Novelists who later in life are considered to be literary geniuses had usually spent a huge chunk of their early life learning the ropes of the business. It is not often that you come across someone who achieved great success as a writer after he only began writing as a way to avoid bankruptcy. This is exactly the case of Jeffrey Archer who was a politician before he picked up the pen.
In his early days, Archer hoped to become a football player but ended up doing a variety of jobs. At one point, he trained to either join the army or the Metropolitan Police before settling for a job as a charity fundraiser. He would later launch a political career, serving as a Conservative councilor on the Greater London Council and then a Member of Parliament before a financial scandal almost left him bankrupt and steered him towards the literary world.
However long it took, the Londoner seems to have found his calling as a writer as his books have received rave reviews, helping him rank amongst the best-selling novelists in the world with over 320 million copies sold worldwide. He has written many books in the fiction genre. A few non-fiction ones center around his experiences in life, most notably the time he spent in jail for committing perjury and perverting the course of justice.
What is the Order of Jeffrey Archer’s Books?
As a way to escape bankruptcy, Jeffrey Archer wrote his first book in 1974. The stand-alone novel titled Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was inspired by the writer’s own experiences of near bankruptcy. It took a couple of years before the book was published in 1976 and it went on to be quite successful. Encouraged by this, Archer returned with Shall We Tell The President in 1977. A revised version of the book would end up being the last in the very successful Kane and Abel series of books he wrote in the late 70s and early 80s.
Jeffrey Archer would go on to write books in different series and others that were stand-alone. In between them, he published children’s books as well as short story collections that were well received by readers. Ranked in order of publication and grouped in series, below are a list of Jeffrey Archer’s books.
Stand-Alone Books
1. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1976)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 310 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1976
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape (UK), Doubleday (US)
- ISBN: 0-224-01309-2
- Series Highlight:
Said to have been inspired by Jeffrey Archer’s real-life experience of near-bankruptcy, the book has a polish immigrant to the United States named Harvey Metcalfe in the middle of proceedings. Harvey is a self-made guru of deceit who creates Prospecta Oil, a paper company that he uses to swindle four novice investors of their life savings.
With nothing left to lose, the four strangers who are experts in their fields (University of Oxford professor, a respected doctor, art dealer, and an heir to an earldom) come together and plan to steal the money back, using Harvey’s interests and weaknesses against him.
2. First Among Equals (1984)
- Genre: Political Novel
- Paperback Volume: 446 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1984
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (UK), Simon & Schuster (US)
- ISBN: 0-340-35266-3
- Series Highlight: Political Rivalry and Leadership Contest
Four fictional politicians vying for the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom are the main characters in Jeffrey Archer’s First Among Equals novel. The events in the novel are staged between 1964 and 1991 and center around Coventry Central (later Pucklebridge) MP Simon Kerslake, Sussex Downs MP Charles Seymour, Leeds North MP Raymond Gould, and Edinburgh Carlton MP Andrew Fraser.
Drawing from personal experience, Archer writes about the careers and personal lives of these ambitious politicians from the time they take their seats at Westminster. He explores how they get caught up in a dramatic game of high stakes and how they interact with actual political figures from the UK and around the world, including Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Muammar al-Gaddafi.
3. A Matter of Honour (1986)
- Genre: Thriller, Spy Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 350 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1 July 1986
- Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
- ISBN: 0-340-39365-3
- Series Highlight: Adam’s Lover is Brutally Killed and He Runs For His Life
A Matter of Honour begins with the opening of a mysterious letter left by disgraced British colonel Gerald Scott to his only son, Adam Scott. After reading the letter, Adam discovers that his father was one of Hermann Göring’s jailers at Nuremberg following the end of World War Two. He is further pointed in the direction of a safe deposit box in Switzerland where a precious Russian Orthodox icon made long ago for the Russian tsars was placed. The icon’s location was given to Adam’s father by Göring before he committed suicide.
Adam decides to retrieve this item and sell it but along the way finds himself becoming a fugitive after Swiss police suspect him of killing his girlfriend who was murdered by a KGB agent sent to retrieve the item by any means. While running for his life, Scott discovers that he is in possession of the only Russian copy of the Alaska Purchase, signed by the tsar himself and dated 20 June 1966. Realizing that what he has in his possession can shake the very foundations of the free world, he becomes determined to protect even more.
