From Publishers Weekly

Archer's ( Kane and Abel ) talent as a raconteur is evident in these 12 distinctive short stories, all of which have surprise endings. Many center on human failings such as jealousy, obstinacy, pettiness or prejudice; 10 are based on "known incidents" that Archer has "embellished." An almost reportorial, straightforward style actually enhances each concluding jolt. In "The Perfect Murder," a married man kills his mistress, cunningly implicates someone else, and ensures that hapless person's conviction. "A La Carte" concerns Mark Hapgood, who grudgingly works as a lowly hotel porter to please his father, then unexpectedly becomes a celebrated hotel chef. The amorous, contented female narrator of "Just Good Friends" turns out to be a cat. The stunning "Christinia Rosenthal" shows the needless tragedy that results when a girl's anti-Semitic parents oppose her marriage to a rabbi's son. Though the plots are rather slight, Archer's understanding of human nature, and his talent for surprise endings, make this volume a must for his fans. First serial to Penthouse and New Woman; Literary Guild alternate; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Cunning plots, silken style...Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader." -_The New York Times_

"A storyteller in the class of Alexander Dumas...Unsurpassed skill...making the reader wonder intensely what will happen next." -_Washington Post_

More Praise for Jeffrey Archer:
"A master at mixing power, politics, and profit into fiction" -Entertainment Weekly

"Archer is a master entertainer." -Time Magazine

"One of the top ten storytellers in the world" -Los Angeles Times

"Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages." -Boston Globe