Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780312944094
ISBN: 0312944098
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 624
Publication Date: 2008-12-02
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 2008-12-02
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Customer Rating:
Summary: Preposterous Plot, But Still a Pretty Good Read
Comment: The premise of the plot: That an illiterate mechanic from London's East End could swap places with a Scottish peer and become a world-class business brain in only a few years -- is simply preposterous. Archer depends here far too much on coincidence and serendipity in his plot and weaves a story that requires the reader to suspend credulity. One finds oneself laughing derisively at the ridiculous plot twists. HOWEVER...the book is pretty well written and once you realize that this is a fairy tale, no less than The Lord of the Rings or The Wizard of Oz, you can sit back and enjoy the book, with all its complicated twists and turns and compelling courtroom dialog. It's a well-written opus, but it's not a serious book. It's a modern-day version of "The Count of Monte Cristo". Read it if you have time to kill and you're bored.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wow. One of Archer's Best
Comment: This was an exceptionally well-written book that I could not put down. Archer weaves a wonderfully intellectually stimulating read. This book ranks with First Among Equals and A Matter of Honor. This was an outstanding book. Outstanding. I have already pre-ordered his next book due in March.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Officially Became One of My Top 5's
Comment: To start, I have read on average 52-60 novels per year for the past 17 years. That's an average. I started reading this book a little over a week ago and just finished it. Obviously, the second someone is done with a book is not always the most objective time to review a book but I just couldn't wait.

I'll assume you know the plot line and the players. Just think Count of Monte' Cristo meets 'Any John Grisham book' meets Wallstreet (movie) meets Shawshank Redemption. You get the idea.

It has everything and it is done in a very proper and respectful English manner and it is done perfectly. Right this second, out of nearly 1000 books it is my #2. That's got to stand for something.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good.
Comment: Hmmm...you know Archer. He writes neat fast-paced fiction. His books are certainly not the gentle love story, rib-tickling funny, tear-jerker kind. He's all about unbridled passion, formidable enemies, money, power, and revenge. A prisoner of Birth is too.

A small-time mechanic goes to a regular hangout with his fiance and her brother who also happens to be his best friend, to celebrate his engagement to his fiance. They are provoked by a couple of rich/famous/highly-placed/all guys into a brawl and the would-be brother-in-law gets killed. The mechanic is blamed for it and is sent to prison, away from his fiance who it turns out is pregnant with their child. How he escapes from prison and exacts revenge forms the rest of the story. The plot has been beaten to death, but hey, it's about how Archer writes it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Prisoner to My Chair
Comment: This was the first book I received on my new Kindle and I can't put it down. This is a courtroom thriller combined with action. All the other reviews saying this is a modern times Count of Monte Cristo are exactly right. Jeffrey Archer's style is brilliant and takes you on an incredible chronological journey of a man up for trial for a crime he did not commit. Archer takes you from one perspective to another without the slightest break or interruption. This book just flows and it is exciting. I highly recommend and the Kindle version is great as well!

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