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The Collected Short Stories
Millions of readers around the world have relished Jeffrey Archer's shortstories. Now, for the first time, all three collections are gathered together inone handsome volume. One of the most acclaimed authors writing today, JeffreyArcher is a dazzling storyteller. A master of character and suspense, he has agift for the unexpected plot twist that has catapulted all three of his shortstory collections--A Quiver Full of Arrows, A Twist in the Tales, and Twelve Red Herrings--onto international bestseller lists and earned himwidespread critical praise.
The stories from A Quiver Full of Arrowstake is on a tour of ancient heirlooms and modern romance, of cutthroat businessand kindly strangers, of lives lived in the realms of power. Fortunes are madeand squandered, honor betrayed and redeemed, love lost and rediscovered. AsPublishers Weekly said about this collection, "Somerset Maugham neverpenned anything so swift or urbanely witty as this."
The spellbinding storiesfrom A Twist in the Tale leads us on a journey of thwarted ambition,undying passion, and unanswered honor--to placers we've never visited and peoplewe'll never forget. Readers will meet an extraordinary cast of diversecharacters: a philandering husband who thinks he's committed a perfect murder, aself-assured chess champion who plays a beautiful woman for stakes far higherthan the secrets of a Swiss bank. The New York Times raved about ATwist in the Tale, "Jeffrey Archer plays a subtle cat-and-mouse game with thereader in twelve original stories that end, more often than not, with ourcollective whiskers twitching in surprise."
From his inventive thirdcollection, Twelve Red Herrings, comes a dozen delectable morsels inwhich human beings are given opportunities to seize, crucial problems to solve, ordangers to avoid. And buried in each is a red herring Archer challenged hisreaders to uncover. In these stories things are never quite what they seem: animprisoned man is certain that his supposed murder victim is very much alive, afemale driver is tailed relentlessly by a menacing leather-jacketed figure in a pursuing vehicle; a young artist gets the biggest break of her career, an escapedIraqi on Saddam Hussein's death list lands unexpectedly in his homeland. TheDaily News Express hailed Twelve Red Herrings as"Outstanding...White-knuckled suspense and witty denouncements."
Thesethirty-six tales are Jeffrey Archer at the peak of his form. Wonderfullyentertaining, The Collected Short Stories will astonish, delight, andenthrall Archer's many fans, both old and new.
The stories from A Quiver Full of Arrowstake is on a tour of ancient heirlooms and modern romance, of cutthroat businessand kindly strangers, of lives lived in the realms of power. Fortunes are madeand squandered, honor betrayed and redeemed, love lost and rediscovered. AsPublishers Weekly said about this collection, "Somerset Maugham neverpenned anything so swift or urbanely witty as this."
The spellbinding storiesfrom A Twist in the Tale leads us on a journey of thwarted ambition,undying passion, and unanswered honor--to placers we've never visited and peoplewe'll never forget. Readers will meet an extraordinary cast of diversecharacters: a philandering husband who thinks he's committed a perfect murder, aself-assured chess champion who plays a beautiful woman for stakes far higherthan the secrets of a Swiss bank. The New York Times raved about ATwist in the Tale, "Jeffrey Archer plays a subtle cat-and-mouse game with thereader in twelve original stories that end, more often than not, with ourcollective whiskers twitching in surprise."
From his inventive thirdcollection, Twelve Red Herrings, comes a dozen delectable morsels inwhich human beings are given opportunities to seize, crucial problems to solve, ordangers to avoid. And buried in each is a red herring Archer challenged hisreaders to uncover. In these stories things are never quite what they seem: animprisoned man is certain that his supposed murder victim is very much alive, afemale driver is tailed relentlessly by a menacing leather-jacketed figure in a pursuing vehicle; a young artist gets the biggest break of her career, an escapedIraqi on Saddam Hussein's death list lands unexpectedly in his homeland. TheDaily News Express hailed Twelve Red Herrings as"Outstanding...White-knuckled suspense and witty denouncements."
Thesethirty-six tales are Jeffrey Archer at the peak of his form. Wonderfullyentertaining, The Collected Short Stories will astonish, delight, andenthrall Archer's many fans, both old and new.
608 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 1997
229 people are currently reading
1759 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Archer
659 books12.4k followersJeffrey 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 14, 2010
Some great stories. Liked Old Love (sentimental), Cheap at Half the Price (neat trick), The Perfect Murder (liked the twist), The Loophole (any day the people can get back some of their money from the government is a good one), The Steal (another good twist and a classic example of Archer's showing up the rude and unrefined), Christina Rosenthal (sad), Colonel Bullfrog (good yarn), Not For Sale (sentimental twist), A La Carte (Archer is also good at stories at people finding their niche and rising within it, e.g., his novel As The Crow Flies), and The Wine Taster (comeuppance again, although the bias is a bit annoying). Some of the others weren't so great, though (e.g., The Luncheon, which was sort of pointless, and Not the Real Thing, which seemed too unlikely even for fiction).
