Product Description

Based on Lawrence Block's extremely popular seminar for writers. Discover Block's tips for overcoming writer's block and unleashing your creativity.

Customer Reviews (3)

the book that got me writing
I'm overcompensating slightly with five stars to counteract that last, negative review.No, this isn't a book of technical tips for professional writers (although Larry Block's other writing books, made up of years' worth of columns for Writer's Digest, contain more specific and pro-level advice).This is a book designed to get wouldbe writers and blocked writers and professionally uncertain writers... writing.It has a simplistic, new-agey approach (relaxation exercises, practice-writing, affirmations, etc.) to light the creative spark in frightened minds.Block has written 70+ books (all legitimately published, not "self-published" as previous reviewer sneers) and knows what he's talking about.This book got me writing in my 20s when nothing else could break through my self-censoring paralysis.His voice is supportive, easygoing, unintimidating, friendly.So if you're already confident & making a career out of writing regularly, yes, this is a 2 star book, you don't need it.But if you're anxious and blocked and want to know how to write more or better or just how to get writing... 5 stars.

What A Waste!
My publisher has me doing more re-writes than usual, and I'm stuck.This morning I downloaded "Write For Your Life" to my Kindle in hopes of finding some inspiration for my necessary changes, but this book isn't about writing.I'm not sure what it's about, and I certainly don't understand how in Earth it made it to Kindle.

The author first threatens us (in a childish, joking manner) to read the introduction.It's his method of getting around a re-write of the content of the book itself, which is a 1985 transcript of a 1983 seminar.In the introduction, the author does nothing but talk about himself and his wife, where they've lived, and how he got on the seminar circuit.Okay, I stuck it out through the introduction.

Morbid curiosity took me through three more chapters, all of which were about . . . guess what?Giving seminars.The author also continually pats himself on the back about having self-published, about (twenty-some years later) still having a boxful of that first run of 5,000 books, and tells us how people have been cajoling him to re-publish the book.

But he doesn't tell us anything about writing.

Having gotten some insight into the author's mind, I figure he thought he could make a buck by "re-publishing" his book as a digital download for Kindle users.(You won't find this title in hard copy.)And I'm guessing Mr. Block thought people wouldn't bother returning an eight dollar item.

He was wrong.And you'll be wrong if you bother with this joke of a book on "writing."

This book released my creativity when no other book did
This is the best book I've ever read about overcoming writer's block. Iwant to recommend it to friends, but sadly it's out of print.

Pleaseconsider re-issuing it. It is too valuable to let slide into obscurity! ... Read more

Product Description

The craft of writing is a lot like spinning a web: You take threads and weave them skillfully together, and only you know where this intricate network of twists and turns begin and how it will end. Now, with Lawrence Bloock's expert advice, you can learn this art of entrapping your reader in a maze of facinating fiction.

Spider, Spin Me a Web is the perfect companion volume to Block's  previous book on writing, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit, which Sue Grafton noted "should be a permanent part of every writer's library." As helpful and supportive as always, Block shares what he's learned over the course of writing over one hundred published books: techniques to help you to write a solid piece of fiction; strategies for getting a reader (or editor) to reaad--and buy--your book; ideas for increasing your creativity and developing an environment that will nourish you and your craft.

Spider, Spin Me a Web is a complete guide to achieving your full potential as awriter.

Customer Reviews (4)

Very supportive of new writers
I absolutely adore this book and it has a special place in my heart; mainly because I found it in the street, battered and face down, in front of my house only days after I flushed out the story line for my very first book. Providence is alive and well!

Although Lawrence Block's literary subject matters falls outside my area of interest, I found the content of his book to touch upon most if not all the of the areas I had questions about. Relating some of the experiences he has had with writing has made me feel more relaxed and at ease with my own.

How To Writers Book
This book was written by one of the most prolific writers of our age-Lawrence Block.While I haven't read many of his fiction books, I have read a few of his 'how-to write' books.

He does have a conversational tone in his 'how to write' books, so you have to plow through a lot of verbage to get to the good points.I think that was basically to flesh out the book to bring it up to 250 pages.

If you can read fast and get through the extra verbage, this book does have some very good points to keep in mind when writing a book of Fiction, which if you use, would make your own story more interesting.

The first line, says it all
Those who can, write. Those who cannot, write about writing. That is the first line in the book. I think Block is an excellent fiction writer. Enough said.

Excellent resource for writers
Along with Block's _Telling Lies for Fun and Profit_, this is a book I've found indispensable over the years.It's not only tremendously helpful and encouraging for me as a writer, but it's also, like all of Block's work,sheer fun to read.Block's writing on writing is particularly engagingbecause he gives the impression of addressing a friend and colleague,offering the benefit of his experience for what it's worth, without talkingdown to his audience or intimidating with a judgmental list of must-dos andmust-nots (like some tyrannical authors of books on writing).Block nevercondescends, and he always acknowledges that writers work in different ways(sometimes, in fact, different books work in different ways), so that thewould-be writer feels free to take away only what works for him or her,without obligation to learn to write The Block Way.

