A short life of the author
Lawrence Block (b. 24 June 1938) was born in Buffalo, New York. He studied at Antioch College and has lived in New York City for most of his adult life. He is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and a multiple Edgar Award winner.
Life and Career
The Matthew Scudder series — seventeen novels beginning with The Sins of the Fathers (1976) — follows an unlicensed private investigator and recovering alcoholic through the streets of New York City. The series is one of the great sustained achievements in American crime fiction: Scudder ages in real time, the city changes around him, and his recovery from alcoholism is portrayed with unsentimental honesty.
The Bernie Rhodenbarr series — comic mysteries about a bookish, likable burglar — and the Evan Tanner series — about a spy who cannot sleep due to a Korean War brain injury — demonstrate Block’s range.
His standalone novels, particularly Hit Man (1998) and its sequels — about a philosophical contract killer — are equally distinguished.
Major Works and Themes
Block writes about New York City, addiction, moral compromise, and the gap between the lives people lead and the lives they imagine for themselves. The Scudder novels are the most psychologically complex private-eye series in American fiction.
Key Works
- Eight Million Ways to Die (1982) — Edgar Award, Shamus Award
- A Walk Among the Tombstones (1992)
- A Long Line of Dead Men (1994)
- Hit Man (1998)
Collecting Block
Block’s extensive bibliography makes comprehensive collecting a serious undertaking. The Sins of the Fathers (1976, Dell, paperback) brings $15–$40. The later Scudder hardcovers (Morrow, William Morrow) bring $15–$50 each. Block signs at mystery conventions and events.