July 17, 2018
My mum is a big fan of Jeffery Archer books and recommended him to me, not something I would reach for to read, but so glad I did! He is definitely a fantastic short story writer! Very clever and great wit! Iv read all his short stories to date and love them all!
May 22, 2014
I have extremely fond memories of this book as it got me round New Zealand. My boyfriend and I rented a campervan and drove around NZ for a month and unfortunately NZ radio rarely worked and we didn't have an adapter for our ipod so there wasn't a lot to pass the long journeys with. We popped into a Charity shop and found this hidden amongst the shelves. We've both read Archer's short stories before and thought it would be great to read each other the stories as we drove.
They turned out to be perfect; long enough to make you interested in the plot but still short and snappy. The best thing about Archer's stories are the twists. No matter what the plot of the story, the final line is always the key. Sometimes it turns the story right on its head, sometimes it twists it in a direction you didn't see coming, but it always made you smile.
I've just finished reading it again in my own time and whilst they were still brilliant, I definitely felt like they got weaker as the stories went on. They were still good; just not in the class that the first few were. I'd definitely recommend it as a book to pick up, read a quick story and put down again. It's maybe not as good to read all in one go.
They turned out to be perfect; long enough to make you interested in the plot but still short and snappy. The best thing about Archer's stories are the twists. No matter what the plot of the story, the final line is always the key. Sometimes it turns the story right on its head, sometimes it twists it in a direction you didn't see coming, but it always made you smile.
I've just finished reading it again in my own time and whilst they were still brilliant, I definitely felt like they got weaker as the stories went on. They were still good; just not in the class that the first few were. I'd definitely recommend it as a book to pick up, read a quick story and put down again. It's maybe not as good to read all in one go.
February 15, 2014
Want short Stories? Pick jeffery Archer!! he is the king of humor!! every single story is a gem!!
October 7, 2019
It combines three volumes of Archer's short stories and contains several very enjoyable pieces.Archer is better at the short story than the novel,always dreaming up some very inventive ideas.
April 2, 2020
This is my first Jeffrey Archer book, and if it hadn't been for a certain person, I might not have ever known of JA. Also before this, I hadn't been interested in short stories, and after reading just a few short stories from the first collection, A Quiver Full of Arrows, I was already in love with JA. At the end of his stories I find myself always at awe because it was not only written so well, but simple to comprehend when the story itself if full of twist and turns. JA really does have a "magician-like ability to tell a story."
You will find yourself stunned after reading them. It took me a while to finish it because I didn't read them at once, and I would take a few days to continue to the next story, and I was also in between two other books, but it was an adventure on all JA stories, I can think only one or two which are my least favorites, not because they weren't good, but because the stories didn't amuse me as much, but the ones that did, was jaw dropping and I would look back and reflect on the story and I was so excited to talk about them.
I am looking forward to owning more JA books. This isn't exactly a review, not because I am afraid to include any spoilers, but I think I would just be too excited and end up going off on a tangent, and relating every piece to something else. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone, and even if you don't go for this genre, there will be a story that will fascinate you, if not all. Happy reading!
You will find yourself stunned after reading them. It took me a while to finish it because I didn't read them at once, and I would take a few days to continue to the next story, and I was also in between two other books, but it was an adventure on all JA stories, I can think only one or two which are my least favorites, not because they weren't good, but because the stories didn't amuse me as much, but the ones that did, was jaw dropping and I would look back and reflect on the story and I was so excited to talk about them.
I am looking forward to owning more JA books. This isn't exactly a review, not because I am afraid to include any spoilers, but I think I would just be too excited and end up going off on a tangent, and relating every piece to something else. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone, and even if you don't go for this genre, there will be a story that will fascinate you, if not all. Happy reading!
April 18, 2013
got this from the library, wanted to see what Jeffrey Archer is all about. Maybe the novels are better. These stories all have "surprise" endings, including one in which the narrator turned out to be a cat. Mostly, they are nasty, misogynistic, and often cruel. I read about half, and happily returned the book.
July 17, 2022
it was a real hit or miss for some. Some were surprisingly really nice. Others were just boring. Overall, not bad.
January 2, 2019
I am not one to usually read a collection of short stories but I thought I would give this a go. A lengthy tome, just short of 1000 pages, this is actually a collection of three short stories anthologies. Once I had completed this, I felt like I had my fill of short stories for this year at least!
What drew me to this collection was the overwhelming reputation that Jeffrey Archer holds as a writer. I have never read any of his books before and this introduction to his writing was a positive one. The flair that comes across in these short stories meant that at times, I truly forgot that this was what I was reading. The pace in these stories was adequate and one that meant the story itself was fully "extinguished" by its natural conclusion. Only rarely was I left wanting more from a story, but found that the next one satisfied this hunger.
