Lawrence Block is one of the best American writers working in the genre of action-packed detective and action films. Sharp intrigue, unexpected denouement, dramatic turns in the destinies of the heroes keep the reader in suspense from the first to the last page of any of his books. The hero of Blok's novels, private detective Matthew Scudder, begins the search for the killers of the prostitute Wendy and the blackmailer nicknamed Eagle-Tails, and reveals intimate secrets outwardly decent people himself become a living target for criminals.