Good riddance from the sounds of it. 
His were the first adult novels I ever read as a child. Not sure my older self would find them as riveting as I did when I was 9.
Private Eye readers may have heard of the curse of the Grim Brandreth. It looks as if it’s real!
His death came less than 24 hours after Archer had met and signed books for hundreds of fans at a sold-out event with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth at the Leicester Square Theatre in central London on Sunday, HarperCollins said.
Writing on X, Brandreth said: “Just yesterday I did a show with Jeffrey Archer to celebrate his new novel – he said it was to be his last.
“He was in the most wonderful, ebullient form and had such a great reception from a packed house. He was funny, engaging and self-deprecating – a great storyteller to the last.”
Jeffrey Archer seems on top form in this recent interview in the video clip here.
I remember reading a particularly good Archer short story about an African warlord who visits a Swiss bank. I might butcher it a bit, but it goes something like this.
An African warlord has an appointment at a Swiss bank.
Once they are seated in the bank manager’s office, the warlord pulls out a pistol and points it squarely at the manager. He calmly asks whether his rival has an account at the same bank.
The manager replies that he cannot divulge any such information. Getting angry, the warlord gets up, strides over and presses the muzzle of his pistol against the manager’s temple.
“Tell me now, or I’ll shoot you!”
Wincing, the manager repeats that he can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any such account.
The warlord suddenly beams, puts away the pistol and says “Excellent. I’d like to open an account here.”
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