A Dance at the Slaughterhouse

Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for his long-running series featuring the recovering alcoholic private investigator Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, among over 100 books in crime, mystery, and suspense fiction. website. Named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994, he is the only four-time winner of the Edgar Award for Best Short Story and has received numerous other accolades including the Cartier Diamond Dagger.