One of the appealing elements of this anthology is that some of the stories are ambiguously autobiographical. The stories are well-written and often clever, with unexpected twists that I did not see coming. This really helped my enjoyment of this collection, although, I have to admit, after I while I did feel desperate for a developed, lengthy novel. Therefore, I think this anthology is ideal for someone who wants to "dip in and out" of their reading. In other words, either read this for an occasional read, or, to really enjoy it at its best, have this alongside another novel you are tackling.
Whilst I sometimes found it difficult to sustain my interest in this collection, naturally the stories cover a broad appeal for a range of tastes. Admittedly, those based on politics or sports had limited interest for me, whilst the relationships and life-focused stories were very good and gripping. There were fantastic thrillers and heart-stopping accounts that stayed with me, many stories after.
Unexpectedly, the final story allowed you to choose your own ending. Of course, I read all four of the options and Archer's authorial note at the closing accepts that readers may wish to do this. I enjoyed having this choice and I thought it was a brilliant way to become an active reader, after passively receiving so many short stories. It also very much reminded me of the new 'Black Mirror' episode on Netflix, so it was uncanny how current this was!
A taste of what Jeffery Archer is like as a writer, I would definitely be open to reading more of his novels. Although this is a lengthy collection, I am glad I stepped out of my typical reading zone and gave this my attention. A great start to my reading year.
What drew me to this collection was the overwhelming reputation that Jeffrey Archer holds as a writer. I have never read any of his books before and this introduction to his writing was a positive one. The flair that comes across in these short stories meant that at times, I truly forgot that this was what I was reading. The pace in these stories was adequate and one that meant the story itself was fully "extinguished" by its natural conclusion. Only rarely was I left wanting more from a story, but found that the next one satisfied this hunger.
One of the appealing elements of this anthology is that some of the stories are ambiguously autobiographical. The stories are well-written and often clever, with unexpected twists that I did not see coming. This really helped my enjoyment of this collection, although, I have to admit, after I while I did feel desperate for a developed, lengthy novel. Therefore, I think this anthology is ideal for someone who wants to "dip in and out" of their reading. In other words, either read this for an occasional read, or, to really enjoy it at its best, have this alongside another novel you are tackling.
Whilst I sometimes found it difficult to sustain my interest in this collection, naturally the stories cover a broad appeal for a range of tastes. Admittedly, those based on politics or sports had limited interest for me, whilst the relationships and life-focused stories were very good and gripping. There were fantastic thrillers and heart-stopping accounts that stayed with me, many stories after.
Unexpectedly, the final story allowed you to choose your own ending. Of course, I read all four of the options and Archer's authorial note at the closing accepts that readers may wish to do this. I enjoyed having this choice and I thought it was a brilliant way to become an active reader, after passively receiving so many short stories. It also very much reminded me of the new 'Black Mirror' episode on Netflix, so it was uncanny how current this was!
A taste of what Jeffery Archer is like as a writer, I would definitely be open to reading more of his novels. Although this is a lengthy collection, I am glad I stepped out of my typical reading zone and gave this my attention. A great start to my reading year.
October 30, 2020
I had so much fun reading these.
January 21, 2018
The only thing delightful about this book is finally finishing it. Terribly delightful Sir!
The master of suspense and plot twists Sir Mr Right Royal Wanker Archer is not.
Edit: just read https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It seems Jeffy Archy boy's (sorry that should be 'lad's') fav character or ideal self is a tall (over 6'3" at least! Which is way above the English average LOL), Oxford educated Blue (rowing or cricket, or BOTH!), with a lovely housewife set up in a nice cottage. From good blood too obviously. Both of them. Can't forget the lucky sperm club. Be a banker or lawyer. Drive a BMW. Drink wine. What else? Oh a card carrying member of the Conservative Party and will die for queen and country. Oh and yearn for or inherit titles and investitures to really top of all that wanky jazz.
What a bunch of toff.
Where's Russell Brand when you need him? Read Revolution instead. Way more interesting and funny. And you'll learn a thing or two.
The only thing I learned in this book (before reaffirming what I didn't want to know - that poms are such toffy wankers) is in passing that tarmac is (or may have, since it's fiction) derived from it's inventor being named McSomething, and saw that roads made from tar and stone was quite good, so called it TarMac, partly after himself. See, I told you, sooo fascinating and not boring at all! Suggest this to your enemies to bore them silly. Cheerio!
The master of suspense and plot twists Sir Mr Right Royal Wanker Archer is not.
