This was the first Jeffrey Archer book I read and all I can say if you haven't read it is go and get it... it's superb! The basic theme of the book is about two characters, one of whom is called Kane, the other (believe it or not) Abel. The book describes their lives in parallel and the various stages in life in which they meet or affect eachother. The book cleverly alternates chapter between each of them as they grow up in completely different environments in Boston and Poland, to the point at which you can't help but wonder whether these two will ever meet. The characters are described fantastically and the way in which true historic events are included is also very well done.
There isn't as such an excitement crescendo to this book and there are perhaps pretentions that this should go down as a classic (which for me anyone it does), but the ending to the story is brilliant - a top effort from start to finish.
On a side note, there are two books that follow this one as well - The Prodigal Daughter and Shall We Tell The President. The former is an excellent book although perhaps too similar to Kane and Abel looking at the next generation of Kane and Abel. Shall We Tell The President continues from this but was apparently originally written with completely different characters - for me, it's a shame it was changed... the book's great but it gains nothing by including the Kanes again.
My recommendation would be definitely read the Prodigal Daughter (but not too soon after Kane and Abel) but as for Shall We Tell The President, see if you can get a copy of the original version.