4. As the Crow Flies (1991)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 617 pages
- Original Publishing Date: May 1991
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0-06-017916-3 (first edition, hardback)
- Series Highlight: Charlie Returns From War and Finds His Business To Have Grown
Exploring the often overlapping points of view of the several main characters (Charlie Trumper, Becky Salmon, Daphne, Colonel Hamilton, Mrs. Trentham, Daniel Trumper, and Cathy Ross) of the novel, As The Crow Flies tells the tale of how Charlie rose from rags to riches against the backdrop of a changing century, making a name for himself as “The Honest Trader”
The story begins with Charlie Trumper who is growing up in the slums of East End London. Charlie dreams of someday running his grandfather’s fruit and vegetable barrow. He eventually gets to own the struggling business after his grandfather dies.
However, following the onset of World War I, Charlie enlists in the army and leaves the shop to an enterprising young woman named Becky Salmon.
5. Honour Among Thieves (1993)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 416 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 4 July 1993
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0-06-017945-7
- Series Highlight: Stealing of the Declaration of Independence
The events in Honour Among Thieves take place in 1993, two years after the United States defeats Iraq in the Gulf War. To retaliate, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein enlists one of the New York mafia’s leading figures to steal the Declaration of Independence. Saddam further hopes to humiliate America by publicly burning the treasured historical document on Independence Day (4 July 1994) in full view of the world media. To prevent what would turn out to be the most humiliating day in U.S history, two agents; rising CIA operative Scott Bradley and Mossad operative Hannah Kopec, work together to recover the document in a story that climaxes in a dramatic, triple-twist ending.
6. The Fourth Estate (1996)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 549 pages
- Original Publishing Date: May 1996
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0-00-225318-6
- Series Highlight: Struggle To Build A Media Empire
Following two strong characters from differing backgrounds who are willing to take endless risks, The Fourth Estate chronicles the lives of two media barons from their childhood to building a media empire where their ambitions soon collide. The story is somewhat based on two real-life media moguls; Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch, who fought to control the newspaper market in Britain.
On one side of the story is Lubji Hoch, the son of an illiterate Czech Jewish peasant who manages to escape the Nazis during World War II. He changes his name to Richard Armstrong and becomes a decorated British Army officer. After the war, Armstrong is posted to Berlin where he serves as head of press relations in the British sector. While in Berlin, he gets into the publishing business by buying a failing newspaper. He would later return to the UK to build his empire. The other character in the book is the Australian Keith Townsend, son of a millionaire newspaper owner who is groomed to take over his father’s business. Keith later takes over the business and grows it into a leading publisher in Australia.
Hungry for more, both men seized control of every media business in their sight until their paths collided on the global stage. One man ends up triumphant over the other but not after both have suffered financial disaster and tragic consequences.
7. The Eleventh Commandment (1998)
- Genre: Political Fiction, Adventure Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 448 pages
- Original Publishing Date: May 1st, 1998
- Publisher: HarperTorch
- ISBN: 0061013315 (ISBN13: 9780061013317)
- Series Highlight: Attempted Assassination of Russia’s President
The Eleventh Commandment tells the tale of a man named Connor Fitzgerald who lived a double life as the CIA’s most deadly assassin. After close to thirty years of service, Connor decides to retire but his resignation is rejected. He is instead asked to go on a final mission to assassinate a candidate for the Russian presidency. Things, however, get tricky as the CIA boss, Helen Dexter, is trying to cover her tracks for ordering the assassinations of the leaders of several nations. To do this, she must eliminate her chief assassin, Connor.
8. Sons of Fortune (2002)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 608 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2002
- Publisher: Pan
- ISBN: 1-4050-2079-2
- Series Highlight: Child Separation
A powerful tale of twins separated at birth but reunited by destiny. Sons of Fortune begins in a hospital in Hartford, Connecticut where a nurse separates a set of twin boys after another couple’s child who was born on the same day, dies at birth. One child, Nat Cartwright, goes home with his parents; a schoolteacher and an insurance salesman, while the other leaves as Fletcher Andrew Davenport, the only son of a multi-millionaire and his high-society wife.
