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.

Book reviews:

Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer, the somewhat controversial British master storyteller, whose novels and short stories have topped the bestseller lists around the world, and with sales of more than 135 million copies, has just published a new novel. This one, Paths of Glory, differs a lot from other books Archer has written – it is a novel based on the life of George Mallory, a mountaineer who vanished on Mount Everest back in 1924, and who was last seen “going strongly for the summit”, and just a few hundre feet from it. Thus this is a story where the only things uncertain about the ending are whether Mallory reached the top or not and what happened to him.

Born in 1886, George Mallory was a brilliant student who became part of the Bloomsbury Group at Cambridge in the early twentieth century and served in the Royal Garrison Artillery during World War I. After the war, he married, and had three children. His passion was mountain climbing. Mallory once told a reporter that he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, “because it is there.” He tried two times and failed. Or he tried twice, and succeeded the second time? Archer, in Paths to Glory, takes us all the way from George Mallory’s childhood, living in his father’s house, to the summit of Everest.

On his second try, in 1924, thirty-seven years old, he was last seen four hundred feet from the top. His body was eventually found in 1999. It is still a mystery whether he and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, ever reached the summit.

You may ask whether it is possible to write a book about this that will keep you glued to your chair, not wanting to stop turning the pages? Well, the answer is probably that it is not, unless the writer is Jeffrey Archer or some other equally talented master storyteller! The book is, in fact, evidence that it is possible.

Paths of Glory is an excellent historical novel. How much of the story is fact and how much is fiction I am not able to tell. What I do know is that the tale Archer tells is fascinating, persuasive, and extremely enjoyable to read, even thought the professional critics as always when it's Archer says otherwise (see below). Great entertainment! Oh – and did Mallory make it? I recommend you read the book and find out for yourself!

Selected Reviews:

"Archer does eventually offer his opinion as to whether Mallory summited Everest, but by that point all but his most devoted fans will have fled the icy crags of this lifeless novel.." - Publishers Weekly.

"Although Archer's prose occasionally feels flat and overly workmanlike, this quality is offset by the frequent inclusion of heartfelt and moving letters from Mallory to his beloved wife." - Library Journal.

"The mountaineering sequences are marred by Archer's apparent ignorance of the mechanics of climbing...nor are the characters especially compelling, since the author seems to feel no need to flesh out real-life figures. A bland yarn..." - Kirkus Reviews.

Links to Archer's books: Archer at amazon US, Jeffrey Archer at amazon UK, and Jeffrey Archer at amazon CAN.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1974), by Jeffrey Archer.

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, has humor, irony, good characterizations and interesting characters, and is a great read as well. 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), by Jeffrey Archer

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!

Links to books by Jeffrey Archer at Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon CAN. See also Bokkilden and Tanum.