If you liked
Books like Enough Rope
by Lawrence Block
Lawrence Block's Enough Rope collects 84 of his short crime stories across thirty years. If Block's economy and the New York register hit, these five carry the short-crime spirit forward.
The shortlist
What to read next
- Five Great NovelsFive Great Novels
by Lawrence Block
“A Lawrence Block omnibus collecting Scudder, Bernie Rhodenbarr, and Keller. The form on multiple registers in one volume.”
Bury Me Deepby Megan Abbott
“Megan Abbott rewriting a real 1930s Phoenix murder case as a fever dream. Period noir with a feminist undertow.”
Cold Steel Rainby Kenneth Abel
“The first Danny Chaisson novel. Kenneth Abel writing New Orleans politics and corruption with a New Orleans-specific moral exhaustion you cannot fake.”
When Rich Men Dieby Harold Adams
“When Rich Men Die by Harold Adams 1987 review. The fifth Carl Wilcox Depression-era mystery sends the alcoholic itinerant artist back to Corden, South Dakota for a banker’s murder.”
The Church of the Dead Girlsby Stephen Dobyns
“The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns 1997 review. Three teenage girls disappear from an upstate New York town and the community begins to suspect everyone, including itself.”
FAQ
Common questions about Enough Rope read-alikes
- Should I read more Lawrence Block?
- Five Great Novels is the easy next move (the omnibus of Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling and four others). For Matt Scudder, start with When the Sacred Ginmill Closes. For Keller the hitman, Hit Man.
- Are these all short fiction or short-form?
- Block's collections plus four novel-length picks in the same patient American crime register. If you want more short collections, the Best American Mystery Stories series (which Block has edited multiple times) is the obvious next stop.
- What about other crime-fiction grandmasters?
- Donald Westlake's Parker novels (under the Richard Stark byline) and Charles Willeford's Hoke Moseley books are the closest cousins to Block among living-then-recently-departed American crime grandmasters.
The original