The Eleventh Commandment: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Jeffrey Archer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1999

The Eleventh Commandment.

Connor Fitzgerald is a professional's professional. Holder of the Medal of Honor. Devoted family man. Servant of his country. CIA assassin. Days before his retirement from the Company, Fitzgerald comes face to face with an enemy who, for the first time, even he cannot handle--his own boss, Helen Dexter, Director of the CIA.

Thou Shalt Not Be Caught.

But Dexter's stranglehold on the agency is threatened by a power greater than her own, and her only hope is to destroy Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a new threat to national security is emerging: a ruthless hardline Russian president who is determined to force a military confrontation between the two superpowers. It's up to the intrepid Fitzgerald to pull off his most daring mission yet--save the world.and his own life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A first rate, well-crafted and very readable international

thriller...Archer delivers."

-- -- Denver Post

"A nonstop, rocketing ride...Wheels spin within wheels until the

slam-bang climax...It's fun."

-- -- Publishers Weekly

"Entertaining and sprightly paced suspense...There is plenty of

fun amidst the action."

-- -- Chicago Tribune

"A nonstop, rocketing ride...Wheels spin within wheels until the slam-bang climax...It's fun." -- Publishers Weekly

"A first rate, well-crafted and very readable international thriller...Archer delivers." -- Denver Post

"Entertaining and sprightly paced suspense...There is plenty of fun amidst the action." -- Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University, where as a world-class sprinter he represented Great Britain in international competition. He became the youngest member of the House of Commons in 1969, was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985, and was elevated to the House of Lords in 1992. All of his story collections and novels -- from 1974's Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less to 1993's Honor Among Thieves -- have been international bestsellers. Mr. Archer is married, has two children, and lives in Cambridge, England.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (April 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061013315
• ISBN-13: 978-0061013317
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Absolutely Loved This Book, January 17, 2002

By 

Imperial Topaz (Marrakesh, Morocco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eleventh Commandment: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book in three days and could hardly put it down. I have become interested lately in CIA and spy novels, and this book did not disappoint me in any way, in spite of what a couple reviewers below have said about it. What I loved MOST about this book is that you don't expect a CIA assassin to be a truly honorable man, as was this main character. It was really interesting how the author immediately pulls you into the assasin's mind and gets you right on his side.

The reviewers below comment on the plot being implausible--that the CIA would not go around like this assasinating world leaders. I don't think this comment is important. In any novel, we must "suspend our disbelief," and this novel is no different. The more pertinent question in this novel is "What if?" I personally thought it was one of the best plots I have ever read, and I really enjoyed how the characters were one-upping each other. I was really surprised by the twists and turns of the plot as it progressed. And I liked being surprised. An EXCELLENT read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Vacation Time-Killer, December 8, 2002

By 

Charlie A Allen (Scotts Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eleventh Commandment: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Like most authors of this genre, Archer starts out at a high intensity but with fairly plausible characters and plot lines for the first hundred pages, but to maintain the ever-increasing tension, the characters and the plot have to move off into never-never land. By the time you get to the last fifty pages, he's off the charts. But long before that, you're hooked on the adreneline rush and you stick with it until the end. Not a great book, but a pleasant way to kill a rainy weekend at the beach or wait out a blizzard on the ski slopes. I wouldn't buy it, but I'll read a few more of Archer's books from the library to see if they are better or worse than this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holiday savior, October 11, 2000

By 

Radka Bursikova (Prague, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eleventh Commandment: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read many of Archers books. And I must say I am a devoted reader, even though some of his pieces had already disappointed me. But this one is a hit. It starts quite slowly, by the first third of the book, you wonder whether it is going to be tricky and thrilling at all. But through the rest of the book you just fly through without a break. There are some really good points (f.e. the execution part, for those who have read..:o))). I loved this book. And thanks to the slow start, I would recommend this also to the Archers first readers. You will have time to make yourself comfortable with characters and pace of his story. And it IS a REALLY GOOD ONE with professional background and obvious knowledge of the problematics.