From the master storyteller comes a masterful collection of 14 riveting tales of elaborate confidence tricks, political chicanery, immoral behavior, and dangerously illicit affairs, rendered with the breathtaking narrative twists that have become the Jeffrey Archer hallmark.
Here are all new stories that will engross and astonish, peopled with a rich assortment of truly memorable characters: the intoxicating woman who appears to her lover only once every six years; the British diplomat who employs his rather creative -- if not entirely ethical -- financial talents for a greater good; the millionaire who declares himself bankrupt to test the love and loyalties of those closest to him.
This is Jeffrey Archer at the top of his form, as he offers us unique fables of our time and civilization, each one shining a harsh yet hypnotic light on that fascinating, complex being called "human."
Man, can Archer spin a tale.
-- Los Angeles Times
First published 1982 – Simon & Schuster
With a will of steel, Polish immigrant Florentyna Rosnovski is indeed Abel's daughter. She shares with her father a love of America, his ideals, and his dream for the future. But she wants more to be the first female president.
Golden boy Richard Kane was born into a life of luxury. The scion of a banking magnate he is successful, handsome, and determined to carve his own path in the world -- and to build a future with the woman he loves.
With Florentyna's ultimate goal only a heartbeat away, both are about to discover the shattering price of power as a titanic battle of betrayal and deception reaches out from the past -- a blood feud between two generations that threatens to destroy everything Florentyna and Richard have fought to achieve.
"Chalk up another smash hit for Jeffrey Archer... an Excerptional storyteller."
-- John Barkham Reviews
"Fast-moving and compelling."
-- Library Journal
"A page-turner."
-- The Washington Post
The Fourth Estate
Lubji Hoch breaks the bonds of his humble beginnings as the son of an illiterate Jewish peasant, escapes the Nazis, changes his name to Richard Armstrong, becomes a decorated officer in the British army, and ultimately finds himself in Berlin, where his sharp mind and killer instincts win him the opportunity to head up a floundering newspaper. As rival papers in the city fail in the wake of his ruthlessness, he nonetheless yearns to move on to even greater things.
On the other side of the world, in Australia, Keith Townsend, son of a millionaire newspaper owner, is being groomed to follow in his father's footsteps. Private schools, an Oxford degree, and a position at a London newspaper lead him up to the time of his father's death, when he takes over the family business. His energy and brilliant strategic thinking quickly make him the leading newspaper publisher in Australia. Yet he too longs to move on to the world stage.
As both Armstrong and Townsend seize control of everything they see, their ambitions collide on a global scale. But suddenly they both find themselves threatened by finicial disaster and enormous debt. Frantic to save his crumbling empire, each man turns desperate. One's quest will lead to triumph, the other's will end in tragedy in this awesome tale of wealth and corruption, desire and destruction.
The Fourth Estate is the timely and compelling story of two men who, though they come from totally different backgrounds, stand face-to-face on the highest precipice, prepared to risk everything to beat each other and control the biggest media empire in the world.
Interesting fact:
Jeffrey often bases his protagonists on real people. In this instance, the rival newspaper magnates were modelled on the late Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch.
Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less
First published in hardback in 1976
The conned: an Oxford don, a revered society physician, a chic French art dealer, and a charming English lord. They have one thing in common. Overnight, each novice investor lost his life's fortune to one man. The con: Harvey Metcalfe. A brilliant, self-made guru of deceit. A very dangerous individual. And now, a hunted man.
With nothing left to lose four strangers are about to come together -- each expert in their own field. Their plan: find Harvey, shadow him, trap him, and penny-for-penny, destroy him. From the luxurious casinos of Monte Carlo to the high-stakes windows at Ascot to the bustling streets of Wall Street to fashionable London galleries, their own ingenious game has begun. It's called revenge -- and they were taught by a master.
Marvellously plotted, with just the right amounts of romance, wit and savoir-faire... PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Interesting fact:
It took Jeffrey some time to find a publisher for this first novel. When it was published, it only sold 3,000 copies in hardback. The paperback did a bit better, selling about 20,000 in the first year. However, as word-of-mouth took over, demand increased. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less has now been reprinted 57 times.
Kane and Abel
First published 1979 - Simon & Schuster
The compulsive story of two powerful men linked by an all-consuming hatred, from a number 1 bestselling author.
William Lowell Kane and Abel Rosnovski, one the son of a Boston millionaire, the other a penniless polish immigrant -- born on the same day near the turn of the century on opposite sides of the world -- are brought together by fate and the quest of a dream. Two men -- ambitious, powerful, ruthless -- are locked in a relentless struggle to build an empire, fuelled by their all-consuming hatred. Over sixty years and three generations, through war, marriage, fortune, and disaster, Kane and Abel battle for the success and triumph that only one man can have...
