Experimental feature: Order Twelve Red Herrings from the UK, Canada, Germany or France by clicking an appropriate flag below.

               

Some items available at Amazon.com are not available in all countries.

Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780312937713
ISBN: 0312937717
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2005-08-30
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Product Release Date: 2005-08-30
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A series of short stories
Review: This book is a series of twelve short stories with intriguing plots. Good read.

---

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good
Review: The 12 stories in this book are all readable. Some of the stories are brilliant -- for e.g. One man's meat where the reader is presented with 4 different outcomes.

The thing I liked about all his stories inspite of some of them not having an "a-ha" at the ending was the engaging style of Mr. Archer that keeps you turning the pages.

The writing style is consistent and the set of stories is way above your ordinary short stories.

---

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: 12 good tales
Review: Jeffrey Archer's 'Twelve Red Herrings' are imaginative, well-written short stories. Archer (now Lord Archer, the variously popular-then-disgraced-then-popular-currently-disgraced Tory almost-leader) is better known for his novels, but has proven himself to be a good author of short stories as well.

Each of the twelve tales in the collection contains an unexpected twist in the character or outcome, something that Archer is good at providing in most plots he's written. Archer seems to have the knack of taking one idea and spinning it, like a spider's web coming from one small strand, into a very fine and very wide reaching net that catches you and keeps you involved until the end.

In 'Cheap at Half the Price' we are introduced to Consuela Rosenheim, a woman with expensive tastes which require both a wealthy husband and wealthy lover to satisfy, working in concert but each unwitting of the other. Her procurement of a necklace is a wonderful story.

In 'Trial and Error' we follow Cooper on an ingenious plot for revenge, to finally carry out the murder for which he has already been sentenced and convicted, knowing that due to the construct of the law, the murder cannot be punished (he has already been convicted and served his time).

The final story is my favourite, and of course you will, as I did, read all the endings: Archer provides a brief tale of desire-at-first-sight and the variations on the theme; how will it turn out? A question we often ask in life, and wonder will it end up well done or burnt to a crisp? Using this analogy, 'One Man's Meat...' follows a man who sees a beautiful woman while driving by, and stops to pursue her. What will happen? Is she single or married? Is HE single or married? Will she be flattered or offended? In the four alternate endings to this tale, the reader experiences each alternative.

This is good bedtime reading, as most of the stories can be finished in under half-an-hour. For those who have not read Archer before, this is a good introduction to his storytelling style. This will not be confused for great literature, but is definitely a good yarn.

---

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good stories
Review: Is the first book of stories that I really like, there is one finish that I didn't like at all, the story of the painter. Is also the first time that I can select what finish I like from a story, let me tell you that if I can change the end of some books I will.
All the stories are easy to read and have their own message (except the story of the painter, or maybe I didn't understood it.)

---

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good for my 1st Archer book
Review: I consider this compilation of fast-paced short stories to be a good read. If critics say this is not one of Archer's best, then, I look forward to reading his other materials.

Compared with Roald Dahl's Tale of the Unexpected, which is also a compilation of short stories, I prefer this one more.

---

---