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LAWRENCE BLOCK’S FIRST CRIME NOVEL—
LOST FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS!

To escape punishment for a murder he didn’t mean to commit, insurance man Don Barshter has to take on a new identity: Nathaniel Crowley, ferocious up-and-comer in the New York mob. But can he find safety in the skin of another man...a worse man...a sinner man...?

Long before he became the award-winning creator of Matthew Scudder (A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES) and an MWA Grand Master, Lawrence Block penned this tough, unforgettable crime novel, his very first. But as he describes in a new afterword, the book wound up published only eight years later, under a different title and a fake name—and was then lost for half a century. Now appearing for the first time under Block’s real name, with revisions by the author, SINNER MAN is revealed as a powerful work by a young novelist destined to become one of the giants of the mystery genre.

• First publication in almost 50 years—and first ever under author’s real name!
• Lawrence Block is one of the most acclaimed living crime writers, having won every major award in the genre (including 5 Edgar Awards) and been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America
• Block’s novel A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES became the movie starring Liam Neeson

"There is only one writer of mystery and detective fiction who comes close to replacing the irreplaceable John D. MacDonald...The writer is Lawrence Block."

— Stephen King

"Brilliant...For clean, close-to-the-bone prose, the line goes from Dashiell Hammett to James M. Cain to Lawrence Block. He’s that good."

— Martin Cruz Smith

"The suspense mounts & mounts & mounts...very superior.."

— James M. Cain

"Block grabs you...and never lets go."

— Elmore Leonard

"Lawrence Block is a master of crime fiction."

— Jonathan Kellerman

"Lawrence Block is addictive. Make room on your bookshelf."

— David Morrell