Kirjahaku

Jewish Noir 2 is unique collection of twenty-three all-new stories (and one reprint) by Jewish and non-Jewish literary and genre writers, including numerous award-winning authors such as Gabriela Alem n, Doug Allyn, Rita Lakin, Rabbi Ilene Schneider, E.J. Wagner, and Kenneth Wishnia, with a foreword by MWA Grand Master Lawrence Block. The stories explore such issues as the perpetual challenge of confronting resurgent anti-Semitism in the US, the enduring legacy of regional warfare in the land of Israel since biblical times, how the "entitled" behavior of certain ultra-Orthodox communities can fuel anti-Semitic attitudes, Jewish support of the civil rights movement, greedy Jewish businessmen who reinforce negative ethnic stereotypes, the excesses of "golden ghetto" American Jews, the appeal of "tough" Israeli-Jewish soldiers and mercenaries, how real estate fortunes are made, and the consequences of political corruption that feed into an exploitive system, how obsession can lead "good" people to do "bad" things.

This second volume of Opening Shots is a collection of twenty-three first stories published by prominent mystery and crime writers. Some of these offerings are remarkably mature, professional work. Others are more obviously early works, before the writers' skills reached full maturity. But every one of them is a pleasure to read, and in each can be seen the seed of the writer's craft. "Each writer has included an introduction worth the price of admission all by themselves," observes Block. "Writers, it seems to me, are never more eloquent or more interesting that when they reminisce about their early days, and recalling one's first success seems a spur of anecdotage for most of us."Following on the heels of the successful first volume of this series, the stories in this stellar field include:"Final Rites" by Doug Allyn • "Don't Kill a Karate Fighter" by William Chambers • "Entrapped" by Harlan Coben • "Yellow Gal" by Michael Collins • "Together" by Jeffrey Deaver • "The Rough Boys" by Harlan Ellison • "Tole My Cap'n" by Joe Gores • "Layover" by Ed Gorman • "A Bunch of Mumbo-Jumbo" by Jan Grape • "The Cure" by David Handler • "Till Tuesday" by Jeremiah Healy • "Village of the Dead" by Edward D. Hoch • "Chalk" by Evan Hunter • "It's a Wise Child Who Knows" by Stuart Kaminsky • "Who Killed Cock Robin?" by H. R. F. Keating • "Medford & Son" by Dick Lochte • "Thieves' Honor" by John Lutz • "Not All Brides Are Beautiful" by Sharyn McCrumb • "Manslaughter" by Joyce Carol Oates • "You Don't Know What It's Like" by Bill Pronzini • "The Disappearance of Penny" by Robert J. Randisi • "A Victim Must Be Found" by Henry Slesar • "Blue Rose" by Peter Straub • "A Bad Night For Burglars" by Lawrence Block

Seventeen stories by seventeen brilliant writers, inspired by seventeen paintings. That was the formula for Lawrence Block’s two ground-breaking anthologies, In Sunlight or in Shadow and Alive in Shape and Color, and it’s on glorious display here once again in From Sea to Stormy Sea. This time the paintings are exclusively the work of American artists, and the roster includes Harvey Dunn, John Steuart Curry, Reginald Marsh, Thomas Hart Benton, Helen Frankenthaler, Winslow Homer, Rockwell Kent, Grant Wood, and Andy Warhol. Among the star-studded lineup of writers you’ll find Warren Moore, Jerome Charyn, Jane Hamilton, Christa Faust, John Sandford, Sara Paretsky, Charles Ardai, Barry Malzberg, and Janice Eidus. It’s an outstanding collection, with widely divergent stories united by theme and culture, and—no surprise—beautifully illustrated with full-color reproductions of the seventeen paintings. Including stories by: Sara Paretsky, Jan Burke, Warren Moore, Patricia Abbott, Christa Faust, Jerome Charyn, Barry Malzberg, Scott Frank, Brendan DuBois, Tom Franklin, Gary Phillips, Charles Ardai, Micah Nathan, Janice Eidus, John Sandford, Jane Hamilton, and Lawrence Block.

