The story starts with Adam Scott and his family sitting for the will reading in their attorneys office where Adam gets the letter as a part of his will. Adam opens it and then begins the actual story. What is beautiful about Archers writing is his scenes are very vivid and descriptions are detailed. This book also doesn’t fail to make sure that the reader visualises what author wants them to see. Be it surroundings, clothes of characters, action taken by them etc. Act Five [ ] " Captain's Log, Stardate 42507.8. Although our search has been extensive, we are still unable to locate the Klingon ship or any evidence of its destruction."

I liked the style of how Jeffrey Archer told his story and for the written word, sounded like Ian Hislop on the BBC television comedy panel show, Have I Got News For You. The character development of Adam Scott was spot on and you could imagine his accent to be similar to Ian Hislop. Since viewing the Wrath of Khan and Naked Gun in the 1980s I’ve been a big admirer of Montalban. Although galaxies apart in those two examples, one thing you get with him is intelligent, brooding menace and a sense that he would end an enemy’s life for two copper coins without feeling a shred of remorse. But mother was a daughter of the Regiment and wouldn't complain, she never did. If God ever announced the saints, as opposed to some Pope in Rome, Saint Susan of Appleshaw would be up there with Mary and Elizabeth. All through his life 'Pa', as Adam always thought of him, had set such high standards for the family to live up to. Perhaps that was why Adam continued to admire him above all men. Sometimes the very thought made him feel strangely out of place in the swinging sixties. I think the question is not just how much screen time they’ve shared, but how often Columbo meets up with the killer. They could share a lot of screen time over a minimal number of meets, but if Columbo is “running into” the killer on multiple occasions, even with short meet times, that’s a sign that Columbo is deliberately bugging his antagonist by constantly bumping into him/her. It also helps when Columbo finds the killer at various different locations, as if the lieutenant is “following” the killer around his daily routine. Best are times when Columbo crashes parties, workspaces, intimate lunches, testimonials, funerals, etc. The formula: More meets = more aggravation.”

The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening. Act One [ ] " Captain's Log, Stardate 42506.5. We have departed from Starbase 179 and are headed for a rendezvous with the Klingon vessel Pagh . I have informed the staff of Commander Riker's temporary assignment." A Matter of Honour was a pleasant surprise for me and very different from my usual current day crime thrillers. I enjoyed it as my daily read and the quality of this novel gets the top score of 5 stars from me. I suggest readers forget the time period this novel is set in and just enjoy this story for what it is. Finally, Montoya’s freezing in the ring at the episode’s end, in my view, cannot be so easily explained away as the review suggests (“he could always say he was standing still to prevent attracting the bull’s attention”). Even after the bull has been diverted out of the ring, Montoya remains frozen. He’s almost catatonic as the two men try to lead him from the ring. Obviously, this was no strategic ruse.

Don't be disrespectful of the dead," said his mother, the same look of fear returning to her face. "I begged your father to destroy that envelope," she added, in a voice that was barely a whisper. More humorously, Kargan is testing Riker's ability to handle Klingon customs throughout the episode. For example, he has a couple of Klingon women come on to him to see how he reacts. (He passes the test.)

It seems to me that the motive of a given murder is in direct proportion to how weak/compelling an episode is. In this episode, the motive is a man’s honor. Sorry, guys, that’s not an interesting enough reason. In Short Fuse, Uncle DL is going to squeal on weirdo Roger, so he’s gotta die. Again, meh. Conversely, when the motive is revenge on a rival, spouse or other family member…now that’s when I pop the corn and shut off my phone! It’s why the kinds of shows like Dateline and 48 hours are so popular. In the U.S. there are channels devoted to these real life crimes.

Meanwhile, the exchange officers on the Enterprise are adjusting. The overly-eager Ensign Mendon, a Benzite, irritates Worf with his constant suggestions for improvement and apparent arrogance, and when he discovers a potentially dangerous bacteria on both the hull of the Enterprise and the Pagh, he waits overly long to inform Picard of the discovery. When questioned, he states that it is a Benzite regulation to wait until they have a full analysis and resolution before reporting the problem. Picard informs him that if there is a potential for danger to the ship, he should inform the bridge immediately and continue his analysis. Upon discovering that the bacteria is chewing a hole in the hull, and that the Pagh is even more susceptible, the Enterprise changes course to intercept the Klingon ship to warn them of the potential danger. No," said the General Secretary drily, his bushy eyebrows rising every time he had completed a statement. "It wasn't the Tsar's silver crown that had been removed, but the painting itself." Starting a more serious conversation, one of them says they are alike – he also has a father and mother. His mother is still alive, but his father was killed gloriously in battle at Tranome Sar. Riker asks about Klag's parents, and he tells him ashamedly that his father was captured by the Romulans and not allowed to die with honor. However he escaped and will die an old man on Qo'noS, weakened, useless and without honor. He tells Riker he doesn't talk to him anymore, but Riker urges him to try. Marinaro thunders out and makes a beeline for Curro, who bolts behind a partition. Montoya, meanwhile, caught out in the middle of the ring, is rooted to the spot with terror– stunning the onlookers, who revere him for his legendary courage and poise. As the angry bull charges towards the frozen Montoya, men leap out to distract the beast with fluttering capes and lure him away to be caged. His life is no longer in jeopardy, but Montoya’s legacy and legend is now in tatters.Also although thriller rarely contain fantastic descriptive language this book did not contain any descriptive language whatsoever, I genuinely cannot remember a single scene in the book that had any description of the location beyond such trivialities as the existence of trees or buildings. I would have preferred the book if the chase throughout europe had been simplified to a more realistic level and some of the locations and people were developed more fully. it feels very anachronistic the way they criticize the episodes not having in mind it was other times and that was the norm and even the marginalized people would view and relate to themselves in a similar way.

And Columbo foreshadows his conclusion with: “I’ll tell you the truth, I got a crazy notion I know why Rangel was killed. … Trouble is, I don’t think anybody’s gonna believe me.” Why not? Because everyone in Mexico accepts that Montoya remains the “bravest of the brave.” Unfortunately though, it was a great disappointment. There are allusions and tantalising hints to intensity and intrigue, but at the end, you always knew what the outcome was going to be for each sub-plot/character, despite your hopes for a plot change of some sort along the way.Columbo’s mile-wide devious streak is as clear as day as he dupes his chief suspect into letting him get hold of some crucial intel to strengthen his case.