Jeffrey Archer Books

Jeffrey Archer is one of my favourite authors and to read of his time behind bars has added a whole new dimension to his writing.He not only survived,but has gone on from where he left off,writing very readable books.
Loryn Potroz

I haven't actually read Archer's first two prison diaries yet but have ordered them after stumbling across this fascinating insight into daily prison life. Volume III Heaven can definitely be read as a stand alone non fiction novel or before reading the other two as it doesn't really refer to anything before Archer's arrival at North Sea Camp. Arhcer's final stage of imprisonment is in one of Britain's cushy D-category prisons, the final chapter of prisoners' lives before they are released, where there are no fences keeping prisoners in, and they have a lot more freedom and luxuries than ever before.

Archer tells the reader through his diary entries about the difference in the way he is treated at North Sea Camp in comparison to the places he was held previously. How he is being picked on by corrupt political opponents, how the media who are camped out on the doorstep for a photo of him is portraying a completely different scenario to what he endures daily. The drug problems of other prisoners and how the system works or doesn't for prisoners in North Sea Camp. Archer explains the different jobs within the prison and takes us through the daily tasks of his various job promotions including the one he refers to as heaven, hospital orderly. There are also a few pictures included in what is a fascinating insight into prison life. Obviously it is a diary by Archer so we have to assume he was well behaved inside or if he did anything wrong he certainly didn't include it. There are plenty of despicable or stupid actions from some other prisoners and the outcomes of those actions inside to keep the reader entertained though.

This makes more sense if you read the first two prior books. Interesting and well written and an easy read, come to mind when describing the book. It is what it is - an on going diary of prison time. The tone of the book gets a bit darker as the reins are tightned and he is forced back into a more secure population. His depression is evident as he eventually trails off in his writing and picks it up the day of his discharge. None of the books were gritty in the sense of true prison drama, but it is an interesting prospective.

It is almost comical in some aspects as I have worked in the prison system. He is gleeful at the prospect of getting his very own coffee cup when most men spend their days trying not to get stabbed. He rails at people called Lady this or Lord that and loves to name drop. It's difficult to imagine that in a prison system and therefore the unsual prospective. Interesting.

The final book of Archers tales in the Prison System.

I read this in 1 day... just wanted to get through it and again could not put the book down. A lot of the material and experience is the same as book 1 and 2. Though now in a Cat D prison (an open prison) he has more freedom, it does still show the drugs and money.

And of course, the press continue to try and get the scoop on him, paying other inmates to get "archer with his clothes off"

All in all, a good book. I am glad he did not do a 4th.

If you read book 1 and 2, get this to wrap up the set.

This is the final volume of three volumes about Jeffrey Archer's Prison experience following his conviction for perjury and perverting the course of justice in 2001.

Archer gives the reader an excellent picture of what it is like to be in prison in the United Kingdom. He writes pithy descriptions of some of his colleagues, including two of them who were model prisoners only to reoffend shortly after they were released. His comments on the drug problem in prisons are almost certainly applicable to prisons here in the United States as well.

This book is easy to read, hard to put down, and does not waste words or descriptions. There is also plenty of Archer's good humor. He expresses his unhappiness at the people who turned on him and testified against him, but does not indulge in self-pity. This book is well worth reading.

This is one of the greatest novels of all time. A struggle between two men, one a banker the other a hotelier, who become bitter and sworn enemies only to realise that they need each other and this is apparent in the sequals that follow involving their children. In the end they both find out they had been set up against each other.