'The ultimate novel of sibling rivalry'
Dan Brown
'Archer has a gift for plot that can only be described as genius'
-- Daily Telegraph
'Probably the greatest storyteller of our age'
-- Mail on Sunday
First published 1984 – Simon & Schuster
Charles Seymour, second-born son, will never be the earl like his father, but he did inherit his mother's strength -- and the will to realize his destiny... Simon Kerslake's father sacrificed everything to make sure his son's dreams come true. Now it is Simon's chance to rise as high as those dreams allow... Ray Gould was born to the back streets but raised with pride -- a quality matched by a sharp intellect and the desire to attain the impossible... Andrew Fraser was raised by a soccer hero turned politician. Now it's his turn for heroics, whatever the cost.
From strangers to rivals, four men embark on a journey for the highest stakes of all -- the keys to No. 10 Downing Street. Unfolding over three decades, their honor will be tested, their loyalties betrayed, and their love of family and country challenged. But in a game where there is a first among equals, only one can triumph.
Interesting fact: Several situations in the novel are drawn from the author's own early political career in the British House of Commons, and Margaret Thatcher was a primary influence. Different characters become Prime Minister in the British and American editions of the book; Archer explained that this was because he found that readers in the two countries were not cheering for the same character to win. The British version also includes a Scottish M.P. that the American version omits.
This engrossing, well-spun tale of ambition and will-to-power is a pick-hit in the summer sweepstakes. Archer received his usual high marks for readability and gives his novel a pleasing sense of substance."
--Publishers Weekly
"All the elements that make for a great commercial fiction: ambition, lust, greed, duplicity... a whale of a tale."
--Newsday
"Top-flight entertainment."
--United Press International
"Archer invests his novels with drama, irony and suspense -- First Among Equals is no Excerption... fascinating."
--The Boston Herald
"A razzle-dazzle fictional turn... engaging... pertinent and compelling."
--The Washington Times Magazine
A Twist in the Tale
First published 1989 - Hodder & Stoughton
No one can weave a web of suspense, deliver a jolt of surprise, or teach a lesson in living like bestselling author Jeffrey Archer. From Africa to the Middle East, and from London to Beijing, Archer takes us to places we've never seen and introduces us to people we'll never forget.
Meet the philandering husband who thinks he's committed the perfect murder; the self-assured chess champion who plays a beautiful woman for stakes far higher than cash; and the finance minister who needs to crack the secrets of a Swiss bank. Jeffrey Archer's collection of twelve spellbinding stories will sweep you on a journey of thwarted ambition, undying passion, and unswerving honour that you'll never forget.
Probably the greatest storyteller of our age.
-- Mail on Sunday
Cunning plots, silken style . . . Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader.
--The New York Times
A Quiver Full of Arrows
This collection of 12 short stories will draw you into each story, whether it is "Old Love", the tale of two undergraduates at Oxford in the '30s and their bitter rivalry that ends in a memorable love story or "Broken Routine", which tells of an insurance claim advisor and his surprising encounter on the train home to Sevenoaks, or "Henry's Hiccup", the story of The Grand Pasha and how his plans for the most perfect honeymoon go awry.
From The Grand Pasha to a British diplomat in China; a backgammon match to a one night stand, these stories will take you on a tour of ancient heirlooms and modern romance, of cutthroat business and kindly strangers, of lives lived in the realms of power and lives freed from the gloom of oppression. Fortunes are made and squandered, honour betrayed and redeemed, and love lost and rediscovered.
This intricate web of tales prove that Jeffrey really is the master of storytelling.
Stylish, witty and constantly entertaining... Jeffrey Archer has a natural aptitude for short stories.
-- The Times
Exciting ... Archer offers versatility, laughter, inventive plotting and a gift for characterization.
--Baltimore Sun
Amusing ... poignant.
--The New York Times
A Matter of Honour
First published in hardback in 1986
It seems innocent enough. A disgraced British colonel bequeaths a mysterious letter to his only son. But the moment Adam Scott opens the yellowing envelope, he sets into motion a deadly chain of events that threatens to shake the very foundations of the free world.
Within days, Adam's lover is brutally murdered 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. While powerful men in smoke-filled rooms plot ever more ingenious means of destroying him, Adam finds himself betrayed 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 honour.
"Sizzles along at a pace that would peel the paint off a spaceship."
-- The New York Times Book Review
"Jeffrey Archer has written the equivalent of an Alfred Hitchcock movie."
-- Baltimore Sun
"A wild, no-hold-barred slam-bang, pell-mell international thriller."
-- Buffalo News
