劳伦斯·布洛克，享誉世界的美国侦探小说大师，当代硬汉派侦探小说最杰出的代表。他的小说不仅在美国备受青睐，而且跨越了大西洋，完全征服了自诩为侦探小说故乡的欧洲。

侦探小说界最重要的两个奖项，爱伦·坡奖的终身成就奖和钻石匕首奖均肯定了劳伦斯的大师地位。此外，他曾三次获爱伦·坡奖，两获马耳他之鹰奖，四获夏姆奖(后两个奖项都是重要的硬汉派侦探小说奖项)。

劳伦斯被称为“纽约犯罪风景的行吟诗人”，其作品主要包括以下四个系列：

马修·斯卡德系列：以一名戒酒无执照的私人侦探为主角；

雅贼系列：以一名中年小偷兼二手书店老板伯尼·罗登巴尔为主角；

伊凡·谭纳系列：以一名朝鲜战争期间遭炮击从此睡不着觉的侦探为主角；

奇波·哈里森系列：以一名肥胖、不离开办公室的、自我陶醉的私人侦探为主角。

此外，布洛克还著有杀手约翰·保罗·凯勒系列。

劳伦斯·布洛克生于纽约布法罗，现居纽约，已婚，育有二女。

尤传莉，译有《图书馆的故事》《达·芬奇密码》《天使与魔鬼》《隔离岛》《雨的祈祷》《杀人排行榜》《依然美丽》等。

在线阅读本书

Keller is friendly. Industrious. A bit lonely, sometimes. If it wasn't for the fact that he kills people for a living, he'd be just your average Joe. The inconvenient wife, the troublesome sports star, the greedy business partner, the vicious dog, he'll take care of them all, quietly and efficiently. If the price is right. Like the rest of us, Keller's starting to worry about his retirement. After all, he's not getting any younger. (His victims, on the other hand, aren't getting any older.) So he contacts his "booking agent," Dot, up in White Plains, and tells her to keep the hits coming. He'll take any job, anywhere. His nest egg needs fattening up. Of course, being less choosy means taking greater risks—and that could buy Keller some big trouble. Then again, in this game, there are plenty of opportunities for some inventive improvisation . . . and a determined self-motivator can make a killing.