Tanner's Virgin [Hardcover]

Lawrence Block (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2005

The CIA, the FBI, the KGB, Interpol—not one of the world's premier intelligence organizations knows quite what to make of Evan Michael Tanner. Is he a spy, a mercenary, a footloose adventurer, or simply a screwball sucker for hopeless causes?

(Actually he's a little bit of all of the above. Plus he never sleeps. Ever.)

One thing's for sure: Tanner's a true romantic, which is why he can't refuse a distraught mother who begs him to rescue her lost, pure-as-driven-snow daughter. Phaedra Harrow (nee Deborah Horowitz) once shared Tanner's apartment but not his bed. And now the virginal beauty's been abducted by white slavers in the Afghan wilderness.

Finding Phaedra will be difficult enough. Bringing her back alive and unmolested may be impossible. And first Tanner will have to swim the English Channel, survive trigger-happy Russian terrorists . . . and maybe pull off a timely assassination or two.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since this reissue of MWA Grandmaster Block's 1968 Evan Tanner thriller lacks the wit and clever plotting that characterize his mature work, this dated tale of picaresque adventure will appeal mainly to Block completists. Tanner, a thief with mysterious connections to the intelligence community who hasn't slept since a freak bullet wound caused permanent insomnia, gets a call that sends him on a whirlwind international escapade. The caller is the mother of an attractive 18-year-old girl who had lived (platonically) with Tanner for a month and is now missing; his search leads him to London and a white slave ring that has been supplying vulnerable young women to a dealer in Afghanistan. Along the way, he swims the English Channel and tangles with a gang of mercenaries seeking to overthrow the regime in Kabul. The Afghanistan setting at least will resonate with today's readers. (Apr. 4)
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About the Author

Lawrence Block is one of the most widely recognized names in the mystery genre. He has been named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and is a four-time winner of the prestigious Edgar and Shamus Awards, as well as a recipient of prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. He received the Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers' Association—only the third American to be given this award. He is a prolific author, having written more than fifty books and numerous short stories, and is a devoted New Yorker and an enthusiastic global traveler.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Subterranean Press (May 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596060190
• ISBN-13: 978-1596060197
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,928,937 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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Evan Michael Tanner Novels, April 6, 2006

By 

Patrick E. Oneil "Patrick E. O'Neil" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tanner's Virgin (Hardcover)

This entry in the series is extremely funny (the motivation for overthrowing the Russians is a gem!) probably my favorite after "The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep" which started things rolling. I love how the Irish (Tanner contributes and writes articles for the Fenian Society, of course) call him 'Michael' and Eastern Europeans (who know him a Charter Member of The Society for a Free Macedonia, or some such) call him 'Evan': you can just hear the pronunciation -- 'Eh-Vahn'. In 'Tanner's Virgin', the girl in question, who Tanner could never talk into dalliance even though she lived in his apartment, is kidnapped and brought to a brothel in Afghanistan. She goes a little nuts and decides she LOVES the work, but when Tanner rescues her she comes out of her fugue (with some changes still) and can't get over how things have changed. Hearing Tanner finally tell her to shut up about it is quite funny. The ending with 'The Chief' revealing what Tanner actually accomplished in Afghanistan is also funny. All in all, a very successful book.

1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Voltaire it's not., November 27, 2007

By 

N. Ravitch (Savannah, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tanner's Virgin (Evan Tanner Suspense Thrillers) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was told this was a modern version of Voltaire's Candide. If so, it is a total flop.

The best modern version of Candide was Terry Southern's Candy many decades ago.