Twelve Red Herrings - Hardcover

Archer, Jeffrey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060179449 ISBN 13: 9780060179441

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1994

Synopsis

Here, from the world's greatest storyteller, Jeffrey Archer, are twelve ingeniously plotted stories that display his renowned ability for the unpredictable, but wholly satisfying, twist.
Even more inventive than his previous bestselling short story collections, Twelve Red Herrings contains a dozen startling tales, each of which makes use of misleading clues to surprise the reader.
You'll read about a woman who fools her husband and her lover on the same day; a leading lawyer's attempt to prove his client is not blind; an honored guest whose expectations are something more than the red carpet; a young painter who finds an unlikely way to call attention to herself; and a woman whose casual ride into the country becomes such a gauntlet of terror that by the last page you'll be shaking with fear.
In each of these stories, human beings are put under pressure - how do they react when they have an opportunity to seize, a crucial problem to solve, a danger to avoid?
Displaying all the Archer hallmarks, from relentless pacing to sophisticated glamour, Twelve Red Herrings offers two additional rewards. For the first time, in the final story, a choice of four endings is offered, testifying to the range of Archer's imagination and the suppleness of the writer's art. Also, there is buried in each story a diversion of another kind - let us simply call it a red herring - which Archer challenges his readers to uncover. Who will be the first to spot all twelve?

About this title

From the Back Cover

"ONE OF THE TOP TEN STORYTELLERS IN THE WORLD."
-Los Angeles Times

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED...
A wrongly convicted murderer exacts a flawless plan of revenge...Headlights in a rear-view mirror tail a female traveler on a lonely stretch of road ...A serial bride secures her future by marrying only the wealthiest of men...An escaped Iraqi with a price on his head pays an involuntary visit to his homeland... A brush with death proves the biggest break of an aspiring artist's career...Two strangers, struck by lust-at-first-sight, consider a myriad of possibilities for where the day will take them.

...AND YOU'LL STILL BE SURPRISED.
BECAUSE NOTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS.
Bestselling author Jeffrey Archer, "one of the most captivating storytellers writing today" (Pittsburgh Press) engages the reader in a cunning game of cat-and-mouse as he spins twelve ingenious tales of duplicity, love, murder and revenge, each capped with a startling twist. But be careful, for buried in each tale is a red herring-a wicked diversion that Archer challenges readers to uncover for themselves. Artfully entertaining and suspenseful, this is Jeffrey Archer at his inventive best.

"Outstanding...White-knuckle suspense and witty denouements."
-The Daily Express

"Archer hits the bull's eye with an exemplary collection of short stories."
-Daily Mail (London)

About the Author

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University, where as a world-class sprinter he represented Great Britain in international competition. He became the youngest member of the House of Commons in 1969, was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985, and was elevated to the House of Lords in 1992.

All of his novels -- from 1974's Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less to 1991's As the Crow Flies -- have been international bestsellers. Mr. Archer is married, has two children, and lives in Cambridge, England.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0060179449
• ISBN 13: 9780060179441
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 324