I read this book many years ago and I felt so fortunate to have discovered such a great author with so many more books of Jeffrey Archer's to read. I list this at the top of my favourite books of all time including "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. It's a wonderful story showing the parallels of two men who come from completely different backgrounds. A very powerful book which you won't be able to put down. I have enjoyed reading so many more of ARCHER's books and I hope everyone else will too

I wasn't even introduced to the concept of reading novels, that is when I came across Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer. A book which kept me enthralled for over 3 hours was a excellent reading experience. The story of how 2 totally different personalities, of 2 totally different backgrounds come across, their reactions and the tensions underlying their relationship and the power struggle is simply fantastic. The smooth transition with which this book spans the decades is wonderful and it was but obvious that the tele serial based on this novel, starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neil was an instant hit. All over a simply fantastic novel

This book I first read it a few years ago and being an avid reader myself, I can only say that this is a book you must read if you enjoy well written novels. It made me laugh, cry, and analyze situations and behaviours. It is about two men, their lifes, and how they both fight for what they believe is important. Both were born at the same time but in completely different countries and circumstances, one being so rich that he was born in a hospital named after his own father and owned by him too, the other in the middle of the woods to a dying mother with no one around. Life brings them together and we can just say that life is an irony sometimes. Written with style, this is a book you'll want to read again once in a while. One last thing to add - this book served me as a parameter to know what a GOOD book is.

If I was deserted on a ocean island for the rest of my life this would be the second book that I would take with me, right behind the Bible. Pretty good company, huh?

Jeffrey Archer is good at writing short stories as well as lengthly fictions. In this book he has put his talent into another format : a drama. The story is simple - about the love between an old couple. Actually there is another short story on the same theme by Mr Archer which I have read before and liked better. In this 'love story' there was a couple who had been married for years and knew that they had chosen the right spouse. What happened when death came to part one from the other ? Did the husband commit mercy killing for the wife who was terminally ill ? The dialogues of this courtroom drama were beautifully written. If there is any teacher of English who happens to see this review, I recommend it as teaching material to demonstrate how modern English should be written : concise, precise, simple and effective.

This is a wonderful play that deals very sensitively with the topic of euthanasia. It has 2 settings - a courtroom and a wealthy home. I directed this play in a community thaetre and it was very successful. Recommended

Jeffrey Archer is good at writing short stories as well as lengthly fictions. In this book he has put his talent into another format : a drama.

Este libro te cautiva de principio a fin, despierta emociones durante la lectura, que te hacen no despegarte de el hasta que lo acabas. Se los recomiendo, asi como los otros títulos de este autor.

Una novela de espias y gobiernos realmente excitante, donde uno aprende a no confiar en nadie pues cada quien trabaja para su propio provecho sin importarles nada ni nadie.

Kane and Abel is a book that grabs your interest from the first page to the last. Following the main characters lives through the years,literally from birth to death. Watching them attain their goals and achievments, and also watching all things we learned about in history class,but now being able to see how these events affected lives. It will stay with me forever and I absolutely recommend this book to everyone that I know loves to read.

A wonderful collection of stories from a brilliant storyteller. The kane and abel and prodigal daughter(sequel) has got absolutely superb plot to trod through and author builds up a wonderful climax. Story about persons of integrity, moral, determination and grit. A quiver full of arrows is an astounding collection of short stories. Absolutely terrific stories! Not a penny more is another brilliant plot. Superb storyline The whole collection can be described as "JUST SUPERB"

This sadly is just a re-release. I did like it the first time thought

I recommend this book highly.

It seemed so innocent. A totally disgraced British colonel Scott sends a mysterious letter to his one and only son. The moment young 17 year old Adam Scott opens the yellowing and fragile envelope, he sets into motion a deadly chain of events that threatens to shake the very foundations and pilars of the free world.

Within days, Adam's lover is brutally murdered by the men that his father set in motion and he's running for his life through the great cities of Europe, pursued not only by the KGB, but by the CIA and his own countrymen as well. Their common intent is to kill him before the truth comes out, before the truth comes out.

These powerful men in smoke and cannabish-filled rooms plot ever more genious means of killing him dead dead dead, Adam finds himself betrayed, sad, and abandoned even by those he holds most dear.

