Reviewed by John Cairns
Eager readers often form long queues to buy just one new story by Britain's Jeffrey Archer. For many, the prospect to gain 15 such yarns together in And Thereby Hangs a Tale (2010, MacMillan, 274 pages) may sound too good to resist.
The varied tales in this, Archer's seventh short-story collection, present diverse characters and scattered settings. “I have gathered several of these stories while on my travels around the world,” Archer said. “Ten of them are based on known incidents and are marked, as in my past collections, with an asterisk, while the remaining five are the result of my imagination.
“While there may not be a book in every one of us, there is so often a damned good short story,” he added.
The best in the collection emerged from Archer's imagination. In “Better the Devil You Know”, a powerful man fallen critically ill tries to bargain for more time in a dubious deal with dark forces. “He swung round to see a man dressed in a smartly tailored dark suit, white silk shirt and thin black tie.
‘Who the hell are you?’
‘My name is Mr De Ath,’ the man said, ‘and I represent a lower authority.’ ”
Elsewhere, lovers meet at an intersection when driving fast cars through slow Delhi traffic. A seductress urges her lover to help engage in “perfect” larceny. An investigator refuses to buckle under to insurance claims for a burned-down shoe-store. When singer Gloria Gaynor comes to town for a concert, her public appearances spark entirely too much excitement. A blind man in a restaurant guesses details about a woman at the next table, but misses an important one. Fearing terrorists, a London man leaps to conclusions, prejudges a neighbor and turns out to be right -- and wrong.
As always with Archer, the stories are simply told. At times, they're witty. (“In Hell, we take the long view.”) Above all, they hinge on skillful final plot-twists.
A resident of London and Cambridge, Archer has sold more than 250 million books. Past titles include Paths of Glory, A Prisoner of Birth, False Impression, Kane and Abel, First Among Equals and The Fourth Estate.
Readers familiar with Archer know exactly what to expect, and he delivers accordingly. From him, they appreciate, even crave, more of the same.
Approval rating: 70 per cent.
For more information: www.panmacmillan.com or www.jeffreyarcher.com
(October 3, 2011)
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Jeffrey Archer: 'so often
a good short story'.
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