Kirjahaku

A powerful Matt Scudder novel about love and loss.Matthew Scudder is hired to find Paula Hoeldtke. Hot on the ice-cold trail of the missing girl, he finds it's a sleaze-and-terror playground in which he is looking for love in all the wrong places, and finding death in all the right ones.

Sequel to Block's previous work, Hit Man, a gripping insight into the life of a paid assassin who finds his way on to someone else's hit list.Superficially, John Keller - the urban lonely guy of assassins - leads a normal life despite his profession. He has an office manager, the breezily efficient Dot, who organises his "jobs" and reassures his grumbling conscience. He is an obsessive stamp collector. In a blackly comic twist, he even gets called for jury service. Laid back, couldn't care less, morally distanced from his vocation, Keller is an intriguing character. A visit to an astrologer tells him, and us, that he is a gentle man who is simply surrounded by violence rather than being a perpetrator of it. His professional satisfaction, we learn, comes from "solving a problem". Taking lives causes him no real anxiety. And then Keller's jobs start to go wrong. Targets die before he can get to them. Gradually he realises that he is being stalked. Another hitman is trying to weed out the competition and kill him. Keller and Dot try to turn the tables but how many innocents will get caught in the crossfire before Keller is truly safe?

The fifteenth Matt Scudder mystery from NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Lawrence Block.

A major, stand-alone thriller from Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Lawrence Block, author of the acclaimed Matt Scudder books.A beautiful young woman called Marilyn picks up a stranger in a bar and takes him home to her Manhattan apartment. The next morning her housekeeper discovers Marilyn's body. Marilyn's life and death have far-reaching effects on others, even people she has never met: a charismatic former police commissioner on the verge of a breakdown; a struggling writer; a folk art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality; a lawyer who prefers murder trials because there's one witness fewer. And in a city reeling from 9/11, an unlikely mass murderer wages a one-man war against everyone. In this gripping, multi-faceted story, Block not only brings to life in brilliant detail the city of New York, but proves he is one of the most talented, innovative and surprising crime writers in the business.

The latest - brilliant - Matt Scudder novel from award-winning Lawrence Block

The third thriller in the 'Hit' series, a gripping insight into the life of John Keller, stamp collector, chronic worrier - and assassin. . .New York hit man Keller is a law unto himself, and when a situation goes awry - which despite his best-laid plans it so often does - he makes some surprising decisions . . .It's not all drudgery in the life of an assassin. Keller's jobs allow him to go to all sorts of sporting events. He even gets to mix his passion for stamp-collecting with a hit on a famous philatelist. Wisely, Keller always travels for his work. New York is home, and he doesn't want to mess on his own doorstep. But the jobs are drying up, and he needs money. So he breaks the rule - and regrets it. His cover is at risk - he is even followed home - and Keller has to use all his remarkable skill to make sure he can continue doing what he does best.

The fourth thriller in the 'Hit' series, a gripping insight into the life of John Keller, stamp collector, chronic worrier - and assassin... From 'one of crime writing's most accomplished stylists' [GUARDIAN].When Keller gets the call to make a hit on a man in Iowa, he's tempted to pass. So far he's been lucky in his chosen profession, and he's got enough stashed away to retire. Just one more, he thinks. But he quickly finds that this job might not just mark the end of his career - it could be the end of him, period.After three days in a motel room he realises he was never meant to make the hit - he was just supposed to take the fall when a prominent politician was gunned down by someone else. Suddenly he's on the run, all the evidence pointing the cops his way and literally nowhere to go.

She was every man's dream--and one man's nightmare. Johnny Hayden and Doug Rance had a scheme to take real estate entrepreneur Wallace Gunderman for all he was worth. But they needed a girl on the inside to make it work. Enter Evelyn Stone: Gunderman's secretary, his lover--and his worst enemy. Gunderman had promised to marry her, but never came through. Now she's ready to make him pay ...

