The Collected Mystery Stories: Non-Stop Suspense from the Grandmaster of Crime
Lawrence Block combines three characteristics that rarely show up in the same crime writer: he's versatile, he's prolific, and he's damn good. This massive collection of nearly all Block's short fiction demonstrates all three qualities. Published originally in Great Britain, where no previous collections of his stories had appeared, the volume brings together tales starring all of Block's series heroes; there are three Bernie Rhodenbarr stories, seven Matthew Scudder stories, three Keller stories, nine Martin Ehrengraff stories, and two Chip Harrison stories. (Ehrengraff, the lawyer who rarely visits a courtroom, has thus far only appeared in short stories, all of which are included here.) In addition, the entire contents of Block's three previously published collections of stand-alone stories are also included, as are five new, unpublished stories. In all, this omnibus collection offers an impressive testament to a modern master of crime fiction whose talent shines just as brightly in the short form as it does in the novel. Buy it, even though many of Block's stories will already be on the shelves.Bill OttCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.