First review

Actors and singers should never read reviews, and I feel writers ought to fall into the same category. However, A Prisoner of Birth has received its first review in the United States in Publisher's Weekly. The reason PW reviews a book long before it's published, is so that booksellers and other outlets are pre-warned about a book they may wish to order, and which may influence the number of copies they take. So I felt I would share this first one with you: “Bestseller Archer pays homage to Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic….the author’s firsthand knowledge of prison life and legal maneuvers helps make this a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment.”

American publication will be on March 4th and the British follow three days later on the 7th.

Roger Allam's reading

I was thrilled to hear today from my publishers, that the Olivier Award-winning actor Roger Allam has agreed to record the audio version of A Prisoner of Birth. Mr Allam is a fine actor, and many of you will have seen him most recently playing the part of Bernard in Boeing-Boeing at the Comedy Theatre. His credits in film, television and theatre - particularly at the National - are impressive, and I am much looking forward to hearing the final version.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and will have a successful new year. I am currently away writing, so will not be posting the usual comments on theatre or sporting events. However, I will be returning home soon because the launch of my new book, A Prisoner of Birth, is on March 4th in the US and March 7th in Britain. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who keep sending their comments, don't stop just because I'm away.