Be Careful What You Wish For begins where leaves off barely allowing a moment to breath before getting swept away in the lives of a family that seems to attract the most ruthless villains.

This series of stories (originally meant to be a trilogy but now into the fourth and with a fifth yet to come) has had its ups and downs. As for me, I will be starting 'Mightier Than the Sword' just as soon as I press the 'submit' button at the bottom of this review . He opened the door, and she climbed in and sank into the leather upholstery, as if she was an old lady. Emma bowed her head and burst into tears, wishing, as Harry had suggested, that she’d allowed him to carry out the unbearable task.

Emma had once read that in times of personal tragedy, all anyone wanted to do was turn the clock back. 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. At least he would be comfortable, Harold thought, although he didn’t imagine the poor man would be able to sleep. She had never known their old retainer to show the slightest emotion in front of a member of the family, and hardly recognized the shrunken figure now clutching on to the mantelpiece for support; the usual mask of self-composure had been replaced with the cruel reality of death.

With its short, cliff hanger ending, chapters, I found myself reading late into the night and at every opportunity during the day to find out what happens next. As to be expected from a master storyteller, the books are incredibly well written with just the right amount of detail, just the right amount of suspense all served up with well written, flowing prose. Jeffrey Archer, whom I remember as "the storyteller in the class of Dumas" from one of his early blurbs, is still going strong. Set in England and spanning the years 1957-1964 we follow the Clifton-Barrington family saga in their face off with Don Pedro Martinez, a smuggler who became a staunch enemy in the preceding book and is hell-bent to destroying them. Emma replaced the receiver, but it was some time before she could gather enough strength to stand up.

Be Careful What You Wish For’ begins with Harry Clifton and his wife Emma rushing to hospital to for urgent news following a fatal car crash involving their son Sebastian and his best friend Bruno. By the standards of what goes as the baddies in books of our time, the villains of the novel - while without a shade of grey - are almost as mild as those in Jane Austin novels or equivalent of street thugs in their power and influence. I don't recommend reading this book as a standalone novel because you would miss out on some of the history of the drama that is always in high gear in this epic family drama.