(2.5 stars)I quite enjoyed Jeffrey Archer as a teenager, so thought I should revisit this volume to see whether the writing holds up at all as an adult. It's a collection of short stories, all of which contain a twist. While twist fiction is generally held to be a little hackneyed these days, it's not something I mind personally. When you know there's going to be a twist, however, it's hard not to focus on predicting it, instead of just letting the plot unfold. Trial and ErrorLong and rambling, with unlikeable characters. The ending is slightly different from the one signposted in the story, but I actually felt like the alternative would have made for a better conclusion.Cheap at Half the PriceAnother set of unattractive characters, without the plot or the pay-off to make up for them.Dougie Mortimer's Right ArmNo real twist in this one, and not a lot of interest, either. Also, it has a first line that could've been great, but wasn't. When you compulsively edit a story while reading it, it's not a good sign. Do Not Pass GoThis, like most of the stories in this collection, was supposedly based on a true story, and I'd very much like to hear that true story, because it's quite an amazing occurrence. Although the very ending is a little pedestrian compared to the story, it's nonetheless my favourite of the twelve.Chunnel VisionPredictable and rather annoying. It seemed like a short gag that went on for too many pages. Shoeshine BoyI found this one enormously dull. Long-winded and not much else. You'll Never Live to Regret itI felt bad for not predicting the first twist in this one! Quite a clever tale, that might have bugged me a little if it hadn't been based on a real life event. Never Stop on the MotorwayVery predictable from early in the piece, but the tension was built well nonetheless. Not for SaleQuite a standard short story, but entertaining enough. Timeo Danaos...Another one about annoying characters. There's really not enough plot to make up for them!An Eye for an EyeNot a bad tale. One of the better ones in the book. One Man's MeatThis one has four possible endings. I personally don't think it was an interesting enough story to warrant that, although some may enjoy the gimmick. All up, it's a reasonable collection of short stories, but not one that changed my world. I'm not quite the fan I was as a teenager, but I'm not appalled by my past taste, either!
My rating is 4.2. I love jeffrey Archer! Alongside of roald dahl he is IMHo the master of the short story. there are some very good gems in here!1 Trial and error- 5 stars- Simply a brilliant tale of murder, deception, betrayal and more. Archer remains the master of the short story.2- Cheap at half the price- 4 stars- A delightful deception...some folks have all the luck3- Dougie mortimor's right arm- 3 stars- The Herring is quite as tasty in this story as the previous 2. Still a decent light read.4- Do Not Pass Go- 4 stars- What a powerful story of self preservation with hints of living under the threat of a tyranical regime. I found myself borederline afraid for the characters well being.5- Chunnel Vision- 4 stars- The dialouge was great, but the plot just didn't snare me in...I was going to go 3 stars, but the side plot was quite humerous!6- The Shoeshine Boy- 3 stars- Not only can Jeffrey Archer write a pointless story seemingly about nothing, he can have you enjoy every pointless minute.7- You'll never live to regret it- 4 stars- cute and short if nothing else.8- Never Stop On The Motorway- 4 stars- What a chilling tale...and remember never stop on the motorway!!!!9- Not for sale- 3 stars- A very intriguing story for me..but was very let down by the ending...almost to the point that I am not quite sure what happened!10- Timeo Danos...- 3 stars-11- An eye for an eye- 3-4 stars- A very good story about deception, murder and cunning!12- One mans meat- 5 stars- At this point because I can't wait to see how it ends....With 4 endings I only hope I have mad the right choice....I don't want to mess up my chance with beautiful woman...I choose ending 3 overdone, just how I like my steak!Overdone- LOL! This is to much..a very nice story, but my plan back fired...not only couldn't I get a pleasant outcome, but it seems I don't have a very solid moral compas either.Burnt- See this is why I like my steak well...Just perfect, but if you burn it, it drains all the juice. This ending has no juice. A good story to be fair, but not the ending I would want!A point- I hereby promise that the next time I order a steak it will be medium rare...this made the story work!!!! If you only do one ending choose this one!rare- See this is why you don't order anything rare...it just does not get ot well done!
What do You think about Twelve Red Herrings (2005)?
Uno de los síntomas relacionados con la adicción a la lectura que padezco es que necesito comprar un libro en cada ciudad nueva que visito. En el ex libris que pongo en cada uno de mis libros incluyo la ciudad donde lo compré, y esa es la raíz de muchos de mis males. Me compré este libro en Pina de Ebro, en parte porque necesitaba un libro para el viaje a Barcelona y en parte porque era una ciudad (bueno, más bien un término municipal) que no tenía en mi base de datos de libros. Esta manía mía me ha llevado a comprar más de un libro infumable de vez en cuando, pero es algo que no puedo evitar.Pero esta vez acerté. El libro me encantó. Como sugiere el título, se trata de doce historias cortas en las que el hilo común es una suposición falsa por parte de el o los protagonistas de la historia. Doce relatos muy bien pulidos y muy entretenidos. Tal vez es que yo no me esperaba nada del libro, pero me sorprendió gratamente. Hay algunas historias basadas en leyendas urbanas o en hechos reales, y otras que nacen directamente en la mente del autor. Pero todas tienen su aquél.Mi nota: entretenido.
—Remo
Though I've thoroughly enjoyed every one of Jeffrey Archer's books I've read so far, it never crossed my mind to pick up one of his short-story collections. After reading this one, I realised what I'd missed. What is really admirable about his writing style is that he can connect with any generation pretty well. I personally found it difficult to believe that Kane and Abel and False Impression were penned by the same author. Even in this collection each story is different from the other and there is a twist at the end which we almost never see coming. Wonderfully authored collection. Really inspired me to find out more of Jeffrey Archer's collections. This is a must read for all Jeffrey Archer fans.
—Ajisha Sara
The term "Master Storyteller" is perhaps overused but in this case, Jeffrey Archer earns the moniker. Each of these stories I read between other people's novels, in order to space them out. It is a testament to the quality of these stories that I found myself wanting to get past the particular novel I was reading so I could get to the next Archer short story. Some of these stories have twists and some have irony, but they all have that exceptional phrasing that I have come to expect from Mr. Archer. I think if you are looking for a well-told tale, this is the book for you.
—Benjamin Thomas
