Four Warned

by Jeffrey Archer

These four short stories from a master storyteller are packed full of twists and turns.

In Stuck on You, Jeremy finds out exactly the best way to steal the perfect ring for his fiancée.

Albert celebrates his 100th birthday, and is pleased to be sent The Queen's Birthday Telegram. He is, however, confused . . .

In Russia, businessman Richard plots the ideal way to murder his wife. He begins to have a clever idea when his hotel warns him: Don't Drink the Water from the taps.

And as Diana, a busy single mother, drives to have dinner with friends, she realises that a black van is following her. Soon terrified for her life, she does whatever it takes to stick to the warning given to drivers: Never Stop on the Motorway . . .

Every reader will have their favourite story – some will make you laugh, others will bring you to tears. And, as always, every one of them will keep you spellbound.

Quick Reads is a World Book Day initiative.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Thriller, Literature, Contemporary

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2014

About the author

Jeffrey is published in 114 countries and more than 47 languages, with more than 750,000 5* reviews with international sales passing 275 million copies.

He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (nineteen times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries).

Jeffrey has been married for 53 years to Dame Mary Archer DBE. They have two sons, William and James, three grandsons and two granddaughters, and divide their time between homes in London, Cambridge and Mallorca.

Reviews

[James Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, this is the first time I have read anything by Jeffrey Archer, and I'm impressed. His prose is silky smooth; a delightful style that lets you forget you're reading at all.
As for the four novels in this collection, I loved them. The settings are all from England, and like Roald Dahl, he takes ordinary day-to-day situations and turns them into tales of white-knuckle suspense. Each ends with a powerful twist. The first three took me by surprise, the fourth I saw coming.
This is one author I shall definitely read more of.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t find any of these short stories gripping or that original.

[Hitesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Like Always !!!

Loved all the four Stories.

[Erica⭐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Warned contains four short stories , packed full of twists and turns.

In Stuck on You, Jeremy finds out exactly the best way to steal the perfect ring for his fiancée.

Albert celebrates his 100th birthday, and is pleased to be sent The Queen's Birthday Telegram. He is, however, confused . . .

In Russia, businessman Richard plots the ideal way to murder his wife. He begins to have a clever idea when his hotel warns him: Don't Drink the Water from the taps.

And as Diana, a busy single mother, drives to have dinner with friends, she realizes that a black van is following her. Soon terrified for her life, she does whatever it takes to stick to the warning given to drivers: Never Stop on the Motorway .

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four short stories all with a nice little sting in the tale!

Writing short stories is a particular art and not one that all novelists can get to grips with; but Jeffrey Archer manages it particularly well. The art of the short story lies in keeping it short, obviously, but still keeping the reader informed and expectant all at the same time. Archer is, first and foremost, a storyteller and it's that ability that's at the forefront here. None of these stores is predictable and they all hold your attention with clever little twists and turns It's an easy read and one that can easily be achieved at a single sitting for the avid reader - so not a book for holidays or long journeys but a good one to curl up with by the fire, knowing you can make a good dent in it before calling it a night.
I enjoyed it so much it's my chosen book for this year's World Book Night.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this from Amazon for my World Book Night reading challenge for the bargain price of 89p! At the time of writing this post it's 59p! Grab yourself a bargain my book friends.

The four short stories included in this quick read are Never Stop on the Motorway, The Queen's Birthday Telegram, Stuck On You and Don't Drink the Water and from the first few pages I was gripped and really enjoyed all four.

However, my favourite two were Never Stop on the Motorway and Don't Drink the Water as these both created a huge amount of tension in such a short space of time that continued beginning to end. I guessed what was happening in Don't Stop and it felt very familiar. I know I haven't read this story before so maybe something similar has been used in TV or film somewhere (read and let me know if you think the same) bu that didn't stop the sweaty palm situation as I was reading!

They are very different stories with very different themes but what they do have in common is that they're all well paced and all have a really good twist at the end. I would definitely recommend and would like to read more from Jeffrey Archer.

[Shahrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not read anything from this author before and was pleasantly surprised. I found Never Stop On The Motorway had my heart racing. I was so carried along with the drama I forgot to think about what I was reading. The Queen’s Birthday Telegram was quite amusing - especially as it was based in true events. I guessed the wrong way. Stuck On You was very clever, because Blimey! I couldn’t figure it out either! Can’t believe they didn’t have cameras but they had an x-ray machine! Gonna have to google this one as was apparently based on true events. Don’t Drink The Water was probably my least favourite. Predictable.

