerous man in Dallas free. But does the absence of guilt mean Mustafa is innocent? And if he is innocent, who is guilty? 

The Super Bowl is just three weeks away. And the game clock is ticking.

This is what I say :

It's been a while since I pick up a title by Mark Gimenez. When I realised that there's one title that I have not read and that's The Absence of Guilt, I put aside what I have been reading to focus on this title and it was a pretty good decision.

It's good to follow A Scott Fenney's life after Accused. His story actually started in The Colors of Law which was very good.

The Absence of Guilt was rather good and thrilling.  There are some parts that's rather technical and preachy so I kinda 'quick read' those section and overall I really enjoy it.

It also gives a unexpected closure on the last part of the book which is quite an 'easter egg' and that was good too.  

This Was A Man (Book #7 and final title of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

'This Was a Man' opens with a shot being fired, but who pulled the trigger, and who lives and who dies?

In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or a pawn in a larger game?
Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnus opus, while his wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and receives an unexpected call from Margaret Thatcher offering her a job.

Sebastian Clifton becomes chairman of Farthings Kaufman Bank after Hakim Bishara resigns for personal reasons. Sebastian and his wife Samantha's talented daughter, Jessica, is expelled from the Slade School of Fine Art, but her aunt Grace comes to her rescue.

Lady Virginia is about to flee the country to avoid her creditors when the Duchess of Hertford dies, and she sees another opportunity to clear her debts and finally trump the Cliftons and the Barringtons.

In a devastating twist, tragedy engulfs the Clifton family when one of them receives a shocking diagnosis that will throw all their lives into turmoil.

This is what I say :

This Was a Man is the 7th title in The Clifton Chronicles and also the final book.

I can say, I am truly glad it's the finale as the story has dragged on for quite a bit and it's time to end it.

I wasn't able to get hold of a physical book so I have to read this as a e-book which is rather disappointing as it would be nice to have the whole set but it's quite alright also.

Surprising, one of my favorite character is Lady Virginia who is as scheming as ever and although she met her match and got what she deserved towards the end, one can't help but applaud her for her perseverance.

The Chronicle started with Harry and Emma and it ended with Harry and Emma as well.  This couple really supported each other through thick and thin and both are equally great in what they do. 

The ending to their story was also was a twist that is extremely unexpected for an ending to a chronicles.  However, once you get over it, it was rather touching and a worthy ending to some great characters in a rather great chronicle.

Cometh the Hour (Book #6 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

Sir Giles Barrington must decide if he should withdraw from politics and try to rescue Karin, the woman he loves, from behind the Iron Curtain. But is Karin truly in love with him, or is she a spy?

Lady Virginia is facing bankruptcy, and can see no way out of her financial problems until she is introduced to the hapless Cyrus T Grant III from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Sabastian Clifton is now the Chief Executive of Farthings Bank, and a workaholic whose personal life is thrown into disarray when he falls for Priya, a beautiful Indian girl. But her parents have already chosen the man she is going to marry. Meanwhile, Sabastian's rivals Slone and Mellor are still plotting to bring him down, so they can take over Farthings.

Harry Clifton remains determined to get Anatoly Babakov released from a gulag in Siberia, following the international success of his acclaimed book, Uncle Joe.  Emma convinces her new friend, Margaret Thatcher to raise the subject with the Russian President when she visits Moscow.

This is what I say :

Cometh The Hour is the 6th title in the Clifton Chronicle and it is the 2nd last title.  I actually enjoyed Cometh The Hour much better than the previous few titles and it has a balance of excitement and plot.  

There are some un-necessary plot especially between Sabastian and Priya as I have no idea where the author's plan was with that but I have a feeling the author also didn't know how to proceed with that branch of plot and just killed it.  Like I said,  it was rather un-necessary.

The plot with Anatoly Babakov also comes to an end and I guess the author is preparing for the story to come to a completion which will happen in Book 7, This Was A Man.

Holiday read - August 2025

 

A break from the norm, whether long or short and whether it's just some place nearby or out of the country is always welcomed.

With that excitement, I will be going for a short break to celebrate a birthday.   Part of my excitement have always been what book to bring along with me during the trip.

 In recent years even when I wasn't reading much, a book will always accompany me whenever I travel.

After much thoughts and looking through my TBR collection, here's what I decided to bring with me during this trip. 

Titles by David Baldacci can be hits and misses. It is rather unpredictable.  Anyway, here's hoping that Hour Game will provide me with some thrilling time during my down time.

