Will I love Lamb to the Slaughter?

While I ordinarily do not gravitate toward excessively packaged stories that are written for the inevitable twist, I make an exception for Dahl because of his mastery of the genre. His characters, such as Mary Maloney, the police detective wife whose misdeed is the focus of the title story, or Boggis, the scheming antique dealer in Parson’s Pleasure, are meticulously rendered with compassion and humor.

And, although the twists are far from unexpected, the very credible, human delivery makes these stories delightful to read and paragons of the craft of short story writing.

Like many others, I grew up having read several works by Roald Dahl. This short book showcases a different side of the author.

As an adult, I’ve lived through good and bad relationships, and I understand that things look one way from the outside and can be very different for those involved. This tale hits that truth on the head, describing what seems to be a normal, happy home until somebody reaches breaking point.