British author and politician Lord Geoffrey Archer has died at the age of 86. His publisher HarperCollins said the death occurred "suddenly and peacefully" at his home.
“Working with him was one of the greatest privileges of my publishing career“, said his editor and chief executive of HarperCollins UK, Kate Elton. She described him as a “master storyteller“ and “a dream for every editor“, emphasizing that Archer worked long and meticulously on each of his books.
From Parliament to World Bestsellers
Geoffrey Howard Archer was born on April 15, 1940 in North London and grew up in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Before dedicating himself to literature, he served briefly in the army, worked as a policeman and a physical training instructor.
His political career began in 1969, when he was elected as an MP for the Conservative Party. Five years later, he left parliament after losing a significant amount of money on an investment in a Canadian company that turned out to be a fraud. The financial crisis led him to write.
His first novel “Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less“ was published in 1976. His international breakthrough came three years later with “Cain and Abel“. This was followed by “First Among Equals“, “The Clifton Chronicles“ and the series about the fictional policeman William Warwick. Archer's books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, Sky News reported.
Political career, scandal and prison
In 1985, Margaret Thatcher appointed him deputy leader of the Conservative Party, but a year later he left the post after a scandal. In 1992, he was given a life seat in the House of Lords.
In 2001, Archer was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice in a case related to his claim against the Daily Star newspaper. He was sentenced to four years in prison, served two years, and was released early in 2003. He later described his experiences in the three-volume series Prison Diary.
Archer will remain a member of the House of Lords until his formal retirement in 2024. In January 2026, he announced that Adam and Eve would be the last novel in his long literary career. The book is due to be released the day after his death, The Independent reported.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, news.sky.com, independent.co.uk