While I find _TellingLies_ even more helpful during the writing process, _Spider_ offers afuller menu for the writer:not only does Block address specific tools ofwriting like foreshadowing, mining life experiences, and backgroundinformation, but he also tackles some bigger issues about writing routines,marketing one's work, what to expect from editors, and the best ways tobecome successful.He also gives solid practical advice on more"advanced" writing issues for those who have establishedthemselves and may be facing specific dilemmas regarding ghostwriting,living on a writer's income, and other realities of the writing life (notforgetting the harshest reality: rejection). And for those in aphilosophical mood, he looks at the writer's mindset:how to set a writinggoal, how to achieve it, and even how to determine what kind of writer youare.

Altogether, _Spider_ is a refreshing combination of down-to-earthconversation about the nuts and bolts side of writing and serious thoughtson the more elusive questions liable to bedevil the writer.It's a greatresource whether you need a pep talk to get started, find yourself boggeddown during your writing, or just want to get the perspective of a livelymind on the whole writing life.I advise every fiction writer to keep acopy on her desk. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Not My Favorite Of The Noir Series
This was my sixth read of the Noir series. It was divided into three sections. The "old school" covered nine stories written between 1891 and 1970. Part two contained the work of three poets and Part three had eight stories composed between 1969 and 2008. Surprisingly, I enjoyed part 1 the most. Edith Wharton's Mrs. Manstey's View about an old lady who constantly observed the neighborhood from her window was quite compelling. O. Henry's The Furnished Room about a young man searching for his missing love was excellent. Irwin Shaw's Sailor Off The Bremen was a fast moving story of revenge. Daman Runyon's Johnny One-Eye, the story of a murderer and a one eyed cat was quite good. Evan Hunter's The Last Spin about two gang members who were chosen to resolve a dispute between their respective gangs by playing Russian Roulette was moving.
I would have rated Part 1 at five stars. However, since I'm not a fan of poetry the inclusion of the poetry section brought down my review. From Part 3 my favorite was Clark Howard's Crowded Lives about a former bank embezzler who had hidden his loot while he served time in prison. The building had once been a classy hotel but subsequently had deteriorated to a welfare building. Donald Westlake's Love In The Lean Years was an interesting story about a husband and wife taking out insurance policies to benefit from their spouses demise. Lawrence Block's In For A Penny about a criminal released from prison who ultimately reverted to his old ways. So all in all this wasn't bad. There were in fact some excellent components. But, for my taste, in total it ended up as an average read.

24th Book One of Best in Series
Masterfully edited by Lawrence Block, Manhattan Noir 2 is a welcome addition to this terriffic series. Of its 17 short stories, what may have been Cornell Woolrich's last (first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1970) is by itself well worth the price of admission. This anthology features stories which first saw print over more than a 100-year time span, from 1891 to 2008. There also is a very short middle section with works by three poets. Poetry accounts for less than 5 per cent of my reading, but these are great. There is the predictable "Raven" by Poe and it isn't a stretch to include him as (perhaps the first) noir author. (What else but noir could you call say, "A Cask of Amontillado"? For the Love of God, Montressor!). But the two other poets represented are also excellent, especially the selections from Geoffrey Bartholomew's "The McSorley Poems" (2001) which made me want to seek out the entire volume. My favorite stories besides the Woolrich are Stephen Crane's very short "The Poker Game" (1902), Langston Hughes' "Spanish Blood" (1934). Damon Runyon's poignant "One-Eyed Johnny" (1941), and Evan Hunter's (Ed McBain's) gritty "The Last Spin" (1948) all in Part I, "The Old School". The stories in Part III are more modern, grouped under the heading "Darkness Visible". I liked all but one of these eight stories which range from 1969 to 2008. My three favorites were grand master Donald Westlake's "Love in the Lean Years", Joyce Carol Oates' "A Manhattan Romance" (which like two others feature a man running from the mob), and editor Lawrence Block's "In For a Penny". As always, kudos to Tim McLoughlin for creating this internationally acclaimed series. This book was released simultaneously with "D.C. Noir 2: The Classics" which is next on my must read list. Also forthcoming in the series are another 15 books, most of which have noir settings in foreign countries and are so titled. ... Read more

