
Cat O' Nine Tales
And Other Stories
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی

Starred review from April 16, 2007
Bestseller Archer (Kane & Abel
) put his time in prison to fine literary use, as evidenced by the 12 stellar entries in his fifth story collection, nine of which are based on tales he heard from fellow inmates while incarcerated. Three others he composed after his release. Highlights include "Maestro," in which a restaurant owner finds a way to launder money so that the tax man can't collect; "The Man Who Robbed His Own Post Office," about a hardworking couple who steal from their own business rather than see it all taken from them; and "It Can't Be October Already," in which a man uses the system to beat the system. 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. Drawings by the inimitable Ronald Searle are a bonus.

Nine of the twelve Cat o' Nine tales are based on stories that author Jeffrey Archer heard while in prison. Anton Lesser's unembellished voice mirrors many of Archer's criminals, who are ordinary folk struggling to avoid bankruptcy or paying taxes. Unfortunately, the stories themselves end up sounding ordinary and bogged down with the mundane details of the criminals at hand. After several stories, Lesser finds his stride. At this point, he begins to act rather than merely read, bringing to life an impoverished deviant who seeks out winter jail terms to avoid cold weather. Sadly, few other characters in the book sound as charming, leaving the listener wondering if truth really is stranger than fiction. J.T. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
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