Edit: just read https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It seems Jeffy Archy boy's (sorry that should be 'lad's') fav character or ideal self is a tall (over 6'3" at least! Which is way above the English average LOL), Oxford educated Blue (rowing or cricket, or BOTH!), with a lovely housewife set up in a nice cottage. From good blood too obviously. Both of them. Can't forget the lucky sperm club. Be a banker or lawyer. Drive a BMW. Drink wine. What else? Oh a card carrying member of the Conservative Party and will die for queen and country. Oh and yearn for or inherit titles and investitures to really top of all that wanky jazz.
What a bunch of toff.
Where's Russell Brand when you need him? Read Revolution instead. Way more interesting and funny. And you'll learn a thing or two.
The only thing I learned in this book (before reaffirming what I didn't want to know - that poms are such toffy wankers) is in passing that tarmac is (or may have, since it's fiction) derived from it's inventor being named McSomething, and saw that roads made from tar and stone was quite good, so called it TarMac, partly after himself. See, I told you, sooo fascinating and not boring at all! Suggest this to your enemies to bore them silly. Cheerio!
October 21, 2013
Jeffrey Archer is an author that always got me hooked up with his novels. I've started with Kane & Abel and I didn't stop until I got a bit of a disappointment with "Shall we tell the president". When I got across this book, I wasn't sure I was going to like it because in "Only time will tell" I started recognizing a lot of the twists and plots in other novels. I figured that the short stories were going to be all more or less the same. But I was on holidays in a small town in Spain, and the only English book I could come across was this. Lucky me I got it!
You'll find here short stories which are just simple plots, twisted plots, funny plots and sad plots.. but all of them written exceptionally. You'll enjoy every single one of them, and when you reach the last, it'll be the cherry on top. I can't recommend it enough!
You'll find here short stories which are just simple plots, twisted plots, funny plots and sad plots.. but all of them written exceptionally. You'll enjoy every single one of them, and when you reach the last, it'll be the cherry on top. I can't recommend it enough!
February 4, 2014
What a beautiful and fluid book! I loved every story even though some of them were much better than the others. Archer has a gift for doing unexpected things with the storyline. It is a wonderful experience to come across his twists. The language and the environment (especially British) gives me a good feeling, since a lot of my formative years were spent reading classics originating from England.
Old Love, Broken Routine, The Perfect Murder, The First Miracle, Just Good Friends, Do Not Pass Go and Christina Rosenthal are my favorites in this collection of stories.
Old Love, Broken Routine, The Perfect Murder, The First Miracle, Just Good Friends, Do Not Pass Go and Christina Rosenthal are my favorites in this collection of stories.
January 21, 2011
Another terrific set of stories from the master of short stories. I love the twist in the plot that every story contains that leaves you thinking "I didn't see that coming!" I always feel so smart if I figure it out before its stated, but I'll admit thats rare. A great collection.
February 1, 2013
I never read any book of Jeffrey Archer before but after reading this mammoth book of short stories , i can only regret why i din't. Not even one story was boring or a waste of time. The best part of each story was the twist in the end ;-) SIMPLY LOVED IT .
November 18, 2016
With this book completed, I think I have fallen in love with short stories by Jeffrey Archer...
September 8, 2022
I found only one story worth my time and it was Beauty is in the eyes of beholder
March 2, 2016
PLOT OR PREMISE:
This book is an amazing collection of 36 shortstories from a master storyteller combining romance, history, danger, twists, international intrigue, and domestic angst.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
"A really nice mix, particularly some of the ones with twist endings. Here is an overview of each of the stories and the ratings for each.
.
- NEVER STOP ON THE MOTORWAY: Woman driver is chased by a van down the motorway, with the context backlit by recent rapes and murders. Fantastic twist. 5.00
- OLD LOVE: Two competitors, one boy, one girl compete against each other in everything including who loves the other more and are inseparable throughout life. 4.50
- SHOESHINE BOY: Mountbatten (sic) pays a visit to St. George's where a drastically underfunded Governor rolls out the red carpet. 4.50
- CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE: Mrs. Rosenheim wants a bauble from the jewelry store but has to play hustle to get the men in her life to commit to buying it. 4.00
- BROKEN ROUTINE: A man whose routine is unflappable is somewhat disturbed by a brash youth on the train who wants to read his paper and smoke his cigarettes. Nice twist. 4.50
- AN EYE FOR AN EYE: A woman has an alibi for the death of her husband: she was not only in the hospital (although the time is shaky) but also blind...or is she? 4.00
- THE LUNCHEON: A up and coming man takes an attractive (married) woman to lunch to try and get business favours. Unfortunately lunch is expensive and he has no budget. 3.50
- THE COUP: Two business rivals are stranded in Nigeria during a coup, and they end up resolving their differences and being the real coup. 3.50
