One of the most highly acclaimed novelists in the crime genre, Lawrence Block is also a master of the short story, with award-winning work ranging from the macabre to the slyly comic, from heart-stopping tales of revenge to memorable explorations of lust and greed, all told in Block’s unforgettable style. The sixteen stories (and one stage play!) collected here feature appearances by some of Block’s most famous characters, including gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr and alcoholic private detective Matt Scudder, as well as glimpses into the minds of a rogue’s gallery of frightening killers, dangerous sociopaths, crooked cops, and lost souls whose only chance to find themselves may be on the wrong side of a gun.

You’ll meet a compulsive hoarder whose towering piles of trash and treasures hide disturbing secrets…a beautiful young tennis star with a rather too possessive secret admirer…a dealer in stolen art who is unwilling to part with his most prized possession at any price…poker players with agendas that have nothing to do with the cards in their hands…and a catch-and-release fisherman whose preferred catch walks on two legs.

Terror and passion, cruelty and vindication—it’s all here, in a collection that will thrill you, scare you, and remind you why Lawrence Block is still the best there is at what he does.