SHE WAS EVERY MAN'S DREAM - AND ONE MAN'S NIGHTMARE Johnny Hayden and Doug Rance had a scheme to take real estate entrepreneur Wallace Gunderman for all he was worth. But they needed a girl on the inside to make it work. Enter Evelyn Stone: Gunderman's secretary, his lover - and his worst enemy. Gunderman had promised to marry her, but never came through. Now she's ready to make him pay...

Ever since The Burglar on the Prowl climbed the bestseller lists in 2004, fans have been clamoring for a new book featuring the lighthearted and lightfingered Bernie Rhodenbarr. Now everybody's favorite burglar returns in an eleventh adventure that finds him and his lesbian sidekick Carolyn Kaiser breaking into houses, apartments, and even a museum, in a madcap adventure replete with American Colonial silver, an F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscript, a priceless portrait, and a remarkable array of buttons. And, wouldn't you know it, there's a dead body, all stretched out on a Trent Barling carpet...

More than 40 years after his debut and nearly a decade since his last appearance, one of the most renowned characters in all of crime fiction is back on the case.Well past retirement age and feeling his years--but still staying sober one day at a time--Matthew Scudder learns that alcoholics aren't the only ones who count the days since their last slip. Matt's longtime partner, Elaine, tells him of a group of former sex workers who do something similar, helping each other stay out of the life. But when one young woman describes an abusive client who's refusing to let her quit, Elaine encourages her to get help of a different sort. The sort only Scudder can deliver.A Time to Scatter Stones offers not just a gripping crime story but also a richly drawn portrait of Block's most famous character as he grapples with his own mortality while proving to the younger generation that he's still got what it takes. For Scudder's millions of fans around the world (including the many who met the character through Liam Neeson's portrayal in the film version of A Walk Among the Tombstones), A Time to Scatter Stones is an unexpected gift--a valedictory appearance that will remind readers why Scudder is simply the best there is.

More than 40 years after his debut and nearly a decade since his last appearance, one of the most renowned characters in all of crime fiction is back on the case.Well past retirement age and feeling his years-but still staying sober one day at a time-Matthew Scudder learns that alcoholics aren't the only ones who count the days since their last slip. Matt's longtime partner, Elaine, tells him of a group of former sex workers who do something similar, helping each other stay out of the life. But when one young woman describes an abusive client who's refusing to let her quit, Elaine encourages her to get help of a different sort. The sort only Scudder can deliver.A Time to Scatter Stones offers not just a gripping crime story but also a richly drawn portrait of Block's most famous character as he grapples with his own mortality while proving to the younger generation that he's still got what it takes. For Scudder's millions of fans around the world (including the many who met the character through Liam Neeson's portrayal in the film version of A Walk Among the Tombstones), A Time to Scatter Stones is an unexpected gift-a valedictory appearance that will remind readers why Scudder is simply the best there is.

Keller un killer. Professionale, freddo, sicuro, competente, affidabile. Ma anche una persona complessa: riservato e solitario, gelido e spietatamente efficiente, portato alla solitudine e ai dubbi, agli incubi e al timore per la sua carriera.Il Sicario Ritorna (Hit Parade) il terzo dei cinque volumi nei quali compare."Keller, solitario per temperamento e a causa del suo lavoro, si trova bene con Dot, la sua agente. I due colleghi in affari conversano affabilmente - ma discutono della morte, a volte nei dettagli pi cruenti. Col suo humour pungente, Block segue le occupazioni del moralmente ambiguo Keller, che va in cerca di francobolli rari e costosi quando non si occupa del suo 'lavoro'.Block, vincitore di quattro premi Shamus e del premio Edgar per la letteratura poliziesca, riesce a far s che il lettore parteggi suo malgrado tanto per il killer quanto per le vittime, stravolgendo il suo abituale modo di identificazione e le sue convinzioni su ci che giusto e ci che sbagliato". (Publishers Weekly)