For almost three years, novelist and short-story writer Lawrence Block's monthly column, "Generally Speaking," was one of the most popular features in Linn's Stamp News. A general collector of pre-1940 issues, Block had the entire world of stamps as his subject, and he turned in 33 columns before he decided it was time to stop. But Keller, the author's fictional character, never lost his enthusiasm for philately. A wistful and introspective killer for hire, Keller rekindled a boyhood passion for stamps at the end of Hit Man, the first of a series of books about him. Like Block, Keller collects the whole world through philately's first century. (How's that for coincidence?) And the nature of his profession gives Keller more discretionary income than Block-and a lot more money to spend on stamps. Published here for the first time is the full run of columns from Linn's, along with six selections from the Keller saga chosen for their philatelic perspective.

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.

Any number of artists have produced evocative work, paintings that could trigger a literary response. But none came to mind who could equal Hopper in turning out canvas after canvas. If no single artist could take Hopper’s place, how about a full palette of them? Suppose each author was invited to select a painting from the whole panoply of visual art—From the cave drawings at Lascaux to a contemporary abstract canvas on which the paint has barely dried. And what a dazzling response! Joyce Carol Oates picked Le Beaux Jours by Balthus. Warren Moore chose Salvador Dali’s The Pharmacist of Ampurdam Seeking Absolutely Nothing. Michael Connelly, who sent Harry Bosch to Chicago for a close look at Nighthawks, has a go at The Garden of Earthly Delights by Harry’s namesake Hieronymous Bosch. S. J. Rozan finds a story in Hokusai’s The Great Wave, while Jeffery Deaver’s "A Significant Find” draws its inspiration from—yes—those prehistoric cave drawings at Lascaux. And Kristine Kathryn Rusch moves from painting to sculpture and selects Rodin. In artists ranging from Art Frahm and Norman Rockwell to René Magritte and Clifford Still, the impressive concept goes on to include Thomas Pluck, Sarah Weinman, David Morrell, Craig Ferguson, Joe R. Lansdale, Jill D. Block, Justin Scott, Jonathan Santlofer, Gail Levin, Nicholas Christopher and Lee Child, with each story accompanied in colour by the work of art that inspired it.

Ormai da anni, Keller doveva andare in giro per il paese per uccidere persone.Ma a un certo punto il momento di smettere. Ancora un ultimo lavoro - pagato in anticipo - e si ritirer .Mentre a Des Moines aspetta il via libera del cliente che lo ha assoldato, Keller sta comperando francobolli per la sua collezione in un negozio di Urbandale. In quel momento, qualcuno ammazza a colpi d'arma da fuoco il carismatico governatore dell'Ohio.Tornato al suo motel, Keller vede il volto dell'assassino sul televisore. Un volto che ha visto molto spesso. Ogni mattina. Allo specchio.Keller telefona a Dot, sua socia d'affari, a White Plains, ma nessuno risponde. bloccato nel mezzo del paese, e ogni poliziotto d'America ha appena visto la sua fotografia. La sua carta di identit e la sua carta di credito non possono pi essere usate, e ha speso quasi tutto il suo contante per acquistare quei francobolli.E adesso?Recensioni: "Un colpo da campioni.... Block piazza una micidiale doppietta di humor e di introspezione".Boston Herald"Uno dei migliori romanzi dell'estate. Block sempre un vero maestro del giallo".Chicago Sun-Times"Se vi attualmente uno scrittore di polizieschi in grado di emulare, in questo genere letterario, l'eredit di Raymond Chandler e di Dashiell Hammett, Lawrence Block".San Francisco Chronicle"Block descrive con tali minuziosi dettagli la fuga iniziale del suo improbabile eroe e il suo tentativo di acquisire una nuova identit , che il lettore resta affascinato.... All'inizio, Keller decide che questo sar il suo ultimo incarico. Possiamo solo sperare che non sia cos ".Kirkus Reviews"Vivace, divertente e pieno di suspense".Library Journal"Il caratteristico stile di Block, misto di humor e violenza, ben si adatta all'impassibile Keller.... Uno degli antieroi pi insoliti della letteratura gialla".Publishers Weekly"Le continue considerazioni ironiche di Keller e degli altri due personaggi principali vi faranno sorridere fino a farvi dolere le guance".New York Sun"Una strana e accattivante combinazione tra il surreale, il bizzarro e lo stile dei gialli 'hard boiled'. Keller ci piace sempre di pi ".San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle

There's no glass slipper in this fairy tale - just a damsel in distress, a bag of cash, and a whole lot of dead bodies.Reporter Ted Lindsay is trying to forget his ex-wife, and New York City's tough streets are just what the doctor ordered. They're also filled with alluring women, but only one catches Ted's eye. Cinderella Sims is not only beautiful, she's on the run and she needs Ted's help. She's got a bag full of cash and some very angry people staking out her apartment. Before long Ted's forgotten his heartbreak and is launched into the dark streets of crime with Cindy at his side.The author speaks: "Look, this wasn't my idea."Three or four years ago, Bill Schafer suggested that I might give some consideration to republishing a book of mine called $20 Lust, which had originally appeared under a pen name. I recalled the book he meant, but dimly; I had, after all, written it in 1960. But I didn't need to remember it all that vividly to know the answer to his suggestion."No, I told him."A little later I suggested he might want to publish a fancy edition of Mona, the first book under my own name; it had come out as a paperback original in 1961, and we could celebrate its fortieth anniversary with a nice limited edition hardcover."Bill was lukewarm to the notion, but had an alternative proposal; how about issuing a double volume, containing Mona and $20 Lust? Once again, I didn't have to do a lot of soul-searching to come up with a response."No, I told him."Time passed. Then Ed Gorman, the Sage of Cedar Rapids, used an ancient private eye novelette of mine in a pulp anthology. When it came out he sent me a copy, and, while I didn't read my novelette-I figured it was enough that I wrote the damned thing-I did read his introduction, which I found to be thoughtful and incisive and generous. I e-mailed him and told him so, and he e-mailed me back and thanked me, adding that my early work was probably better than I thought."'And, ' he added, 'I really think you ought to let Bill Schafer publish $20 Lust.'"I felt as though I'd been sucker-punched. Where the hell did that come from?"So I got in touch with Bill. 'I suppose I could at least read it, ' I said, 'except I can't, because I don't have a copy.' Three days later, a battered copy arrived in the mail. I looked at the first two pages, and I looked at the last two or three pages, and I heaved a sigh. Heaved it clear across the room, and would have heaved the book, too, but instead I hollered for my wife."'Bill Schafer wants to reprint this, ' I said."'Great, ' she said."'Not necessarily, ' I said, and explained the circumstances. 'I'd like you to read this, ' I said, 'or as much of it as you can without gagging, and then tell me it's utter crap and I'd surely destroy what little reputation I have if I consent to its republication.'"'Suppose I like it'"'Not to worry, ' I said. 'I'll sign the commitment papers, and I'll make sure they take real good care of you.'"Well, she liked it. And Bill Schafer published it, and a lot of people liked it, and my agent sold it in France, where even more people liked it. Shows what I know. And it's now my pleasure to include it in the Classic Crime Library."Cinderella Sims was originally intended to be my second crime novel for Gold Medal, to follow Grifter's Game (aka Mona). At some point along the way I lost faith in it, and wrapped it up in a hurry, and sold it to Nightstand Books. Hope y'all enjoy it "

Ich liebe die Matthew-Scudder-Reihe und ich liebe Kurzgeschichten ... Das hier ist die komplette Sammlung mit allen Scudder-Kurzgeschichten. Eine der besten Kurzgeschichten aller Zeiten ist >Im fr hen Licht des Tages

