Rating: 
Summary: Compelling despite some flaws
Review: Lawrence Block is one of those unusual writers who blurs the distinction between popular and literary fiction. On the one hand, the elements of his novels are those of many in the suspense and mystery genres. Yet his characters are so well constructed and the dialogue and narration so compelling that his books cannot be dismissed as genre novels. Small Town is a good but imperfect example of Block's writing. The lives of several contemporary New Yorkers - most notably John Blair Creighton, a struggling writer; Susan Pomerance, an art dealer, Francis Buckram, a former police commissioner and Jerry Pankow, a gay man who cleans apartments and businesses-are connected by a series of brutal murders. It turns out that the site of every murder has one thing in common -it is on the list of places cleaned by Pankow. It is not Pankow, however, who turns out to be a suspect, but Creighton the writer. To describe the plot of Small Town, which is not all that original, does not do justice to the novel. The strength of Block's writing is in the details -the witty but natural dialogue, the flowing pace that compels the reader to keep turning the pages. Small Town takes place in New York City shortly after the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, and this event provides a crucial backdrop. In some ways the story is secondary to the portrayal of the city itself. The notion that New York is really a small town, where everyone's life intersects with everyone else's, is, of course, a bit of an exaggeration. Although this device of using a chain of events to connect disparate lives is often used in books and movies (e.g. Shortcuts, Magnolia, Thirteen Conversations about One Thing) for dramatic purposes, Small Town sometimes goes a little too far with this. In a city of some eight million, most people necessarily remain strangers. There is also a strong erotic element in this novel; the art dealer Susan Pomerance is something of a nymphomaniac. This will excite some readers and offend others; to me her character just seemed more like a male fantasy than a real person. Still, there is no denying Block's ability to write compelling prose. I finished this book in one weekend (and I am not an especially fast reader) and had trouble putting it down.
Rating: 
Summary: What Was the Master Thinking?
Review: Many years ago I read several of Block's softcore pornographic novels from the earliest days of his career, and it was clear that he was just learning his craft. As he did so well -- his Matt Scudder novels are the pinnacle of the type. But he has taken his craft into the neo-noir/porn market by way of the serial killer thriller and not improved on his earliest work.Misogyny here or homophobia? No one comes off very well. The art gallery owner bears no resemblance to any New York gallery owner I've ever known or read of, and her creative nymphomania is simply embarrassing. The novelist accused of committing the first of the murders is more interested in the proceeds from the sale of his novel (and backlist, thank you) than he is in whether he will be convicted of the crime. Maybe the auction conducted by his agent is interesting, but what it's doing in a suspense novel is anyone's guess. I suspect Block hoped to write a book as an homage to his City, but he seems to have been distracted by stray thoughts -- and a jumble of loose ends. His Scudder novels do a much better job, particularly When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes. And Jim Fusilli's books capture New York's Downtown better -- they're grittier, you can feel the pavement under your feet. Try Closing Time. Now that's a portrait of the City.
Rating: 
Summary: How many subplots do you need?
Review: I'm not fond of books where you know the 'killer' within the first few pages. This book is most disappointing in that there are too many players in a game that isn't that good to begin with. I haven't read anything else by Block, and probably won't.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not a typical Lawrence Block book
Review: Lawrence Block is the master of the series novels. Very few authors tell their stories with the level of consistency that he maintains over multiple books in multiple series. This is a stand-alone novel. And, as a major bonus, very HIGHLY erotic from the man who wrote pornography in his early career. He hasn't lost his touch,,,,,,,,, Meet Susan Pomerance, a successful art gallery owner. She's having the female version of a mid-life crisis. So she pierces and waxes and picks up some new toys. Finds various assorted playmates. Blows a lawyer while he enjoys his cheesecake and she's under the table in a very upscale restaurant And somewhere along the way becomes obsessed with a man who just might be a murderer. John Creighton is a novelist who went home with Marilyn from the local bar. He really doesn't remember much after leaving the bar, but he's home and she's dead. Apparently killed during sex. The police think he did it. His agent doesn't care but the publicity is turning his new novel into a best-seller before it's even written. And his lawyer really enjoys cheesecake. 9/11 affected people in multiple ways. This is a native New Yorker trying to make sense of the incomprehensible. And a murderer who believes he has.