In the subsequent years, the two brothers grow up unaware of each other’s existence. Nat enrolls at the University of Connecticut but leaves to serve in the Vietnam War. He returns a war hero and is awarded the Medal of Honor. He then returns to school and becomes a successful currency banker. Fletcher, on the other hand, attended and graduated from Yale University to become a distinguished criminal defense lawyer. He is later elected as a state senator for the Democratic Party.
The duo, who know of each other but have never met, continue on their separate paths until one has to defend the other for a murder he did not commit. The truth eventually comes out when both men are selected to run for governor of Connecticut.
9. False Impression (2005)
- Genre: Fiction (Mystery)
- Paperback Volume: 385 pages
- Original Publishing Date: February 2005
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US
- ISBN: 1-4050-3255-3
- Series Highlight:
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a young woman named Anna Petrescu who is thought to have died in the North Tower uses her new status to escape from America. She subsequently tries to help a British aristocrat named Arabella Wentworth recover her family’s fortune by selling a Vincent van Gogh painting wanted by her former boss, Bryce Fenston. The story unfolds as an FBI agent and a mercenary on service to Fensten follows her as she travels through the world, from Toronto to London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Bucharest.
10. The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot (2007)
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 96 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 30 March 2007
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-230-52901-4
- Series Highlight: Judas’ Motive For Betraying Jesus
In this novel, Jeffrey Archer collaborates with scholar Frank Moloney to talk about the events of the New Testament through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Using the canonical texts as a reference, they write a compelling, provocative, and controversial book on the mystery of Judas, discussing his motives for betraying Jesus and what happened to him after the crucifixion.
11. A Prisoner of Birth (2008)
- Genre: Fiction (Mystery)
- Paperback Volume: 400 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 6 March 2008
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 0-230-53142-3
- Series Highlight: Story of Fate and Fortune, Redemption and Revenge
Described as Archer’s most powerful novel since Kane and Abel, the writer retells Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. The protagonist here is Danny Cartwright who proposes to his childhood sweetheart Beth Wilson and decides to take her and her brother Bernie to celebrate at a pub. While there, a fight ensues and Danny is blamed for the death of Bernie. He is subsequently sentenced to twenty-two years and sent to the highest-security jail in the land where he comes up with a plan to clear his name and get back at those that framed him for the murder of his best friend.
12. Paths of Glory (2009)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 466 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 3 March 2009
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-312-53951-1
- Series Highlight: Climbing Mount Everest
Based on the story of English mountaineer George Mallory, a World War I veteran who died attempting to climb Everest in the 1920s. Mallory was on his third attempt to climb the mountain in 1924, at age thirty-seven, when he died. He was last seen four hundred feet from the top. It is a mystery whether Mallory and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, ever reached the summit. While there is no proof that he had fulfilled his ambition, Paths of Glory supports the claim that he did, making him the first person to conquer Mount Everest, years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
13. Heads You Win (2018)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 448 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 6 Nov 2018
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
- ISBN: 1427299226 (ISBN13: 9781427299222)
- Series Highlight:
From a young age, Alexander Karpenko shows signs that he is a future Russian leader. Everything, however, changes when he finds himself on the run with his mother after the KGB assassinates his father for defying the state. The pair have to leave Russia if they are to survive but are confronted with a life-changing decision: board a container ship heading for America or Great Britain.
At the end of the day, Alexander tosses a coin to make the hard choice. Thirty years and two continents later, after struggling to survive in his newfound world as an immigrant, he makes the decision to return to Russia and face the past he left behind.
Kane and Abel Series
1. Kane and Abel (1979)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 512 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1979
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
- ISBN: 0-340-24594-8
- Series Highlight: Power Tussle and Rivalry
Kane and Abel tells the story of two men, from worlds apart, who have absolutely nothing in common apart from being born on the same day and having the zeal to make something of themselves. Kane is the son of a Boston millionaire while Abel is a Pole who was born into great poverty but migrated to the United States. The two ambitious men later become very powerful but butt heads in their relentless struggle to build an empire.