When at last he comes to understand what he is in possession of, he's even more determined to protect it, for it's more than a matter of life and death-it's a matter of honor to his lover (rest his soul), his mother and his brothers and sister.

I read this book in two days, just couldn't put it down. Once it takes off, which doesnt take long with Jeffery Archer, it REALLY takes off. I would like to compare it with the Bourne Identity movies, just action packed. A game of cat and mouse at its best.
A little about the author, Jeffery Archer was the youngest memeber of the House of Commons in 1969, apointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party 1985, Moved up to the House of Lords 1992. Bascially this guy was a big fish in the British Goverment. He wrote a couple of books, one of which "Not a Penny more, Not a Penny less" I think is magnificent and has about the same pace as this book. He was sent to prison in 2001 after a sex scandal which rocked...i want to say the world...but i can't be sure...
Anyway the book starts off with a Adam Scott recieving his Father's will which contains a mysterious envelope......KGB, CIA and SAS all want it. He doesnt find out until after he gets it, by then everybody in the world and their highly trained assasins are after him. Being British he tries to run to them, but for the sake of the plot, they keep screwing up and he is always one step ahead of the russian assasin who REALLY loves killing people. Plus to add wood to the fire, the cops want him for a muder he did not commit.
All this may sound over the top, but Archer weaves it superbly, making it unbelivably fast paced.
The book being from a british author has a heap of british words, Trouser-Pants, Phoned-Called, Lift-Elevator and so forth. so it might be a little irritating if you do not know what he means, but honestly this little gripe doesn't in any way compare to the way the book is written.

This story is a little bit out of reality, but it keeps you interested in the book and you can compare the FBI with the former KGB as they work almost in the same manner.

Jeffrey Archer, in his usual incomparable style, writes a stggering tale of how sexual desire can drive a man to embarassment. In this story, a man meets a gogreous woman in a chess club of which he is a member. The woman, who stole the thunder out of most men in the club, seems a poor chess player to the man. He then offers to drop her home. But when he reaches hs own house, he pleads her to have a cup of coffee with him over a game of chess. Before starting, he poses a bet to her -- if he loses the match, then the woman is allowed to go home, if she loses, then she has to take off the front most of her clothes. The woman loses three matches and is stripped down to a panty and a bra. The man is utterly excited. The next game could make her take off even that. But alas, in the fourth game, the woman exhibits exceptional chess-playing ability (like playing gambits he had never even seen) and beats. She dresses up and leaves. When the flabbergasted man looks out his windows, he sees the woman going home in thecar og another gentleman who had met her at the club. Archer writes with exceptional ability to portray everything without a trace of vulgarity. Worth reading!

Crick has written a page turnover of his own.

This biography details Archer's life to about the late 90's. It is fascinating to read how intriguing Archer's public and private lives were - and on many occasions even more interesting than his own novels.

Crick rights in a clear, direct style. The quality of the research is thorough, and reveals considerable work on his behalf to trawl through such a complicated life.

The many revelations that Crick reveals about Archer are sure to keep the reader chasing down the next page as I did with me

How does a Peer of the Realm and former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, sentenced to four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice, cope with the initial 21 days in Belmarsh (Hellmarsh) High Security (Category A) Prison, where many of the inmates are murderers serving life sentences? What is most striking is that, apart from the one volley of threatening abuse which he reports, the other prisoners are quite friendly to him, and they seem to welcome the interest he takes in them and their stories (which they know will figure in his Prison Diary, the keeping of which kept him sane). Archer shows great compassion for most of them, and he receives a touching letter from one of the inmates, telling him that this has not gone unnoticed. It is astonishing how some of them looked after him, and how much they trusted him. They told him not only their stories, but also all the tricks of how to cope, and even of how and why drugs are introduced into prisons. That long section alone should be an eye-opener for the innocent reader. One would think responsible ministers and prison authorities know all about this - but one does wonder. (See also my review on Vols. II and III)