Sons of Fortune

"Sons of Fortune" is a novel by Jeffrey Archer, published 2003 (ISBN 0-330-41335-X). Its working title was "In the Lap of the Gods".

Plot introduction

It is a tale of two brothers, Fletcher and Nat Cartwright, who are born twins but are separated at birth by their father's nurse. The two boys go on to grow up successfully, with Fletcher attending Yale and becoming a successful lawyer, and Nat serving in Vietnam and becoming a currency banker. However, their paths cross when they both decide to run for governor of Connecticut and Fletcher agrees to defend Nat on the charge of murdering his primary opponent for leaking information that lead to the suicide of his only child. At a later stage Nat gave his blood to Fletcher to save his life from a severe accident; and in the hospital they discover the fact that they are twins. Knowing all this, they both still run for governor of Connecticut in 1992. On election day, after several rounds of counting the votes the result is still tied. The winner was ultimately appointed by the toss of a coin.

Several aspects of the plot, as well as specific incidents such as the toss of the coin, also occur in a previous book he wrote - First Among Equals, which is a power struggle between four politicians for the prime ministership of the UK.

Discrepancy

Although the setting of the book is in the USA, titles mentioned in the plot include the ranks of Flight Lieutenant and Detective Inspector, both of which are UK and Commonwealth rank titles, not American.

External links

* [http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/sons-fortune.htm "Sons of Fortune" at Jeffrey Archer's official website]