Resume Speed
by Lawrence Block
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Pub Date Dec 31 2016 | Archive Date Jan 01 2017
Description
He got on the Trailways bus in Galbraith, North Dakota, booked all the way through to Spokane. But the Help Wanted sign at the diner in Cross Creek was calling his name. Soon, he had a job working the grill and a place to stay, and a new name to go with them. But what he didn’t have was peace of mind. Or a clear conscience. Or any memory at all of what he’d done the night before fleeing Galbraith.
What he’d done to get the scratches on his wrists and the backs of his hands…
In this brand new novella, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Lawrence Block delivers an unforgettable portrait of a troubled man trying to lay the ghosts of his past and make a new life for himself. But there are things you can’t run away from, and one of them is who you really are.
Subtle and painful and beautifully crafted, Resume Speed is Lawrence Block at the pinnacle of his storytelling powers.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781596067950 |
| PRICE | $25.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Simon C, Reviewer
Bill, or so he says, gets on a bus at Galbraith and, seeing a "Help needed" sign, disembarks at Cross Creek. This is a new start for him, a simple beginning in a small town, away from the bustling cities and their dangers.
At first it reads like a fantasy, not the orcs-and-elves kind but the you-are-capable-of-greatness kind. Bill gets off the bus, takes a job as a cook, finds love, finds stability. This might not be the American dream, but Block makes it incredibly appealing and, honestly, makes it seem easy. As Bill carefully constructs his life anew, connecting with the owner of the diner and the city's quiet librarian, your sympathy for him might strengthen. A bit of whiskey and a good book in the evening, a clean room, an honest job, the man is a picture of tranquility and reason. He carefully plans out his decisions, he knows what to do to get what he wants.
And that is a warning sign.
As little worries piled up, as the past crept closer, I found myself more worried for Bill than I anticipated. The quiet life that he built seemed moderately great, a picture of tame happiness. Could it be ruined? Could he be the undoing of it all?
Block refuses to give the answers straight away, teasing the reader with a resolution, while linking you emotionaly to Bill and the quaint town. And then, just as the tension peaks, he reveals his cards and the hero's past, bringing the characters and the reader to a choice: fight or flight? Sympathy for an unusual protagonist or a more complicated feeling? It's all up to your perspective and the story may prove divisive among the audience, as Bill, in his paranoia and alcoholism, does not always seem deserving of a happy ending.
Block is ready to challenge the reader at every turn, making sure that his protagonist is no saint and yet painting him as someone on the path to redemption after a life of mistakes.
A high-stakes thriller with beautifully descriptive simple prose and a deep atmosphere.
Overall, a short, sharp thrill ride that brings unlikely emotions and many questions. Masterful and engaging, worth anyone's time.
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