The Imposture and Other Tales

A complete collection of all the short stories by John Pascal, some related, some not, about people and events in places around the world; stories of passion and pathos, love and hatred, vengeance and intrigue - in short "the human condition"- which reveal the well-traveled John Pascal's intimacy with those places and with the men and women, and even the animals who inhabit them. John Pascal is a master at portraying irony - as in "Digger Malloy," the story of a man who unwittingly has a bizarre encounter with his estranged daughter. The conclusion to this story will astound you, for Pascal also is adept at producing the surprise ending. Another example of this ability is found in his prize-winning tale "A Fragile Vessel" where, as described in London's The European, "...at a Sicilian villa dark secrets bubble to the surface, ending an old friendship for ever." Follow the travels, adventures, mishaps, and intimacies of Desi Guerrero and his beautiful wife Sandy in three contiguous stories as they explore what Evelyn Waugh once called "that splendid enclosure" - the Mediterranean basin. "The Maine Coon Cat and the Tiger Snake," a tale in which a man seeks revenge from his late wife's lover, is a lesson in the emotions of love and hatred. This clever tale has an unforgettable climax, at the center of which is a gifted feline. "The Lakonia " and its sequel "Tancredi" provide thrilling suspense and intrigue which while evocative of such venerable masters as E. Phillips Oppenheim and Eric Ambler are presented in the present-day world of international affairs and intrigue. The collection includes "The Imposture," a tour de force which demonstrates the entire panoply of Pascal's powerful writing talents. You won't know whether or not you believe what you have read in "The Imposture"; what you will know is that you'll want to read more stories by John Pascal. John Pascal is determined to reinstate the short story to its proper place in English literature. This, his latest collection of such stories, is proof that he has every chance of doing so.