11th out of 29 books
—
127 voters
Honor Among Thieves
Spring 1994, Washington, D.C. - While the Clinton Administration grapples with its domestic policies, a sinister plot is being masterminded six thousand miles away in Baghdad. By using $100 million as bait and spinning a deadly web of corruption, forgery, and terror, Saddam Hussein seeks to embarrass the U.S. with the ultimate revenge: to steal a treasured historical docum...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
December 28th 2004
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
(first published April 1st 1993)
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International intrigue, lots of action in post-Gulf War Iraq...
This was our first exposure to Jeff Archer, who's skill with complex international plot development reminds one a little of Tom Clancy without the high tech stuff. The main theme is that shortly after Clinton replaces Bush, Saddam Hussein pays $100M to a mob-related group to steal the American Declaration of Independence. A Yale professor (and our hero) Scott Bradley, gets his desire for a field assignment with the CIA to get it bac...more
This was our first exposure to Jeff Archer, who's skill with complex international plot development reminds one a little of Tom Clancy without the high tech stuff. The main theme is that shortly after Clinton replaces Bush, Saddam Hussein pays $100M to a mob-related group to steal the American Declaration of Independence. A Yale professor (and our hero) Scott Bradley, gets his desire for a field assignment with the CIA to get it bac...more
If I were to pick out one interesting observation that I have made of Jeffrey Archer over the years, it would be his undoubtably good sense in crafting entertainers. Archer never bothers with creating incredibly detailed characters or plot lines that challenge your intellect. He goes in for racy and swashbuckling thrill rides which begin and end with a lot of pomp & splendor.
If memory serves me right, Archer was one of the first authors whom I read after graduating from Hardy Boys when I was...more
If memory serves me right, Archer was one of the first authors whom I read after graduating from Hardy Boys when I was...more
Who exactly was Saddam Hussein? That was the first question that popped up in my mind after completing this novel.
This is what the Guardian has to write about this tyrannical ruler who controlled Iraq for over a period of 24 years with an iron fist. And it was all I needed to know about the guy whom I was beginning to hate halfway through the novel.
Saddam was born in the nearby village of Owja, into the mud house of his uncle, Khairallah Tulfah, and into what a Tikriti contemporary of his calle...more
I loved this book. I love American history and taught my 5th graders all about the Declaration of Independence, to honor it and respect it. I have been to Washington, DC, and seen how it is stored with its decending into its vault. I can't imagine how it could really be stolen, but found it this story fascinating and patriotic. Jeffrey Archer is a wonderful storyteller. I would like to read more of his books.
Dec 21, 2011
Tattushenoi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Spy Fiction Likers
I have had exposure to Jeffrey Archer before, though not much, and have found his works very fast moving and riveting. This one has a woman spy, Hannah Kopec- a model- ,who suffered from Iraq war, working for MOSSAD as a trainee aiming to assassinate Saddam Hussein. Another one is a professor,Scott Bradley[whose father suffered professional embarrassment], at Yale who is working for the CIA.
The plot starts with Iraq's deputy ambassador, Al Obayadi to the UN hiring a lawyer firm [ the Cavalli gr...more
The plot starts with Iraq's deputy ambassador, Al Obayadi to the UN hiring a lawyer firm [ the Cavalli gr...more
Sep 17, 2011
Peter
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Peter by:
pajames1963@aol.com
Firstly I must admit to being a real fan of Jeffrey Archer's writing, if not his politics or morals. I was very generously given this book by Kimberley so many thanks to her.
The plot is quite a simple on in that Saddam Hussein, in an effort to embarrass the American Government hires a criminal gang to steal the 'Declaration of Independance' and the CIA's efforts to steal it back. And others has stated it had the feel of either a Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancey novel without all the high-tech wizar...more
The plot is quite a simple on in that Saddam Hussein, in an effort to embarrass the American Government hires a criminal gang to steal the 'Declaration of Independance' and the CIA's efforts to steal it back. And others has stated it had the feel of either a Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancey novel without all the high-tech wizar...more
I read this book because I found it in my house and was eager to open it when it said "Humiliate America" on the front page.
"Honour Among Thieves" takes place after the first Gulf War concluding with the United States victory. Saddam Hussein who now wants revenge and wants to publicly humiliate the U.S by conjuring up a plan to steal the Declaration of Independence and burn publicly on TV on the 4th of July. It now becomes a race against time as the CIA try to retrieve the Declaration before Jul...more
"Honour Among Thieves" takes place after the first Gulf War concluding with the United States victory. Saddam Hussein who now wants revenge and wants to publicly humiliate the U.S by conjuring up a plan to steal the Declaration of Independence and burn publicly on TV on the 4th of July. It now becomes a race against time as the CIA try to retrieve the Declaration before Jul...more
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After reading "A Prisoner of Birth", I had to immediately read another Jeffrey Archer novel. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. He is a very long winded and detailed which worked in "A Prisoner of Birth" but did not in this novel. It was almost written as 3 different novels as there were three distinctly different parts to it making it long and disjointed. Still a fun read but not the quality of "A Prisoner of Birth." Also didn't appreciate the absolutely irrelevant and oddly incorpor...more
This has been a favourite of mine for many years, I first read this 15 years ago and am currently on my 3rd copy (must invest in an e-book reader).
This book has lots to offer, thrilling, gruesome in places, very political with a love story running in the background.
