Was his father truly a hero of the Great War, or does a scandalous secret lie buried beneath the docks of Bristol?

Only Time Will Tell is the epic opening chapter of Jeffrey Archer’s ambitious Clifton Chronicles. The story begins in 1920 with Harry Clifton, a boy raised on the Bristol docks, believing his father died in the war. But a hidden talent wins him a scholarship to an exclusive school, thrusting him into a world of wealth and privilege—and forcing him to confront the mystery of his parentage.

Is he the son of a humble dockworker, or the heir to a shipping magnate? As Harry navigates adulthood and the looming shadow of World War II, he faces an impossible choice between Oxford and the Navy. Spanning the docks of England to the streets of New York, this novel sets the stage for a century-spanning family saga full of heartbreak, triumph, and secrets that refuse to stay buried.