Danny Cartwright is doomed by circumstance after a quartet of cynical Cambridge friends decide to make him the patsy for a murder one of them had committed. Sentenced to 22 years at hellish Belmarsh Prison, mind-tormenting incarceration gives him ample opportunity to polish his reading skills and his taste for revenge.

Colorful, bestselling novelist Archer has written a modern spin on Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo. Garage mechanic Danny Cartwright and his sweetheart Beth, joined by her brother, Bernie, celebrate their engagement at a posh West End night spot. Beth is insulted by several drunken toffs, and a fight ensues; Bernie is fatally stabbed, and Danny takes the fall because the toffs have fabricated a cover story. He is convicted and serves time in Belmarsh prison, where Archer himself served part of a sentence for perjury. Danny's cell mate is the aristocratic Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, who happens to resemble Danny and teaches him to talk with a posh accent and comport himself in the style of an English gentleman. Danny escapes from Belmarsh and seeks revenge on his accusers. A slam-bang final courtroom scene will leave his fans exhausted but satisfied.

“Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.”
---Boston Globe