Product Description
A previously published mystery follows New York City sleuth-for-hire Chip Harrison as he confronts his first case, in which five beautiful sisters--one of them a former flame--are hunted down by their wicked relatives. Original." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nero Wolfe with sex
Leo Haig, a dabbler in rare fish, has read every mystery book known and adopted the Nero Wolfe image as his own. Chip Harrison plays his Archie Goodwin and narrator; at Haig's behest he throws in a couple of juicy sex scenes to entice the modern reader. Chip finds his girlfriend Melanie nude and dead, supposedly of an overdose. However when Chip finds that two of Melanie's five other sisters have died of possible homicides, Haig is intrigued, especially since the sisters are heiresses to a great fortune. Numerous other murders occur before Chip believes he has identified the murderer. Wolfe naturally rejects this finding and instead calls for the grand-standing finale at which the true murderer is unveiled. Lawrence Block (under a psuedynom) pulls off his usual sly humor making for a quick but fun read. ... Read more

Product Description

Sometime spy Evan Tanner has accepted impossible assignments for many reasons: money, thrills, to have something to occupy his waking hours (twenty-four of them every day, in fact, since battlefield shrapnel obliterated his brain's sleep center). But this might be the first time he's put his life on the line . . . for love.

Customer Reviews (4)

not Blocks best
This very early Block story is effortlessly entertaining,but extremely featherweight compared to most of Mr.Blocks books.Its funny and fast moving,adequate for a quick summer beach read,but pales in comparison to almost any other Lawrence Block book.

Fast and humorous trip with a master spy
A delightful fast read with plenty of action and humor.Evan Turner is a spy for--well, you name it since he doesn't really know the name of the agency he works for!A good friend asks Tanner if he would go to Latvia to get his girl friend out of the country and bring her to the United States.Tanner reluctantly gives in and agrees knowing that Latvia is one of the old Soviet nations that do not allow anyone in or out of their country.Tanner knows so many connected people so he feels he can do this without getting into trouble.

Besides being a well-connected spy Tanner loves his women and seems to have one in every nation.He also has many friends in many nations that know Tanner well and owe him favors, which helps him in getting in and out of various countries.Any master spy can do this, correct?If your name is Evan Tanner or one of his aliases you have that freedom almost everywhere.Almost!

Tanner starts his trip to "rescue" the girl out of Latvia.It seems the girl is a gymnast on the national team.As Tanner goes across various borders, some legally and some with forged papers, he looks up his friends in those countries to get help.Most do help him one way or another.But when it comes time to take the girl out of Latvia, along with a few things Tanner has picked up along the way for which he promised to deliver in other nations as he went, he runs into trouble.By the time he makes his final plans for leaving Latvia he has accumulated more people to smuggle out of a nation he is not even supposed to be in.

If this sounds complicated, it is, but only for Tanner.The reader can understand every move and action that is made due to Lawrence Block's smooth writing.Even though this is a short book it packs plenty of action and fun into those pages.As I read it I was thinking how some authors would make a six hundred-page story out of all that occurred in this book.Block shortened it and kept it active and interesting.

Best Tanner
Of the 7 Tanner books I've read, I liked this one the best.They're all fun; this was just a bit more so.

Tanner's back for another trek across Europe. A delight.
. Tanner is back in the third of eight books in the series. This one is much better than the first two. Again Tanner leaves NYC to trek across Europe, sneak across boarders. This time the trip takes him from home toYugoslavia north to Russia.Keeping in mind this adventure as wells as thetwo others takes place before the brake up of the Soviet Union and theproblems and war with the breakup of Yugoslavia.Block's historicalaccounts are excellent and add to the excitement of the book. It's wellpaced and I look forward to the others in the series. At this point in timethey are on backorder at amazon.com. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

First Class Entertainments
Author Graham Greene made a distinction between his "novels" and his "entertainments."This volume of Transgressions is definitely in the entertainment column, and that is no slap.

I know Lawrence Block's work, particularly the Keller tales, so I went for that one first.Mr. Block writes the Keller stories the way Keller works: he circles around the objective, gathering details carefully, and then goes in for the kill.If you don't know Keller, he makes his living as a hit man, and he's quite good at it.You're watching, and maybe even cheering on, a bad guy who is nonetheless quite pleasant.If you can get over that hurdle, go for it.

Mr. Deaver chimes in with an unlikely hero, a police statistician who is not surprisingly the butt of a lot of jokes, and held in some contempt by the self-described "real" cops.This fellow noses out a conspiracy, and gets the real cops on his side, dragging their feet most of the way.I found the ending a little simplistic, but I suspect Mr. Deaver's hero would say it was within the statistical norm.

Good, fun reading.