Keller, einsamer Gro stadtcowboy und abgebr hter Auftragskiller, hat in Kellers Konkurrent seinen zweiten gro en Auftritt. Kirkus Reviews hatte dazu Folgendes zu sagen: Nach seinem aufsehenerregenden Deb t in dem Shortstory-Zyklus Kellers Metier erf llt John Keller nun den sehnlichsten Wunsch seiner Fans und tritt in einem Roman auf.Ganz der brave B rger, geht Keller unter die Briefmarkensammler, kommt gewissenhaft seinen Pflichten als Geschworener nach und f hrt weiterhin jeden Mordauftrag mit hundertprozentiger Zuverl ssigkeit aus - selbst wenn einer seiner Auftraggeber die Taktlosigkeit besitzt, ihm ein Bild seines Opfers in Form einer Weihnachtskarte mit einem Foto seiner gesamten Familie zukommen zu lassen. Aber irgendetwas scheint nicht mit rechten Dingen zuzugehen. Nachdem Keller bei einem Auftrag in Louisville nur knapp dem Tod entronnen ist, kehrt er nach New York zur ck, um dort einen Job anzunehmen, der Z ge einer eingef gten Short Story hat. W hrend er in Tampa, Boston und den Vororten Chicagos weiterhin mit gewohnter Routine seiner T tigkeit nachgeht, findet er auch Zeit f r gelegentliche sexuelle Begegnungen mit der Goldschmiedin Maggie Griscomb und f r einen Besuch bei der Astrologin Louise Carpenter, bei dem er v llig unerwartet in Tr nen ausbricht. Zugleich kommt es bei der Erledigung seiner Auftr ge weiter zu kleinen Unstimmigkeiten, die immer mehr den Schluss nahelegen, dass er ins Visier eines anderen Auftragskillers geraten ist, der zu glauben scheint, das Land sei nicht gro genug f r sie beide. Der Leser sollte nicht die extreme Intensit t und Dichte der Keller-Stories erwarten, die aus der ironischen Gegen berstellung der todbringenden Profession des Helden und der auf die Spitze getriebenen Normalit t seiner Ansichten und seines sonstigen Lebens resultiert. Stattdessen nehmen jetzt Kellers gleicherma en ironische wie qu lend umst ndliche Gespr che mit seiner altj ngferlichen Auftraggeberin Dot in White Plains eine tragende Rolle ein.M gen diese Unterhaltungen auch wie reinstes Geschwafel anmuten, sind sie dennoch Geschwafel, dessen Wechselspiel von Banalit t und h herer Weisheit, hnlich wie bei James M. Cain und Quentin Tarantino, den besonderen Reiz dieser modernen Samuraigeschichte ausmacht.Kirkus Reviews

While he is probably best known as a novelist and short-story writer, Lawrence Block has produced a rich trove of nonfiction over the course of a sixty-year career. His instructional books for writers are leaders in the field, and his self-described pedestrian memoir, Step By Step, has found a loyal audience in the running and racewalking community.Over the years, Block has written extensively for magazines and periodicals. Generally Speaking collects his philatelic columns from Linn's Stamp News, while his extensive observations of crime fiction, along with personal glimpses of some of its foremost practitioners, have won wide acclaim in book form as The Crime of Our Lives.Hunting Buffalo With Bent Nails is what he's got left over.The title piece, originally published in American Heritage, recounts the ongoing adventure Block and his wife undertook, criss-crossing the United States and parts of Canada in their quixotic and exotic quest to find every "village, hamlet, and wide place in the road named Buffalo." Other travel tales share space with a remembrance of his mother, odes to New York, a disquisition on pen names and book tours, and, well, no end of bent nails not worth straightening. Where else will you find "Raymond Chandler and the Brasher Doubloon," an assessment of that compelling writer from a numismatic standpoint? Where else can you read about Block's collection of old subway cars?Highly recommended.

