Only Time Will Tell

Description

Ambitious and addictive, Only Time Will Tell is the first novel in Jeffrey Archer's The Clifton Chronicles, beginning the epic tale of Harry Clifton, a working-class boy from the docks of Bristol. It is 1920, and against the backdrop of a world ravaged by conflict, Harry's story begins with the words 'I was told that my father was killed in the war'. Harry's existence is defined by the death of his father and he seems destined to a life on the docks until a remarkable gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys school and entry into a world he could never have envisaged. Over the course of twenty years, as the Second World War and the fight against Hitler draws nearer, Harry will learn the awful truth about his father's death and of his own connections to a powerful shipping family, the Barringtons. And in doing so, he will change his destiny forever . . . Richly imagined and populated with remarkable characters, The Clifton Chronicles will take you on a powerful journey, bringing to life one hundred years of family history in a story neither you, nor Harry, could ever have dreamt of. Continue the bestselling series with The Sins of the Father and Best Kept Secret.

Jeffrey Archer, whose novels and short stories include the Clifton Chronicles, Kane and Abel and Cat O' Nine Tales, is one of the world's favourite storytellers and has topped the bestseller lists around the world in a career spanning four decades. His work has been sold in ninety-seven countries and in more than thirty-seven languages. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). Jeffrey is also an art collector, sports lover, and amateur auctioneer, conducting numerous charity auctions every year. A member of the House of Lords for over a quarter of a century, the author is married to Dame Mary Archer, and they have two sons, two grandsons and a granddaughter.

Archer is on top form * Daily Telegraph * I enjoyed the book and marvelled at both its pace and the imaginative cliffhanger ending, whetting our appetite for volume two * Sunday Express * This is a cracker of a read. And quite 'unputdownable'. The whole thing about Jeffrey is that he has always had the knack of producing page-turners -- Jerry Hayes * Spectator * The ability to tell a story is a great - and unusual - gift . . . [it] is not something that can be taught or acquired. You have it or you don't . . . Jeffrey Archer is, first and foremost, a storyteller . . . You don't sell 250 million copies of your books (250 million!) if you can't keep an audience hooked - and that's what Archer does, book after book. Archer's audience will stick with him to the last. They want to know what happens next -- Erica Wagner, Literary Editor * The Times *