The Murders in Memory Lane

I received a rather odd request yesterday. A publicist asked me to review Lawrence Block's new column in Mystery Scene Magazine. http://mysteryscenemag.com/ My first reaction? It must be some kind of spam, after all this is a short story blog, why would they want me to review something a novelist had to say. And reviews, well we all know I'm nobody's first choice when it comes to that particular form of writing.

After contacting Mystery Scene's editor, Kate Stine, and being reassured that this was on the up and up, I said sure, why not. The real pleasure was discovering that Mr. Block's first column was about short story writer extraordinaire, Stanley Ellin.

And the stories Mr. Block shares are superb. He makes you feel like you've been invited to a writer's family reunion and you get to sit by his knee and listen as he spins the tales of his friends and colleges with love and humor.

About Ellin's approach to writing shorts, he says, "His method strikes me as pathological, and not far removed from OCD. It's how TV's Monk might write a short story--but a comforting thing about writing is that it never matters how a story was written, just so it works on the page. And Ellin's stories work superbly."

With this new column, aptly called "The Murders in Memory Lane", Mystery Scene and Mr. Block are taking you into a world that is slowly slipping away. A world of writers we love, but who are no longer here to share their words with us. As Mr. Block phrases it, "And while I'm here, perhaps I ought to share some of the flotsam and jetsam bobbing on the stagnant pond that is my memory."

So grab yourself a copy of the Holiday issue of Mystery Scene and sit down at the knee of "Grandpa Block" and enjoy the memories and the lessons.