Publication
Macmillan, c2017.
Status
Available
Description
"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."--Dust jacket.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jfe16
In this book of short stories, readers will meet police lieutenant Antonio Rossetti as he investigates a murder, rookie police office Guy Stanford making his first arrest in a most unexpected way, and a young woman who hitches a ride from a most unusual gentleman.
The stories cover the gamut from
Well-drawn characters caught up in believable situations, dealing with unexpected twists and surprises all come together to make this delightful book of fourteen tales, many inspired by real events, a must-read.
And can you really write a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end . . . and only use one hundred words?
Highly recommended.
The stories cover the gamut from
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police tales to a gambler’s story of desperation to the narrative of a college professor challenging her students one last time.Well-drawn characters caught up in believable situations, dealing with unexpected twists and surprises all come together to make this delightful book of fourteen tales, many inspired by real events, a must-read.
And can you really write a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end . . . and only use one hundred words?
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
Another author that I consider a natural born story teller. Although it has been ten years or more since he has graced us with his stories, these are the kind of stories one can imagine being told in a neighborhood bar or pub, or sitting in little cafe having coffee or tea. Indeed, many of these
I loved them all, but there were a few that for me were standouts. One called, "A Gentleman and a Scholar" was a poignant story about one of the first woman professors at Harvard. Her area of expertise is Shakespeare, her appointment to the all male domain not particularly welcome. At her first lecture, a contest of sorts ensues, one she cunningly wins. Four decades later, her last lecture before retirement, the hall is full, and what happens at the end cause my to have a lump in my throat.
The second is called, A Wasted Hour, and concerns a young woman, attending Standford, who accepts a ride from an elderly man. Surprising ending and based on an actual event.
Those two were stories he heard but the longest one in the collection is one he wrote for this book. It also happens to be the longest, and is called, The Senior Vice President and just loved the irony in this and the comeuppance that ensues. Clever, clever.
Anyway hope it will not be another ten long years before he writes his next collection of stories, but if they are as good as I found this to be, I will patiently wait.
ARC from Netgalley.
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are from stories he picked up in his travels. There are of course some that he wrote just for this collection. Combined I found them to be amazingly complete, a rather varied look at the experiences of man or in some cases women.I loved them all, but there were a few that for me were standouts. One called, "A Gentleman and a Scholar" was a poignant story about one of the first woman professors at Harvard. Her area of expertise is Shakespeare, her appointment to the all male domain not particularly welcome. At her first lecture, a contest of sorts ensues, one she cunningly wins. Four decades later, her last lecture before retirement, the hall is full, and what happens at the end cause my to have a lump in my throat.
The second is called, A Wasted Hour, and concerns a young woman, attending Standford, who accepts a ride from an elderly man. Surprising ending and based on an actual event.
Those two were stories he heard but the longest one in the collection is one he wrote for this book. It also happens to be the longest, and is called, The Senior Vice President and just loved the irony in this and the comeuppance that ensues. Clever, clever.
Anyway hope it will not be another ten long years before he writes his next collection of stories, but if they are as good as I found this to be, I will patiently wait.
ARC from Netgalley.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
It may seem strange to complain about a book of excellent short stories, but I feel short-changed. A short book anyway, to have the final section be advance chapters for a book that won't be available for months feels like a rip off.
LibraryThing member nyiper
Jeffrey Archer does NOT disappoint! I love his imagination and the stories are typically wonderful.
LibraryThing member smik
An excellent and intriguing set of short stories, some crime fiction amongst them. The opening 100 word story Unique gets the reader thinking, and the novella The Senior Vice President is wonderful.
Well read in this audio book version.
Well read in this audio book version.
LibraryThing member rmarcin
Jeffrey Archer is one of my favorite authors, and this compilation of short stories did not disappoint. All of the stories have a clever twist. An added bonus at the end of the book is a preview of his upcoming novel, Heads You Win, to be released November 2018.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9781447252320
Original publication date
2017-10-24