Matt Coffey

A brief fun romp

Revisado: 03-07-22

It’s a quick one from Lawrence Block detailing the life of Chip Harrison, orphaned teenager kicked out of school for lack of funds, hunting for a job with “Opportunity for Advancement” and, more importantly, to lose his virginity. Very funny and surprisingly charming. Gorton does a great job with it.

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Wondeful

Revisado: 12-11-21

Wonderfully charming and good fun with a stellar voice cast bringing it to life. Well worth a listen.

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Excellent

Revisado: 11-29-21

Wilde’s work remains perfect as ever. Audible has assembled a tremendous cast for this production, which is well worth your time.

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Recommended

Revisado: 10-14-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Block — or Jill Emerson in this case — always makes writing seem like the most effortless, natural thing in the world. Here, he’s created a wonderful work of “literary fiction” that is engrossing and never feels gimmicky. If you’ve never read the Jill Emerson novels, this is a good place to start.

Barbara Nevins Taylor is well suited to the material and delivers a solid reading.

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Recommended

Revisado: 07-19-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

A solid though whodunnit, Broadway Can be Murder — nee Strange Embrace — is a breezy, compulsively readable early effort from Lawrence Block. Originally a tie-in to short lived television series Johnny Midnight, the book stands well on its own and if you didn’t know going in about it’s Johnny Midnight roots, you wouldn’t know while reading it, either.

The plot is straight forward: the leading lady in an upcoming Broadway production is killed in her bed, followed shortly by the killing of the leading man in the same fashion. As mysterious phone calls pour in to more of the cast threatening a similar fate, producer Johnny Lane takes the case in his own hands while his own life is threatened if he doesn’t cancel the show. Along the way, Johnny will contend with hired thugs with fists for brains, the 60s beat culture, a homicide detective ready to throw him in prison if he doesn’t leave the detective work to the police, and a serial killer armed with a straight razor.

I’d never heard of Johnny Midnight prior to Block’s reference to it in regards to Broadway Can be Murder, and was delighted to find how well the book plays on its own. There is a unflattering portrayal of an Asian butler, though this is an unfortunate aspect of America’s past, not this work itself (he is taken from the series, produced in the early 1960s). Block was a damned fine writer even early in his career, and though the identity of the killer isn’t terribly difficult to figure out before Johnny does, this does nothing to detract from the book as a whole. A quick fun romp as the confident straight laced producer finds himself sympathetic to the counter culture so antithetical to his own world is an enjoyable backdrop to a simple murder mystery well plotted and executed by a writer who was beyond his years and would go on to become one of the best.

Theo Holland is, as ever, an excellent narrator, and I was pleased to see his name attached to a book I was already planning to listen to. His natural rhythm is impossible to avoid falling into, and his ability to move slowly while maintaining the action is admirable. He doesn’t come equipped with a tough guy’s voice like so many you’ll hear behind the microphone of crime novels, and he doesn’t need it. If you haven’t listened to him before, this one is a strong start — he will occasionally give women’s voices a cartoonish air, but that never happens here. He has lent his talents to quite few of Lawrence Block’s books and nails each one, as well as his work with classic writers like Mark Twain. He is a good choice for this book.

If you’re interested in a breezy murder mystery, Broadway Can be Murder is a solid choice. For something heavier, Block’s library is filled with books that will linger in your mind, though for the casual reader looking for a fun read, this will give you everything you need. Add to it a strong performance from Theo Holland, and this book is an easy recommendation.

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Solid early Block

Revisado: 07-03-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Born to be Bad is a solid addition to Block’s Collection of Classic Erotica. This one doesn’t build towards sexual encounters the same way many of his early sex books do, and there is nothing lost.

A young girl leaves home in the slums of Miami to find the success she is sure awaits in New York. Along the way, she uses her body (or lets it be used, as the situation demands) to find her footing as she reaches for the Eden that she comes to crave — a nice house in Connecticut and a family. Her efforts prove she is capable of getting what she wants, but jealousy, violence, rape, and blackmail become unavoidable along the way.

Block’s early works are worth your time, and Born to be Bad is a good start if you’ve been unsure about a collection of “classic erotica.” It’s a brisk read that doesn’t rush, and even early on, Block’s talent was impossible to ignore. I had a good time with it and would recommend.

Dana Roth’s narration is good but her pace is extremely slow. If that is no problem, you will have a good time with her. If you prefer someone who gets on with it, you might become frustrated with this one.

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Enjoyable

Revisado: 06-10-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Candy is another of Lawrence Block’s early novels that skirts the line between erotica and crime fiction, and it works. The erotic elements are not designed to stimulate (at least compared to his other ‘mid century erotica’), and the crime elements don’t poke their head in until fairly late into the game, and yet neither pose a problem. Block has referred to these early works as an ‘apprenticeship,” but from the start, his talent was evident and his work was definitely enjoyable. Candy is no exception. Written with a breezy, conversational prose, it’s a quick read/listen, and a good one.

Bill Weeden’s work is rock solid. He keeps a brisk pace without ever rushing, and his voice and mannerisms suit the narrating protagonist beautifully. His is a name to remember should you be looking for other audiobooks to enjoy.

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Fantastic

Revisado: 01-29-21

Step by Step is a delight. Block’s reliable ‘voice’ as writer handles a memoir as well it does fiction, and though he spends time on his early life and travels (with a wonderful section devoted to a pilgrimage he took with his wife across Spain), the real pull here is his race walking. Regardless if you’ve been invested in the sport or not, Block’s rich writing recounts a niche aspect of his life in an accessible and engrossing manner. Michael Bonner’s commanding voice is a joy to listen to, and he is an excellent proxy for the writer.

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Excellent

Revisado: 12-25-20

The Matthew Scudder books are excellent and if you have the time, listen to them all in order. If the whole series isn’t on your plate, A Dance at the Slaughterhouse will work on its own nicely. Rich, engrossing, morally frustrating, exceptionally good. Try the sample and then finish the book. Block is on point, Barrett is effective; put the whole series on your plate.

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Tremendous

Revisado: 09-28-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Lawrence Block has yet another fantastic book for writers in Spider, Spin Me a Web. This time around, he goes through the needs of the writer in regards to the work itself (how do you handle foreshadowing? Flashbacks? What do you include, what do you omit?), dealing with the struggle of putting words on the page in the first place (procrastination that is born out of fear, comparing oneself to other writers, rejection, confidence to include oneself in the work), the business (surviving on a writer’s income, slush piles), what you might consider philosophy (the timelessness of literature contrasted with the inherent modernity of all good work, age and the writer) and more. It is written in an inviting manner that makes for not only an exceptional handbook for the prospective writer, but a fascinating listen for those who are interested in the thoughts of a man who’d been in this business for thirty or so years at the time of this book’s publication. Insights, anecdotes, personal matters, and straight business interests come together for a very interesting and informative listen. If you’re interested at all in the business of writing regardless of whether you hope to find success in it or if you just love to read, there is something in Spider for you to sink your teeth in.

In regards to the narration, Richard Neer proves to be an excellent proxy for Block. He manages to give the material both a professional and casual quality that invites you to hang out and listen as a master talks shop, while also showing you how the sausage is made. It is easy to lose track of the time as Neer perfectly balances conversation and lecture into a tremendous audiobook.

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