Tales of the Unexpected [16 stories]
Taken from Kiss Kissand Someone Like You, this selection of short stories from the master of the macabre contains some of his finest, most bitterly funny creations. Here are sixteen tales, each with a startling twist. Take, for example, the horrific tales of risk-takers such as the man who wagers his daughter's hand in marriage to a wine connoisseur, or the traveller who throws himself overboard a cruise liner in order to win a bet. Here too is the understated cruelty of Edward the Conqueror, in which a mysterious cat seems to threaten domestic life, or the innocuous-seeming Landlady whose guests stay for longer than they intend. Not forgetting the satisfyingly shocking tales of revenge, such as "Nunc Dimittis" or "Lamb to the slaughter". Each story simply tingles with chilling surprises and each is perfectly constructed, sophisticated black humour at its very best.