Small Town

One of the premier crime writers of our time delivers a mesmerising thriller about the effects of a tragedy on a disparate group of New Yorkers whose lives begin to intersect.

A beautiful young woman called Marilyn picks up a stranger in a bar and takes him home to her Manhattan apartment. The next morning her housekeeper arrives, unwittingly cleans the entire crime scene, then enters the bedroom to wake his client, to discover her strangled body. Marilyn's life and death have far-reaching effects on others, even people she has never met: a charismatic former police commissioner on the verge of a breakdown; a struggling writer on the verge of a breakthrough; a folk art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality; a lawyer who prefers murder trials because there's one less witness; and in the shadows of a city reeling from 9/11, an unlikely mass murderer waging a one-man war against everyone.

“"This is a gripping, scary crime thriller set in the shadows of a city reeling from September 11."”

'Erotic, intriguing and thrilling. Block's customary sure-fire plotting, exemplary characterisation and a patent love of the Big Apple translate into a superb read.' - MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

'This is a gripping, scary crime thriller set in the shadows of a city reeling from September 11.' - BRADFORD TELEGRAPH & ARGUS

'Block displays his first class technique of crime-writing in a thrilling tale set amongst the darkened back streets of the city that never sleeps.' - CARDIFF WESTERN MAIL

Lawrence Block lives and works in New York City. He is the author of many novels and short stories and has won over fourteen major awards for his writing.

One of the premier crime writers of our time delivers a mesmerising thriller about the effects of a tragedy on a disparate group of New Yorkers whose lives begin to intersect.A beautiful young woman called Marilyn picks up a stranger in a bar and takes him home to her Manhattan apartment. The next morning her housekeeper arrives, unwittingly cleans the entire crime scene, then enters the bedroom to wake his client, to discover her strangled body. Marilyn's life and death have far-reaching effects on others, even people she has never met: a charismatic former police commissioner on the verge of a breakdown; a struggling writer on the verge of a breakthrough; a folk art dealer plumbing the depths of her own fierce sexuality; a lawyer who prefers murder trials because there's one less witness; and in the shadows of a city reeling from 9/11, an unlikely mass murderer waging a one-man war against everyone.

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