[PuriP · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free at my local bookstore. Mediocre stories, but otherwise a relaxing read.

[Jules (Bookishfoxes) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were interesting, some had twists I didn't except, but overall I didn't really enjoy this that much. I didn't have that feeling that I needed to continue reading as soon as I could.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read of 4 short stories. A nice pallet cleanser

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four short stories from Jeffrey Archer. I thought they sounded intriguing. They were not. Trite ideas. poorly written, but it passed a spare hour

[Kally Sheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contents
Never Stop on the Motorway
The Queen’s Birthday Telegram*
Stuck on You*
Don’t Drink the Water

*Based on true incidents

Love the stories! Brilliantly written. Short stories are underrated!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small collection of short stories collected from other short stories book from Jeffrey Archer. I gave it 4/5 star because I had already read three of the stories.

[Stella]

Four short stories make up the contents of this quickread book that the Preschool Parents Bookclub will be reading from May 23rd 2014. Will review after our book club meeting on June 20th.

[Louisa Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked nearly all the tales contained within, especially "never stop on the motor way". However, the one entitled "the Queen's birthday telegram" was a little weak for me.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

FOUR WARNED by Jeffrey Archer is a small book with four short stories taken from four of Archer's books. I received this book as a gift from my local bookstore since it is the 'Week of the English book' in the Netherlands! The four stories in this book are called Never Stop on the Motorway, The Queen's Birthday Telegram, Stuck on You, and Don't Drink the Water, respectively. I've never read a book by Archer before, so I had no idea what to expect. Since I've read 'The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle', my taste in mystery/crime books has been rekindled and these four stories have only supported this. Each and every one ended with a big cliffhanger and all I could think afterwards was: how did I not know about Archer and which one of his books shall I first pick up now? I'm rating this little collection with ★★★★★

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book while at Waterstones in London. When I saw this short book by one of my favorites, Jeffery Archer, I grabbed it. I love the thought of quick books for $1 (a pound). Normally I am not a big fan of short stories, but these were fun. One had me sweaty with fear, a thriller. These would be great to carry in a purse and read a quick story over a lunch hour. All 4 stories were enjoyable and very different for a nice variety. A delightful quick read.

[Gwendoline · Rating 2 out of 5]

✨ Mini review ✨

Sadly I didn’t like Four Warned by Jeffrey Archer. This little booklet contains 4 short stories. All 4 stories had very unexpected twist which I liked, but overall the stories just didn’t speak to me. Maybe it’s because I don’t like thrillers... 🤷🏻‍♀️
I never would have picked up a thriller myself, but I received this book for at my local bookstore during an English literature week. I wish I could give this a higher rating, but sadly I can’t.
⭐️⭐️/5

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

These four short stories all had good twist endings.

- Never Stop on the Roadway was too long and repetitive.
- The Queen's Birthday Telegram was my favourite.
- Stuck on You highlights that a man shouldn't fall under the spell of a wealthy beautiful woman.
- Don't Drink the Water proves crime doesn't pay.

[Jannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick quick reads as this is a book of short stories that qualify as a quick read. As usual Jeffrey Archer can develop the plot quickly and in each case you are fully into the story when they reach a conclusion.

[Wan Syaqira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I read from this author. Oh my adrenaline.. All four stories literally gave warning. My mouth keep opening everytime I finished every story. The plot and twist was good and unexpected.

[Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick 'n' easy summer beach reading, this book comprises 4 short stories neatly put together by Jeffrey Archer, all amusing and with a clever twist at the end of each plotline, which explains everything. Very enjoyable.

[Suzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not his best

I was disappointed 😞 in the 4 stories included in this book. Wouldn't recommend as a must read for Jeffrey Archer fans.

[Kay Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great little book, enjoyed the stories within.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok series of short stories that are too bitty and not suspensful enough to engage me.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick reads with great twists.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 good short stories

Never Stop On The Motorway
The Queen's Birthday Telegram
Stuck On You
Don't Drink The Water

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody writes better short stories than Jeffrey Archer

[Jan Van Run-Kvist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vier korte verhalen, prima geschreven maar ietwat oppervlakkig, zelfs voor verhalen van deze omvang. Daarnaast zijn de verhalen iets te “opvoederig”van toon.

[Joanne van der Vlies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, but surely interesting!