Synopses & Reviews
The author of dozens of acclaimed novels including those in the Scudder and Keller series, Lawrence Block has long been recognized as one of the premier crime writers of our time. Now, the breathtaking skill, power, and versatility of this Grand Master are brilliantly displayed once again in a mesmerizing new thriller set on the streets of the city he knows and loves so well.
That was the thing about New York if you loved it, if it worked for you, it ruined you for anyplace else in the world.
In this dazzlingly constructed novel, Lawrence Block reveals the secret at the heart of the Big Apple. His glorious metropolis is really a small town, filled with men and women from all walks of life whose aspirations, fears, disappointments, and triumphs are interconnected by bonds as unbreakable as they are unseen. Pulsating with the lives of its denizens bartenders and hookers, power brokers and politicos, cops and secretaries, editors and dreamers the city inspires a passion that is universal yet unique in each of its eight million inhabitants, including:
John Blair Creighton, a writer on the verge of a breakthrough;
Francis Buckram, a charismatic expolice commissioner and the inside choice for the next mayor on the verge of a breakdown;
Susan Pomerance, a beautiful, sophisticated folk-art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality;
Maury Winters, a defense attorney who prefers murder trials because there's one less witness;
Jerry Pankow, an ex-addict who has turned being clean into a living, mopping up after New York's nightlife;
And, in the shadows of a city reeling from tragedy, an unlikely killing machine who wages a one-man war against them all.
Infused with the raw cadence, stark beauty, and relentless pace of New York City, Small Town is a tour de force Block fans old and new will celebrate.
Review
"[A] rich tapestry of modern life....[A] novel at once profoundly disturbing, graphically erotic, satiric, and above all, entertaining. A fascinating effort by a writer who never fails to exceed expectations. Expect intense demand." Wes Lukowsky, Booklist
Review
"Has Lawrence Block ever written a graceless sentence?...Small Town is a blessed dose of perverse comedy of the sort only someone like Block could invent or pull off." Paul Skenazy, The Washington Post
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"Block has always had a thing about his hometown, and this is his heartfelt valentine to it. Like watching a couple squabble and then make up in public, it's a little embarrassing at times, but you walk away smiling at this veteran novelist's audacity and his pure ability to spin a tale." Kevin Burton Smith, January Magazine
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"[A]n intimate knowledge of New York and its...urban character and conversation, has always been one of Block's great strengths, and is on plentiful show again here....[A] bold and flashy effort..." Publishers Weekly
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"What Block has accomplished here is nothing short of phenomenal....Small Town is a kaleidoscopic virtuoso hymn to the city that the author loves....This is the 'big NYC book' Block always wanted to write, but it too has been forged anew and recreated in the fires of 9/11." Mystery News
Review
"[H]aunting....[C]an these isolated individuals barely aware of each other's existence pull together to defeat a madman? It's an excellent question for us all." Kirkus Reviews
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"I think this is the best book to deal with the aftermath of 9/11 on New York City that I have read....With Block you get the great dialogue and sweet flow of the narrative, plus his own quirky viewpoints. Unbeatable!" The Poisoned Pen
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.