The Fast and the Furious
I was changing planes in Denver and realized I'd left my John Nance paperback on the last plane. A trip to the airport bookstore gave me the usual array of "already read it" vs. "wouldn't touch it" fiction, but I had another long flight ahead of me. My eye fell on the Deaver/Block edition of "Transgressions" and I thought, well, the Keller story will probably be okay. I really enjoyed "Hit Man" and was less-enchanted with "Hit List", but I expected to buy whatever came off the same assembly line. I balked at the Deaver story at first, having been disappointed by JD several times. My mom is a fan so I always buy copies for her and she passes them back, but they sit in my "nothing else to read" pile.

Reading the forward by Ed McBain left me hungering for some other authors who might have turned him down for this series, and I was also miffed when he stated that the authors appear "in alphabetical order on the cover, and the reverse inside", but I bit the bullet and choked down the Deaver, since I guessed I would never bother with it otherwise.

And I was thrilled! The son-of-a-gun can write, when it suits him! Or maybe the short form is really his home. This is the best book I've ever read by Jeffery Deaver, and although it unfortunately echoes a current television drama, it still strikes me as fairly original and well-rounded. I loved it!

The Larry Block piece was a nice return to our favorite hitman, picking up where we left him plus a few international tragedies. It was great, too. I loved reading the whole thing even after I flew home, staying up the rest of the night to get it all down.

I purchased the Ladies Edition of "Transgressions" (Ann Perry, Joyce Carol Oates, Sharyn McCrumb) at the same time, and so far, the stories look equally well-done.

A nifty double bill...
Just like the good old days at the movies, this is a double feature with a pair of twisty-turny thrillers from a couple masters of the genre, Jeffery Deaver (The Bone Collector) and Lawrence Block (Hit Man, Eight Million Ways To Die, and dozens and dozens more).

I bought this compilation for Block's new Keller story, not particularly having liked anything Deaver's written up to this point. So I read the stories out of sequence, thinking I'd read Block's 'Keller's Adjustment' and then just sell the thing back to the bookstore. But my time with Keller only lasted an hour or so and I still had some time to kill, so I thought, what the h***? I took a chance and gave Deaver a chance to woo me over.

Well, dammit, he did. Deaver's story, 'Forever', stars a prim, manic-obsessive police statistician named Talbot Simms, who begins an investigation into a pair of apparent double suicides after they don't quite fit into his narrow theorem. The story is deftly written, with a likeable (if REALLY quirky) protagonist in Simms - and has all of Deaver's trademarked plot twists. I don't know how far Deaver can take Simms (how many of us really care that much about a mathmatics-obsessed statistitian and his quest for the perfect number?). His profile doesn't easily translate into a viable protagonist for a series, but for a fast read with a very specific scenario, he was perfect.

Block's entry, 'Keller's Adjustment', begins with his hit man Keller on the road, working a job in Florida at the time of 9/11, and wondering if he's still cut out for the life of a contract killer afterwards. Out of all his creations, Keller is Block's most ambiguous character, often seeming to be a conduit for Block to clear out all the accumulated junk built up inside his head: Keller spends most of his time collecting stamps, chewing the fat with his matronly contractor, Dot, or spouting crazy bursts of soul-cleansing stream-of-consciousness while on a job. Here, Block seemingly sets Keller up for his rumored retirement, and as always, Larry throws in heaping bits of the most cynical, pitch-black humor around. My personal favorite - when Keller fantasizes about killing the soccer mom who honks at him at a red light. Whooo! Brought tears to my eyes...

And now, my only real complaint: Even knowing, going in, that Transgressions #1 would be short, since it contains only a pair of novella's - which are usually what? 10,000 to 50,000 words or so? Well, even weighing in at a whopping 352 pages, this volume feels PADDED. The typeface is absolutely HUGE; it's large enough that somebody who's as blind as a bat could read it. And dangit, as much as I love supporting old Larry in his dotage, $7.99 is a lot of cash to shell out for a couple of eensy-weensy stories, even as good as these are; especially when you consider that Block's contribution will also be included in his next Keller novel, Hit Parade (John Keller Mysteries), along with three or four other new stories.

Two great writers...two excellent novellas
Jeffrey Deaver and Lawrence Block have written two outstanding short stories. Deaver's story involves a man obsessed with statistics and works as a police detective when he comes across two suicides that don't seem to "fit" the mathematical odds of suicides in the town in which he works. The plot twists around a few characters and Deaver's writing style kept me interested until the end.

Block's story involves Keller, a hitman, who is beginning to have some various worries and anxieties about his life especially after 9/11. Keller (who is a main character in "Hit Man" and "Hit List" by Block) meets with his contact (Dot) and finds himself in various situations all the while worrying and thinking about his life. Block writes a great book and this novella opens up more avenues for Keller in future books in that particular series. Keller is funny at times, insightful and intelligent at other times, and the story moves quickly wit a solid plot.

