The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep [Hardcover]

Lawrence BLOCK (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Jove (1984)
• ASIN: B001FSST0E
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Block introduces Evan Tanner, September 26, 1999

By 

Harold L. Laroff - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep (Evan Tanner Mystery) (Paperback)

My first introduction to Lawrence Block's Evan Tanner was in his 1998 book, "Tanner on Ice." The spy-hero had been absent for twenty-five years was brought back by Block. There were seven previous novels, all out-of-print and now available in paperback. "The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep," was Block's first Evan Tanner mystery. We learn early in this first work Tanner had his sleep center destroyed during the war and therefore no longer needs to sleep. He spends all of his time awake that may or may not be to his benefit. Tanner probably never planned on being a spy but here in our first encounter with him he led a revolution in Macedonia treks from Ireland to the continent and across Europe to Turkey in search for missing gold. Tanner is an interesting character although not as humorous as Bernie Rhodenbarr in Block's The Burglar who series or a serious as Matt Scudder in the long standing series with that New York City based detective. None the less "The Thief who Couldn't Sleep," is pleasant to read. I am pleased that the powers-that-be decided to reprint the entire Evan Tanner series. I am looking forward to the others, which I was able to order from Amazon.com.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The start of something beautiful, May 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep (Evan Tanner Mystery) (Paperback)

The first Evan Tanner Novel, where our hero, a bit of a con-man and thief, who has a disorder which prevents him from sleeping, accidentally finds himself on an espionage mission.

While the later novels are spy stories with satirical overtones, this one is a crime caper with spies in pursuit and a comedy of errors in progress.

I can't recommend the series highly enough. It's literate, it's funny, and the commentary on European ethnic nationalism is still extremely valid.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rice, pilaf, and pilaf, July 26, 1998

By 

Susan "palepink" (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep (Evan Tanner Mystery) (Paperback)

When the Berlin Wall fell, my first thought (ok, maybe my forty-third) was: "Please, Mr. Block, let us know what Evan Tanner thinks about this!" Tanner's view of the world is humane, educated and hopeful; after he explains the centuries of strife between Armenian and Turk even I can remember the details. This is a very welcome, long-awaited reprint of the first book in a series of top-rate thrillers; it's not the best (either Tanner's Twelve Swingers or the Cancelled Czech), but it's not the worst (Me Tanner, You Jane--still a decent book). They all have a light touch evocative of Mrs. Pollifax (Mr. Block, did you ever consider phoning Dorothy Gilman and suggesting a crossover adventure?); their solid grounding in the obscure passions that drive real people make them unique.