Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British novelist and former politician, has died at 86.
According to Reuters, Archer, who was jailed for lying in a high-profile libel case, died aged 86 on Monday, October 5, just one day before his final novel "Adam and Eve" was due to be published.
He sold more than 300 million copies of his books, spent a total of five and a half years on the New York Times bestseller lists and found fans around the world with his pacy thrillers, among them the 1976 debut Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less and 1979's mass-selling Kane & Abel.
Publisher HarperCollins said Archer, who had met and signed books for fans in London's Leicester Square Theatre on Sunday and had been scheduled to speak at events this week, died "suddenly and peacefully at home ... between writing sessions".
"We're all devastated to have lost a writer who has brought joy to generations of readers — and a true friend. When he set out to write 'Adam and Eve', he told me from the very beginning that it would be his final novel," said Kate Elton, HarperCollins' UK CEO and Archer's editor.
Jeffrey Archer’s top 5
Here are the UK's bestselling authour's top five greatest novels that book readers cannot miss.
Kane and Abel (1979)
Follows two men born on the same day in vastly different circumstances, one a wealthy American heir, the other a penniless Polish immigrant, whose lives collide in a bitter, lifelong rivalry.
A Prisoner of Birth (2008)
Tells the gripping tale of Danny Cartwright, a working-class man framed for murder, who plots a clever revenge from prison inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo.
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1976)
Archer's witty debut novel features four victims of a fraudulent stock scheme who band together to recoup their exact losses from the mastermind.
Only Time Will Tell (2011)
The first installment in the sprawling Clifton Chronicles series, tracing Harry Clifton's life from a modest dockworker's upbringing in Bristol through monumental historical events.
As the Crow Flies (1991)
Chronicles the sweeping journey of Charlie Trumper, starting as an Edwardian street vendor and working his way up to owning a magnificent London department store.
