In an exclusive interview with People magazine, celebrated British author Jeffrey Archer has revealed that he is now working on what will be his final novel. At 85, Archer has just completed End Game, the eighth and last installment in his William Warwick detective series. Speaking from his penthouse above the River Thames, the Kane and Abel author reflected on five decades of storytelling and declared it was time to bring his long and eventful literary journey to a close.
End Game not only concludes Warwick’s rise through the police ranks but also offers readers a suspenseful reimagining of the 2012 London Olympics, threatened in the novel by a state-backed terror plot. Archer drew much of his inspiration from Commander Bob Broadhurst, the real-life head of Olympic security, and then wove in fictional twists of his own. The result is a tense narrative that blends fact and imagination, demonstrating again his unmatched gift for pace and drama. As he told People, “A successful security operation has no headlines and no heroes, but it’s remarkable how close we came.”
Archer’s career has been as dramatic as his fiction. His debut Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less faced 14 rejections before its modest first print run, but his breakthrough came with Kane and Abel, which sold millions worldwide and was translated into 47 languages. Alongside his success, he served in politics, befriended royalty, and endured scandal, including a prison sentence for perjury. That chapter led him to write his acclaimed Prison Diaries, which he credits in People with keeping him sane. Through setbacks and triumphs alike, writing remained both a refuge and a source of renewal.
Looking ahead, Archer teased that his final book will delve into the early rivalry between Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill, inspired by their speeches in the 1930s. He even suggested to People that it might be “better than Kane and Abel.” While fans prepare for the release of End Game, they also brace for the realization that this will be the last full-length novel from one of Britain’s most enduring storytellers.