The Specialists, Lawrence Block
The Specialists, Lawrence Block
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

The Specialists

Author: Lawrence Block

Narrator: Fred Sullivan

Unabridged: 4 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/01/2011


Synopsis

Albert Platt is a rotten man. Bred in the rough parts of Brooklyn, he made his name as a killer and has built a fortune from gambling, loan sharking, and the other pastimes of a standard thug. His latest gambit? Buying banks, robbing them, and collecting the insurance. He's a hard man, and no one ever stood in his way until he brushed up against Eddie Manso. Manso is no ordinary veteran. He and four other commandos, battle-hardened in the jungles of Laos, have found that the civilian world demands their talents as much as the military once did. These specialists have made a living targeting vicious men whom the law cannot touch, dismantling their empires and taking their plunder. And Albert Platt has just entered their crosshairs.

About Lawrence Block

Lawrence Block is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally renowned bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series as well as dozens of short stories, articles, and books on writing. He has won four Edgar and Shamus Awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom. In France, he has been awarded the title Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice received the Societe 813 trophy. Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer. Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope, which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories. In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller-and thief-on-the-side-Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor. A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.

About Fred Sullivan

Fred Sullivan is an actor and an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. He has played over one hundred roles as an award-winning resident actor at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. He is resident director at Gamm Theatre and teaches acting at the Rhode Island School of Design.


Reviews

Goodreads review by ☘Misericordia☘ on July 21, 2020

You can take a person out of jungle but can you take the jungle out of them? Unlikely. Some ludicrous stuff, of course. Still, a very dinamic and much too short a read. Old Lawrence Block, classy and all. Q: That day he got out to the golf course early. He hung around the clubhouse until three other lo......more

Goodreads review by Charles on February 27, 2024

Intended as a series but ended as a series of one Lawrence Block has said that when he saw the TV show, A-Team, he had the feeling the show’s producers had read his 1968 novel. But he decided that life is too short for litigation. There are indeed similarities between the TV program and this book. Ho......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on December 19, 2016

Not one of Block's better efforts, but even his not-so-good novels are entertaining at times. From the description I thought it would be better than it was. It read like a lost script of the A-Team. Maybe that's where they got the idea for the show.......more

Goodreads review by Stormcrow on May 03, 2023

The series that was never a series. Block writes as much in the afterword of this edition. He mentions that he enjoyed writing it, but never wanted to write another like it. Probably for the best. This is the sixth Block book I've read since discovering him, and the first that was tough to get throug......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on January 30, 2015

I always enjoy the writing of Lawrence Block, and this was no exception. Originally written in 1969 and now available as an ebook, this delightful book was a fun read and a good story. Set in the late 60's it has the feel of an older story....no internet (go to the library for resources) no cell phone......more


Quotes

“Block is one of the best!” Washington Post

“[A] gripping novel.” Publishers Weekly

“Here’s proof that a relatively short mystery can be as entertaining as a longer one. Lawrence Block wrote this crime thriller in 1969, and Fred Sullivan’s performance ensures that it’s as enjoyable now as it was then…Sullivan captures the personalities with aplomb, giving richness to the characters. His modulation of tone and timbre is a terrific complement to Block’s crisp dialogue. The result is great fun for those who enjoy for a quick listen and a good story.” AudioFile