- THE PERFECT MURDER: A man commits an accidental murder of his mistress after finding out she was also stepping out with another man, and manages to frame the man for the murder. Cute twist at end. 4.00
- YOU'LL NEVER LEARN TO REGRET IT: David is dying of AIDS and leaving everything to Pat. They trick the insurance company despite his condition and collect handsomely on David's death. But insurance companies are sometimes trickier than one might think, as are their brokers. 3.75
- THE FIRST MIRACLE: A cute twist on an old tail has an historical figure running errands around the birth of Christ. 3.50
- THE LOOPHOLE: Two friends get into a heated argument at the club and not only engage in slander but also physical fighting, leading to a legal battle and an eventual settlement, yet the two remain friends. 4.00
- THE HUNGARIAN PROFESSOR: An Englishman visits Hungary for the Olympics and meets a Professor who knows all about England and wants to practice his English and talk about all the sites in London. 4.25
- THE STEAL: A tightly-budgeted couple takes a vacation and are forced to endure the overblown ramblings of an obnoxiously rich couple, up to and including the purchase of an oriental rug. 4.75
- CHRISTINA ROSENTHAL: A strange story of a Jewish marathon runner and the gentile woman he fell in love with, and the strange stories of their love over time. 4.25
- COLONEL BULLFROG: A Colonel becomes a POW in Asia shortly before the end of WWII and the strange relationship that develops between the captive and the captors. 4.00
- DO NOT PASS GO: A political refugee resettles in America, but during a return flight to the area of his birth, his plane is forced to land in Iraq, where there is a bounty on his head. 3.50
- CHUNNEL VISION: A strange tale of a man about to be dumped by his latest fling, where the woman runs up expensive charges at a restaurant where the man explains to an old friend a detailed plot of an upcoming novel. The old friend, also a novelist, is horrified as the plot is the plot of his latest best seller, and the man doesn't know. 4.00
- DOUGIE MORTIMER'S RIGHT ARM: A story of rowers and the mysterious cast of the arm of one of the first rowers which keeps disappearing from the rower's club. 3.75
- CLEAN SWEEP IGNATIUS: A Nigerian Minister of Finance wants to cut out the heart of corruption and flys to Switzerland to get the names of the citizens in his country who have Swiss bank accounts. 4.00
- NOT FOR SALE: An up-and-coming artist gets swept off her feet by a gallery owner who wines and dines her to finish some stunning paintings for her first showing, with initially tragic results. 4.00
- ONE-NIGHT STAND: Two male friends are inseparable until they meet a woman that impresses both of them, despite each being already married, and they both pursue her with reckless abandon, cutting each other off in each attempt until one finally succeeds. Neat feminist twist. 4.50
- A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS: An art hustler likes to borrow paintings and then return them, while at the same time picking up the nearest available wife for a turn around the studio. Burned twice, a gallery owner plots a terminal revenge. 4.00
- CHECKMATE: An elaborate plan to trick a woman into bed revolves around a game of ""strip""-chess. But the plan goes too well for awhile, and then a final twist to set things right. 4.00
- THE CENTURY: A sports tale of an elaborate cricket match of Herculean competition between two giants at Oxford and Cambridge. 3.50
- JUST GOOD FRIENDS: A strange bar tale leading to a new companion for a recently-bruised male ego. 4.00
- HENRY'S HICCUP: A rich man tries to hold on to his comfortable life despite the impact of the Great War in Europe. After the war, he's disappointed to find privilege doesn't return to the owner. 4.00
- A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE: An upright (and uptight) businessman tries to export his business values to Mexico when he tries to get a construction contract. 4.50
- TRIAL AND ERROR: More of a short novella than a short story, this is the tale of a man convicted of murder who hires the straightest arrow at Scotland Yard to find the corpse which he thinks is still walking around very much alive, and that his wife was in on the frame. 4.50
- THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN: A publisher visits a club in NYC and grabs hold of a story of a backgammon championship from the 1930s and how a non-player apparently beat the world champion despite numerous setbacks that week. 4.50
- À LA CARTE: A boy wants to follow his father's footsteps working at a car factory, but his father makes him work for a year in London to see if he can find something more upwardly mobile, and he does: chef! 4.00
- THE CHINESE STATUE: A man travels to China as a diplomat and is given a statue of some value by a peasant, and has to try and find a way to repay the debt. 4.50
- THE WINE TASTER: A wine taster is challenged to a duel of palates by an unscrupulous rich upstart. 4.00
- TIMEO DANAOS...: A bank branch manager with pretensions to grandeur takes his wife on a Mediterranean cruise, and she wants to buy a new dinner service. 4.00
- NOT THE REAL THING: A strange combination of foreign governments, an engineer who helps rebuild their basic services, a woman with two suitors who marries the engineer, and the desire of the engineer to show up his now important former rival (despite the fact that the engineer won the girl). All in all, a story worthy of medals (a subplot of the story). 4.50
- ONE MAN'S MEAT...: A story told in two parts. The first part is the intro -- a man sees a beautiful woman entering a theatre, and finagles a seat next to her. Then, he asks her to dinner and the story diverges into four possible endings.