2. The Prodigal Daughter (1982)
- Genre: Political Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 496 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1982
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (first edition)
- ISBN: 0312997140
A follow-up to the Kane and Abel book, The Prodigal Daughter follows the life of Abel’s daughter, Florentyna Rosnovski. It examines her life from early childhood to her marriage to her father’s rival’s son and final ascension to the position of President of United States, becoming the first female U.S. president. Archer was inspired to write about Florentyna’s political success from the elections of Isreal’s Golda Meir, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, and India’s Indira Gandhi.
3. Shall We Tell the President? (1977/revised edition 1986)
- Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
- Paperback Volume: 228 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1977
- Publisher: Fawcett
- ISBN: 0449208060
Chronologically, Shall We Tell The President is the last book in the Kane and Abel series. However, it was the first to be published in 1977 before a revised edition was published in 1986. In the first edition, an FBI agent named Mark Andrews helps to foil a plot to kill the President of the United States, Edward Kennedy, a real-life politician and presidential aspirant.
Following the success of his two later books, Jeffrey Archer decides to publish a revised version of the novel. This time, he replaces Kennedy with the fictional character of Florentyna Kane who became president in The Prodigal Daughter in order to link the books.
Children’s Books
1. By Royal Appointment (1980)
- Genre: Children’s Book
- Paperback Volume: 48 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1980
- Publisher: Wattle Books
- ISBN: 0706413830 (ISBN13: 9780706413830)
Jeffrey Archer’s first attempt at writing a children’s book. It received good reviews and was described as being perfect for a young reader. The book comes with illustrations that will enable the young reader to enjoy the story more.
2. Willy Visits The Square World (1980)
- Genre: Children’s Book
- Paperback Volume: 40 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1980
- Publisher: Octopus Books
- ISBN: 0706412001 (ISBN13: 9780706412000)
In the same year he wrote his first children’s book, Archer gave it another go with Willy Visits the Square World. The book is a picture story about a boy named Willy and his teddy bear, Randolph. The duo goes in search of a lost kitten named Yo-Yo but finds themselves in a fantasy square world where they meet a few strange things.
3. Willy And The Killer Kipper (1981)
- Genre: Children’s Book
- Paperback Volume: 44 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1981
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Childrens Division
- ISBN: 0340270578 (ISBN13: 9780340270578)
Willy is again the central character in the follow-up to his second children’s book. Along with his teddy bear Randolph, he sets out on a mission to find the missing Neptune submarine which is in the clutches of Konrad the Killer Kipper. Other characters in the book are Jaws and his gang of sharks, Boris the booming Blue Whale, Sybil the Seagull, and two electric eels.
4. The First Miracle (1994)
- Genre: Children’s Book
- Paperback Volume: 29 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1994
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0060176369 (ISBN-13: 978-0060176365)
After more than a decade after he wrote his previous children’s book, Jeffrey Archer returned with a twist to the story of the Nativity. The features illustrations from renowned British artist Craigie Aitchison.
Collection Of Short Stories
1. A Quiver Full of Arrows (1980)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 189 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1980
- Publisher: Linden Press/Simon & Schuster
- ISBN: 0-340-25752-0
A Quiver Full of Arrows contains twelve short stories that will captivate the hearts and souls of readers while taking them on a journey around the world, from London to China, and New York to Nigeria.
2. A Twist in the Tale (1988)
- Genre: Mystery
- Paperback Volume: 240 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1988
- Publisher: Simon and Schuster
- ISBN: 9780671671488
The collection contains 12 stories that would take readers on a journey from Africa to the Middle East, and from London to Beijing. Archer introduces readers to unforgettable characters that include a philandering husband who thinks he has gotten away with murder; a chess champion who plays for something greater than cash, and a finance minister going against a Swiss bank.
3. Fools, Knaves, and Heroes (1989)
- Genre: Political Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 224 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1989
- Publisher: Bellew Publishing
- ISBN: 0947792295 (ISBN13: 9780947792299)
With the help of Simon Bainbridge, Jeffrey Archer puts together some of his most favorite short stories on political fiction. The collection features a diverse list of writers, including Mark Twain and Jack London.
4. Twelve Red Herrings (1994)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 324 pages
- Original Publishing Date: July 1994
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0-00-224329-6
As the title suggests, this collection has a dozen short stories with very intriguing storylines and richly drawn characters. Each of these stories, however, has a red herring which the writer challenges his readers to uncover.
