eBook Review: Ehrengraf For the Defense and Eleven Stories by Lawrence Block - Page 2

“Ehrengraf’s debut grew out of a plot device; in the course of my writing the story, Martin Ehrengraf came into being. In his second appearance, (The Ehrengraf Presumption ), we see him more fully realized, tailoring his approach to the case to suit circumstances, and altering them to his purpose.”

The Ehrengraf Presumption: "Any client of Martin H. Ehrengraf is presumed by Ehrengraf  to be innocent, which presumption is invariably confirmed in due course, the preconceptions of the client himself notwithstanding.” – Words to live by--Martin Ehrengraf, The Ehrengraf Presumtion

Ehrengraf's first story appeared in 1978, in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Ten stories were published through 2003, and now, after almost a decade, the dapper little lawyer is back (only in eBook form, and only for Kindle) in The Ehrengraf Settlement. All 11 Ehrengraf stories, exclusively eVailable as Kindle Select titles, are available singly or gathered up into the full-length eBook (click the title at the top). Martin Ehrengraf would no doubt find a way for you to buy them singly at a buck a piece, but Lawrence Block cornered Ehrengraf to make the entire collection available in one volume.

Back in 1994, when there were only eight stories, a small press collected them in a limited edition of Ehrengraf for the Defense. (That little volume commands $250 to $1250 on the collector market—if you can find it.) Edward D. Hoch, acknowledged master of short mystery fiction, wrote an appreciative introduction, and Lawrence Block added an afterword. Hoch's introduction is reprinted in the  new enlarged eDition of the stories, and Block has updated his afterword.

Lawrence Block over the course of a career spanning from the late ‘50s through today, has created some of the most memorable characters in fiction. This includes Bernie Rhodenbarr, the deft burglar who preys on New York's wealthy and effortlessly relieves them of there valuables. The poor, as Bernie would be the first to tell you, alas, have nothing worth stealing.

Then there is Matthew Scudder, the melancholy, alcoholic shamus. Ex-cop and ex-husband Scudder is my all time favorite detective. Then there is Keller. Keller is your basic urban Lonely Guy. He makes a decent wage, lives in a nice apartment. Works the crossword puzzle. Watches a little TV. Until the phone rings and he packs a suitcase, gets on a plane, flies halfway across the country... and kills somebody.

Article Author: The Dirty Lowdown

I was born in Pomona, California at a very young age. I had a pretty normal childhood…or I was a pretty normal child hood if mom is telling the story. I was a paperboy and washed cars, I bussed tables, I was a soda fountain jock jerk and a manic …

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