---- RARE: Everthing goes perfectly, all too well in fact, and the ending is a depressing twist. 4.00
---- BURNT: The woman's husband turns up, so the night is a bust and goes downhill from there. 4.25
---- OVERDONE: Everything goes horrible between the two, and the woman is basically a shrew and the meal feels like a battlescene. 4.00
---- À POINT: An amazing combination of optimism and lightheartedness that outshines the other three endings by far. 5.00"
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
That there weren't even more stories or that some of the really good ones weren't longer!
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
An excellent collection
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him her on social media.
This book is an amazing collection of 36 shortstories from a master storyteller combining romance, history, danger, twists, international intrigue, and domestic angst.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
"A really nice mix, particularly some of the ones with twist endings. Here is an overview of each of the stories and the ratings for each.
.
- NEVER STOP ON THE MOTORWAY: Woman driver is chased by a van down the motorway, with the context backlit by recent rapes and murders. Fantastic twist. 5.00
- OLD LOVE: Two competitors, one boy, one girl compete against each other in everything including who loves the other more and are inseparable throughout life. 4.50
- SHOESHINE BOY: Mountbatten (sic) pays a visit to St. George's where a drastically underfunded Governor rolls out the red carpet. 4.50
- CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE: Mrs. Rosenheim wants a bauble from the jewelry store but has to play hustle to get the men in her life to commit to buying it. 4.00
- BROKEN ROUTINE: A man whose routine is unflappable is somewhat disturbed by a brash youth on the train who wants to read his paper and smoke his cigarettes. Nice twist. 4.50
- AN EYE FOR AN EYE: A woman has an alibi for the death of her husband: she was not only in the hospital (although the time is shaky) but also blind...or is she? 4.00
- THE LUNCHEON: A up and coming man takes an attractive (married) woman to lunch to try and get business favours. Unfortunately lunch is expensive and he has no budget. 3.50
- THE COUP: Two business rivals are stranded in Nigeria during a coup, and they end up resolving their differences and being the real coup. 3.50
- THE PERFECT MURDER: A man commits an accidental murder of his mistress after finding out she was also stepping out with another man, and manages to frame the man for the murder. Cute twist at end. 4.00
- YOU'LL NEVER LEARN TO REGRET IT: David is dying of AIDS and leaving everything to Pat. They trick the insurance company despite his condition and collect handsomely on David's death. But insurance companies are sometimes trickier than one might think, as are their brokers. 3.75
- THE FIRST MIRACLE: A cute twist on an old tail has an historical figure running errands around the birth of Christ. 3.50
- THE LOOPHOLE: Two friends get into a heated argument at the club and not only engage in slander but also physical fighting, leading to a legal battle and an eventual settlement, yet the two remain friends. 4.00
- THE HUNGARIAN PROFESSOR: An Englishman visits Hungary for the Olympics and meets a Professor who knows all about England and wants to practice his English and talk about all the sites in London. 4.25
- THE STEAL: A tightly-budgeted couple takes a vacation and are forced to endure the overblown ramblings of an obnoxiously rich couple, up to and including the purchase of an oriental rug. 4.75
- CHRISTINA ROSENTHAL: A strange story of a Jewish marathon runner and the gentile woman he fell in love with, and the strange stories of their love over time. 4.25
- COLONEL BULLFROG: A Colonel becomes a POW in Asia shortly before the end of WWII and the strange relationship that develops between the captive and the captors. 4.00
- DO NOT PASS GO: A political refugee resettles in America, but during a return flight to the area of his birth, his plane is forced to land in Iraq, where there is a bounty on his head. 3.50
- CHUNNEL VISION: A strange tale of a man about to be dumped by his latest fling, where the woman runs up expensive charges at a restaurant where the man explains to an old friend a detailed plot of an upcoming novel. The old friend, also a novelist, is horrified as the plot is the plot of his latest best seller, and the man doesn't know. 4.00
- DOUGIE MORTIMER'S RIGHT ARM: A story of rowers and the mysterious cast of the arm of one of the first rowers which keeps disappearing from the rower's club. 3.75
- CLEAN SWEEP IGNATIUS: A Nigerian Minister of Finance wants to cut out the heart of corruption and flys to Switzerland to get the names of the citizens in his country who have Swiss bank accounts. 4.00
- NOT FOR SALE: An up-and-coming artist gets swept off her feet by a gallery owner who wines and dines her to finish some stunning paintings for her first showing, with initially tragic results. 4.00
- ONE-NIGHT STAND: Two male friends are inseparable until they meet a woman that impresses both of them, despite each being already married, and they both pursue her with reckless abandon, cutting each other off in each attempt until one finally succeeds. Neat feminist twist. 4.50
