End Game by Jeffrey Archer
Bestselling author, Jeffrey Archer takes the reader inside the terrifying events surrounding London’s 2012 Olympic Games in his latest thriller, End Game (Harper Collins). Working closely with Bob Broadhurst, the real commander for the Olympics Gold campaign, in researching his book, Archer teases the reader from the first page.
The novel begins as London usurps Moscow’s bid for the Olympics in July 2005, leaving England with seven years to prepare for one of the most prestigious events in the world. No one believes that is enough time. And the world is watching.
A Race Against Time — and the Truth
Archer immediately launches William Warwick, the Metropolitan police officer who leads the eight-book Warwick series and his dedicated team, through twenty-two incidents related to the games. Archer tells us “Thirteen happened and were never revealed. Nine did not.” He challenges the reader to determine where the terrifying facts depart from the thrilling fiction.
Warwick is assigned to head the Olympics Gold campaign, requiring him to oversee the security of the games, from the moment the Olympic torch arrives in the UK to the closing ceremony. Over the span of two weeks, hundreds of thousands of spectators, athletes, dignitaries and their entourages, spread out across thirty-two venues will be under his watch. Not only is he under pressure to protect the public, but his promotion to replace the retiring commissioner is on the line.
On the eve of the games, Warwick is tipped off that someone intends to sabotage the games. Is it the local crook who wants to scam ticket buyers with counterfeit tickets? Is it his old nemesis, Miles Faulkner, a wealthy thief and art connoisseur? Or is it a foreign nation seeking revenge against the Brits? While Warwick must anticipate every possible scenario, what about those beyond his imagination?
Sabotage, Secrets and a Van Gogh at the Heart of It All
He knows something is about to go down, either domestic or foreign terrorism and he relies upon his loyal staff to sniff out the rats and keep the public, and the Queen, out of harm’s way. Faulkner has slipped through Warwick’s grip many times before, but this time, Warwick senses that Faulkner is somehow involved. But the man’s motivation is murky. It is not until Faulkner and Warwick attend the opening of an art exhibit featuring a rare Van Gogh self-portrait on loan from Russia’s Hermitage Museum, that the plot is revealed. Would Faulkner willingly commit treason to acquire one of the world’s most valuable artworks? And if so, who is he working for and what is his assignment?
Filled with political intrigue, End Game takes the reader on a fast-paced chase. Archer counts down the Olympics from the moment of London’s selection to the post games wrap up. His characters are as complex as the plot, as follows Warwick’s museum director wife, his cub reporter daughter, his fledgling solicitor son and his staff as they all contribute to the intrigue surrounding the Olympics. It doesn’t help that his superior, also a candidate for the commissioner’s position, seeks to undermine his every move.
A Master Storyteller at the Top of His Game
In End Game, Archer, a master storyteller who has just turned 85, gives the reader an in depth look at the inner workings of the 2012 Olympics and the machinations involved to secure the facilities, athletes, visitors, staff, the royals and foreign ambassadors and the city of London. The author of more than 58 books, Lord Archer deserves kudos for creating a rollercoaster ride that keeps readers guessing as to which actions of terrorism are real or imagined, even after the last page.
A Quintet of Questions for the Amazing Jeffrey Archer
What drew you to write about the 2012 London Olympics?
Well, my “Warwick” series protagonist, William Warwick, was a commander in the Metropolitan Police Force at the time of 2012. Therefore, it was very tempting to use 2012 as a center point. I, myself, ran for my country, so I had an affection and love of athletics for all my life. I suppose the combination of having that knowledge and attending five Olympics as a spectator, including to the opening ceremony here in Britain, I thought, I must use this knowledge. I’d seen Bolt running and I’d seen Farah running and I was in the stadium for both.
What research did you perform for writing the last installment of the “Warwick” series, End Game?
I went to see Commander Bob Broadhurst, head of security for the London Olympics and I said, “did anything go wrong?” And he said 14 things went wrong. One would have closed the opening ceremony. One, they’d have had to clear the stadium. The other 12 were minor but would have made headlines. Of that, there’s no question. And he then told me the 14, and I weaved those 14 into End Game. But I added 7 from my own imagination. So, when you get to the end of the book, you have to decide which are the 14 that actually happened and which seven were figments of my imagination.
Can you reveal any of the actual events that you’ve incorporated into End Game?
There was an incident involving a women’s football match between Portugal and the North Koreans. They played the wrong national anthem, the South Korean anthem and Olympic Committee had to apologize about that. The other one was a much bigger deal. The cyclists were meeting, 100 of them, every Friday to protest about the lack of bicycle lanes. And it was a fair thing.
The government had said, that’s fair enough, you can do that. And one of the Fridays turned out to be the day of the Olympics’ opening ceremony. So, they decided if they could get 100 people to the tunnel and lay down in the middle of the road with their bicycles, the Queen would never get to the stadium. And the opening ceremony couldn’t occur. That was a pretty big deal … And I won’t tell you what happened, because what actually happened is in the book.
As someone who has been in the publishing business since the 1970s, what sage advice would you offer to younger writers?
I always say to young authors, write what you know about. The public will realize you’re talking on a subject you have knowledge of. Because I had knowledge of the Olympics, a love of the Olympics and it fell neatly in with Warwick being a commander, that combination was irresistible … And you’ve got to remember in this modern world you’re asking someone to spend 8 hours in your company. That’s a lot in this modern age, with short time concentration. That’s the biggest challenge in modern writing.
At the age of 85, after 58 books, including the “Kane and Abel,” “Clifton Chronicles,” and “Detective William Warwick” series, numerous standalone novels, short stories and novellas, what is next in your storytelling career?
I’m writing my final book and that’s on its 17th draft. It’s a standalone. I got the idea 6 years ago when I read a speech by Adolf Hitler and realized he wasn’t just ranting and raging. Policy was in there. I saw the counter speech by Winston Churchill and I spotted something that happened on September the 15th for 1941. Hitler changed his mind 3 times on that one day, which might have changed, quite literally, the history of the world. I think that’ll be released next September.
My publishers have already read it and I’ve promised it’ll be finally in by Christmas, so they can prepare for it because they know it’s the final book. They know I’m not going to write another novel. This one, in my view, having discovered this amazing event that happened on September 15th is the biggest story I’ve ever had. I think it’s bigger than “Kane and Abel,” and so I’ve had to put an awful lot of work in. The title will be announced on January the 1st and it is the best title I’ve ever had.
About Jeffrey Archer:
Now published in 114 countries and more than 47 languages, with more than 850,000 5* reviews, Jeffrey Archer is firmly established as one of the world’s bestselling authors, with international sales passing 300 million copies.
He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (nineteen times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries).
