I have recently read, and can thoroughly recommend, Blood Rock by James Jackson. This story is set during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the epic clash between the Knights of St John and the forces of Suleiman the Magnificent which set the boundaries of Muslim expansion for four hundred years. It would have been easy for Jackson to have produced a formula adventure story constrained as he is by the events of recorded history. He avoids this by introducing characters that have all the human failings along with their strengths. None of the leading characters have immunity to sword or bullet neither does the presence of the enemy stop the political manoeuvring between different factions of the Order. The introduction of a traitor into the story brings an element of mystery and suspense with red herrings drawn across the trail until the final revelation. My one reservation, and it is a very small one, is the too convenient demise of the traitor but that is right at the end of what is a first class piece of story telling.

The official Jeffery Archer Blog is well worth a look. The man seems to be permanently travelling or visiting theatres or art galleries. When does he find time to write his books?