Speaking of Greed: Stories of Envious Desire (Seven Deadly Sins) [Hardcover]

Lawrence Block (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Seven Deadly Sins | Publication Date: September 19, 2001

The second volume in the Seven Deadly Sins series, Speaking of Greed is a collection of short stories on the destructive deadly sin known as greed. In addition to being the title of this anthology, "Speaking of Greed" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that leads off this unique collection.

"My task as an anthologist in this series," Block write in the introduction, "is threefold: first, I have to pick the stories; then I have to write a longish novella with my four series characters, whom we know only as the priest, the doctor, the soldier, and the policeman; finally, I have to hammer out an introduction."

The stories Block has chosen are delightful. His novella delivers what he promises. And the introduction is a heads-up plea for authors to ensure that their work will continue to be read after they are no longer around to write any more.

Included in this stellar anthology are the following stories and authors:

"Speaking of Greed" by Lawrence Block • "The Word' by F. Paul Wilson • "Hitler, Elvis, and Me" by Doug Allyn • "One Hit Wonder" by Gabrielle Kraft • "The $5,000 Getaway" by Jack Ritchie • "Rotten to the Core" by Jeremiah Healy • "Front Man" by David Morrell • "Water's Edge" by Robert Bloch • "A Taste of Paradise" by Bill Pronzini • "Bits" by Mat Coward • "Come Down From The Hills" by John F. Suter • "The Wrong Hands" by Peter Robinson • "The High Cost of Living" by Dorothy Cannell • "My Heart Cries For You" by Bill Crider • "Inside Job" by Ed Gorman • "Deadly Fantasies" by Marcia Muller • "Death Scene" by Helen Nielsen • "Good-bye, Sue Ellen" by Gillian Roberts • "Death and Diamonds" by Sue Dunlap • "A Ticket Out" by Brenda DuBois

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

LAWRENCE BLOCK, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, is a four-time winner of the Edgar Allen Poe and Shamus Awards and a recipient of literary prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. The author of more than fifty books, including fourteen Matthew Scudder novels and Even the Wicked, he lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (September 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581822219
• ISBN-13: 978-1581822212
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avid Reader, March 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Speaking of Greed: Stories of Envious Desire (Seven Deadly Sins) (Hardcover)

Every story in this book was good. I highly recommend it and I can hardly wait for the third entry to the deadly sins series. Speaking of Greed wasn't as gory as Speaking of Lust. Another must read by Lawrence Block: Hitman.