Lawrence Block's new collection assembles seven works of fiction written over a period of sixty years. "Hard Sell," a story ghost-written under Craig Rice's name, appeared in the first issue of Ed McBain's Mystery Magazinein 1960, and features Rice's hard-drinking yet clear-thinking lawyer, John J.Malone. "Dead to the World," which appeared under a one-shot pen name in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, has been lost for years, and the story of how it was lost and found is as interesting as the story itself.The same is true of "Whatever It Takes," written over a quarter of a century ago and never submitted anywhere, because the author filed it away and forgot about it; he came upon it, dusted it off, and sent it to AHMM where it was published."I Know How to Pick 'Em" was written for Dangerous Women, the George R. R.Martin and Gardner Dozois anthology, and a holdback clause in the contract kept it out of LB's previous collections. "Autumn at the Automat" was also written for an anthology, LB's own In Sunlight or in Shadow, and won an Edgar Allan Poe award as Best Story of the Year."Gym Rat" has never appeared in print; it was ePublished as part of a Center for Fiction project. While readers have suggested the protagonist might return for further appearances, LB is doubtful. Still, he's been mistaken before."Resume Speed," the title novella, was published in hardcover (by the stellar Subterranean Press) and as a Kindle Single (by the author). Subterranean's edition is out of print and hard to come by, and the story now appears in paperback for the first time. While it was written only a couple of years ago, it has its roots in a story the author overheard perhaps 40 years ago.All of the circumstances of its origin, and a good deal more about each of these stories, may be found in LB's foreword. But, if you don't care, you can just skip it and go straight to the stories themselves.

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 suo terapista lo crede un esperto che risolve i problemi delle societ , ma il vero lavoro di Keller l'omicidio. Fa la vita di un uomo d'affari ben pagato e che viaggia da solo, abituato a impersonali stanze d'albergo, noiosi tratti di autostrade su auto prese a nolo, anonime tavole calde. Newyorkese fatto e finito, nondimeno fantastica su come sarebbe bello vivere in campagna; e in ogni localit che visita immagina di mettere su casa, lontano dalla pressione e i problemi morali che la sua professione comporta.Il Sicario (Hit Man) il primo dei cinque libri in cui compare Keller. Traduzioni degli altri - Hit List, Hit Parade, Hit and Run e Hit Me - saranno presto disponibili. Per ora, ecco un paio di recensioni."Da qualche anno Block sta narrando le avventure di J. P. Keller, fatalista assassino a pagamento. Uscito dal suo appartamento sulla Prima Avenue per recarsi - su ordine del Vecchio di White Plains - in una citt dopo l'altra, Keller riflette se pu uccidere un uomo che ora gli piace, sistema le cose dopo avere colpito il bersaglio sbagliato, diventa la pedina di un killer inizialmente pi astuto di lui, e si tormenta per decidere quale di due clienti, ognuno dei quali ha pagato per fare uccidere l'altro, dovr deludere.Tra una e l'altra delle sue metodiche esecuzioni, Keller va a vedere case in vendita nell'Oregon, consulta un analista, inizia a collezionare francobolli, si chiede se sapendone di pi sui fiori la sua vita sarebbe pi piena, compera orecchini per la ragazza che porta a spasso il suo cane, e non sa quanto dovrebbe impegnarsi sia con la ragazza che col cane. E' la combinazione delle molte cose su cui Keller medita e di quelle sulle quali cerca di non meditare ("Questo il mestiere sbagliato per prendere decisioni morali," lo ammonisce la segretaria del Vecchio) che gli conferisce il suo fascino melanconico. Il risultato un romanzo o una serie di storie brevi? Gli avidi ammiratori di Block, - felici di vedere almeno tre piccoli capolavori (Keller a cavallo, Keller in terapia e Keller, il prode cavaliere) raccolti nello stesso volume - non se ne preoccuperanno pi di quanto se ne preoccuperebbe Keller." Kirkus Reviews"Block ha scritto un romanzo da K.O. su di un sicario che inizia a vacillare nella crisi della mezza et ... Block colpisce con una bella doppietta di humor e introspezione... Leggendo il libro, a un certo momento il lettore si chieder come mai si trovi a desiderare che il killer trovi la propria pace interiore." Boston Herald

