Master storyteller Jeffrey Archer has digitally released a series of short stories. Some stories are taken from his earlier collections, some are new. I had read a few when I used to obsessively purchase all Archer books. Some, however, I read in past two weeks. And it was quite a lot. Each story is amazing. Below is a summary of my JA reading spree.

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Title: Crime Pays: The Year of Short Stories – July

Status: Re-read

Review:

Writing a law and suspense story that captivates you, and at such small length; is amazing. The curiosity from page 1 makes it almost impossible to leave it until last page.

I recall reading it as part of ‘To Cut a Long Story Short’. And that was one remarkable collection.

I wonder, with all these amazing twisted plots these brilliant writers present, does someone try to pull it off for real?

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Charity Begins at Home: The Year of Short Stories – April

Status: First time read

Review:

Must read. All the books from ‘A year of short stories’ by Jeffrey Archer are free on Amazon. People like me who live freebies, get your Kindle edition now.

Much like ‘Crime Pays’, the reader gets a feeling of the coup. For me, however, it is the later part of the story that holds my attention more. The reason is simple – find out how they got out of it.

* Charity begins at home
* Crime pays
* The man who robbed his own post office

These three stories share a common theme, and something very likable. The main character pulls a heist, and they get caught. It is so real. One would think that fiction should always have the main character winning all the way, with no worry in the world. Which is not always true, these stories tell us.

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Title: The Endgame: The Year of Short Stories – December

Status: Re-read

Review:

Writing a law and suspense story that captivates you, and at such small length; is amazing. The curiosity from page 1 makes it almost impossible to leave it until last page.

I recall reading it as part of ‘To Cut a Long Story Short’. And that was one remarkable collection.

I wonder, with all these amazing twisted plots these brilliant writers present, does someone try to pull it off for real?

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Title: The Queen’s Birthday Telegram: The Year of Short Stories – June

Status: Re-read

Review:

To come.

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Title: Christina Rosenthal

Status: First read

Review:

To come.

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Before I sign-out, please check my books.

Shabana Mukhtar