One Night Stands; Lost weekends (v5)

From Publishers Weekly First published in two volumes by Crippen & Landru in 1999, this collection of early crime stories from bestseller Block (_Hit and Run_) is a mixed bag. Part one consists of 25 unremarkable tales, including Block's sole foray into science fiction. Offering no defense of their quality in his frank introduction, the author admits that he hasn't reread these stories in decades. Even devoted fans will struggle not to lose patience at encountering yet another grim account of a brutal misogynist who ends up on the wrong end of a gun or a knife. By contrast, the three novellas featuring New York City PI Ed London, starting with The Naked and the Deadly, are taut classic hard-boiled noir, with the gumshoe tangling with treacherous women and lying clients. Closer to the MWA Grand Master's usual level, they blend suspense, a puzzle and an appropriately cynical first-person narrative voice, and will leave even newcomers hungry for more. (Dec.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From These short stories and novellas were originally published, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in magazines with names like Manhunt, Guilty, and Trapped. In his entertaining introduction, Block, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, freely admits he hasn’t read them since—he is afraid to. Should you be? That depends. Even on training wheels, Block dropped hints at the writer he was to become. The cognac-drinking, pipe-smoking, Mozart-loving Ed London, Block’s first PI, becomes more interesting when considered as a prototype for the complex Matt Scudder. And it’s fun to read Nor Iron Bars a Cage (originally titled To Althea from Prison), Block’s first (and, thankfully, only) try at science fiction. But with the pulp-fiction revival going great guns, hard-boiled rarities are increasingly common, so this may be best suited for Block completists—although true collectors will have already hunted down the limited-edition hardcovers One Night Stands (1999) and The Lost Cases of Ed London (2001). Better Block abounds, but you could do far worse for bathroom reading. --Keir Graff

In the era before he created moody private investigator Matthew Scudder, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, sleepless spy Evan Tanner, and the amiable hit man Keller-and years before his first Edgar Award-a young writer named Lawrence Block submitted a story titled You Can't Lose to Manhunt magazine. It was published, and the rest is history.

One Night Stands and Lost Weekends is a sterling collection of short crime fiction and suspense novelettes penned between 1958 and 1962 by a budding young master and soon-to-be Grand Master-an essential slice of genre history, and more fun than a high-speed police chase following a bank job gone bad.

In the era before he created moody private investigator Matthew Scudder, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, sleepless spy Evan Tanner, and the amiable hit man Keller — and years before his first Edgar Award — a young writer named Lawrence Block submitted a story titled "You Can't Lose" to Manhunt magazine. It was published, and the rest is history.One Night Stands and Lost Weekends is a sterling collection of short crime fiction and suspense novelettes penned between 1958 and 1962 by a budding young master and soon-to-be Grand Master — an essential slice of genre history, and more fun than a high-speed police chase following a bank job gone bad. In the era before he created moody private investigator Matthew Scudder, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, sleepless spy Evan Tanner, and the amiable hit man Kellerand years before his first Edgar Awarda young writer named Lawrence Block submitted a story titled "You Can't Lose" to Manhunt magazine. It was published, and the rest is history. One Night Stands and Lost Weekends is a sterling collection of short crime fiction and suspense novelettes penned between 1958 and 1962 by a budding young master and soon-to-be Grand Masteran essential slice of genre history, and more fun than a high-speed police chase following a bank job gone bad. One night stands. The bad night The badger game Bargain in blood Bride of violence The burning fury The dope A fire at night Frozen stiff Hate goes courting I don't fool around Just window shopping Lie back and enjoy it Look death in the eye Man with a passion Murder is my business Nor iron bars a cage One night of death Package deal Professional killer Pseudo identity Ride a white horse A shroud for the damned Sweet little racket The way to power You can't lose The lost cases of Ed London. The naked and the deadly Stag party girl Twin call girls. "One Night Stands and Lost Weekends is a sterling collection of short crime fiction and suspense novelettes penned between 1958 and 1962 by a budding young master and soon-to-be Grand Master--an essential slice of genre history, and more fun than a high-speed police chase following a bank job gone bad"--Page 4 of cover "One Night Stands and Lost Weekends is a sterling collection of short crime fiction and suspense novelettes penned between 1958 and 1962 by a budding young master and soon-to-be Grand Master--an essential slice of genre history, and more fun than a high-speed police chase following a bank job gone bad" -- back cover. A collection of twenty-four short tales and three novellas by the best-selling author of Hit and Run includes pieces that were originally published in digest-sized magazines and short works featuring private detective Ed London. Original. 20,000 first printing.