Im sechzehnten Roman seiner preisgekr nten Matthew-Scudder-Serie hat sich Bestseller-Autor Lawrence Block in Sachen Spannungsaufbau und Figurenzeichnung wieder einmal selbst bertroffen. In Weiterf hrung des Erfolgs, den Der zweite Tod bei Kritikern wie Leserschaft hatte, f hrt Block seinen Helden Scudder - und den Leser - an den Rand des Abgrunds.Privatdetektiv und Ex-Polizist Scudder ist eine vielschichtige, auch in Echtzeit gealterte und gewachsene Pers nlichkeit, die sich hier nicht nur der unausweichlichen Herausforderung der Sterblichkeit, sondern auch einem unerbittlichen, vor nichts zur ckschreckenden Gegner stellen muss, der in seiner Eisesk lte und Durchtriebenheit die unvergesslichste Figur sein d rfte, die Block je geschaffen hat.In einem Gef ngnis in Virginia wartet ein Mann auf seine Hinrichtung, doch entgegen der erdr ckenden Beweislast behauptet er bis zuletzt, die drei brutalen Morde, derentwegen er zum Tode verurteilt worden ist, nicht begangen zu haben. Ein Psychologe, der vorgibt, an seine Unschuld zu glauben, besucht ihn in den Tagen vor der Vollstreckung des Urteils mehrere Male im Todestrakt und nimmt schlie lich als Zuschauer sogar an der Hinrichtung teil. Anschlie end kehrt der Psychologe nach New York City zur ck, um sich dort einer anderen Aufgabe zu widmen.W hrenddessen hat sich Scudder bereit erkl rt, Nachforschungen ber den geheimnisumwitterten Liebhaber einer Bekannten anzustellen, den diese ber eine Partnerb rse im Internet kennengelernt hat. Das scheint ein relativ einfacher Auftrag zu sein. Zun chst. Doch als im pers nlichen Umfeld Scudders immer mehr Morde passieren und er selbst ins Schussfeld ger t, wird klar, dass hier ein extrem gef hrlicher Killer am Werk ist. Und dessen Hauptaugenmerk scheint Matt und Elaine Scudder zu gelten.Die Spannung ist atemberaubend, der Ausgang bis zum Schluss ungewiss. Eine Serie, die mit unz hligen Preisen berh uft wurde - Edgar, Shamus, Philip Marlow, Maltese Falcon -, hat sich zu einem neuen H hepunkt aufgeschwungen. Lawrence Block, der von der Crime Writers Association des United Kingdom f r sein Lebenswerk mit dem Diamond Dagger ausgezeichnet worden ist, zeigt sich in diesem Buch in H chstform.Audiofile MagazineMit einem Titel, der dem alten Folksong "Danny Boy" entnommen ist, zeigt sich Lawrence Blocks sechzehnter Roman mit Matt Scudder von seiner d stersten Seite. Als Scudder von einer Frau, die er von den Treffen der Anonymen Alkoholiker kennt, gebeten wird, diskrete Nachforschungen ber ihren neuen Liebhaber anzustellen, muss er feststellen, dass er ins Visier eines extrem durchtriebenen Serienkillers geraten ist, der seine Vorgehensweise st ndig ndert und keinerlei Hinweise auf seine Identit t hinterl sst.

Una ragazza entra in un bar......e quando esce c' un uomo ad accompagnarla. Va a letto con lui e questa parte le piace. Poi lo uccide e questa parte le piace ancora di pi . Prima di andarsene, gli ripulisce il portafoglio. Continua a trasferirsi e per ogni indirizzo che cambia sceglie un nuovo nome. Lo fa da un bel po' e le riesce bene. Poi un commento casuale la fa pensare agli uomini che le sono scampati, i fortunati sopravvissuti alla notte trascorsa insieme a lei. Inizia a stilare una lista. E ora la ragazza ha una missione. Seguire le loro tracce. Dar loro la caccia. Eliminarli dalla sua lista...Il sottotitolo di Lawrence Block per Godimento "Un romanzo di sesso e violenza"; ed sicuramente cos . anche un ritratto straordinario della crescita e dell'evoluzione di una donna molto speciale. E, meraviglia delle meraviglie, una storia d'amore.