Happy holidays everyone!

Mightier Than The Sword (Book #5 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

Harry Clifton, now present of English PEN, launches a campaign for the release of a fellow author, Anatoly Babakov, but in doing so puts his own life in danger.  His wife, Emma, dealing with the repercussions of the IRA attack on the Buckingham, crosses swords with Lady Virginia Fenwick, who will stop at nothing to cause Emma's downfall.

Sir Giles Barrington is now a minister of the Crown, and looks set for even higher office, until an official trip to Berlin does not end as a diplomatic success.  In London, Harry and Emma's son Sabastian is quickly making a name for himself at Farthings Bank. But the dispicable Adrian Slone will do whatever it takes to remove his rival.

This is what I say :

Having read a total of 4 titles in this series, I was not very excited to pick up this fifth title.  However, as I was determined to complete this series, I believe I brought this title with me during a weekend break in the capital city a few months ago.  It has been a habit of mine to have a book with me when I travel since years ago and I still do.

Anyway, like what the synopsis says, in Mightier Than The Sword, things are just happening to the Clifton Barrington and they kept on picking up enemies all the time and this time round, it's the same story.  But like all of the titles in this series, the book ended with a cliff hanger which will continue in book No 6, Cometh The Hour.

Be Careful What You Wish For (Book #4 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

When Ross Burchanan is forced to resign as chairman of the Barrington Shopping Company, Emma Clifton wants to replace him. But Don Pedro Martinez intends to install his puppet, the devious Major Alex Fisher in order to destroy the Barrington family firm just as the company plans to build its new luxury liner, the MV Buckingham.

Meanwhile, in London, Harry and Emma's adopted daughter wins a scholarship to the Slade Academy of Art where she falls in love with a fellow student, Clive Bingham, who ask her to marry him. Both families are delighted until Priscilla Bingham, Jessica's future mother-in-law, has a visit from an old friend, Lady Virginia Fenwick, who drops her particular brand of poison into the wedding chalice.

Then, without warning, Cedric Hardcastle, a bluff Yorkshireman who no one has come across before, takes his place on the board of Barrington's. This event will change the lives of every member of the Clifton and Barrington families, as they march forward into the sixties, in this epic tale of love, revenge, ambition and betrayal.

This is what I say :

Actually, the above synopsis taken from the back cover of the book makes the particular title sounds much intrigue and exciting. Unfortunately, while book 4 of The Clifton Chronicles is still captivating, it wasn't as intriguing as what the synopsis stated.

Having investing over 4 books in the Chronicles, I really pretty invested in some of the characters but I still feel that characters development is rather poor in this series. Some characters have such potential but I guess they just play second fiddle in the whole scheme of thing in the lives of the Clifton and Barrington or to be exact, in the lives of Emma, Harry, Giles and Sabastian.  The author just doesn't have time for the others.

Be Careful What You Wish For is the mid point in this series.  It started with Only Time Will Tell, The Sins of The Father and Best Kept Secret.

Best Kept Secret (Book #3 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

1945. The vote in the House of Lords as to who should inherit the Barrington family fortune has ended in a tie.  The Lord Chancellor's deciding vote will cast a long shadow in the lives of Harry Clifton and Giles Barrington.

Harry returns to America to promote his latest novel, while his beloved Emma goes in search of the little girl who was found abandoned in her father's office on the night he was killed.

When the General Election is called Giles Barrington has to defend his seat in the House of Commons and is horrified to discover who the Conservatives select to stand against him. But it is Sabastian Clifton, Harry and Emma's son, who ultimately influences his uncle's fate.

in 1957, Sebastian wins a scholarship to Cambridge, and a new generation of the Clifton family march onto the page.  After Sabastian is expelled from school, he unwittingly becomes caught up in a case of international art fraud involving a Rodin statue that is worth far more than the sum it raises at auction. 

This is what I say :

Best Kept Secret is the third book of The Clifton Chronicles right after the first title Only Time will Tell and book two The Sins of the Father.

I feel there's too many things happening the the third title. It felt very rushed and also rather breathless to read as things are happening all at once to everyone that the characters become rather two dimension and dont really developed well.

I feel the author just wanted to pack a lot of things to move to story along to a particular future and such everything felt rush.  Having said that, it's still entertaining book and I remember I brought this title with me on a trip to the capital city around this time last year.

Once you are done with Best Kept Secret, you will need to then move to the forth title in the series which is Be Careful What You Wish For which will be my next post.