To Cut A Long Story Short - Jeffrey Archer > Reviews (7)

Another book of JA short stories?? Are they as good as the others? I have to say, that the answer is no. This latest book of baby stories just isn't up to the standard I've come to expect from Jeff. The back of the book proclaims the last tale to be 'possibly the best piece Archer has written, and will haunt you for the rest of your life.' I doubt it somehow.

I started reading JA stuff about 10 years ago, when I was running out of books to borrow from the local library. The key is the way the books are written, the easy reading style combined with clever plots and thought provoking characters. I soon purchased his first book of short stories, A Quiver Full of Arrows, and was very, very impressed by every single word in the book. The book took days to read, as each story needed a certain amount of thought before I could continue to the next one. I quickly snapped up the other two sets of short stories as soon as they were published.

I read 'To Cut a Long Story Short' yesterday afternoon in the bath. Two of the tales (Both Sides Against the Middle & Other Blighters Efforts) I never even finished. I was that bored after 2 pages, I skipped to the next. There are 15 stories in this book, and probably only two of them are worth reading again. The stories are becoming predictable, and there are too many shades of previous stories. Each one makes you think you've read it before. We have the obligatory tale with a chess set in, the true love from a first meeting, the golfing partners, the cheating wife, in fact all the things that made the other 2 books so memorable.

The Stories
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The book starts with an odd 2 page story. This took several readings, but only the title 'Death Speaks' really gives you any clue what it's about.

We continue into the next chapter - 'The Expert Witness' is a story with 2 barristers trying to outwit each other in court. This is pretty good, but you can see where it's going.

'The Endgame' was up next. This is definately much more of a classic Archer offering, showing blood is thicker than water when a retiring rich man pretends to have lost all his money to see which of his family and friends are most loyal.

'The Letter' is my favourite tale in the book. A wife having an affair, but manages to cleverly divert her husbands attention.

'Crime Pays' is a well researched yarn about the criminal fraternity using the written word of the law to out wit the police.

'Chalk & Cheese' is another moral tale, set in the world of fine art (anyone else thinking of 'Not For Sale'??).

'Too Many Coincidences' is a bit more Archer, a woman making a fool of herself over a bloke and coming off worse to his knowledge of Jersey law.

'Love at First Sight' is the traditional Jeff railway story. The title tells us as much as we need to know.

'Both Sides Against the Middle' - never finished it.

'A Weekend to Remember' highlights the way women can manipulate men into anything. But unlike the lady in this one, I've never persuaded one guy to take me to Paris so I can try and chase another man!

Maybe it's just me...

Something For Nothing' will remind us all to call Mother! A crossed phone line spells Mafia trouble for a man who thinks he can get something for nothing. But if only he'd phoned his mother first, he'd never have got involved.

'Other Blighters Efforts' - never finished it.

'The Grass is Always Greener' is a narrative of the day in a life of an office building and the people who work in it. We start with the tramp who lives outside, and work our way through the doorman, receptionist, workers, middle management to the boss, each assuming that the other has an easier life.

Simply, don't waste your time or money on this - buy the omnibus of the other short stories (The Collected Short Stories) instead. Jeff, we know your other career has been taking a lot of your time, but could you just take a break for a few years and get some ORIGINAL ideas for the next book please??? This one (oddly for a Tory) has too many morals and not enough scandal!