5. The Collected Short Stories (1997)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 596 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1997
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0006514057 (ISBN 13: 9780006514053)
Taking things up a notch with the number of stories in a collection, Archer’s The Collected Short Stories comprises thirty-six short stories that will provide a feast of entertainment for readers, both old and new. These stories cut across different storylines that include history, struggle, romance, and international intrigue.
6. To Cut a Long Story Short (2000)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 416 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2000
- Publisher: HarperTorch
- ISBN: 0-00-226149-9
This collection contains fourteen new stories with riveting storylines and memorable characters. With the stories, Archer shines a light on what it is to be human, from political chicanery, immoral behavior, and dangerously illicit affairs.
7. Cat O’Nine Tales (2006)
- Genre: Short Stories
- Paperback Volume: 200 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2006
- Publisher: MacMillan London
- ISBN: 978-1-4050-3257-5
There are twelve stories in this collection. Nine of the twelve stories are based off on fables Jeffrey Archer heard while he was in prison serving time for perjury and perverting the course of justice.
8. And Thereby Hangs a Tale (2010)
- Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
- Paperback Volume: 290 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2010
- Publisher: MacMillan
- ISBN: 9780230531451
For this collection, Archer gets inspiration for about ten of the fifteen stories in this book from what he heard while traveling over a six-year period before it was published. One of the more popular stories in the book is Caste-Off which is set in the Indian capital of New Dehli. It is a story of how two lovers are not permitted to marry by their parents because they belong to different caste systems.
9. The New Collected Short Stories (2011)
- Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Romance
- Paperback Volume: 858 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2011
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- ISBN: 1447211065 (ISBN13: 9781447211068)
To showcase his mastery of storytelling, Archer brings together three of his short story collections: To Cut a Long Story Short, Cat O’ Nine Tales, and And Thereby Hangs a Tale. Every reader will have their favorite story but what they all have in common are rich characters and unexpected conclusions.
10. Tell Tale (2017)
- Genre: Fiction, Suspense
- Paperback Volume: 272 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2017
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
- ISBN: 1250066921 (ISBN13: 9781250066923)
After taking a long break, Archer returns with another collection of short stories with an excellent and intriguing set of storylines. As he has done before, he gets inspiration for the stories from the people he has met and the countries he has visited in the past decade.
11. The Short, The Long, and The Tall (2020)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 288 pages
- Original Publishing Date: October 2020
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
- ISBN: 1250064902 (ISBN13: 9781250064905)
For his most latest effort, Jeffrey Archer joins forces with renowned illustrator Paul Cox to reproduce twenty of his most popular and entertaining short stories alongside magnificent watercolor illustrations. The book is a must-buy for anyone dedicated to the works of either the author or the illustrator.
Prison Diary Books
1. Belmarsh: Hell (2002)
- Genre: Non-Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 272 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2002
- Publisher: Pan Books
- ISBN: 0330418599 (ISBN13: 9780330418591)
- Series Highlight: Archer’s Introduction to the Prison System
Written under his pen name FF 8282, Archer talks about is first days behind bars. He was sent to jail for four years after a perjury trial that lasted seven weeks. The former politician would go on to spend 22 days and 14 hours in double A-Category high-security prison, HMP Belmarsh in south London, a place described as a real hell hole.
Archer talks about his encounters in a place that houses some of Britain’s most violent criminals. He also shines a light on the inconsistencies of the prison system and how people are treated like they are in a third-world country.
2. Purgatory (2004)
- Genre: Non-Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 343 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2004
- Publisher: Macmillan
- ISBN: 0312342160 (ISBN13: 9780312342166)
- Series Highlight: Archer’s Time in HMP Wayland
In the second volume of his Prison Diaries series, Archer documents his transfer from the maximum security HMP Belmarsh prison in London to HMP Wayland, a medium-security prison in Norfolk. He writes about how the rules are more relaxed and boredom becomes the main enemy for all prisoners.
3. Heaven (2005)
- Genre: Non-Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 504 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2005
- Publisher: Macmillan
- ISBN: 0312354797 (ISBN13: 9780312354794)
- Series Highlight: Archer’s Time in the D-category North Sea Camp Open Prison
The last and longest of all the books in the prison series, Archer writes about his transfer from HMP Wayland to a D-category open prison, North Sea Camp, and his eventual release on parole in July 2003. It includes his short stint in the notorious Lincoln jail and the events that led to him being transferred there.
