''False Impression'' is a

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...

by English author

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist and former politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Louth (Lincolnshire) from 1969 to 1974, but did not seek re-election after a fina ...

, first published in February 2005 by Macmillan (). The novel was published in several countries.

Plot summary

''False Impression'' concerns an international journey through several countries and continents, including London, New York,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, and includes historical information about the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

on New York, which the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

, Anna Petrescu, escapes after being fired by the dishonest banker Bryce Fenston. From this point on, the book tells the story of Anna trying to help Arabella Wentworth, a British aristocrat, to recover her family's fortune by selling a historical painting by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

, which Bryce Fenston is intent on acquiring. She is followed closely by Olga Krantz, a mercenary on service to Fenston, and by Jack Delaney, an FBI agent who is investigating Fenston and trying to discover if Anna is still working for Fenston. Anna succeeds in throwing both off her trail and makes arrangements to sell the painting to a Japanese steel magnate named Nakamura. In the end Krantz is shot, for the second time in a few days, and later captured and sent to the

Belmarsh prison His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison located in Thamesmead, south-east London, England. Belmarsh Prison is run by His Majesty's Prison Service and is situated next to HMP Isis and HMP Thameside. The prison is used for ...

. The painting is successfully sold to the steel magnate, Anna accepts a job as CEO of his foundation, Jack Delaney gathers enough proof to arrest Fenston, and Anna and Jack begin a romantic relationship.

References

2005 British novels Novels by Jeffrey Archer Macmillan Publishers books {{2000s-crime-novel-stub