Bestselling British novelist and former politician Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86. His publisher, HarperCollins, confirmed that he died “suddenly and peacefully” at home on Monday 5 October, between writing sessions.
Known for novels including Kane and Abel, Archer sold more than 300 million books worldwide during a career spanning five decades.
He passed away a day before his new book ‘Adam and Eve’, which he had said would be his last, was scheduled to be released.
Monte Carlo in His First Novel
Monaco provided one of the settings for Archer’s debut novel, ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less‘, first published in 1976.
The story follows four men determined to recover the money they lost to a dishonest financier. Their pursuit takes them through the casinos of Monte Carlo, as well as Ascot and Oxford.
A Cannes Connection
More recently, Archer’s storytelling also reached the Film Market section of the Cannes Film Festival. In June 2021, film industry publication TheWrap reported that Everest, a planned film inspired by Archer’s novel ‘Paths of Glory’, was being presented to buyers at the market.
The project concerned mountaineer George Mallory and his pursuit of Everest.
Who was Jeffrey Archer?
The bestselling author of books like the Clifton Chronicles, the William Warwick novels, The Prodigal Daughter and Kane and Abel, is the only author ever to have been a #1 bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries), according to HarperCollins.
Archer was a member of the House of Lords for over a quarter of a century, and famously spent two years in jail after being found guilty of perjury in 2001 in his 1987 libel case against the Daily Star.
The author and his wife, Dame Mary Archer, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year in July.
Archer leaves his wife, two sons, two granddaughters and three grandsons.
