Against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean, in the early hours of the morning, are two men who walk on the beach sharing their life stories. Roy, a middle manager from a manufacturing plant, is desperate for answers as he struggles to lead an initiative that threatens the jobs of the managers of the factory. Accompanying him is Ed, a retired medical doctor turned corporate leader, who has managed to save a chain of companies from bankruptcy. Using the human body as a leadership model, Ed narrates stories from his own past to elaborate on the different stages involved in the development of human maturity within organizations. Encapsulated in a moving story of ambition, success, family and loss, is a series of anecdotes that talk about the purpose and fulfillment at work and life as a whole.

“I don’t want you to dwell on these unconscionable acts of violence. I want you to embrace the luxurious beauty that you are. The amazing grace of your darkness.”

There is a common thread, a universality that holds us all together. Like the roots of trees clinging together beneath the soil. On the surface we see trees that seem separate, growing in a variety of trajectories reaching for the warm rays of the sun. But under the surface roots become intertwined, woven together in an indestructible web. A web that holds strong when typhoons and tsunamis hit the surface. A root bond, that keeps us believing in the human spirit. The vibrance of the soul and the strength of our being.

Nearly a decade after his last volume of short stories was published, Archer returns with his eagerly-awaited, brand-new collection TELL TALE, giving us a fascinating, exciting and sometimes poignant insight into the people he has met, the stories he has come across and the countries he has visited during the past ten years.

A gripping, breathtaking novel of revenge, persecution and loss, the action sweeps from Paris and Chartres to the city of tears itself, Amsterdam.