A Prisoner of Birth

A Prisoner of Birth
Jeffrey Archer
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 9780312379292
Fiction, Thriller
Reviewed by John R. Clark

Jeffrey Archer's latest book will remind many of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. I
suspect that Archer has done what truly good writers do; he has written a book he and not
his fans wanted-a mental cleansing of the palette, so to speak.
In doing so, he has created an engrossing and extremely well-crafted tale with characters both likeable and despicable; all, however quite believable. Danny Cartwright is the victim of sociopathic lawyer Stephen Craig and the three friends he cons/bullies into backing him. When a drunken confrontation between the quartet and Danny, along with his pregnant girlfriend and her brother Bernie, results in Bernie's death, Danny gets shafted. There might have been enough for a decent story with that plot line, but Archer takes things up a level, having Danny be wrongfully convicted and finding himself in prison with the literate Nick Moncrief who starts Danny on the road to an equal footing with his adversaries. Danny's escape starts the ball rolling for his plan of revenge.
Archer's latest effort will satisfy many readers who like mysteries or thrillers with a focus on plot and not on gratuitous helpings of sex and violence. It will be a welcome addition to the Hartland Public Library where it will see plenty of use.