Enough Rope

J

JAMESBJOHNSON

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ENOUGH ROPE by Lawrence Block arrived in the mail today. Its 800 plus pages of his short stories including his first published story.
 
I write them, but can't get into reading them. Raymond Carver being the exception.
 
YOU CANT LOSE, Manhunt Magazine, March 1958.

Block was 19 when this story appeared.

Its an account of how a lazy teen becomes a professional criminal. The kid starts out screwing pawn shops and advances to assassinations. Offers good advice: Don't fuck anyone who matters. Cops don't give a shit about winos and penny-ante theft.

Gave me some story ideas to play with.
 
A BAD NIGHT FOR BURGLARS, 1975

A man walks in on a burglar. The homeowner has a gun. The burglar pleads for mercy and they talk. The burglar offers deals and they talk some more. Along the way the burglar reveals that he's a decent chess player. The homeowner is interested, and the burglar agrees to play a few games. They play chess till the homeowners wife comes home after fucking another guy.

Very clever story. Reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock.
 
A BLOW FOR FREEDOM, Playboy Magazine, October 1991

If you saw DEATH WISH you already know this story's plot. Elliot never shoots anyone but he threatens several potential criminals on the streets and subways and parks with his Glock, and at the end he goes hunting for a criminal victim.

The story won an award, I don't think it was BEST RIP-OFF OF 1991.
 
A LITTLE OFF THE TOP, Gallery Magazine, Unknown date

Two brothers make a deal to swap a teen virgin for a rare bottle of cognac. To make a long story short all parties get screwed in the transaction. Its a clever plot but uninteresting. At the end you don't care what happened. It was a bright idea....like stealing the winning ticket to an expired lottery.
 
AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Oct 1978

A man is shot twice by an unknown shooter and operated on. He dies on the operating room table but God turns him away till he identifies the shooter. One by one he eliminates the suspects till one is left.

It bored me.
 
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