I read the book in just a few hours. It's a fun read and well worth the time. ... Read more

Product Description
The second book in the Evan Tanner series finds Tanner working as an agent--for a man and an agency so secret that bothare nameless--and assigned to slip into Czechoslovakia to accomplish the most incredible kidnapping of the century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Don't waste your time
I thought this book was a waste of time.I threw it in the trash when I finished reading it rather than giving it to one of my siblings.I did not like a single one of the characters, including the protagonist.The plot was kind of far-fetched and the ending was not good.I did not even list it on (...)

a thrilling book full of turns
I liked all the book as I love reading books of this sort. Moreover, the book touches the history of my country, Slovakia, and Central Europe in many aspects. I appreciate that, to my knowledge, many facts (geographical,cultural) were quite precise. Also, it seems to me that the author ratherwell manages to describe the life in the area and the times the story takesplace. However, I wondered about some details. For instrance, why themajority of town names were true and some were made up (as"Parkan" - there is no such frontier crossing between Slovakiaand Hungary); Czechs were given Czech names, Germans German, SerbsSerb,..., but one of the main figures, Janos Kotacek (the real name of theSlovak Minister of Interior during the WWII was Alexander Mach, I think)was given a Hungarian-Czech name (Janos means John in Hungarian, Kotaceksounds pretty Czech); etc. Nevertheless, these details didn't spoil my verygood feeling from the book and I recomend it to everyone who likes"mysterious literature". The book made my flight from Seattle toCopenhagen even more pleasant.

A really good read, in fact it is a classic!
The CIA was immediately ruled out for this covert operation because failure could lead to terrible repercussions for the present administration. Besides which, no one would believe a renegade like EvanTanner would be employed by the Feds. Thus, the ultra-top secret agencyturns to free lance Tanner to pull off the job. All Evan has to do is toabduct Janos Kotacek, a prisoner of the Czechoslovakian government, who isbound to be convicted and hanged for his activities.

Janos may beelderly and dying, but his role as the head of the fourth Reich makes himvery valuable to United States spy operations. Unbeknownst to him, hisgroup has been infiltrated, making it easy to keep insider tabs on thecriminal, his associates, and his operations. His untimely death wouldleave the spy agencies seeking new sources. Evan travels by train intoCzechoslovakian, but is quickly in trouble. Someone set him up to bedetained by the police. With assistance, he manages to escape, but his planis already off-stride and a large manhunt has begun to thwart hisefforts.

THE CANCELED CZECH is a reprint of a classic Tanner spytingler that, in spite of the wall tumbling down, remains a fast-paced,insightful look back at the Cold War. The story line is a delight and thesupport cast adds an authentic Eastern European feel to the tale. However,it is the spy who never sleeps, Evan tanner, in one of his best adventures,that keeps this period piece a fabulous entertaining novel.

HarrietKlausner ... Read more

Product Description
This omnibus edition contains 58 stories previously uncollected in the UK, plus 12 additional stories. The collection features many of Block's best-loved characters, including Matt Scudder (eight stories), Ehrengraf (nine stories), Chip Harrison (two stories) and Bernie Rhodenbarr (three stories). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Huge collection by a huge talent
There's a lot to like here though not all of the stories are terrific.I do like his novels a bit better, especially the Scudder ones, but I wouldn't have "met" Ehrengraf without having read this book--and he's a trip!!!Maybe Block will write an Ehrengraf novel some day.I wish.Most of his novel series' heros are included here: Scudder, Rhodenbarr, Chip Harrison, and even the intriguing Keller.A more recent collection entitled, "Enough Rope" is also available though I believe many of the stories in this book are in that one as well.My favorite quotes from this book are:
"Supposition is blunder's handmaiden" from "The Ehrengraph Riposte," p. 229.
"Youth is one of those things time cures" from "The Night and the Music" p. 742.
"He couldn't say exactly why, but he didn't really feel good about the idea of having a relationship with the sort of woman you couldn't give a bear to" from "Some Days You Get the Bear" p. 535.
I loved the clever Ehrengraph stories and the touching "Some Days You Get the Bear" the most.Enjoy!

Block is "The Man"
If there is any doubt that Lawrence Block is the most creative mystery writer of his generation, this book dispells it.A comprehensive work that encompasses nearly every published Block short story (over 70 of 'em!) it is a must have for mystery fans.The book includes seven Matthew Scudder stories, nine Martin Ehrengraf stories, three Bernie Rhodenbarr stories and the complete texts of the three previous Block short story volumes.As a bonus, there are five "new" Block stories, never before previously anthologized.

The stories run the gamut from hard-bitten to whodunnits? to even the occasional horror story.Block shows every bit as much mastery with his short works that he does with his novels.The diversity of his subjects and the bredth of his knowledge is simply breathtaking.The book also includes a short prologue by the author, explaining how the book is laid out and giving a little helpful background.

