Introduction

The New Collected Short Stories brings together three of Jeffrey Archer's classic collections of short stories: To Cut a Long Story Short, Cat O' Nine Tales and And Thereby Hangs a Tale, showcasing the master storyteller's skill like never before.

Highlights

Every reader will have their own favourites: the choices run from love at first sight across the train tracks to the cleverest of confidence tricks, from the quirks of the legal profession – and those who are able to manipulate both sides of the Bar – to the creative financial talents of a member of Her Majesty's diplomatic service – but for a good cause.

In Caste-Off, Jamwal and Nisha fall in love while waiting for a traffic light to turn green in Delhi, and in Don't Drink The Water, a company chairman tries to poison his wife while on a trip to St Petersburg – with unexpected consequences.

The stories held in these pages are irresistible: ingeniously plotted, with richly drawn characters and deliciously unexpected conclusions.