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The Specialists by Lawrence Block
Albert Platt is a rotten man. Bred in the rough parts of Brooklyn, he made his name as a killer and has built a fortune from gambling, loan sharking, and the other pastimes of a standard thug. His latest gambit? Buying banks, robbing them, and collecting the insurance. He’s a hard man, and no one ever stood in his way until he brushed up against Eddie Manso.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
Lawrence Block
758 books3,016 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 21, 2020
You can take a person out of jungle but can you take the jungle out of them? Unlikely.
Some ludicrous stuff, of course. Still, a very dinamic and much too short a read. Old Lawrence Block, classy and all.
Q:
That day he got out to the golf course early. He hung around the clubhouse until three other loners accumulated, then played eighteen holes with them as a foursome. He hooked most of his tee shots, but his short game was on and he came in with an 82, which was a little better than he averaged on that course. (c) Yay, golf!
Q:
This was unusual; for the past three years he had looked 23 almost all the time. But every once in a while his face put on five years. (c) The Miraculous Quantum Face!
Q:
Now just let me review my thoughts for a moment. (c) The miraculous reviewable thought strike back
Q:
“All of a sudden my foot hurt. It forgot it was somewhere in Laos.”
When you came right down to it, nobody really needed an encyclopedia. A staggering number of people lived full and rewarding lives without ever being in the same house with an encyclopedia. On the other hand, though, if a guy was going to waste his money on something, he could do a lot worse. It certainly didn’t hurt you to have an encyclopedia in the house. It wasn’t like selling liquor or cigarettes or automobiles. Nobody ever got killed by an encyclopedia. (c)
Q:
When you came right down to it, nobody really needed an encyclopedia. A staggering number of people lived full and rewarding lives without ever being in the same house with an encyclopedia. On the other hand, though, if a guy was going to waste his money on something, he could do a lot worse. It certainly didn’t hurt you to have an encyclopedia in the house. It wasn’t like selling liquor or cigarettes or automobiles. Nobody ever got killed by an encyclopedia. (c)
Q:
… the beauty in a human face came not from its inborn features but from the personality that came through it. (c) The rest of this paragraph is crap
Q:
That day he got out to the golf course early. He hung around the clubhouse until three other loners accumulated, then played eighteen holes with them as a foursome. He hooked most of his tee shots, but his short game was on and he came in with an 82, which was a little better than he averaged on that course. (c) Yay, golf!
Some ludicrous stuff, of course. Still, a very dinamic and much too short a read. Old Lawrence Block, classy and all.
Q:
That day he got out to the golf course early. He hung around the clubhouse until three other loners accumulated, then played eighteen holes with them as a foursome. He hooked most of his tee shots, but his short game was on and he came in with an 82, which was a little better than he averaged on that course. (c) Yay, golf!
Q:
This was unusual; for the past three years he had looked 23 almost all the time. But every once in a while his face put on five years. (c) The Miraculous Quantum Face!
Q:
Now just let me review my thoughts for a moment. (c) The miraculous reviewable thought strike back
Q:
“All of a sudden my foot hurt. It forgot it was somewhere in Laos.”
When you came right down to it, nobody really needed an encyclopedia. A staggering number of people lived full and rewarding lives without ever being in the same house with an encyclopedia. On the other hand, though, if a guy was going to waste his money on something, he could do a lot worse. It certainly didn’t hurt you to have an encyclopedia in the house. It wasn’t like selling liquor or cigarettes or automobiles. Nobody ever got killed by an encyclopedia. (c)
Q:
When you came right down to it, nobody really needed an encyclopedia. A staggering number of people lived full and rewarding lives without ever being in the same house with an encyclopedia. On the other hand, though, if a guy was going to waste his money on something, he could do a lot worse. It certainly didn’t hurt you to have an encyclopedia in the house. It wasn’t like selling liquor or cigarettes or automobiles. Nobody ever got killed by an encyclopedia. (c)
Q:
… the beauty in a human face came not from its inborn features but from the personality that came through it. (c) The rest of this paragraph is crap
Q:
That day he got out to the golf course early. He hung around the clubhouse until three other loners accumulated, then played eighteen holes with them as a foursome. He hooked most of his tee shots, but his short game was on and he came in with an 82, which was a little better than he averaged on that course. (c) Yay, golf!
February 27, 2024
Intended as a series but ended as a series of one
Lawrence Block has said that when he saw the TV show, A-Team, he had the feeling the show’s producers had read his 1968 novel. But he decided that life is too short for litigation.
