by Jeffrey Archer (Author)

An English lord requires one more chess piece to complete a set that would be worth a fortune. Another man, an accountant, realizes he's achieved nothing in his life--and sets out to make a fortune before he retires. And then there is the author's own favorite, "In the Eye of the Beholder," about a star athlete who has a fateful run-in with a three-hundred-pound woman. Some of these twelve stories were inspired by the two years Jeffrey Archer spent in prison, including "Don't Drink the Water," the tale of a company chairman who tries to poison his wife while on a trip to St. Petersburg--with unexpected consequences. Witty, suspenseful, sad, surprising, and unforgettable, Cat O'Nine Tales is Jeffrey Archer at his best.

Front Jacket

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

Cat o'Nine Tales is the fifth collection of irresistible short stories from the master storyteller. Ingeniously plotted, with richly drawn characters and Jeffrey Archer's trademark of deliciously unexpected conclusions, this new collection has the added bonus of thirteen charming illustrations by the internationally acclaimed artist Ronald Searle.

Some of these twelve stories were inspired by the two years Jeffrey Archer spent in prison, including the story of a company chairman who tries to poison his wife while on a trip to St. Petersburg---with unexpected consequences. "The Red King" is a tale about a con man who discovers that an English lord requires one more chess piece to complete a set that would be worth a fortune. In another tale of deception, "The Commissioner," a Bombay con artist ends up in the morgue after he uses the police chief as bait in his latest scam. "The Perfect Murder" reveals how a convict manages to remove an old enemy while he's locked up in jail, and then set up two prison officers as his alibi. In "Charity Begins at Home," an accountant realizes he has achieved nothing in his life, and sets out to make a fortune before he retires. And then there is Archer's favorite, "In the Eye of the Beholder," in which a handsome star athlete falls in love with a three-hundred-pound woman . . . who happens to be the ninth-richest woman in Italy.

Jeffrey Archer is the only author to have topped international bestseller lists with his fiction, nonfiction, and short stories. Cat o'Nine Tales is Archer at his best: witty, poignant, sad, surprising, and unforgettable.

Back Jacket

Praise for Jeffrey Archer's Short Stories

"There isn't a better story-teller alive."
---Larry King

"Archer is a master entertainer."
---Time

"Archer is a terrific story-teller, and meets the reader's ultimate tests---to want to turn the page to see what happens next."
---Sunday Times, London

"Probably the greatest storyteller of our age."
---Mail on Sunday, London

"Jeffrey Archer has a gift for plot that can only be described as genius."
---Daily Telegraph, London

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

Author Biography

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University. He has served five years in Britain's House of Commons and fourteen years in the House of Lords. All of his novels and short story collections--including And Thereby Hangs a Tale, Kane and Abel, Paths of Glory and False Impression--have been international bestselling books. Archer is married with two sons and lives in London and Cambridge.

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