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5.0 out of 5 stars
Diplomatic Tales, January 30, 2003
This review is from: Foreign Service Tales (Paperback)
Retired diplomats, prime ministers, politicians and generals turned writers produce in their golden years credible pieces of literature. While their works generally focus on history, biography, politics, diplomacy and war, many write notable novels, stories, fiction and mystery. William S. Shepard, a retired senior diplomat and member of the American Foreign Service, earned his place in the last category of authors by publishing the second volume of stories close to his heart about the light and hilarious, as well the dark side of life of American diplomats serving their country abroad. And Shepard has a lot of fascinated experience to write from, having served in many countries in Europe and Asia. His first collection, entitled The Consular Tales, was published last year.
The present anthology gives us twenty enchanting stories with intricately developed plots which are drawing not only upon the best, honest and most endearing aspects of human nature but also upon professional jealousy, greed, envy and its other less attractive sides. They are told with vigor, imagination and superb sense for drama, suspense and timing. Here the author displays an array of literary ploys to achieve his desired effect with the skill and imagination of a seasoned novelist. He is best at giving a detailed description of real, plausible and imaginary circumstance and events which give his stories not only credibility but also dispense high drama to fire curiosity, imagination and suspense of his readers.
The story "The Old Master" amply displays all these ploys of the writer's art, who himself appears as Consul Gene Cranton. In a complicated yet intriguing plot an imposter, Anton Svoboda, claims that he is the legitimate owner of the Odalisque Rouge, a painting by Matisse, which he had spotted hanging on the wall in the residence of the American Ambassador Sulliwan in Budapest during his visit of the embassy. And given the writer's penchant for suspense and high drama the question of the ownership of this painting is not resolved until the very last page of this long story. Here a classical ploy is resorted to by introducing an entirely new character into the closing the scene of the plot, who resolves the ownership in favor of the Ambassador. And even Consul Craton is caught surprised. While his gift of intuition in judging character of people appears unerring in other stories of the anthology, he had misjudged Anton's character during his earlier encounter with in his office. This is how the mighty fall sometimes.
It is not surprising that one story of the anthology, the "Little Brown Jug", a title inspired by the Glenn Miller swing tune, won the Second Prize in Marry Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine Contest in 2000. Here Larry Carter, a jealous Economic Counselor at an embassy, picks an antique and fine- glazed jug for baking beans, as a send-off gift for the Deputy Chief of the Mission Trip Holland, to mark his promotion to the ambassadorial rank. Trip Holland, a New Englander, loves the Boston backed beans so much, and Shepard even gives a complete and true recipe for this tantalizing dish, that he lets the cook at his ambassadorial post in Brussels serve it to him at all times until he dies shortly after assuming the office. Carter's little brown jug was his ultimate revenge, as its fine glazing, lead based in the old days, was heavily toxic. This, and the receipt for the heavenly baked Boston beans, are the only true facts of this marvelous story.
Shepard writes not only for pleasure and to entertain a general reader with his stories of glamorous parties, receptions and other perks of diplomatic life, like tax free champaign, caviar and scotch. He also writes to inspire a new generation of young Americans, as a fire-tested old hand who had been "there", to join the Foreign Service for other goodies in that basket as well, like the drama, the adventure and the thrill of its all, so well lived through, enjoyed and depicted by him. Here the anthology of his tales will, undoubtedly, do its share.
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