Book Review: Tell Tale

I've long admired Jeffrey Archer's ability to craft a well-written short story (for novels, I've only read his Clifton Chronicles series, but highly recommend that series, as well). He is most skilled at creating surprise endings (thus the title of his 1988 short story collection, A Twist in the Tale). In this new collection of short stories (his seventh set to date, published in October of 2017), two of the fourteen stories are written with precisely 100 words. This, again, proves he is a master at the craft. As Booklist proclaims, "All of the stories spotlight the author's gifts for creating fully fleshed characters and absorbing plots in lean, efficient prose. All are written with Archer's keen eye for time and place, and his keen ear for dialogue." Although I listened to this collection in audio form, I would love to check out the book so I could study the execution of his stories in more detail.

The stories, drawn from real-life encounters along with imagination, are sure to delight anyone interested in a quick, engrossing read. I did see the ending coming in "Who Killed the Mayor?" But several of the others took me by surprise ("A Road to Damascus" - about a schoolboy encountering fall-out from the Holocaust, and "A Wasted Hour" - about a young woman who thumbs a memorable ride, available for free on Kindle here). Archer's style and skill shine through and I will continue to look to him for guidance in the art of storytelling.