I do not rate Jeffery Archer as a great author, but he is a great story teller. His book The Eleventh Commandment had been taking up shelf space for years, so I decided to read it and then give it away to the local charity shop. That way it would no longer take up room in my book case.Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare was born on 15 April 1940 in London, England but his family moved to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset two weeks later. He is an English author and former politician. Archer was a Member of the UK Parliament and sat in the House of Commons as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Lincolnshire Constituency of Louth from 1969 to 1974. However, Archer resigned over a financial scandal which left him almost bankrupt. At this time, Archer wrote his first novel, Not A Penny More, Not a Penny Less. This was the book that allowed him to rise from that financial disaster. Later, after the reversal in his fortunes from the royalties of his best-selling novels, he became deputy chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1986. However, Archer had to resign after another scandal. This one led to the end of his career in elected office. He had been made a life peer in 1992 with the privilege of sitting in the House of Lords. His political career ended with his conviction and subsequent imprisonment during 2001 to 2003 for perjury and perverting the course of justice, which followed his second resignation. He has since continued writing and raises a great deal of money for charity.Nevertheless, his books have sold at least 250 million copies worldwide and have been translated into many languages. He does tell a good story. The Eleventh Commandment is no exception. In this book, Connor Fitzgerald is a professional's professional. He is the holder of the Medal of Honor: a devoted family man: a servant of his country and a CIA assassin.In the days before his retirement from the Company, Fitzgerald comes face to face with an enemy who, for the first time, even he cannot handle. She is his boss, Helen Dexter, Director of the CIA. Nevertheless, the eleventh commandment, thou shalt not get caught, is pivotal to the story because Dexter's stranglehold on the agency is threatened by a power greater than her own, and her only hope is to destroy Fitzgerald.Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a new threat to the national security of America is emerging: a ruthless, hardline Russian president who is determined to force a military confrontation between the two superpowers. It is up to the intrepid Fitzgerald to pull off his most daring mission yet. He needs to save the world, and his own life.I only read this book recently, but it was first published in 1998 and it is interesting to consider the scenes mentioning airport security. They reminded me how life has changed since 9/11. The book may not be a great piece of literature, but it is a good read and I enjoyed it. If you enjoy an exciting story, I recommend The Eleventh Commandment to you.
(spoilers!)I rather enjoyed this book. It had complex themes and new ideas about politics and espionage. This book is about a NCO (non-commissioned officer) named Connor Fitzgerald who work for the CIA but they are not responsible for his actions due to legal loop holes. He works as a hitman who kills political candidates who pose a problem to the agenda of the USA. THe story Begins with Connor in Columbia moments away from assassinating a drug cartel boss who is the leading candidate for the next elections. The scheme is very elaborate and I wont go into detail but its realistic and cool! Once the deed has been done Connor leaves the country and travels around the word before returning back home to his wife and his daughter. IT's while he is traveling the president of the US find out about the assassination and assumes the CIA is involved. THe President has been interested in firing Helen Dexter, the head of the CIA, for years but has no solid ground to do so. He sees this unauthorized attack as a way to do so and demands that HElen find out who was behind the Assassination. Shift back to Connor. Connor has been serving the CIA secretly for 28 years and not even his family fully knows what he does. Connor decides it's time to retire but Hellen sees him as a threat to her prestigious job because of the president wanting him found, so she wants him out of the way. Helen asks him to go on one last mission before he retires because it's high profile and needs a qualified agent. Connor Happily accepts and finds out that his assignment is to go to Russia and assassinate the communist party candidate, Zerminski, if he suddenly pulls ahead in the election. Zerminiski is gaining speed fast and Is already in second place in the polls. Connor flies to Russia to keep tabs on Zerminiski thinking it will be a quite assignment because Zerminski will lose the election. What he doesn't know that there are two separate parties are following him. The CIA has arranged to get him caught and locked up in prison forever, and the president sent his own agent to fins out who this man is. This is where the very first books ends and i'm excited to read the other two. Personally I like all the characters in this story they are developed so well. You really learn to appreciate the lengths Helen will go to, to keep her job. Or how Loyal and nice Connor is. THe story is interesting and will have you begging for more. 4 stars a definite should read.