Overall, "The Collected Stories" is a fine tribute to a great writer.

The Collected Mystery Stories
From his title "The Grandmaster of Crime" as written on the cover, Lawrence Block has compiled a delightful mix of over 70 of his short stories.He's taken shorts from his series characters Bernie Rhodenbarr, Martin Ehrengraf, Keller, Chip Harrison, and the ever-lovable Matthew Scudder.He's also added in a handful of fairly new stories as well as stories that were turned into full-length features like "Sometimes They Bite", "Like A Lamb to Slaughter" and "Some Days You Get The Bear".This is a must have for true Block fans, who will enjoy reading every last story!

If you like Good Endings This Book is for You!
This book contains wonderful short mystery stories with great endings.Occasionally you can figure out the ending but in most cases they are a surprise.I really enjoyed the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This first volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, "Speaking of Lust" is a collection of outstanding short stories on that exceedingly deadly sin we call lust. In addition to being the title of this anthology, "Speaking of Lust" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that finishes this unique collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lust Leads to Dark Undertow.
"Lust is desire raised to a level that prompts unacceptable behavior" is a worthy aphorism to encapsulate the contents of "Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire." This is the first volume in the seven deadly sins series and is a compilation of 17 short stories and Lawrence Block's novella (also named "Speaking of Lust"), the capstone of the collection. The editor Block chose to explore the darker side of humanity, the mortal sin of lust, by handpicking short stories that generally lean towards the macabre with dashes of sex. The skillful writing leads the reader without effort to a world full of double agents and desire perverted. Clive Barker, Paul Bishop, and Ed Gorman, to name a few, are the writers that reward with numerous delicious twists and surprises.

In the first short story, "Crack," by James Hall, a voyeur's obsession over a teenage girl possesses him to a frightful conclusion. The unnamed Fulbright fellow confesses, "In most matters I considered myself a scrupulously moral man. I had always been one who could be trusted with other people's money or their most damning secrets. But like so many of my fellow Puritans I long ago had discovered that when it came to certain libidinous temptations I was all too easily swept off my safe moorings into the raging currents of erotic gluttony." "Crack" is a thorough psychological study of how an innocent beginning becomes pathological.

The characters throughout all of the pieces find themselves powerless to fight a desire that has progressed to a full-blown demon. "Speaking of Lust" is a testament to the power of persistent malcontent thoughts. Evil thoughts eventually have no joy staying inside the ravaged mind and long to be transformed into "unacceptable behavior" for release. The collection examines beautifully how sin does not happen out of the blue. The writers brilliantly illustrate that many bad decisions were made before the ultimate transgressions of murder, suicide, incest, and rape occurred. A showcase of lust gone awry, its inevitable tragic conclusions will leave you fulfilled: or perhaps wanting more.

Bohdan Kot

Sin is in.
Now here's some reading material to get really excited about.

Lawrence Block, best known for his mystery series, especially the ones revolving around private investigator Matthew Scudder and thief Bernie Rhodenbarr, also is the editor of the June 2001 compilation of short stories entitled "Speaking of Lust."

What really makes you stand at attention is the fact that "Lust" is the first in a series of short story collections that focuses on the seven deadly sins - greed, sloth, pride, envy, wrath and gluttony are the others, for those who skipped "Seven."

Do you realize what this means? At some point, there's going to be a collection of short stories devoted to fat people! And another about those lazy bones that simply refuse to get out of bed. Sigh ... at last, my kind of people get their time in the spotlight.

Seriously, I don't know why this type of thing hasn't been done before. Kudos go to Block and whomever is helping him in this infinitely clever maneuver for making lust, everyone's favorite deadly sin, the focus of the first book, which is smart for two reasons. One, because everyone likes lust, it'll be sure to grab the most readers. And now they've got their work cut out for them in finding clever stories that will give the other six the same kind of attention.

If "Lust" is any indication, we're in for a treat when the presumably-titled "Speaking of Gluttony" and "Speaking of Wrath" come out. It offers a fabulous array of stories that range from delightfully sinful to shockingly sexy.

Among the best offerings:

* James W. Hall's "Crack," about a man who discovers a crack in the wall that peeks into the neighbor's bathroom and allows him to spy on their 15-year-old daughter.

* "Ro Erg," by Robert Weinberg, about a man who uses a credit card error to create a whole new persona for himself.

*Ed Gorman's "The End of It All," in which a once hideous monstrosity gets made over into the handsomest man on earth, and prepares to seduce his high school crush ... and her daughter ...

* "The Girls in Villa Costas," by Simon Brett, about a machinating womanizer who finds himself torn between a beautiful woman and her less-attractive-but-stands-to-inherit-the-family-fortune sister.

