Tell Tale: Stories

by Jeffrey Archer

Find out what happens to the hapless young detective from Naples who travels to an Italian hillside town to find out Who Killed the Mayor? and the pretentious schoolboy in A Road to Damascus, whose discovery of the origins of his father's wealth changes his life in the most profound way. Revel in the stories of the 1930's woman who dares to challenge the men at her Ivy League University in A Gentleman and A Scholar while another young woman who thumbs a lift gets more than she bargained for in A Wasted Hour. hese wonderfully engaging and always refreshingly original tales prove not only why Archer has been compared by the critics to Dahl and Maugham, but why he was described by The Times as probably the greatest storyteller of our age.

• ISBN10: 1250066921
• ISBN13: 9781250066923
• Publish Date: 24 October 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 9 February 2022
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader

Tell Tale is a collection of 14 new short stories by Jeffrey Archer on the St. Martin's Press imprint. I usually try to avoid comparisons in my reviews, but the book is full of well written, twist endings which reminded me a lot of Saki or O. Henry. They're engaging and very well written.
Two of the entries are in the challenging 'ultra short' 100 word category and both are winners. Between these first and last bookend 100 word stories are a mixed bag of modern and period pieces, whimsical and more serious pieces.

All of the stories in this collection are well over the average. They're all very readable and engaging. Mr. Archer has a long and distinguished career writing good solid readable books for a large audience. This collection is a worthy addition to his oeuvre.

CONTENTS
Unique
Who Killed the Mayor?*
View of Auvers-sur-Oise*
A Gentleman and a Scholar*
All’s Fair in Love and War
The Car Park Attendant*
A Wasted Hour*
The Road to Damascus*
The Cuckold
The Holiday of a Lifetime*
Double or Quits
The Senior Vice President
A Good Toss to Lose*
The Perfect Murder

*Inspired by real events

I enjoyed all of the stories, but Who Killed the Mayor, A Gentleman and a Scholar, and The Senior Vice President really stood out for me. The fact that it was difficult for me to choose only three to highlight, speaks to the general quality of the collection and the writing.

Release date: 24 October, 2017
271 pages by Jeffrey Archer from St. Martin's Press

Four and a half stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.