To Cut a Long Story Short

Interesting but not captivating

This was an interesting take on people's perspectives. Looking at their world views one after another was curious, but everyone was a little bit whiny, which I suppose was necessary for the story to work but still.
It was interesting, and it made me think, but it didn't captivate me and make me want to read more

I don't know what I have against jeffery archer. I think I remember the polotics to much. but against all of my expectations this is an excellent collection of short stories. There are a few that were not his original idea but are traditional tales, these are retold with wit and pace that makes them all the more readable.
apparently this is his 4th collection of short stories - I may have to find the rest

I think it's time to give up on Jeffery Archer.
I try, every so often, to listen to a best-selling author on the grounds that perhaps the masses know something I don't know. Didn't work for Dan Brown and didn't work here.

Archer is a very political writer, in the same way as Tom Clancy, like Clancy he has a specific agenda to push, and like Clancy he is not very smart and his agenda is venal, dumb, and not very interesting.

Emblematic is his story Crime Pays, which is supposed to rile us all up about how awful the legal system is, letting criminals get off on technicalities and such; presumably he would prefer the system run a law-and-order state ala Hitler or Stalin.
This sort of thing would be hard to swallow when written by a gifted show more writer, but his plotting is mundane, and I'm much more interested in hearing about the real law than about someone's insane fantasies about a non-existent scheme of law. show less

Most of these stories are captivating and have good character development for a short story. Only 2 out of this large collection did I find a little tedious and that was because of the financial theme the story was dealing with. This is a great book to take along where you can finish a story during a car ride or in a waiting room.

A nice set of short stories, cleverly written, with a hint of O.Henry, reads like a breeze. More than half of the stories are based on true incidents.

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I have read some Jeffrey Archer novels but this was my first book of his short stories. The stories were enjoyable, but not memorable. I read this a few weeks ago and looking back at the table of contents, none of the stories stand out. Many of the stories are based on true events. If you are looking for some light, fun reading, this will pass the time.
I do like the two novels I have read of his, his first novel Not A Penny More, Not a Penny Less and the recent historical novel Paths of Glory, but found this short story collection just average.

If all you are looking for is some light summer reading, this may work for you. I was a little disappointed, though, with the quality of the stories in this collection. The twists promised at the end of the stories rarely, if ever, materialized. The characters were bland and uninteresting. The plots were rather cliched.

Had I paid more than the $3 that I did for the book, I would have been rather put out. As it was, the book helped me pass several hours in the car.