The Clifton Chronicles
There are seven books in the Clifton Chronicles series. The series, whose first book was published in 2011 and the last book in 2016, follows the life of Harry Clifton from his birth in 1920 to his funeral in 1993.
1. Only Time Will Tell (2011)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 400 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2011
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-230-74822-4
- Series Highlight: The Secret of Harry’s Parentage
The first book in the Clifton series tells the story of Harry from 1920 through to 1940; the end of World War I and the beginning of the Second World War. A young Harry aspires to follow in the footsteps of his uncle and father, who he never knew, to work in a shipyard after he leaves school. Everything is going according to plan until he gets a scholarship to attend an exclusive boys’ school where he begins to question everything he thought he knew about his father.
2. The Sins of the Father (2012)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 400 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1 March 2012
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-230-74823-1
- Series Highlight: Harry Changes Identity
In the hopes of escaping the consequences of long-buried family secrets, Harry joins the Merchant Navy days before Britain declares war on Germany. Along the line, his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German U-boat. Survivors, including Harry and an American named Tom Bradshaw, are later rescued by an American cruise liner. Bradshaw later dies in the night, giving room for Harry to assume his identity as another way to escape his past. He, however, later finds out that Bradshaw is a deserter facing prison time. Without a way to prove his true identity, Harry begins living a life that could be worse than the one he knew.
3. Best Kept Secret (2013)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 400 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 14 March 2013
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-230-74824-8
- Series Highlight: Harry Clifton Starts a Family
Hugo Barrington, who was found to be Harry’s father, dies and leaves the Barrington family fortune. Who the inheritance goes to is decided by the House of Lords, but the vote ends with a tie, prompting the Lord Chancellor to vote in favor of Giles Barrington. The resulting vote allows Harry to marry Giles’s sister, Emma, and the couple has their own children. Giles battles many challenges over the following years in both his personal and public life but comes out on top at the end thanks to Harry and Emma’s son, Sebastian.
Sebastian is part of the new generation of the Clifton family who goes on to face his very own challenges. He wins a scholarship to Cambridge but is expelled from school. He then gets caught up in an international art fraud/counterfeiting case.
4. Be Careful What You Wish For (2014)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 400 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 11 March 2014
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-230-74825-5
- Series Highlight: Hostile Takeover
Staged during the years between 1957 and 1964, Be Careful What You Wish For follows the Barrington-Clifton family as Harry’s wife Emma tries to take control of the Barrington shipping business. She must, however, deal with conspiracies and sabotage as others try to destroy the Barrington family firm just as the company plans to expand.
5. Mightier Than the Sword (2015)
- Genre: Saga, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 400 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 24 February 2015
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-0-230-74826-2
- Series Highlight: Members of the Barrington-Clifton Family Face Battles in Court
Barrington’s shipping business appears to grow as Emma Clifton is now Chairman of Barrington Shipping which has built its new luxury liner, the MV Buckingham. Her tenure as chairman, however, immediately begins to face some challenges as the IRA bomb her ship, leading some board members to call for her resignation.
Harry, on the other hand, has been named the next president of English PEN. In this role, he puts his life in danger by launching a campaign for the release of a fellow author who is languishing in a Russian Gulag in Siberia for writing a book that gives an insight into what it was like to work for Josef Stalin.
The book ends with two court trials; one at the high court in London and another in Russia. Emma has a libel case while Harry is accused of being a spy.
6. Cometh The Hour (2016)
- Genre: Saga, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 416 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 16 February 2016
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-1250061621
- Series Highlight: Barrington-Clifton Family Faces Devastating Consequences
The penultimate book in Jeffrey Archer’s Clifton Chronicles, Cometh The Hour starts off with the reading of a suicide note that has potentially devastating consequences for the entire Barrington-Clifton family.
Giles considers retiring from politics as he also contemplates rescuing a lady he has fallen in love with from East Germany. He, however, is not sure if the lady truly loves him or is a Russian spy. Giles’ ex-wife Lady Virginia, on the other hand, faces bankruptcy but is saved by a gullible wealthy American man who falls for her.
