In the eye of the beholder : a short story

Previously published in the anthology Cat O'Nine Tales , this is the story of a star athlete who has a fateful run-in with a three-hundred pound woman. One of the author's own personal favorites, In the Eye of the Beholder is Jeffrey Archer at his best—witty, suspenseful, sad, surprising, and unforgettable. 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 witty, poignant, sad, surprising, and unforgettable. 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 A Collection Of Short Stories Features One Dozen Pieces That Include The Red King, The Commissioner, And Charity Begins At Home. The Man Who Robbed His Own Post Office -- Maestro -- Don't Drink The Water -- It Can't Be October Already -- The Red King -- The Wisdom Of Solomon -- Know What I Mean? -- Charity Begins At Home -- The Alibi -- A Greek Tragedy -- The Commissioner -- In The Eye Of The Beholder. Jeffrey Archer ; Drawings By Ronald Searle. First Published In Great Britain By Macmillan, An Imprint Of Pan Macmillan Ltd.--t.p. Verso. Contains twelve short crime stories, nine based on accounts the author heard while serving a prison sentence for perjury