Which Jeffrey Archer William Warwick Book Should I Start With First?

First things first, there isn't one single 'correct' order because Archer started a prequel series! The main sequence begins with 'Nothing Ventured', then 'Hidden in Plain Sight', 'Turn a Blind Eye', 'Over My Dead Body', and 'Next in Line'. But here's the curveball: he wrote three 'William Warwick Novels' set in the 80s that are actually the character's origin. Those are 'This Was a Man', 'Something to Hide', and 'Fools and Mortals'—wait, scratch that, I think 'Fools and Mortals' is a Shakespeare standalone. My memory's fuzzy. The publication order is safest, but starting with the prequels gives you his career from the beginning, even if they were written later. Honestly, I read them as they came out, so my experience was totally jumbled. It didn't ruin anything, but you notice the timeline jumps.

Honestly, this gets asked all the time and I think the confusion comes from how the later books were structured. No, there aren't any official prequels set before 'Nothing Ventured', which is the first William Warwick novel. Archer wrote the Clifton Chronicles first, which is a totally separate series, and some people get them mixed up. What he did do, which is kinda sneaky, is write 'Next in Line' and 'Over My Dead Body'. Those are the sixth and seventh books, but they have these long flashback sections to William's art student days in the 80s. They're billed as 'William Warwick Novels' but almost half the book is a prequel story happening decades before the main series timeline. So if you're reading in publication order, you get the origin story dumped in your lap way later. It's an odd choice, but it means you don't need a separate prequel book. The backstory is just woven into the later plots, for better or worse. I'd still start with 'Nothing Ventured'. Jumping into those later books first for the flashbacks would spoil all the character development and major plot points from the earlier cases. The flashbacks are more about colour than essential plot, anyway.

So I just binged the whole William Warwick series over the last month and the progression is a real slow-burn development of the guy from rookie to top cop. The first one, 'Nothing Ventured', is straight-up his origin story—fresh out of university, joining the Metropolitan Police, and that first big art theft case. It sets his moral compass and introduces the key players, like his art-expert wife Beth and his later-nemesis, the shady art dealer Miles Faulkner. Then 'Hidden in Plain Sight' jumps ahead a few years. William's in the drug squad now, facing a much grittier, violent world. The scale feels bigger, the villains more dangerous. You see him making tough calls that cost him. By 'Turn a Blind Eye', he's heading a task force and the Faulkner feud becomes this ongoing chess match across multiple books, with twists that made me yell at the pages a couple times. The latest ones, like 'Over My Dead Body', get into international crime and corruption at the highest levels. The arc isn't just about cases; it's about how the job changes him, strains his family, and that constant tension between justice and the rules. Faulkner’s escape in book three honestly had me fuming for days.

Picking out the best Shardlake novel to start with is such a fun quest! If you’re new to C.J. Sansom’s work, I’d totally recommend beginning with 'Dissolution'. Not only does it introduce us to Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked lawyer in Tudor England, but it also sets the stage for his intricate world filled with political intrigue, religious tensions, and diverse characters. The story dives into the investigation of a murder that intertwines with the dissolution of the monasteries, which is a heavy historical event. It’s fascinating to see how Shardlake navigates these challenges while being seen as an outsider in his society. Another one to consider is 'Dark Fire'. I found the combination of mystery and historical context regarding the Great Fire of London simply captivating. You really get to see Shardlake evolve, dealing with his own challenges while trying to solve the case involving heretics and ancient texts. Sansom masterfully weaves real history with compelling storytelling, making every page feel like a little piece of time travel. If you get hooked, then 'Sovereign' and 'Revelation' follow naturally—they build on Shardlake's character development and continue to tackle the big issues of the day. Honestly, it's tough to choose just one, but starting with 'Dissolution' is a solid choice! You'll be caught up in a whirlwind of suspense and history in no time.