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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In her first story collection, eminent British author George (A Traitor to Memory) presents five nimbly written and gripping tales, each with a stunning conclusion. "Exposure" concerns declining sexual prowess, as gossipy architecture students speculate about Polly Simpson, who is suspiciously friendly with elderly men touring Abinger Manor, where one oldster dies mysteriously just as some historic silverware is stolen. In "The Surprise of His Life," high-powered CEO Douglas Armstrong, obsessively jealous and mistrustful of his young wife, learns too late that she's planning an astonishing final surprise for both him and the reader. Similarly, a young widow in "Remember I'll Always Love You" is horrified to discover the secret double life led by her late husband, purportedly a sales director for a biotech firm, but in reality something far more sinister. A melancholy tone pervades "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough," in which an elderly Russian refugee, Anfisa, scandalizes her socially conscious neighbors in fashionable East Wingate with her determination to live life her own way. In the title story, ambitious and murderous schoolteacher Malcolm Cousins is determined to perpetuate the reputation of his hero, Richard III, while also absconding with the wife and substantial legacy of a former school chum. A brooding, gloomy dust jacket suggests gothic themes, but the tales are thoroughly modern in setting and subject.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
George, author of the deservedly popular Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers mysteries, tries her hand at the short story form with this collection of five tales. Each story is introduced by George, who describes how she came to write it. "Exposure" is a condensed version of a Thomas Lynley mystery, while both "The Surprise of His Life" and the title story mix horror with humor to portray the desperate acts of men at mid-life, ending with a wittily vindictive twist that will appeal to fans of Ruth Rendell. "Good Fences Aren't Always Enough" probes a clash between a fiercely family-oriented young mother and her new neighbor, an aging, eccentric Russian immigrant. In "Remember I'll Always Love You," Charlie Lawton, a grieving young widow, sets out to find her deceased husband's estranged family and discovers a deadly secret. George, whose last novel, A Traitor to Memory, ran to nearly 800 pages, excels at writing in a more condensed way. Satisfying and memorable, this collection is highly recommended for most public libraries.
--Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth reading,
By
This review is from: I, Richard (Paperback)
Let me state up front that I only read the first two stories in the collection so this review in based only on those stories. If you plan to read this book, this review gives away the plot of the two stories so read no further. In the first story the thief steals 2 goblets from the estate but kills a man in the process for absolutely no reason (unless, of course, you find it believable that someone would commit cold-blooded murder as a diversion for the theft of a few thousand dollars). The second story, a psychological thriller, has similar problems. A man, at his volunteer job, sneaks home to kill his wife and is faced, after the murder, with a surprise birthday party!! How would the wife ever know he was coming home? How could she possibly create this surprise? These plot structures are so fatal as to make the stories, no matter how well written, unbelievable. Readers should stick with her novels.
1.0 out of 5 stars
About the audiobook...,
By A Customer
This review is from: I, Richard (unabridged) (Audio Cassette)
I'm a Road Warrior, spending many hours behind the wheel of my car which I special-ordered with both a cassette tape deck and a CD-player so that I could have a larger selection of audio-books. I'm surprised that the other reviewers did not mention the appalling narration of "I, Richard" (audio-book version) by Derek Jacobi. Mr. Jacobi is a fine actor, based on my experience with "Masterpiece Theatre", but his impression of an American accent sounds like Attila the Hun on helium. Since most of the short stories in this collection are set in America and have characters who are young women, Mr. Jacobi's unintentionally hilarious accent made me wish I could award this recording "negative stars".2nd fatal mistake of this production - the "Interview with the Author" was in fact conducted by a young American woman (who managed to sound worse than Jacobi's bad impression of a young American woman) mechanically reading trite questions with no real enthusiasm or interaction with the author. Ms. George has a pleasant voice and is thoughtful and articulate, and I very much wanted to ask her a question: "Ms. George, your introduction to one of the stories (the first one, I think) indicated that in an earlier version you killed off the wrong character. Who did you kill, and why?" I mean, what's the point of an interview that doesn't rise above cliches?
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than I expected!,
By
This review is from: I, Richard (Paperback)
Unlike many of the readers, I found this book fun, ... These stories were mercifully short, and though the surprise endings might strike some readers as tacky, I thought they were fun. I confess I had to reread one story in part to understand the killer's motive, but despite that, there were more thrills here than I expected to find. George's introductions could have been shorter and more artful, but let's face it, she's not the mystery short story artist Ruth Rendell is, so that's not surprising.Lev Raphael ...
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