What do You think about The Eleventh Commandment (1999)?
tI saw this novel listed in a recent Sunday issue of the New York Times. Since I’ve read a number of works by Jeffrey Archer, this one aroused my interest. I thought it was a new issue but when I received it I learned that it had been published in 1998. The scenes mentioning airport security reminded me how life has changed since 9/11.tThe central character is Connor Fitzgerald, a military hero in the Viet Nam war, a devoted family man, and a hit man for the CIA. His enemy is not a foreign dictator or a Middle East terrorist but the CIA’s director, Helen Dexter. We also have an American president who is easily manipulated by Dexter and a new Russian president.tThis stew of characters and Archer’s penchant for complex plots makes for a tasty meal. However, there are some problems. Fitzgerald received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Viet Nam as a lieutenant. The reader might infer his military service was either the army or marines but it’s never specified. An important point for THIS reader. I attribute the slip to Archer being British and unfamiliar with the American military. However, I do think he’s courageous in writing a book about the power structure in Washington.tA bigger problem is Fitzgerald’s cover story. Somehow he’s kept his real occupation a secret from his wife of many years. He claims to be an executive for an insurance company called Maryland Life. In preparation for his imminent retirement from the CIA, he lands a job interview with the chairman of another insurance company called Washington Provident. He convinces the chairman and other executives that he is actually an insurance company executive, a totally implausible situation.tYou’ll have plenty of twists and turns before you reach the ending. It’s not great literature but enough for a beach read or a long flight.
—Dick Reynolds
I grew up in Maggie Thatcher's Conservative Britain. Names like Michael Heseltine, Nigel Lawson, Michael Portillo and Geoffrey Hurd were all over the news. As was Jeffrey Archer. Sometimes for political reasons, sometimes for scandalous reasons. My political bent being slightly left of centre, I was never a fan of the right-wing self-righteous Tory party, robbing from the poor to feed the rich and thus really never a fan of Jeffrey Archer the person or the MP. I also wasn't keen to read his books.However, this book was part of the Reader's Digest condensed book series I'm reading now and I have to grudgingly say it was actually quite good. I love a good CIA yarn and this one got right into the muck, grime and corruption of politics. In contrast you have Connor Fitzgerald 's long and monogamous marriage to his wife, and his special relationship with his only child, bringing a wholesome, pure light into a dark, twisted world. Good story; not perhaps as detailed or in the same league as Tom Clancy, but then very few authors are.
—Pearl
Jeffrey Archer is an English author and a former politician. Jeffrey Archer wrote his first novel “Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less” and was sold in 17 countries within a single year. The second novel “Shall We Tell the President” became bestseller. With this his career as an author took off. This novel “The Eleventh Commandment” is his 10th novel. This novel had spent 24 weeks on The Sunday’s Times best-seller’s list.The novel is based on a man named Connor Fitzgerald who is a CIA agent. He is considered to be professional’s professional. CIA’s most deadly weapon. He is the holder of Medal of Honor. A very devoted man towards the country. He is married to Maggie Fitzgerald and has a daughter Tara Fitzgerald. Tara is dating an Australian lawyer Stuart. He has a trusted assistant Joan who has been with him for past 18 years. Connor Fitzgerald is an NOC, someone who does not exist in CIA’s books. His family does not know what he does in real life. He lives a life of lies.Connor would never have thought that the organisation, to which he had given his entire life, today will be behind his life to hide the shameful deeds of the Director of CIA. The Director, Helen Dexter is the one who is playing against The President and Connor Fitzgerald. Helen, who made Connor believe that The President gave the orders to eliminate the Russian President Zerimski, is actually planning to remove Connor from the way to bury the dirt on her. The President wants to remove Helen with proof and does not want another Cold War against Russia.The America and Russia are not just tied with each other in diplomatic relations but also with the Russian Mafia who has some other plan going on among them. The Mafias are known as the Czars. They have a very strong hold in the world and has infiltrated almost all the secret organisations up to the highest level.This is an extraordinary crime novel. The book has twists that will make you turn the pages to know the next. The plot is so very well created that will blow your mind and make you think the next possible scenario. Jeffrey Archer is a very good story teller can be truly known from this novel itself. A must read from my side.
—Ankit Sah