- A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS: An art hustler likes to borrow paintings and then return them, while at the same time picking up the nearest available wife for a turn around the studio. Burned twice, a gallery owner plots a terminal revenge. 4.00
- CHECKMATE: An elaborate plan to trick a woman into bed revolves around a game of ""strip""-chess. But the plan goes too well for awhile, and then a final twist to set things right. 4.00
- THE CENTURY: A sports tale of an elaborate cricket match of Herculean competition between two giants at Oxford and Cambridge. 3.50
- JUST GOOD FRIENDS: A strange bar tale leading to a new companion for a recently-bruised male ego. 4.00
- HENRY'S HICCUP: A rich man tries to hold on to his comfortable life despite the impact of the Great War in Europe. After the war, he's disappointed to find privilege doesn't return to the owner. 4.00
- A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE: An upright (and uptight) businessman tries to export his business values to Mexico when he tries to get a construction contract. 4.50
- TRIAL AND ERROR: More of a short novella than a short story, this is the tale of a man convicted of murder who hires the straightest arrow at Scotland Yard to find the corpse which he thinks is still walking around very much alive, and that his wife was in on the frame. 4.50
- THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN: A publisher visits a club in NYC and grabs hold of a story of a backgammon championship from the 1930s and how a non-player apparently beat the world champion despite numerous setbacks that week. 4.50
- À LA CARTE: A boy wants to follow his father's footsteps working at a car factory, but his father makes him work for a year in London to see if he can find something more upwardly mobile, and he does: chef! 4.00
- THE CHINESE STATUE: A man travels to China as a diplomat and is given a statue of some value by a peasant, and has to try and find a way to repay the debt. 4.50
- THE WINE TASTER: A wine taster is challenged to a duel of palates by an unscrupulous rich upstart. 4.00
- TIMEO DANAOS...: A bank branch manager with pretensions to grandeur takes his wife on a Mediterranean cruise, and she wants to buy a new dinner service. 4.00
- NOT THE REAL THING: A strange combination of foreign governments, an engineer who helps rebuild their basic services, a woman with two suitors who marries the engineer, and the desire of the engineer to show up his now important former rival (despite the fact that the engineer won the girl). All in all, a story worthy of medals (a subplot of the story). 4.50
- ONE MAN'S MEAT...: A story told in two parts. The first part is the intro -- a man sees a beautiful woman entering a theatre, and finagles a seat next to her. Then, he asks her to dinner and the story diverges into four possible endings.
---- RARE: Everthing goes perfectly, all too well in fact, and the ending is a depressing twist. 4.00
---- BURNT: The woman's husband turns up, so the night is a bust and goes downhill from there. 4.25
---- OVERDONE: Everything goes horrible between the two, and the woman is basically a shrew and the meal feels like a battlescene. 4.00
---- À POINT: An amazing combination of optimism and lightheartedness that outshines the other three endings by far. 5.00"
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
That there weren't even more stories or that some of the really good ones weren't longer!
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BOTTOM-LINE:
An excellent collection
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him her on social media.
April 7, 2019
I used to read a lot of Jeffrey Archer in my school and college days, and I remember liking his writing. Re-reading his books after all these years, I realize that he was a popular and a good writer. But not a great one. Twists, surprises, feel-good, poignant storylines - this is what made (and makes) his books readable, and sometimes unput-downable.
But if you happen to dig a little deeper, especially by reading his works one after another, you come across the repetitive story idioms (e.g. see his CIA references in The Eleventh Commandment and Honour Among Thieves), the same geographical locations (e.g. Yorkshire), the same plot line (e.g. old club member reminiscences), and the similar progressions (be it buying pottery or a carpet).
This is not a review of the Collected Short Stories, but rather a summing up of my thoughts at the end of an Archer re-reading session. In this collection alone, all of the points above can be found. I think it will be a while before I decide to re-read his books again.
But if you happen to dig a little deeper, especially by reading his works one after another, you come across the repetitive story idioms (e.g. see his CIA references in The Eleventh Commandment and Honour Among Thieves), the same geographical locations (e.g. Yorkshire), the same plot line (e.g. old club member reminiscences), and the similar progressions (be it buying pottery or a carpet).
This is not a review of the Collected Short Stories, but rather a summing up of my thoughts at the end of an Archer re-reading session. In this collection alone, all of the points above can be found. I think it will be a while before I decide to re-read his books again.
February 4, 2019
Even with a few repeated stories that have appeared in other collected short stories I still find this one extremely enjoyable. Mr. Archer is the maestro of short stories!
