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Twist in the Tale
 
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Twist in the Tale (Paperback)

by Jeffrey Archer (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 14.11
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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Archer's ( Kane and Abel ) talent as a raconteur is evident in these 12 distinctive short stories, all of which have surprise endings. Many center on human failings such as jealousy, obstinacy, pettiness or prejudice; 10 are based on "known incidents" that Archer has "embellished." An almost reportorial, straightforward style actually enhances each concluding jolt. In "The Perfect Murder," a married man kills his mistress, cunningly implicates someone else, and ensures that hapless person's conviction. "A La Carte" concerns Mark Hapgood, who grudgingly works as a lowly hotel porter to please his father, then unexpectedly becomes a celebrated hotel chef. The amorous, contented female narrator of "Just Good Friends" turns out to be a cat. The stunning "Christinia Rosenthal" shows the needless tragedy that results when a girl's anti-Semitic parents oppose her marriage to a rabbi's son. Though the plots are rather slight, Archer's understanding of human nature, and his talent for surprise endings, make this volume a must for his fans. First serial to Penthouse and New Woman; Literary Guild alternate; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From AudioFile

In these 12 surprising stories, Martin Jarvis's expert style and sleek British accent cleverly unleash significant motives and pace clues that lead to unexpected plot twists. All the stories reflect the unexpected as the elements in them are flipped on their heads: Love's mirror image is revenge, greed's flip side is fraud, delayed choice breeds jealousy, and duplicity becomes treason. Jarvis's voice rises slightly at the precise point in each story when an ending takes a surprising turn. This technique redefines the twist in the tale. Each story explores one of 12 motives, from greed to the desire for control. Ten stories are based on true incidents Archer cunningly reconstructed. Together, Archer and Jarvis illustrate the distorted looking glass of human nature. A.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I'd usually pick, Jun 25 2006
By C.W. (White Horse) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Twist in The Tale (Mass Market Paperback)
Normally one to pick a run-away bestseller that EVERYONE is reading, like DA VINCI by Brown of KATZENJAMMER by McCrae, I instead opted for Jeffrey Archers's A TWIST IN THE TALE. Glad I did. With Archer's unusual display of panache, humour and tremendous imaginative strength, each story is tightly packed with more richness and humanness than many good writers manage to achieve in a single novel. His observation of human quirks and eccentricities is acute, and some of his insights are unusually penetrating. His storytelling flows with ingenious fluidity so that the tales and the characters that people the landscape of his vivid imagination seem to sparkle and come alive, all of which makes this collection consistently entertaining.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A true twist in the stories, Mar 9 2006
By Mikhail "mike" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: A Twist in The Tale (Mass Market Paperback)
A TWIST IN THE TALE is the most exciting of Archer's collection of short storiesbook. The stories simply grip you from the start and you wouldn't guess it right how they would end no matter how hard you try to. They get particularly interesting towards the end. The plots are all too unpredictable and the writing is fast-paced, smooth and rich.. It's simply vintage Archer and with other collections like USUPER AND OTHER STORIES, RUNAWAY, WARD NUMBER SIX AND OTHER RORIES,UNION MOUJIK, I am in the phase of my life where I am enjoying short fiction the most.
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4.0 out of 5 stars AN ACES STORY AND READING, Jan 12 2005
By Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: A Twist in The Tale: 3cds (Audio CD)
"A" is for Archer. "A" is also what readers give to the political thrillers flowing from the pen (always felt tipped, we're told) of this popular British author. He's often been found at the top of the New York Times best-selling list.

Also top listed is Martin Jarvis, talented stage and film performer who gives voice to these tales of duplicity, cupidity, and suspense. (Jarvis also reads Archer's "A Matter Of Honor," another Audio Renaissance edition.)

Archer is so skillful that it seems he almost teases the listener by dropping clues that allow us to think we've figured the matter out when we haven't at all.

"A Twist In The Tale" is a bit of a departure for the author as it is a collection of 12 short stories all plot and character driven, all intriguing listening. We find an unfaithful husband who does a great deal more than cheat on his wife , and in another story discover that chess is not just a game.

Knowing Archer, we must have a corrupt diplomat, and in another yarn a controlling father learns a sad lesson.

Someone once said that a first-rate short story is much harder to write than a full length novel. Jeffrey Archer has mastered both genres.

- Gail Cooke

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Good short stories!
The 12 stories were all good but I specially liked the first (the Perfect Murther) and the last stories (Cristina Rosenthal, which made me cry).
Published on Feb 2 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Twist someone's arm to buy you this
Whilst Arhcer's latest collection of short stories 'To Cut a Long Story Short' disappointed fans worldwide, only managing to keep up the pace for half the book, this collection... Read more
Published on Jan 24 2004 by James N Simpson

4.0 out of 5 stars Another collection of short stories
I am looking at the UK paperback edition which is 269 pages. It is a collection of 12 short stories of varying length, subject matter, and quality. Read more
Published on Sep 19 2003 by Fred Camfield

4.0 out of 5 stars Short Stories with Unexpected Endings
I am a big fan of Jeffrey Archer. I love his long novels and deep characterizations. This book was a bit different for me. Read more
Published on Nov 10 2002 by Imperial Topaz

4.0 out of 5 stars Twisted Reading
After reading Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less and A Twist in the Tale, I'm ready to proclaim Jeffrey Archer King of the Twist. Read more
Published on Sep 8 2002 by Virginia Lore

3.0 out of 5 stars this is poor writting from a good author
Archer is one of the authors who started with the potential of Graham Greene but fizzled out later. It seems his writing career is following his political career and it is quite a... Read more
Published on April 13 2002 by Pinaki Ghosh

5.0 out of 5 stars Whets your appetite and leaves you gasping for more
The inimitable Jeffrey Archer's unravelling of an intricately-woven web of stories in A Twist in the Tale results in an unpredictable, albeit lightweight, mosaic of twelve short... Read more
Published on May 18 2001 by Eric C. Forbes

5.0 out of 5 stars TWO THUMBS UP.
A collection of fiction you can't possibly put down. The book is full of variety and suspense; the stories are unpredictable and original. Read more
Published on Mar 10 2001 by Waleed Eissa

4.0 out of 5 stars Make that a Sting in the Tale
These twelve stories each have an unexpected twist. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, always enjoyable. Read more
Published on Sep 20 2000 by Barry Haworth

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read (Thank goodness it's cheap).
Well worth checking out for the price. I do like that Archer keepshis stories suspensful but some of them are just plain weird and toogirly for me.
Published on Mar 24 2000 by Roland G. Martinez

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