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I guess I was peripherally aware of how prolific Lawrence Block has been. He's probably best known for his Matthew Scudder novels but he's created a number of other fictional protagonists --- Bernie Rhodenbarr, Evan Tanner, Chip Harrison, Keller --- worthy of boldfaced note. Include a number of stand-alone novels, captivating in their own right, and you've got a few shelves of Block, all of it good. What escaped my notice, however, up until ENOUGH ROPE crossed the threshold, is that Block is a prodigious writer of short fiction as well. And the man is an absolute marvel.
ENOUGH ROPE is, in Block's own words, a doorstop of a book, almost 900 pages worth of stories gathered from his past, present, and future. There's "You Can't Lose," his first published story, as well as eleven new, unpublished stories, and "It Took You Long Enough," written 30 years ago but only now seeing the light of day. Block has also gathered stories from the respective myths of Scudder, Harrison, Keller, Rhodenbarr, and Ehrengraf, efficiently and thoughtfully grouping each of these, while including some 42 other works that are unrelated to each other. The result is a collection of 84 stories that is an introduction and study of a writer who has quietly become one of the best and most popular scribes in the mystery and suspense genres.
Block's work is faintly reminiscent of O. Henry's to the extent that Block often features a surprise or unexpected ending. Repeatedly dipping into that well arguably has its drawbacks --- after reading a few stories the reader learns, almost unconsciously, to expect the unexpected --- but even when the ending is correctly anticipated the journey toward the conclusion, narrated in an offhand voice that belies the dark, makes the trip worthwhile. Working in short fiction also has given Block the opportunity to drift into the horror ("Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes") and fantasy ("The Boy Who Disappeared Clouds") genres. What is really illustrative of Block's genius, however, is that one can go from the beginning to the end of ENOUGH ROPE with nary a break in attention. It's akin to having a plate of shrimp in front of you; you sit and devour it all before you know it's gone, but you still want more. Most of Block's stories are but a few pages in length, just enough to keep you going from story to story. "Just one more," you tell yourself, and before you know it, 100 pages and a couple of enjoyable hours have fallen by the wayside.
And believe it or not, there are more that didn't make it into the book. Block omitted most of his earlier stories from ENOUGH ROPE as well as a number of others. He goes into his reasoning in his Introduction, and therein lies a couple of my minor complaints with this volume. One, I would have liked to have had all of his short work in one volume. Call me anal retentive and you'll get no argument. I'm a completist. I like it all. If there's too much of a good thing, I have yet to encounter it. Two, I would have preferred to have had Block's independent stories listed in chronological order, so that the reader could, if you will, trace Block's development and evolution as a writer. Three, I would have loved a bibliography documenting the origin of publication of each of these wonderful stories. Having itemized my complaints, let me refute them: One, don't be greedy. Two, his first published story is included here, and he appears to have been aborne writing. Do you think you could really tell when he turned the corner? Three, oh, behave! To put it another way, anyone who would complain about this masterful collection would gripe, if hung with new rope, about it not being long enough. It is neither too long nor too short, but just enough.
The length is great, the price is a bargain, and it might be big enough to be a doorstop, but you won't use it for that --- you won't put it down long enough. Once you read the last word of "You Can't Lose" you'll want to start all over and begin reading the first sentence of "A Bad Night for Burglars." ENOUGH WORK is a classic documentation of the great work of one of our best.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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