Synopses & Reviews
Enough Rope, a collection of superb stories, establishes the extraordinary skill, power, and versatility of contemporary Grand Master Lawrence Block.
Block's beloved series characters are on hand, including ex-cop Matt Scudder, bookselling burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, and the disarming duo of Chip Harrison and Leo Haig. Here, too, are Keller, the wistful hit man, and the natty attorney Martin Ehrengraf. Keeping them company are dozens of other refugees from Block's dazzling imagination, all caught up in more ingenious plots than you can shake a blunt instrument at.
Half a dozen of Block's stories have been short-listed for the Edgar Award, and three have won it outright. All the tales in Block's three previous collections are here, along with two dozen new stories. Some will keep you on the edge of the chair. Others will make you roll on the floor laughing. Enough Rope is an essential volume for Lawrence Block fans, and a dazzling introduction for others to the wonderful world of Block magic!
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"[T]his compendium of sharply written short fiction will delight Blocks many fans, and likely earn him new ones." Publishers Weekly
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"[T]he author's very first story...[shows that] he was already well on his way to mastering the laconic, offhand voice that would make the dozen standouts here...so witty and so dark....[T]rue-blue mystery fans would be crazy to pass it up." Kirkus Reviews
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"Block grabs you with the first story and never lets go." Elmore Leonard
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"Block is the best, and most consistent, writer of the crime short story...and this terrific collection will see you through every stoplight from Boston to Chicago even by back roads." Boston Globe
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"[A] fun but daunting doorstop collection of short stories....The tales not about Block's regular set of characters are clearly the best, and a good portion of them would have made terrific episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Library Journal
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"Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett still cast long shadows across the mystery genre. If there is one crime writer currently capable of matching their legacies, it's Lawrence Block." San Francisco Chronicle
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"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....[A]n 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." Booklist
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"Block's wit and propensity for jaunty protagonists are on full display here." Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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"An invaluable addition." Mystery Ink
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"Block once again proves that he's imaginative, funny, insightful, wise about women, a clever and unpredictable plotter, a prodigious creator of memorable characters...and worth hating for all his talents." January Magazine
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"[A] remarkable dark carnival....Lawrence Block is the real thing, a living American writer necessary to know." Buffalo News
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"This is a seminal collection of crime fiction." Mystery Scene Magazine
Synopsis
The complete collection of short stories, including 11 new stories, from New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block.
About the Author
Lawrence Block is one of the most widely recognized names in the mystery genre. He has been named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and is a four-time winner of the prestigious Edgar and Shamus Awards, as well as a recipient of prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. He received the Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers' Association—only the third American to be given this award. He is a prolific author, having written more than fifty books and numerous short stories, and is a devoted New Yorker and an enthusiastic global traveler.
Table of Contents
Short Stories
A Bad Night for Burglars 3
A Blow for Freedom 8
A Little Off the Top 17
And Miles to Go Before I Sleep 25
As Good as a Rest 35
The Books Always Balance 42
The Boy Who Disappeared Clouds 48
Change of Life 56
Cleveland in My Dreams 65
Click! 73
Collecting Ackermans 80
The Dangerous Business 95
Death Wish 100
The Dettweiler Solution 107
Funny You Should Ask 117
The Gentle Way 120
Going Through the Motions 127
Good for the Soul 137
Hilliard's Ceremony 147
Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes 164
How Would You Like It? 170
If This Be Madness 173
Leo Youngdahl, R.I.P. 177
Like a Bug on a Windshield 182
Like a Dog in the Street 194
The Most Unusual Snatch 211
Nothing Short of Highway Robbery 221
One Thousand Dollars a Word 230
Passport in Order 234
Someday I'll Plant More Walnut Trees 240
Some Days You Get the Bear 252
Something to Remember You By 265
Some Things a Man Must Do 271
Sometimes They Bite 280
Strangers on a Handball Court 290
That Kind of a Day 298
This Crazy Business of Ours 305
The Tulsa Experience 315
Weekend Guests 324
When This Man Dies 328
With a Smile for the Ending 335
You Could Call It Blackmail 350
Chip Harrison
Death of the Mallory Queen 361
As Dark as Christmas Gets 372
Martin Ehrengraf
The Ehrengraf Defense 393
The Ehrengraf Presumption 400
The Ehrengraf Experience 409
The Ehrengraf Appointment 420
The Ehrengraf Riposte 432
The Ehrengraf Obligation 442
The Ehrengraf Alternative 451
The Ehrengraf Nostrum 462
The Ehrengraf Affirmation 472
The Ehrengraf Reverse 482
Bernie Rhodenbarr
Like a Thief in the Night 499
The Burglar Who Dropped In on Elvis 509
The Burglar Who Smelled Smoke 520
Keller
Answers to Soldier 539
Keller's Therapy 551
Keller on the Spot 571
Keller's Horoscope 586
Keller's Designated Hitter 613
Matthew Scudder
Out the Window 633
A Candle for the Bag Lady 657
By the Dawn's Early Light 679
Batman's Helpers 692
The Merciful Angel of Death 703
The Night and the Music 714
Looking for David 716
Let's Get Lost 727
A Moment of Wrong Thinking 737
New Stories
Almost Perfect 751
Headaches and Bad Dreams 761
Hit the Ball, Drag Fred 776
How Far It Could Go 788
In for a Penny 796
Like a Bone in the Throat 801
Points 819
Sweet Little Hands 829
Terrible Tommy Terhune 837
Three in the Side Pocket 850
You Don't Even Feel It 858
Two Old Stories
It Took You Long Enough 873
You Can't Lose 878