Sex, Lies, and Jeffrey Archer: Revisiting the scandal that plagued the bestselling author

Jeffrey Archer had a way with words. He also had a way with women and lies. As he passed away today peacefully at his home we revisit the scandal that tainted the popularity of the author who spent a total of five and a half years on NYT bestseller's list.

Adam & Eve: A truth in wraps or wrapped truth?

Apart from being a successful writer, Jeffrey Archer was also a politician with a career spanning from 1987 to 2024. However, it was cut short by a major scandal that came to light – the Monica Coghlan scandal. According to a The Daily, it was alleged that Archer had paid Monica Coghlan in exchange of sex. While Archer denied any such allegations and sued the paper where he was compensated with 500,000 pounds for damages, the story did not end here.   

Only time will tell: A scandal that never left him

Secondary investigations revealed that Jeffrey had in fact, lied and presented botched up evidences during his 1987 libel proceedings. Proof of his false alibi and fabricated diary came into the hands of investigators. This led to Archer being put behind bars. It is important here to make the distinction that he wasn’t charged due to the original case but for a fresh case of evidence tampering that came up against him.

...rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel?

Reuters reported how, during the trial of Archer's libel case, the judge commented on the evidence given by Archer's wife Mary. It was heard in front of a jury. "Remember Mary Archer in the witness ​box... Your ⁠vision of her will probably never disappear. Has she elegance? Has she fragrance? Would she have, without the strain of this trial, radiance?" ," Bernard ​Caulfield, the judge, told the jury.told the jury. And then he added while refering to Archer, "Is he in need of cold, unloving, rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel?"

He served two years of prison and turned his time and experience into a bestselling book – A Prison Diary. Archer subsequently returned to the House of Lords and stayed a member until his retirement in 2024. Monica on the other hand tragically passed away due to a car accident and was never present for the perjury trial.

Bonus: Hidden in Plain Sight

One of the earliest and long-standing scandals that developed in his career as a writer was the allegation that he did not write the books. In fact, the readers, media and the critics insisted that the books were written by his wife Mary Archer. However, years later Mary herself cleared the air by stating that during hard times with money running dry and children to feed, when Jeffrey used to disappear for long times perfecting his scripts, he developed Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. When Jeffrey gave her the manuscript, all she actively did was proofread it…not ghostwrite it.

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