Lawrence Block had been a successful professional writer for 20 years before he created the two series that made him famous. Within just a couple of years in the late 1970s he came up with both Matt Scudder and Bernie Rhodenbarr. Scudder is an ex-alcoholic ex-policeman in a series of hard-as-nails PI mysteries; Bernie Rhodenbarr is the gentleman thief-hero of a series of capers. It's a tribute to Block that both series are true originals, and both are very good, especially the Scudder series. When The Sacred Ginmill Closes is widely considered a modern masterpiece. Block has also created characters as diverse as Evan Tanner, an international spy with brain damage that prevents him from sleeping, and defense lawyer Martin Ehrengraf, whose clients are never, ever guilty.
Links LawrenceBlock.com - The author's official web site. Interview - Mystery One interviews Lawrence Block. Interview - WritersWrite.com interviews Lawrence Block. Interview - Over My Dead Body interviews Lawrence Block. Interview - Mystery Ink interviews Lawrence Block. Profile - The Thrilling Detective profiles Lawrence Block. Chat Transcript - iVillage.com chat transcript. Interview - BookReporter.com interviews Lawrence Block. Interview - WritersWrite.com interviews Lawrence Block in 1999. A Writer's Prayer - by Lawrence Block.