Best of all its an easy read, grips you from the first chapter and I can't put is down, will read the whole book in a weekend and each time I read it I find something new that I didn't see before.
Even if Jeffery Archer isn't your thin...more
This book has lots to offer, thrilling, gruesome in places, very political with a love story running in the background.
Best of all its an easy read, grips you from the first chapter and I can't put is down, will read the whole book in a weekend and each time I read it I find something new that I didn't see before.
Even if Jeffery Archer isn't your thin...more
Set in 1993, Archer gives us a scenario in which Saddam Hussein uses $100 million as bait to hire crooks and a counterfeiter to steal the declaration of independence. Saddam’s goal is to embarrass the US and its president, Bill Clinton on July 4th by burning the priceless document. The action moves fast and furiously between Washington and Iraq. The author shows intimate knowledge of Iraq and its minorities and the way the document is protected. Characters include a trainee with the Mossad and a...more
Spring 1994, Washington, D.C. - While the Clinton Administration grapples with its domestic policies, a sinister plot is being masterminded six thousand miles away in Baghdad. By using $100 million as bait and spinning a deadly web of corruption, forgery, and terror, Saddam Hussein seeks to embarrass the U.S. with the ultimate revenge: to steal a treasured historical document and then destroy it before the world's media-on July 4, 1994.
As the countdown to Independence Day begins, two agents stan...more
As the countdown to Independence Day begins, two agents stan...more
While the idea of Saddam Hussein making a plan to steal the original Declaration of Independence using the services of the Mafia and the Mafia executing the plan is preposterous, it happens to be the plot of this story. However the resultant story is a comedy of errors that ends well. Jeffrey Archer manages to tell the story convincingly enough. It is the narrative of this outlandish plot that is quite humorous that makes makes the book a success. Good book to pass time.
Lo peor que me he leído hasta la fecha de J. Archer. Una supuesta trama de acción tras la I Guerra del Golfo (1993) con Sadam, la CIA, el Mosad y la Declaración de Independencia de EEUU implicados. Como de costumbre, Archer arma su trama con varios personajes superpuestos, cuyas vidas se van cruzando de todas las maneras posibles. Sólo que esta vez no resulta. Muchos arquetipos, lugares comunes... Flojita, vaya...
This got the third star only because the plot was so well thought of, detailed and completely outrageous and outlandish. Otherwise, Archer's characters are cheesy and cliched. The romance is utterly useless, feeling completely wooden. No believable adult woman (a Mossad agent, no less), bursts into tears screaming "I love you, I love you!!", no matter what the situation. Also, I can't understand why Archer has to potray both the young women in this book as sex starved man-eaters. Of course our h...more
I listened to this one, and it held my interest as I was driving along. A typical "spy/criminal" story with lots of twists and turns. Involves American. Israeli, and Iraqi agents plus New York criminals. The object is for the Iraqis to steal the Declaration of Independence and burn it publicly on the 4th of July to embarrass President Bill Clinton. Of course, the Americans want to get it back before that happens.
Saddam Hussein hires a Mafia lawyer to steal the Declaration of Independence so he can publicly burn it on July 4 as payback for the Gulf War. I usually like mysteries and thrillers, but I thought this was predictable. The Declaration is saved! Whew! During the rescue one of the guy spies falls in love with the woman spy and saves her. Admired companions are killed but our heroes are triumphant.
A good story with plenty of plot twists, which travels right into Iraq before the 'regime change'. As with most Jeffrey Archer novels, plenty of surprises and secrets which aren't revealed until the last minute. I don't think the Declaration of Independence stuff was quite as hard-hitting for those of us in the UK, as we don't have anything equivalent to it, so it's harder to understand the sort of regard in which it is held in the USA.
Surprisingly easy to read. It's set in 1993 in the Clinton administration and details an Iraqi plot (Saddam's doing, of course) to steal the Declaration of Independence and burn it on Independence Day '93. It jumps quickly from setting to setting, developing the characters as it goes. I found it quite engaging and a VERY quick read, although it has 464 pages. Great thriller!
The American Declaration of Independence - the importance this parchment holds a midst the Americans cannot be measured in currency. Its theft that too under the eyes of the president would bring humiliation beyond imagination...that was what Saddam had in his mind...But making an American responsible was the flaw in the plan...
The story is too good and the plot is just awesome... The elaboration is quite unnecessary, but it's a good one to read.
The story is too good and the plot is just awesome... The elaboration is quite unnecessary, but it's a good one to read.
I love when I pick up a book that doesn't let me put it down. Though I did have to get a good night's sleep somewhere in the middle - apparently I'm not as young as I used to be. Great organized crime plot, mildly predictable, but satisfyingly gripping writing anyway. A great palate-cleanser from the heavier reading I've been doing.
Not bad. But a far cry from some of the best works of Archer - Kane and Abel, The Prodigal Daughter or Sons of Fortune. First 100 pages a real drag. A bit disappointed though, probably because of high expectations from Archer or maybe because I guessed the end after reading the starting chapters. ;)
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Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former politician.
He was a Member of Parliament and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, and became a life peer in 1992. His political career, having suffered several controversies, ended after a conviction for perverting the course of justice and his subsequent imprisonment. He is married...more
More about Jeffrey Archer...
He was a Member of Parliament and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, and became a life peer in 1992. His political career, having suffered several controversies, ended after a conviction for perverting the course of justice and his subsequent imprisonment. He is married...more
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