Grifter's Game

Lawrence Block

Dec 2010 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

A conman hiding out in Atlantic City lays his life on the line for a shot at a $250,000 payoff  Mona has a millionaire husband, a million-dollar figure, and hair that’s blonde to the roots. She’s just what Leonard K. Blake is looking for. Of course, that’s not his real name. Nor is it David Gavilan—that’s the one he used in Philly, before he skipped out on a $600 hotel bill and jumped a train to Atlantic City. He doesn’t have a name or a profession, but he’s got a knack for storytelling and knows just what Mona needs to hear. He also has a pair of stolen suitcases that he grabbed at the train station. They happen to contain a brick of pure heroin—enough to make him dead or make him rich—and they happen to belong to Mona’s husband. As if a good-looking blonde wasn’t trouble enough. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from his personal collection, and a new afterword written by the author. 

Ratings and reviews

Loved it; this book knocked my socks off...a fairly short read that takes you on a roller coaster ride through an important period of a con man's life and leaves you contemplating, everything. Whether or not you have some life experience with anything even close to this, the book will suck you right in, and the end will not leave you unsatisfied.

I'm 44. I've read all the crime classics. Some of them again and again. But for some reason I've always avoided Lawrence Block. For some reason I can't put into words. So when I saw Grifter's Game cheap as an ebook, I decided to give it a shot. WOW! I read it on a single sitting and found it just as compelling as some of my favorites by Cain and Hammet. Really fantastic stuff. Highly recommended.

Hold up still after 40+ years.

About the author

Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally acclaimed New York Times bestselling author. His awards include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers’ Association (UK). Although he is best known for his four main mystery series, Block explored a variety of genres, including thrillers and erotica, and developed an early following as a pulp-fiction writer under a number of pseudonyms. Born in Buffalo, New York, Block has three daughters and currently lives with his wife in New York City.