One Night Stands and Lost Weekends [Kindle Edition]

Lawrence Block (Author)

Editorial Reviews

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.)
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From Booklist

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

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 370 KB
• Print Length: 386 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 006158214X
• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 6, 2009)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001FA0TS2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,586 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally renowned bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series as well as dozens of short stories, articles, and books on writing. He has won four Edgar and Shamus Awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom. In France, he has been awarded the title Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice received the Societe 813 trophy.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer.

Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope (2002), which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories.

In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller--and thief-on-the-side--Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor.

A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For Hard Core Block Fans Only, May 12, 2010

By 

observer22 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Night Stands and Lost Weekends (Paperback)

25 short stories written by Lawrence Block when he was around 20 years old are the backbone of this book, they were written in one sitting so are referred to by the author as "one night stands." Most of these have an almost high school feel to them an are less than entertaining. Three approximate 50 page stories are included, one is good, one is fair and one is not so good. Block developed into a powerhouse however this should be for his most hard core fans only, seek out "The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories" instead.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pulp, June 1, 2009

By 

J. Sweet "jsweetcards" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Night Stands and Lost Weekends (Paperback)

Great example of vintage pulp writing. The shorts get repetitive if you read them one after another, but they were never intended to be read that way. The Lost Cases of Ed London really stand out as classic hard-boiled detective writing. This is a character I would love to see Block revive.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Chick Lit For Men, March 9, 2009

By 

Tanya Griffin (Wilkes-Barre) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Night Stands and Lost Weekends (Paperback)

Quick short stories. His writing style is similar to the National Enquirer the stories resembling a True Crime tale. All of the stories were pretty much the same; guy kills his wife, wife kills husband, two bit hood pulls a fast one...all awful. The two long stories at the end were OK or I would not have given it any stars at all. I guess the book is a male version of chick lit.