" da tanto che non leggo nulla che mi abbia cos colpito e stimolato. DEAD GIRL BLUES audacemente originale, scioccante e brillantemente raccontato. In un periodo in cui molti romanzi polizieschi si confondono tra loro, il Maestro Lawrence Block dimostra ancora una volta di essere un autore unico nel suo genere." David Morrell, autore bestseller del New York Times con 'Murder As a Fine Art'. Tanto vale che lo sappiate subito: il nuovo romanzo di Lawernce Block non per tutti. raccontato in forma di diario dal suo protagonista, e inizia quando egli entra in un bar alla periferia di Bakersfield, in California, e ne esce con una donna.E poi la violenta e la uccide.Ma, uhm, non in questo ordine.Gi . Ma quello che veramente interessante ci che fa nel resto della sua vita... Lawrence Block scrive e pubblica romanzi gialli da sessant'anni. Ha ricevuto riconoscimenti alla carriera negli Stati Uniti e in Gran Bretagna. Suoi libri sono stati premiati e sono a volte diventati best sellers. Da parecchi di loro sono stati tratti dei film. Ecco quello che egli stesso ha detto di Dead Girl Blues: "Non penso che sia molto commerciale. E vi sono elementi che potrebbero disgustare molti lettori.Ma, sapete, Dead Girl Blues non mi deve nulla. Non avevo progettato di scriverlo, perci non serve che mi faccia guadagnare denaro per giustificare il tempo che mi servito per scriverlo. Il libro si giustifica da s stesso. Lo pubblicher il giorno del mio 82esimo compleanno, e voi tutti potrete comperarlo o non comperarlo, leggerlo o non leggerlo, vi potr piacere o non piacere.L'ho fatto leggere ad alcuni amici delle cui opinioni mi fido, e mi hanno detto che Dead Girl Blues una delle cose migliori che io abbia scritto. E hanno anche aggiunto di capire quali problemi potrebbe avere.Ma l'ho riletto la settimana scorsa, e mi sono convinto che D.G.B. esattamente come io lo volevo. Quando mai questo accade? E un vecchio come me cosa potrebbe desiderare di pi ?" "Freddo e buio come l'altra faccia della Luna, ma con una prosa secca come una modella scheltrica, DEAD GIRL BLUES come il cadavere dal quale non possibile distogliere lo sguardo. Uno stile tagliente, caratterizzazioni che hanno origine dalla parte primitiva del cervello, quella dei rettili, una inquietante identificazione col narratore che d i brividi. Non sono riuscito a smettere di leggerlo e, poco ma sicuro, non lo volevo. L'autentica visione della mente di qualcuno felicemente antisociale, che ci pu spaventosamente ricordare l'alta faccia dell'umanit e il rapporto universale che tutti noi abbiamo con essa. Un cupo capolavoro di narrativa". Joe R. Lansdale "Sento ancora nella pelle gli artigli di DEAD GIRL BLUES. come una pastiglia che rilascia lentamente terrore e che mi ha inchiodato nei panni di un altro, facendomi continuamente torcere le budella. Chi conosce le sue opere ha gi visto Block farlo, e ci si meraviglia di come ci riesca senza sforzo apparente. Ma questo... Forse il suo libro migliore, e questo la dice lunga". Tom Straw "DEAD GIRL BLUES sicuramente far sentire offesi alcuni lettori, ma a me piaciuto intensamente. scritto magnificamente e la voce del narratore ha il tono perfetto, tranquillo e inquietante insieme. Il libro mi ricorda, in modo molto positivo, le prime opere di Charles Willeford. Se amate il genere noir, questo il vostro libro. Lee Goldberg

Detective Matt Scudder is on the trail of a killer - but solving the case might be his undoing...Matt Scudder and Jack Ellery were at school together but never exactly friends. Twenty years later, when Scudder was a detective and Jack was standing on the other side of the one-way glass in a police line-up, it was clear their lives had taken very different paths. What they shared, however, was a battle with alcohol. Now Jack is on the ninth step of the AA program and it's time to make amends to the people he's wronged over the years because of his addiction.But when he ends up shot in the head, and it's clear that stirring up the past was not such a good idea, it's up to Scudder to find the killer.