Works of Jeffrey Archer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edward Kennedy

When this novel was originally written, Archer featured Senator Edward Kennedy as the President of the USA. In later versions he replaced Ted Kennedy with the fictional character Florentyna Kane.

Answer: The Eleventh Commandment

'The Eleventh Commandment' features Helen Dexter, the first woman chief of the CIA who is a thorn in the side for many US Presidents. Dexter is running her own operations without the knowledge of the President.

Answer: Honour Among Thieves

The book 'Honour among Thieves' features a plot by Saddam Hussein to steal the Declaration of Independence and destroy it in a rally in Baghdad to humiliate the Americans and President Clinton.

Answer: A Matter of Honour

'A Matter of Honour' is about the agreement made by the Tsar which transferred Alaska to the USA. There is a desperate race for an icon which would make Alaska a part of the Soviet Union.

Answer: As the Crow Flies

'As the Crow Flies' is a monumental work by Archer that tells the story of a humble trader Charlie Trumper who starts with a vegetable barrow and ends up becoming a member of the House of Lords. This novel is spread across three continents and through the triumphs and disasters of the twentieth century.

Answer: First Among Equals

The Prime Minister of the UK is supposed to be the first among equals in the British cabinet. 'First Among Equals' is the story of four men and their political ambitions which finally end in one of them becoming the PM of UK.

Answer: The Prodigal Daughter

'The Prodigal Daughter' features Florentyna Kane, the daughter of an immigrant who goes on to become the Vice-President of the USA. At the end of the novel when it seems that her dreams of becoming the President is over; the President dies of heart attack and she becomes the President. Florentyna features in three Archer novels - 'Kane and Abel', 'Prodigal Daughter' and 'Shall We Tell the President?'.

Answer: False Impression

'False Impression' starts on 9/11 (it has nothing to do, though, with the 9/11 conspiracy or with the Al Qaeda) and is about the last painting of Van Gogh.

Answer: Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

'Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less' is Archer's first novel, which catapulted him to fame. This book features a master conman Harvey Metcalfe who swindles an English Lord, a doctor, an art dealer and a professor. The four come together to recover their lost money. The book ends with one of them marrying Metcalfe's daughter.

Answer: Perjury

Jeffrey Archer was unjustly (in the opinion of many!) sentenced to four years in prison on a case of perjury (giving false evidence). 'The Prison Diary' is a chronicle in three parts, which is a record of his days in prison.

Answer: The Fourth Estate

'The Fourth Estate' is Archer's novel featuring the tussle between two newspaper barons which ends in victory for one and death for the other! This is the story of Richard Armstrong and Keith Townsend and their battle to control the biggest newspaper empire in the world. The other three options are collections of short stories.

Answer: Sons of Fortune

'Sons of Fortune' is an Archer novel written when he was in prison. This is a story about two brothers separated at birth and ends dramatically in a court case when one defends the other in a murder trial!

Answer: The Commissioner

'The Commissioner' is about a con artist in Bombay who takes on the Police Commissioner and ends up in the morgue - not as a corpse but as an employee. This story is based on a true story picked up by Archer during his stay at prison. Archer states that through he has embellished the story, it is rooted in fact.

Answer: The Alibi

'The Alibi' is the story of how a convict removes an old enemy while he is in prison and sets up two prison officers as his alibi. The story ends on an ironic note with the prison officers ensuring that the convict remains in prison on flimsy charges.

Answer: The Maestro

'The Maestro' is about an Italian restaurateur in trouble with the tax authorities and ends up in jail. The story also features Archer and is a true story like most others in the "Cat O' Nine Tales" short story collection.

Answer: All of these

All of the three options above are the three parts of the 'Prison Diary' series of books. They feature Archer's stay in prison in three different prisons at Belmarsh, Wayland and North Sea Camp.

Answer: Death Speaks

'Death Speaks' is a really short story based on an Arabic tale and featured in a play of Somerset Maugham. Archer calls this a better example of story telling and says that he was so moved by this story that he puts it at the start of the book. This tale appears in Somerset Maugham's play 'Sheppey' and also in the preface of John O'Hara's 'Appointment in Samarra'.

Answer: The Letter

'The Letter' is the only story among the four options featured above which is a work of fiction; all the other three are based on true incidents. Archer states that he has tried to attempt the genre of simple story telling in this short story.

Answer: The Grass is Always Greener

'The Grass is Always Greener' is a short story which starts off with a tramp in front of a bank envying the bank's guard for his job. The story ends on a melancholic note with the bank's chairman wondering how it would be if he could change places with the tramp! This story is mentioned as one that could probably haunt the reader for the rest of his life.

Answer: Sons of Fortune

'Sons of Fortune' is a full length novel, while the remaining three are short story collections.