Aside from introducing and editing the book, Block also writes the title novella. It is here that another reading delight emerges, and in his introduction Block promises that subsequent tales using the same characters will follow in the future books.

Most likely using Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" as a model (Did anyone else enjoy reading this classic in high school? After all, those stories about white whales, scarlet letters and tales about two cities, this classic had farting and people having sex in orange trees! Finally, some decent reading material!), Block's story is really just several people - a priest, a policeman, a doctor, a soldier and an old guy - sitting around playing cards and talking about the ways lust has affected their occupations and lives. Lively discussion and debates ensue.

It's an ingenious way to go about telling the story, and the stories within the story will have the reading audience on the edge of their seats (pay close attention to the priest's tale).

Best of all, the stories are relatively short, so even if there comes the rare offering that doesn't quite tickle your funnybone, you can skip it guilt free and go on to the next treasure.

Reading about sin probably wasn't meant to be this much fun. But, oh, how sweet it is.

18 short stories
This book has 18 short stories dealing with theme about lust. It is first book of seven that will deal with the seven deadly sins. There are several well known writers who has written a story for this collection, (Joan Hess, Clive Barker, Joyce Carol Oates). Most of the stories have rather predictable ending, but they are enjoyable stories. My top three stories in this book are the Lawrence Block's story(Speaking Of Lust), Clive Barker's story (The Age of Desire), and Robert Weinberg's story (Ro Erg). If you like any of these writers you want to check this book out. ... Read more

Product Description
Cinderella Sims is an early pseudonymous work of mine, published a few years ago by Subterranean Press.Ed Gorman wrote an introductin, which appears at the end of this Kindle edition, and I wrote an Afterword, which is also in this edition, and from which I'll quote:

Look, this wasn’t my idea.

Three or four years ago, Bill Schafer suggested that I might give some consideration to republishing a book of mine called $20 Lust, which had originally appeared as “by Andrew Shaw.” I recalled the book he meant, but dimly; I had, after all, written it in 1960. But I didn’t need to remember it all that vividly to know the answer to his suggestion.

No, I told him.

A little later I suggested he might want to publish a fancy edition of Mona, the first book under my own name; it had come out as a paperback original in 1961, and we could celebrate its fortieth anniversary with a nice limited edition hardcover.

Bill was lukewarm to the notion, but had an alternative proposal; how about issuing a double volume, containing Mona and $20 Lust? Once again, I didn’t have to do a lot of soul-searching to come up with a response.

No, I told him.

Time passed. Then Ed Gorman, the Sage of Cedar Rapids, used an ancient private eye novelette of mine in a pulp anthology. When it came out he sent me a copy, and, while I didn’t read my novelette—I figured it was enough that I wrote the damned thing—I did read his introduction, which I found to be thoughtful and incisive and generous. I e-mailed him and told him so, and he e-mailed me back and thanked me, adding that my early work was probably better than I thought.

“And,” he added, “I really think you ought to consider letting Bill Schafer publish $20 Lust.”

I felt as though I’d been sucker-punched. Where the hell did that come from?

So I got in touch with Bill. “I suppose I could at least read it,” I said, “except I can’t, because I don’t have a copy.” He did, or maybe he got one from Ed; in either case, a battered copy arrived in the mail. I looked at the first two pages, and I looked at the last two or three pages, and I heaved a sigh. Heaved it clear across the room, and would have heaved the book, too, but instead I hollered for my wife.

“Bill Schafer wants to reprint this,” I said.

“Great,” she said.

“Not necessarily,” I said, and explained the circumstances. “I’d like you to read this,” I said, “or as much of it as you can without gagging, and then tell me it’s utter crap and I’d surely destroy what little reputation I have if I consent to its republication.”

“Suppose I like it?”

“Not to worry,” I said. “I’ll sign the commitment papers, and I’ll make sure they take real good care of you.”
She found herself a comfortable chair and got to work. . . .

There's more, but you get the idea.It's a crime novel with a counterfeiting background, and it's my pleasure to make it available once again.Enjoy!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting as anthropology, but skippable as a novel.
Only the truly hard core Block fans will need to read Cinderella Sims.Written during his pulp ... novel writing days, Cinderella Sims includes the requisite one [physical] scene per chapter embedded in a con-gone-wrong, crime story. There's some clever plotting and some better-than-average writing, considering the none-too-distinguished venue, but this is one you'll want to check out at the library, ... ... Read more

Product Description

The Third in a Series of ibooks Reissues of Mysteries by Multi-Award-Winning Author, LAWRENCE BLOCK!