Harry continues to work to get his fellow writer Babakov out of prison while his son Sebastian has risen to become the Chief Executive of Farthings Bank.
7. This Was a Man (2016)
- Genre: Thriller, Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 416 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 8 November 2016
- Publisher: Macmillan (UK), St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 978-1447252245
- Series Highlight: A New Dawn For The Barrington Clifton Family
This Was a Man, the final novel in the Clifton Chronicles staged between 1978 and 1992, begins with the death of Giles’ lover who was killed by her Russian handler who found her to be a double agent. Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnum opus while his wife Emma is unexpectedly offered a government job by Margaret Thatcher after the Barrington shipping empire is sold. Harry and Emma’s son continues to rise in the banking world while Lady Virginia comes up with another scheme to clear her debts.
William Warwick Series
The William Warwick series is the latest series by Jeffrey Archer featuring detective William Warwick, a family man who must battle a powerful criminal nemesis as he moves through the ranks of London’s Metropolitan Police. The series was inspired by his previous Clifton Chronicles. Four books have been written in a planned eight-part series of novels.
1. Nothing Ventured (2019)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 320 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 3 September 2019
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 1250200768 (ISBN13: 9781250200761)
- Series Highlight: Warwick Makes Detective and Investigates Missing Rembrandt Painting
The first installment in the William Warwick series is a story about the making of a detective. Warwick graduates from the university and joins the London Metropolitan Police Force against the wishes of his father who wants him to become a lawyer. He starts on the beat before rising to become a detective in Scotland Yard’s arts and antiquities squad.
Warwick’s first high-profile case has him investigating the theft of a priceless Rembrandt painting from the Fitzmolean Museum. While doing so, he meets gallery research assistant Beth Rainsford who he falls hopelessly in love with. Beth is, however, guarding a secret.
He also comes up against suave art collector Miles Faulkner and his brilliant lawyer, Booth Watson QC, who will do anything to stay ahead of the investigation.
2. Hidden in Plain Sight (2020)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 384 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 27 October 2020
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 1250200784 (ISBN13: 9781250200785)
- Series Highlight: William Warwick Promoted to Detective Sergeant
Having been promoted to Detective Sergeant, William Warwick and his team have been assigned to the Drug Squad where they are charged with apprehending a notorious South London drug leader named Khalil Rashidi. Along the way, William makes new enemies and encounters several old foes like Miles Faulkner who could finally be put in prison.
Meanwhile, in his personal life, Warwick is planning a wedding with Beth. They are however caught off guard by the unpleasant surprise waiting for them at the altar.
3. Turn a Blind Eye (2021)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 342 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1 April 2021
- Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (US)
- ISBN: 1250200806 (ISBN13: 9781250200808)
- Series Highlight: William Warwick Investigates Corruption In The Metropolitan Police Force
In the third installment of the William Warwick series, the lead character is newly promoted to the position of Detective Inspector. In this role, he was given a new task to perform, one that is considerably more dangerous than anything he had ever done.
Warwick is charged with going undercover and exposing corruption at the Metropolitan Police Force. His investigation is, however, threatened when one of his team members falls in love with a suspect, a young officer who lives a lifestyle that clearly exceeds his income.
4. Over My Dead Body (Oct 2021)
- Genre: Fiction
- Paperback Volume: 342 pages
- Original Publishing Date: October 19th, 2021
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- ISBN: 0008476373 (ISBN13: 9780008476373)
- Series Highlight: Warwick Assumes New High Profile Role
In the latest, soon-to-be-released book, William Warwick is a rising star in the Metropolitan Police Force where he now has the title of Detective Chief Inspector. At this point, he is charged with overseeing three investigations; one in London, one in Geneva, and another on a luxury liner en route to New York.
How Many Of Jeffrey Archer’s Books Have Been Made into Movies?
Not as many works of Jeffrey Archer have been adapted to screen as one would have imagined. The first was a mini-series on the Kane & Abel books that aired on CBS television in 1985. The following year, his novel First Among Equals was adapted into a Granada Television serial aired by ITV. A story based on Kane & Abel was later aired on Sony TV in India in 2011.
