Jeffrey Archer
Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, was born in 1940. He attended Brasenose College at Oxford. In the early sixties he represented Great Britain internationally in the 100 meters. 
In 1969 he entered the House of Commons after winning a by-election in Louth. He published his first novel in 1974. In 1974, Archer was a also casualty of a fraudulent investment scheme involving Aquablast, a Canadian company. The debacle resulted in the loss of Archer's first fortune and faced with likely bankruptcy, he stood down as an MP.
Jeffrey Archer had a rising and promising political career for a while, and became Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985. However, in 1986 he was ousted due to a scandal.
In 1992 he was created a Life Peer, and became Sir Jeffrey Archer. He is married and has two children.
He was convicted of perjury and sentenced to prison for perverting the course of justice in his 1987 trial in 2001.
Here is a link to Jeffrey Archer's official web site. For more information about his lifestyle, see this article in Guardian. Here's a Daily Mail article about Archer's comeback. Also, Jeffrey Archer's blog is on the net!
Table of contents
Bibliography: In addition to the books listed below, Archer has also written several children's books, some plays, as well as a 3-volume prison dairy. These books are not included in our list , as we focus on his more mainstream production.
Since Jeffrey Archer has written so many books, we have published our book reviews on several different pages.
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Books by Jeffrey Archer: By title and year (first published)
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- Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1974)
- Shall We Tell the President? (1978)
- Kane and Abel (1980)
- A Quiver Full of Arrows (1980)
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- The Prodigal Daughter (1982)
- First Among Equals (1984)
- A Matter of Honour (1986)
- A Twist in the Tale (1988)
- As the Crow Flies (1991)
- Honour Among Thieves (1993)
- Twelve Red Herrings (1994)
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- The Fourth Estate(1998)
- The Eleventh Commandment (1998)
- To Cut a Long Story Short (2000)
- Sons of Fortune (2003)
- Cat O'Nine Tales (2006)
- False Impression (2006)
- A Prisoner of Birth (2008)
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Book reviews:
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1974).
Harvey Metcalfe, a self-made American millionaire, finalizes an elaborate scam in which he cheats four strangers out of a million  dollars. They all thought they would be rich, but the next day they discover that they are penniless. However, they decide to work together to get the one million dollars back from Harvey Metcalfe, using whatever means necessary.
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less is fun, it is full of plots, and a great read. However, the writing style is a little mechanical and simple, and not as good as in Jeffrey Archer's later books. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was televised in 1990 by the BBC.
Order Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer from amazon UK (the picture points to amazon US).
Kane and Abel (1980).
In Kane and Abel Jeffrey Archer tells the story of two men, one Polish, an illegitimate son of a gypsy, the other rich and privileged from a wealthy Boston  banking family. Abel Rosnovski survives countless setbacks, emigrates to the US and builds a thriving hotel chain. William Kane inherits a powerful bank and makes it even more successful. Their paths cross only once, but the meeting causes them to become bitter enemies, each determined to destroy the other.
The rags to riches theme that figures prominently in this book is one that Jeffrey Archer specializes in. And mix it together with the competition element in Kane and Abel, and you have the framework for a great story.
Kane and Abel is a real page turner, very exciting and full of interesting twists and turns. A clever book! In our opinion, Kane and Abel is one of the best of Archer's books!
Order Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer from amazon UK.
A Quiver Full of Arrows (1980).
A Quiver Full of Arrows is an impressive collection of short stories, really a full Quiver.
The book consists of twelve assorted arrows (short stories) into the quiver.. Each arrow is sharp and leaves a meaningful impact on the reader. Jeffrey Archer is a master of short story writing, and this collection shows it!
The Chinese Statue is a story that features a Sir Alexander, a British Diplomat, who has a priceless statue of Emperor Kung. It is towards the end that we understand the statue is not worth anything, but despite that, it is still priceless. How? Read on!
One-night stand is hilarious, and so is The Luncheon . Overall, all the stories bring out different elements of human nature. They are well written and very entertaining!
Three of of the stories have been dramatized for the Anglia TV series Tales of the Unexpected. A Quiver of Arrows is a great collection of short stories, well worth your time!
Order A Quiver Full of Arrows by Jeffrey Archer from amazon UK.
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