It was a perfect setting for a honeymoon -- a charming little cabin in the isolated Pennsylvania woods. It should have been the perfect beginning to a long and happy marriage. Then five shots rang out in the quiet woods and shattered Dave and Jill Wade's perfect honeymoon. Terror had come crashing through their cabin door, snuffing out all thoughts of love. Now all that Dave and Jill Wade felt was haste -- hate and the overwhelming desire for revenge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A gripping look at the mechanics of retribution
One of Block's early, non-series novels, DEADLY HONEYMOON tells the story of a newlywed couple assaulted on its wedding night by a pair of Mob assassins.After the brutal attack, the couple tracks the killers back to New York City and meticulously plots and executes a plan of revenge.As usual for Block's novels, the prose is lean and the plot compelling.The event that sets the story in motion invites skepticism -- would professional hitmen pause at the scene of a murder to rape an eyewitness, and if so, would they then leave the witness and her husband alive? -- but thereafter the storytelling is flawless, right through the shattering and cinematic gun battle with which the book closes.Fans of Block's work will note that this novel was the author's first to be written in the third person; his first to feature a scene in New York's Grammercy Park (which reappears memorably in THE BURGLAR IN THE CLOSET); and his first to become a movie ("Nightmare Honeymoon," 1973).Fans of this novel should try the same author's MONA and THE GIRL WITH THE LONG GREEN HEART or Cornell Woolrich's THE BRIDE WORE BLACK. ... Read more

Product Description

Evan Tanner ran head-first into a piece of shrapnel in Korea, and now he can't sleep. Ever. Which can be an asset for a dedicated linguist, term paper forger, thief, lost cause enthusiast . . .

Customer Reviews (1)

All the Tanners are fun, but .....
if the Tanner books were all Block was known for it would be impossible to make the case for him as one of the best living writers in the genre. Matt Scudder did that and Evan Tanner is no Matt Scudder.

Still, if there were more Tanner novels to read, I would read them. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Whether you are a fan of Matt Scudder or Bernie Rhodenbarr, whether you know Lawrence Block as the best living writer about New York or the most versatile of crime novelists, this is the book you have been waiting for. Block talks to mystery connoisseur Ernie Bulow about his apprenticeship writing for pulp magazines and working at a leading literary agency, about his love of New York and his fondness for travel. He gives brief, tantalizing glimpses into his literary and personal ups and downs. His wit and his insights into life and literature will captivate not just Block's many fans but anyone interested in the literary life. Included in this book are Block's first published short story, four previously uncollected essays, and a Block bibliography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

amazing what can get published
below chats up block - surely a magazine article but a book! there are some intersting tidbits along the lines of "do you write in your underwear" but for real understanding of block the reader must search elsewhere.below even shows lack of knowledge of some book contents perhaps it's not below's failt.the genre should never have been invented.block even comments on this in the course of the interview but below doesn't even pick up on it.as a source of blockian humor ok.

Candid conversations with mystery's grandmaster
Since 1958, Lawrence Block has been producing some of the best work in the mystery field: searing private eye novels, effervescent capers, and fascinating plunges into the depths of the criminal mind, all written in a unique and irresistable voice.In AFTER HOURS, Block submits to a series of intimate interviews about his characters and themes, his life, and his craft.From anecdotes about the vanished world of pulp mystery publishing to serious thoughts about how the best mystery novels transcend the genre, Block offers much that will be of interest to his readers.Also included in the book are a complete Block bibliography and the first reprinting in 40 years of Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose."AFTER HOURS may not be compelling for the casual Block reader, but for the hardcore fan it is a must. ... Read more

Product Description
Hoping to win over the beautiful Francine, Chip Harrison is astonished when an attempt is made on his life, an event that places him at the forefront of a fast-paced investigation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

warning:not a mystery
Lawrence Block is known as a mystery writer, and I like his mysteries very much.Probably because publishers are jerks, this book is billed as a mystery.It isn't.There is very little suspense, and no mystery at all.This book is erotic fiction.If you know that before you read it, so that you are not disappointed by the lack of mystery, you may well enjoy it very much:it is *very* good erotic fiction

Pure Porno; Why is Lawrence Block Allowing a Reprint?
No Score refers to the title characters inability to complete the sex act with numerous partners throughout the story. Lawrence Block is one of my favorite authors. He must have written this book when he desperately needed the money. It should not have been republished ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Powerful, Unreleting, deeply flawed
Woolrich's incomplete novel of despair, revenge, and even love, takes the reader deep into the darkess abyss. Unfortunately, the novel was never completed and a discordently happy ending was appended to it. Nonethelessit is a fascinating novel: what would make a women take up her victim'slife and enact retribution on those who had harmed her in her life? AllWoolrich fans should definitely read this book: it is Woolrich in the1960's -this time as gory and graphic as he could get away with. ... Read more