There are indeed similarities between the TV program and this book. However the ex-military team in the book is much harder, grittier and more logical than the frequently silly A-team. This team of Mr. Block's does not shy away from violence, death and making a profit. Some would not consider them nice people at all. Un-nice or not, they are very effective and entertaining to read about.
Lawrence Block has said that when he saw the TV show, A-Team, he had the feeling the show’s producers had read his 1968 novel. But he decided that life is too short for litigation.
There are indeed similarities between the TV program and this book. However the ex-military team in the book is much harder, grittier and more logical than the frequently silly A-team. This team of Mr. Block's does not shy away from violence, death and making a profit. Some would not consider them nice people at all. Un-nice or not, they are very effective and entertaining to read about.
March 2, 2024
As Block notes in an afterward added to more recent editions, he originally conceived of the Specialists as a series, developing the characters with backstories, but later decided he did not want to write about them anymore and, thus, created a series consisting of one book. That’s too bad. This could well have continued as a terrific series of caper novels sort of in the tradition of Westlake’s Parker novels. Here, we get a bank robbery caper, but it is sort of an unusual caper in that it is bank operated by a hoodlum who already busted the bank with his own robbery team, collecting the proceeds and then the insurance money. Now, however, he can’t be heard to complain about another robbery, seeing as that would only draw the suspicion of auditors and investigators. As capers go, it, of course, goes wrong in ways that could easily have been predicted, but therein lies the suspense and the excitement. Anyone, after all, can work a 9-5 job, but only a few determined gambling souls who take these kinds of risks.
The joy in this one though comes in reading about the great characters Block develops. Albert Platt is the hoodlum so named and he looks a bit like a gorilla when naked. His hobby is pointing a loaded firearm at call girl’s foreheads and laughing at their reactions. Interestingly, though, she (Donna) is connected to a team of specialists who see the world in terms of good and evil and are now back from the jungles of Laos. In other words, they see their calling as sort of being like Robin Hood at least in terms of robbing the evil rich guys like this hoodlum. They are run by a Colonel Roger Cross (retired) who is sort of like the X-men’s Professor X down to the wheelchair and has everything figured out to the last detail. They were all good men and saw the same jungle whether in Laos or back in the States. ”All over the country were dirty men with money, men the law could never get close to, but once you took their money, it turned clean.” They were hard tough men to deal with, but after Laos that did not impress the team.
The team includes Corporal Edward J. Manso, Murdock, Simmons, Giordano, and Dehn. The Colonel required the men to have clean identities as far as income sources. For Simmons, that meant stamp collecting. Dehn sold encyclopedias. Giordano opened a travel agency in Phoenix. Etc.
This is a well-written novel and one could easily see how Block could have this team (or replacements as necessary) perform caper after caper against the odds and against dirty men who deserved to lose their money. But we have, as Block put it, a series of one. I guess we will survive.
The joy in this one though comes in reading about the great characters Block develops. Albert Platt is the hoodlum so named and he looks a bit like a gorilla when naked. His hobby is pointing a loaded firearm at call girl’s foreheads and laughing at their reactions. Interestingly, though, she (Donna) is connected to a team of specialists who see the world in terms of good and evil and are now back from the jungles of Laos. In other words, they see their calling as sort of being like Robin Hood at least in terms of robbing the evil rich guys like this hoodlum. They are run by a Colonel Roger Cross (retired) who is sort of like the X-men’s Professor X down to the wheelchair and has everything figured out to the last detail. They were all good men and saw the same jungle whether in Laos or back in the States. ”All over the country were dirty men with money, men the law could never get close to, but once you took their money, it turned clean.” They were hard tough men to deal with, but after Laos that did not impress the team.
The team includes Corporal Edward J. Manso, Murdock, Simmons, Giordano, and Dehn. The Colonel required the men to have clean identities as far as income sources. For Simmons, that meant stamp collecting. Dehn sold encyclopedias. Giordano opened a travel agency in Phoenix. Etc.
This is a well-written novel and one could easily see how Block could have this team (or replacements as necessary) perform caper after caper against the odds and against dirty men who deserved to lose their money. But we have, as Block put it, a series of one. I guess we will survive.
March 8, 2022
Not bad, but not Block's best. This story of counter-crime criminals (sort of like the A-Team!) is actually too dang short. It's not often I say that. Usually I'm all for trimming some of the fat. However, Specialists is an ensemble piece that needs time to develop or at least relate a bit of each character's backstory. At 160 pages, it's just not enough time.
December 19, 2016
Not one of Block's better efforts, but even his not-so-good novels are entertaining at times. From the description I thought it would be better than it was. It read like a lost script of the A-Team. Maybe that's where they got the idea for the show.