Rating: 
Summary: Block is a true master
Review: Although quite different than most of his standard fare, Small Town is a delicious thriller that mixes lurid sex with suspense to keep the reader turning the pages as quickly as possible. Nobody does dialogue better than Block, and that was on display here. Although the killer's motivation was a bit far fetched (almost as bad as something Dean Koontz would fathom), it doesn't detract from what is a truly enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Read -- But It's Not For Everyone!
Review: Overall, I enjoyed Small Town a lot. It's a very compelling, interesting and somewhat challenging read. In Block's Small Town, New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 is really a small town filled with men and women from all walks of life whose aspirations fears, disappointments and triumphs are all interconnected by bonds as unspeakable as they are unseen. The plot involves a series of apparently unconnected serial killings, which in the warped viewpoint of the Carpenter are intended as "sacrifices" in order to help the city and its dwellers to be reborn out of the chaos and destruction caused by 9/11. Block is at the top of his game in terms of plot development and character development; however, Small Town represents a big departure from what fans of his books have become used to. Small Town is not, as is obvious if you've read the very mixed reviews by other Amazon readers, a book for everyone. Many criticize it for its very graphic and erotic sexual passages as well as for the ending leaving too many threads untied. While I understand how the book could be criticized for these reasons, I, personally, didn't share these opinions. In fact, I think the sexual relationships, while very graphic, were integral to the main story line. And while it's true that some sub-story lines are not as closed as readers expect in a novel, in real life not all stories have a clear, precise ending. As I said, earlier, Small Town is a somewhat challenging read in that you have to really pay attention to some of the small clues Block provides. If you don't, you might find, as I did, that you'll have to go back and reread some areas to understand its connection to the outcome. I hope this review is helpful to you in deciding whether Small Town is a book for you -- because it's not for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: OVER THE TOP SEX AND LOOSE ENDS GALORE
Review: Despite all the favorable reviews I read in this space, I thought this was an awful book. Major plot lines were left hanging. Heroine has outrageous sex with many people in bizarre and embarrassing ways, ends up loving the protagonist -- who still may be a murderer. Everybody ends up happy when they shouldn't, when in reality they wouldn't. The 9/11 stuff is so unreal. There is no motivation here that makes sense. This is the kind of stuff that Harold Robbins was famous for, but at least he tried to tie things together; Block doesn't even make the effort. If this is the kind of stuff you guys are reading and enjoying, you need to
move up in the world and try other authors of some quality.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent personal thriller
Review: While this book does delve into one character's somewhat lurid sex life, it is not what the book is about. The other Block fans seem to be expecting a Scudder-style mystery, and this is not that book. I've been a Block fan for many years, and this was one of his more enjoyable books. It is lurid at times, be warned. I didn't find it too distracting; the character's attitude of being thrilled by her bad-girl antics and power games may come off as puerile, but that's the character, not the writing.
The other characters- the writer, the Carpenter, and the commish, are all well drawn and engrossing. The story lines all criss-cross and wind together, and that is the point- that New York can really be like a small town. Don't let the one-star outraged reviews keep you away from this. If you're a Block fan, or intrigued by the blurbs, give it a read.
Rating:
Summary: Still shaking my head
Review: I read this book start to finish and kept waiting for the sex scenes to matter. Please,if this is the first Lawrence Block book for you, PLEASE put it back and start with the Matthew Scudder series, from the first to the last, then go on to the other series, and ONLY when you are a diehard Lawrence Block fan, as am I, consider trying this book. I must agree with the reviewer who said Block waited for his mother to die to write these icky and irrelevent sex scenes. I am not a goody-goody, I just didn't see the point (so to speak). Reading this book before you are a Block lover could cause you to miss some excellent, compelling writing by a true NYC lover.
Rating:
Summary: Post 9/11 fiction from New York Mystery Man
Review: Small Town is not a Scudder, a Rodenbarr, a Tanner, or a Keller. It's a standalone mystery novel, but Block fans will certainly recognize the milieu. It's a thick book, but a quick read, with many of Block's trademark themes including recovery and quirky sexuality. Block fans won't be disappointed.
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