Product Description

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!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #427212 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-23
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.60" h x 6.15" w x 9.26" l, 2.21 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 896 pages

From Amazon.com
This hefty collection of acclaimed mystery master Lawrence Block's short fiction is packed with delights for fans of his many popular series as well as first-time readers who haven't yet met the engrossing protagonists who people them, including Keller, the thoughtful hit man; private eye Matt Scudder; burglar and bookstore owner Bernie Rhodenbarr; and Martin Ehrengraf, the well-dressed lawyer who takes criminal cases on a contingency basis and has his own devious methods for making sure his clients are always acquitted. But it's the non-series stories that are the standouts here, particularly "Cleveland in My Dreams," in which a psychiatrist comes up with a novel way to rid a patient of a relentless nightmare, and the patient passes on the "cure" to an unsuspecting friend; "Collecting Ackermans" and "Death Wish," two standouts about jealousy and its discontents; and a handful of other little gems with central characters who may not merit their own series because they're just not very likable, but show off Block's ability to keep the reader guessing until the last sentence. It may be hard to pick up--if only because it runs nearly a thousand pages--but this wry, witty, well-wrought collection is even harder to put down. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
A month before the mass market edition of his bestseller Hope to Die hits shelves, whodunit Grand Master Lawrence Block will come out with Enough Rope"in Blocks words, a huge doorstop of a thing "a collection of 83 stories spanning a career that began nearly five decades ago. With early tales (1957s You Cant Lose ) and recent ones (Terrible Tommy Terhune ), not to mention plenty featuring series heroes Martin Ehrengraf, Matthew Scudder and Keller, this compendium of sharply written short fiction will delight Blocks many fans, and likely earn him new ones.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Block's (Hope To Die) latest is a fun but daunting doorstop collection of short stories. At almost 900 pages, it contains every short story Block ever wrote. Opening the book are the stand-alone stories, which are alphabetically arranged; the character stories, which feature the likes of Matthew Scudder and Bernie Rhodenbarr, then appear in chronological order. The collection ends with 12 stories 11 new tales and the very first story Block ever published. Most of the pieces are enjoyable but should not be read straight through; they tend to depend on similar themes and plot devices, which creates a sense of monotony by the end. 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. Librarians should beware that only the final stories are new to this collection, which first appeared in 1999 under the title The Collected Mystery Stories. Recommended only for collections lacking the previous edition.
- Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.