May 3, 2023
The series that was never a series. Block writes as much in the afterword of this edition. He mentions that he enjoyed writing it, but never wanted to write another like it. Probably for the best.
This is the sixth Block book I've read since discovering him, and the first that was tough to get through (even at a very modest 160 pages). The action and characters were simply too ridiculous, even the plot felt silly. It's clearly his attempt at a Mack Bolan style book, but fortunately, he quickly moved away from it because (from what I've read so far), he's much better than this.
Which is too bad since I do love an occasional cheesy action adventure novel, but this didn't even scratch that itch, at least not until the end and by then my interest had already waned.
This is the sixth Block book I've read since discovering him, and the first that was tough to get through (even at a very modest 160 pages). The action and characters were simply too ridiculous, even the plot felt silly. It's clearly his attempt at a Mack Bolan style book, but fortunately, he quickly moved away from it because (from what I've read so far), he's much better than this.
Which is too bad since I do love an occasional cheesy action adventure novel, but this didn't even scratch that itch, at least not until the end and by then my interest had already waned.
January 31, 2015
I always enjoy the writing of Lawrence Block, and this was no exception.
Originally written in 1969 and now available as an ebook, this delightful book was a fun read and a good story.
Set in the late 60's it has the feel of an older story....no internet (go to the library for resources) no cell phones, etc....fun.
Veterans trying to to make things right when bad guys make things go wrong....interesting characters, with a good back story, some fun, some great story points (the pretend tree surgeons, setting up a reference in a cute way with a sweet woman)..
This is lite reading,easy going and uncomplicated. Enjoy.
At the end is an afterwards about the story and how this as going to be a series and then became a series of one book. Too bad, would have enjoyed more.
Bonus feature - photos of L Block at the end....nice touch
Originally written in 1969 and now available as an ebook, this delightful book was a fun read and a good story.
Set in the late 60's it has the feel of an older story....no internet (go to the library for resources) no cell phones, etc....fun.
Veterans trying to to make things right when bad guys make things go wrong....interesting characters, with a good back story, some fun, some great story points (the pretend tree surgeons, setting up a reference in a cute way with a sweet woman)..
This is lite reading,easy going and uncomplicated. Enjoy.
At the end is an afterwards about the story and how this as going to be a series and then became a series of one book. Too bad, would have enjoyed more.
Bonus feature - photos of L Block at the end....nice touch
July 18, 2022
This was an enjoyable though forgettable heist book. It feels like a proto-A Team. I read that this was supposed to be the first of a series by Block said that he liked reading this kind of book but not writing the,
February 25, 2019
Fast paced thriller following team of former soldiers fighting crime in only way that can affect the crime - by robbing banks associated with the organized crime and used for money laundering.
After lady friend of one of the soldiers is maltreated by a shady crime boss group decides to bring his crime fiefdom down.
This is a novel written in time when original Mission impossible, A Team and Equalizer shows were very popular. That being said in here we also have a team in which every man is a specialist for certain area - be it technical or social. Also some of them are not that OK themselves - some are troublemakers but Army helped them find their place so to speak. They might all come from various backgrounds but in the Army and in hell that is Vietnam war they learned to look beyond the social status and race and rely on each other through tough times.
Considering the length of the novel and number of the characters they might all seem one-dimensional and cliche - but keep in mind when novel was written. Today we have seen volumes of books, TV shows and movies with the same plots but that was not the case in the day.
All of the above [at least for me] does not deduct anything from the story or novel itself. I truly enjoyed it as a kick ass action story.
Good thriller, recommended.
After lady friend of one of the soldiers is maltreated by a shady crime boss group decides to bring his crime fiefdom down.
This is a novel written in time when original Mission impossible, A Team and Equalizer shows were very popular. That being said in here we also have a team in which every man is a specialist for certain area - be it technical or social. Also some of them are not that OK themselves - some are troublemakers but Army helped them find their place so to speak. They might all come from various backgrounds but in the Army and in hell that is Vietnam war they learned to look beyond the social status and race and rely on each other through tough times.
Considering the length of the novel and number of the characters they might all seem one-dimensional and cliche - but keep in mind when novel was written. Today we have seen volumes of books, TV shows and movies with the same plots but that was not the case in the day.
All of the above [at least for me] does not deduct anything from the story or novel itself. I truly enjoyed it as a kick ass action story.
Good thriller, recommended.
