A Twist in the Tale is a cunningly constructed, entertaining set of stories from the bestselling author of The Clifton Chronicles and the William Warwick series.

*****

A man calls unexpectedly on his mistress and sees another man leaving her flat. After he accuses her of being unfaithful, an argument ensues, during which he strikes her and leaves her for dead. Departing unseen, he tips off the police so that another man is arrested – and charged. Has he achieved ‘The Perfect Murder’ . . . ?

Elsewhere, a man attends a wine-tasting with a bizarre difference; a self-assured chess champion plays a beautiful woman for stakes far higher than cash; a finance minister must crack the secrets of a Swiss bank; and eating cornflakes leads to a lifelong rivalry. From Africa to the Middle East, London to Beijing, Archer takes us to places we’ve never seen and introduces us to people we’ll never forget . . .

*****

Praise for Jeffrey Archer's short stories:

‘Stylish, witty and constantly entertaining . . . Jeffrey Archer has a natural aptitude for short stories’ – The Times

‘Outstanding . . . white-knuckle suspense and witty denouements. Enjoyable, suspense-filled rival to Roald Dahl’ – Daily Express

‘Jeffrey Archer plays a subtle cat-and-mouse game with the reader in twelve original short stories that end, more often than not, with our collective whiskers twitching in surprise’ – The New York Times

‘Archer hits the bull’s eye with an exemplary collection’ – Daily Mail

‘The economy and precision of Archer’s prose never fails to delight. The criminal doesn’t always get away with his crime and justice doesn’t always prevail, but the reader wins with each and every story’ – Publishers Weekly

Jeffrey Archer's book Traitors Gate was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-09-25.