Contents
1. Never Stop on the Motorway
2. Old Love
3. Cheap at Half Price
4. Broken Routine
5. An Eye for an Eye
6. The Luncheon
7. The Coup
8. The Perfect Murder
9. You’ll Never Live to Regret It
10. The First Miracle
11. The Loophole
12. The Hungarian Professor
13. The Steal
14. Christina Rosenthal
15. ColonelBullfrog
16. Do Not Pass Go
17. Chunnel Vision
18. Dougie Mortimer’s Right Arm
19. Clean Sweep Ignatius
20. Not for Sale
21. One Night Stand
22. A Chapter of Accidents
23. Checkmate
24. The Century
25. Just Good Friends
26. Henry’s Hiccup
27. A Matter of Principle
28. Trial and Error
29. The Perfect Gentleman
30. A la Carte
31. The Chinese Statue
32. The Wine Taster
33. Timeo Danaos...
34. Not the Real Thing
35. One Man’s Meat...
Contents
1. Never Stop on the Motorway
2. Old Love
3. Cheap at Half Price
4. Broken Routine
5. An Eye for an Eye
6. The Luncheon
7. The Coup
8. The Perfect Murder
9. You’ll Never Live to Regret It
10. The First Miracle
11. The Loophole
12. The Hungarian Professor
13. The Steal
14. Christina Rosenthal
15. ColonelBullfrog
16. Do Not Pass Go
17. Chunnel Vision
18. Dougie Mortimer’s Right Arm
19. Clean Sweep Ignatius
20. Not for Sale
21. One Night Stand
22. A Chapter of Accidents
23. Checkmate
24. The Century
25. Just Good Friends
26. Henry’s Hiccup
27. A Matter of Principle
28. Trial and Error
29. The Perfect Gentleman
30. A la Carte
31. The Chinese Statue
32. The Wine Taster
33. Timeo Danaos...
34. Not the Real Thing
35. One Man’s Meat...
January 30, 2024
36 of Jeffrey Archer’s short stories in one place? Yes please!
I love Archer’s short stories as they always have a clear beginning, middle and end. I had many favourites but I particularly loved “Never Stop on the Motorway”, “Old Love”, “Checkmate”, “The First Miracle”, “The Steal” and “The Perfect Murder.” I also really loved “One Man’s Meat” which had four alternate endings.
It’s a brilliant collection and a highly recommend that you check it out.
I love Archer’s short stories as they always have a clear beginning, middle and end. I had many favourites but I particularly loved “Never Stop on the Motorway”, “Old Love”, “Checkmate”, “The First Miracle”, “The Steal” and “The Perfect Murder.” I also really loved “One Man’s Meat” which had four alternate endings.
It’s a brilliant collection and a highly recommend that you check it out.
October 13, 2025
An amalgamation of several themes. A few did not make that great a point but some of them caught my eye.
My favorites - Old Love, You'll never live to regret it, The Hungarian Professor, Christina Rosenthal, Not for sale, The Steal, Just good friends, One man's meat and The century.
I am not a big fan of short stories because they're usually disappointing, but Archer keeps you hooked till the end and surprises you almost everytime, with the very last sentence!
My favorites - Old Love, You'll never live to regret it, The Hungarian Professor, Christina Rosenthal, Not for sale, The Steal, Just good friends, One man's meat and The century.
I am not a big fan of short stories because they're usually disappointing, but Archer keeps you hooked till the end and surprises you almost everytime, with the very last sentence!
January 28, 2024
I’d spent most of my summer holiday reading Vikram Seth’s epic (in size and achievement) tale ‘A Suitable Boy’. With that finished and a few days left at the beach, I browsed the shelf at the beach house and found a copy of these short stories. They’re entertaining and fun but lack the grisly twist of Ronald Dahl’s short stories, for example. Great light reading for a holiday.
March 8, 2020
A fabulous collection. The book is actually a combination of three different books and the first two books are a great read. The third set also, is a collection of stories which make for a lovely reading, but their endings are not as magical as the stories in the first two sets
July 29, 2022
Archer truly takes over the baton from Roald Dahl with some real little gems of wit and surprise,
As someone who lived in Nigeria from 1968 to 1977, I particularly enjoyed " The Coup " and " Clean Sweep Ignatius ".
As someone who lived in Nigeria from 1968 to 1977, I particularly enjoyed " The Coup " and " Clean Sweep Ignatius ".
January 8, 2018
A re - read for the year. It was great to revisit some of the most amazing stories I read as a teenager. I recommend Old Love and Christina Rosenthal, most favorite of the lot.
June 16, 2018
I remember liking this, but I don't think I'm tempted to read them again.
[outdated reviews from the great purge of 2018]
[outdated reviews from the great purge of 2018]
September 11, 2018
I had read some of these before in other collections.
Great stories - all with an odd twist at the end.
Great stories - all with an odd twist at the end.
June 8, 2019
One man's meat... - The very fact that he could provide 4 different endings for the same story is amazingly commendable!!! N the titles for each, brilliant!
Excellent collection!
Excellent collection!
July 13, 2019
Lovely short stories. Not quite typical Jeffrey Archer. Thought provoking and emotional
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