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Bestselling Author Lawrence Block releases paperback reprint of "Killing Castro"

-- Crime novel was penned 48 years ago, but still has legs--

by staff writer

NEW YORK (RUSHPRNEWS)02/09/09 -- Lawrence Block writes blockbusters, no pun intended. The popular American crime novelist has turned out a long line of books in a hugely satisfying career, and he's still going strong in his early 70s.

Block, of course, is best known for his two long-running New York-set crime/detective series, about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, respectively. He was also named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1993.
Born in 1938, Block is prolifically prolific, and his fans are legion.

In a recent email to RushPRnews, Block -- who lives in Manhattan when he isn't jetting around the globe to attend book conferences and literary festivals -- said: "My newest old book is 'Killing Castro', which has just been released in paperback by Hard Case Crime publishers. I wrote this book 48 years ago in response to a request from an editor at Monarch Books, and he published it with the title 'Fidel Castro Assassinated' under the pen name of Lee Duncan."

"The Monarch first-edition paperback is genuinely rare, so lots of luck finding a copy," Block added. "But the re-issue has a terrific cover and, much to my own astonishment, has been getting a very generous reception from the critics. I don't know, maybe they're just being nice to an old guy."

Block is still travelling, he says, noting: "The folks in France are being nice to this old guy, bringing me over the last week of March for a few days in Paris and a crime fiction conference in Lyon. My next project is a new book titled 'Step by Step: A Pedestrian Memoir', coming from HarperCollins publishers in May. I set out to chronicle a year in the life of an aging racewalker, and, well, one thing led to another. The marathons and ultramarathons are in there, and so is the long walk I took across Spain (with Lynne who couldn't understand why she had to wear a backpack instead of pushing a shopping cart.) And there's childhood and adolescent stuff I never thought I'd write about. I wrote the book wondering if anybody else would find it interesting, and I still don't have the answer to that question, but come May readers can see what they think."

Block also told RushPRnews that has joined the crowds at Facebook.

"A few days ago I surprised myself no end by joining Facebook,"he said in his email. "I hadn't expected to, I went to the site because somebody told me there was a page I might find interesting and the only way to access it was to sign up. So I did, and the next thing I knew I had a page of my own and a few dozen friends, some of whom I've actually met."

"It's all quite fascinating, I must say. More than 20 years ago I read a seminal book by Peter Russell, a theoretical physicist in the UK, who posited that we would all find ourselves linking up with one another, like cells in, well, a cognitive global brain. His bool was called 'The Global Brain', by the way. I have to say I think it's happening much as he said it would, and Facebook is a part of it. As I said, fascinating."

Block added, before signing off: "Why am I telling you all this? Well, it seems only fitting that I invite readers at RushPRnews to be my friends at Facebook. The process is remarkably easy. You go to facebook.com and just do what they tell you."

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