‘How many dead?’ he asked.
‘Six,’ replied the guard. ‘Three Germans and sadly three of our own.’
‘And I passed several passengers lying by the side of the track,’ said the driver. ‘But none of them were badly injured. They got lucky, because there was a local doctor on the train, and he’s looking after them.’
ALSO BY JEFFREY ARCHER
THE WILLIAM WARWICK NOVELS
Nothing Ventured Hidden in Plain Sight
THE CLIFTON CHRONICLES
Only Time Will Tell The Sins of the Father
Best Kept Secret Be Careful What You Wish For
Mightier than the Sword Cometh the Hour This Was a Man
NOVELS
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
Shall We Tell the President? Kane and Abel
The Prodigal Daughter First Among Equals
A Matter of Honour As the Crow Flies Honour Among Thieves
The Fourth Estate The Eleventh Commandment
Sons of Fortune False Impression
The Gospel According to Judas (with the assistance of Professor Francis J. Moloney)
A Prisoner of Birth Paths of Glory
SHORT STORIES
A Quiver Full of Arrows A Twist in the Tale
Twelve Red Herrings The Collected Short Stories
To Cut a Long Story Short Cat O’ Nine Tales
And Thereby Hangs a Tale Tell Tale
PLAYS
Beyond Reasonable Doubt Exclusive The Accused
Confession Who Killed the Mayor?
PRISON DIARIES
Volume One – Belmarsh: Hell
Volume Two – Wayland: Purgatory
Volume Three – North Sea Camp: Heaven
SCREENPLAYS
Mallory: Walking Off the Map False Impression
About the Author
JEFFREY ARCHER was educated at Oxford University. He served five years as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons and has served twenty-seven years as a Member of the House of Lords. Now published in 97 countries and more than 37 languages, all of his novels and short story collections—including Kane & Abel, Only Time Will Tell and This Was a Man—have been international bestsellers. Jeffrey is married with two sons and three grandchildren, and lives in London, Cambridge and Majorca. You can sign up for email updates here.
About the illustrator
PAUL COX studied illustration at Camberwell School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Since his graduation in 1982 he has worked as a freelance illustrator and painter, involving himself in an extraordinary number and variety of projects including a 50th anniversary version of Gerald Durrell’s classic My Family and Other Animals. Readers of newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic will instantly recognize his wonderfully fresh images from the Daily Telegraph, Country Life, The Spectator, Sunday Times Magazine, Punch, The Times, Blueprint magazine, Vanity Fair and Esquire. His work is frequently exhibited at the Chris Beetles gallery in London, and Paul has built up a wide following for his unique and rhythmical style. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
1. Never Stop on the Motorway
2. Cheap At Half the Price
3. Who Killed the Mayor?
4. It Can’t Be October Already
5. Stuck on You
6. The Grass is Always Greener
7. The Queen’s Birthday Telegram
8. Clean Sweep Ignatius
9. The First Miracle
10. Caste Off
11. A Wasted Hour
12. Just Good Friends
13. Christina Rosenthal
14. A Gentleman and a Scholar
15. The Road To Damascus
16. Old Love
17. A Good Toss To Lose
18. One Man’s Meat
19. Endgame
20. Confession
Also by Jeffrey Archer
About the Author and Illustrator
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in these stories are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE SHORT, THE LONG AND THE TALL. Copyright © 2020 by Jeffrey Archer.
Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Paul Cox. All rights reserved.
For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
“Never Stop on the Motorway,” “Cheap at Half the Price,” and “One Man’s Meat” were first published 1994 in Twelve Red Herrings.
“Who Killed the Mayor?,” “A Wasted Hour,” “A Gentleman and a Scholar,” “The Road to Damascus,” and “A Good Toss to Lose” were first published 2017 in Tell Tale.
“Confession” was first published 2018 in the paperback edition of Tell Tale.
“It Can’t Be October Already” was first published 2007 in Cat O’ Nine Tales.
“Stuck on You,” “The Queen’s Birthday Telegram,” and “Caste Off” were first published 2010 in And Thereby Hangs a Tale.
“The Grass is Always Greener” and “Endgame” were first published 2000 in To Cut a Long Story Short.
“Clean Sweep Ignatius,” “Just Good Friends,” and “Christina Rosenthal” were first published 1988 in A Twist in the Tale.
“The First Miracle” and “Old Love” were first published 1980 in A Quiver Full of Arrows.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-06490-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-7137-3 (ebook)
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First published in Great Britain by Macmillan, an imprint of Pan Macmillan
First U.S. Edition: 2020