"Personal connections, and our failure to make and tend to them, dominate this entrancing collection of irony-infused short stories, set mostly in postwar Europe and America. The greatest lure of the stories are the characters. Maitland-Lewis (Botticelli’s Bastard) sharply limns the foibles of the well-heeled and privileged. The decisions Maitland-Lewis’s characters make haunt them forever, and the characters themselves will haunt the readers. Takeaway: The community of characters—the good, the desperate, the greedy—will grab readers’ hearts and make them care, story after story. Great for fans of: Graham Swift, Julian Barnes."
"5 stars (out of 5) Stephen Maitland-Lewis’ MR. SIMPSON AND OTHER SHORT STORIES include tales that range from droll slice-of-life to high-octane suspense. Maitland-Lewis brings a dry British wit to many of the tales contained in the book. IR Verdict: Stephen Maitland-Lewis wows with MR. SIMPSON AND OTHER SHORT STORIES—a triumph of alternative history featuring humor, action, romance and an eclectic mix of characters, genres, and moods—from an exemplary storyteller with a unique voice."
"Stephen Maitland-Lewis, author of the pulse-pounding financial thriller Duped, is back with a collection of suspenseful stories that succeed wildly in chronicling the relentless pursuit of success, status and survival. Prepare to squirm as Maitland-Lewis reveals one dark secret after another. Deliciously ruthless predators rule in this collection of stories about deceit, deception, fraud and power. Highly recommended."
"Themes of loss (money, lovers, youth) and unrealized potential weave through the intriguing and wide-ranging stories..."
"These stories are wonderfully cosmopolitan. The range of characters really reflects the ways of the world, its successes, and its failures. An up-to-date Somerset Maugham is announced, you might well think."
"I admire authors who sit down with their vocabulary and place words in an order that I never could. - whether to evoke an emotion, unearth a bygone era, or capture a unique slice of the human spirit. Stephen Maitland-Lewis is one such writer and he accomplishes it time and again in Mr. Simpson and Other Short Stories. This book is great. I’m also certain that he knows more words than I do."
"The immaculate attention to both detail and emotional truth makes the reader feel that Mr. Maitland-Lewis was somehow uncannily present in this collection of enticingly varied short stories. A cornucopia of highly enjoyable delights. The pages turned themselves. Witty, immensely readable, and imbued with a warm understanding of the human condition."
- BookLife - Publisher’s Weekly
"5 stars (out of 5) Stephen Maitland-Lewis’ MR. SIMPSON AND OTHER SHORT STORIES include tales that range from droll slice-of-life to high-octane suspense. Maitland-Lewis brings a dry British wit to many of the tales contained in the book. IR Verdict: Stephen Maitland-Lewis wows with MR. SIMPSON AND OTHER SHORT STORIES—a triumph of alternative history featuring humor, action, romance and an eclectic mix of characters, genres, and moods—from an exemplary storyteller with a unique voice."
- IndieReader Review
"Stephen Maitland-Lewis, author of the pulse-pounding financial thriller Duped, is back with a collection of suspenseful stories that succeed wildly in chronicling the relentless pursuit of success, status and survival. Prepare to squirm as Maitland-Lewis reveals one dark secret after another. Deliciously ruthless predators rule in this collection of stories about deceit, deception, fraud and power. Highly recommended."
- BestThrillers.com
"Themes of loss (money, lovers, youth) and unrealized potential weave through the intriguing and wide-ranging stories..."
- Kirkus Reviews
- Heather Brooks, US Review of Books
"These stories are wonderfully cosmopolitan. The range of characters really reflects the ways of the world, its successes, and its failures. An up-to-date Somerset Maugham is announced, you might well think."
- David Pryce-Jones - Author of Fault Lines, Signatures, and Closed Circle
"I admire authors who sit down with their vocabulary and place words in an order that I never could. - whether to evoke an emotion, unearth a bygone era, or capture a unique slice of the human spirit. Stephen Maitland-Lewis is one such writer and he accomplishes it time and again in Mr. Simpson and Other Short Stories. This book is great. I’m also certain that he knows more words than I do."
- Alan Zweibel, original SNL writer/Thurber Prize winning novelist/All-Around Great Guy
"The immaculate attention to both detail and emotional truth makes the reader feel that Mr. Maitland-Lewis was somehow uncannily present in this collection of enticingly varied short stories. A cornucopia of highly enjoyable delights. The pages turned themselves. Witty, immensely readable, and imbued with a warm understanding of the human condition."
- Christopher Renshaw, Award Winning Director - Broadway and London West End