Though W. Somerset Maugham was also famous for his novels and plays it has been argued that in thethe short story he reached the pinnacle of his artwas his true metier. These expertly told tales with their addictive plot twists and vividly drawn characters are both galvanizing as literature and wonderfully entertaining. In the adventures of his alter ego Ashenden a writer who like Maugham himself turned secret agent in World War I as well as in stories set in such farflung locales as South Paci