October 20, 2017
The characters are initially well handled and then given short shrift at the end. Scantily drawn. This is especially bad at the end when structures become important.series tales, but the plotting stinks. Seems to me Block had a much larger vision, maybe even starting his own series, and as he got near the end, he sliced his efforts to minimum, finished off the book and went on the to the next.
After a build up of a collection of new characters and their various abilities, they are collected to complete a mission that is then written off quickly to the point I wasn't really sure if they actually met whatever goal they were trying to make.
The story is an odd case of vengeance involving important a treatment of a woman that ends up an effort to destroy the person involved but really ends with something different. I found the ending very unsatisfying.
The characters are initially well handled and then given short shrift at the end. Scantily drawn. This is especially bad at the end when structures become important.
Bottom line: i don't recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.
After a build up of a collection of new characters and their various abilities, they are collected to complete a mission that is then written off quickly to the point I wasn't really sure if they actually met whatever goal they were trying to make.
The story is an odd case of vengeance involving important a treatment of a woman that ends up an effort to destroy the person involved but really ends with something different. I found the ending very unsatisfying.
The characters are initially well handled and then given short shrift at the end. Scantily drawn. This is especially bad at the end when structures become important.
Bottom line: i don't recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.
June 10, 2025
Mildly enjoyable if thin exercise in crime fiction. The central idea of ex-military being brought together by a former commander to right wrongs likely ripped off by TV’s THE A TEAM, down to sharing a character named Murdock, and even the first LEATHAL WEAPON where the movie flipped them to bad guys. THE SPECIALISTS always seems about to cook then the heat is turned off. There is surprisingly little action—I assumed that the central heist the book was leading up to would be a nice action set piece but unfortunately it is rushed through to get to another bit of action that is even more anti-climactic. Finding out in the afterward that this was the first and only book of an aborted series explained the nagging feeling during the book that the whole thing was formulaic. The author admits in the afterword that when the writing of the second book was delayed, he lost interest in following up the series—I know how he feels. (would give this 2.5 if possible)
August 4, 2024
The Specialists by Lawrence Block is a short, fast-paced thriller set in late 1960s US. A small team of highly trained Special Forces veterans don't fit easily back into civilian life; war is what they know best. Led by their retired military commander, they target criminals who escape law enforcement. One such mission is described in minute detail: the motivation, the criminal target, the intricate planning, the step-by-step execution, the steps that go awry.
Simmons knew what war was and how war worked, and he couldn't see the point in being in a war unless you stood a chance to win it. Vietnam or Newark, if you weren't going to win it, you ought to go home.
Don't miss the Afterword, in which the author describes how and why The Specialists came to be the debut novel of a series, which will forever be a 1-book series.
Simmons knew what war was and how war worked, and he couldn't see the point in being in a war unless you stood a chance to win it. Vietnam or Newark, if you weren't going to win it, you ought to go home.
Don't miss the Afterword, in which the author describes how and why The Specialists came to be the debut novel of a series, which will forever be a 1-book series.
August 29, 2023
A quick read, only 160 pages. The Author has assembled a group of former Army buddies, A Colonel with no legs and wheelchair bound (The Planner), a Captain and four enlisted men, all of whom were trained together in Jungle warfare and will not hesitate for an instant to kill. They get together whenever summoned by the Colonel for the purpose of eradicating those bad guys identified as the worst of criminals, while at the same time, ensuring that they can profit from their adventure. When their task is finished, they resume their normal lives till summoned again.
June 18, 2017
8/10
160 pages
Book #38 of 2017
160 pages
Book #38 of 2017
July 9, 2020
My, my, how times and attitudes have changed from the 60s. I prefer Keller.
May 12, 2025
Pains me to say it, but this is one of the weaker entries in the early Block canon.
September 24, 2016
Audible library
Ex army get together to clear criminal and make money from the actions. It started when the senior officer return in a wheel
“The colonel was right. You had to draw a line through mankind, a wavy line but a line, and on one side you had Good and on the other side you had Evil. There was good and bad in everyone, sure, and every shitheel was some mother’s son, and it was all well and good to know this, but when push came to shove, it was just words; there was Good and Evil with no shades of gray and Judgment Day came seven time a week.”
Meet the Specialists, five good men, Manso and Murdock and Simmons and Giordano and Dehn. They scattered when they took off their green berets and returned to civilian life, but now and then their colonel picks up the phone and gets in touch—and they get together to do as they did in Vietnam.
Colonel Roger Elliott Cross left a leg in Vietnam. His men came home physically intact, but each bears scars nonetheless. But when they come together, teamed up to right wrongs, they are a powerful force for good.
And,by doing good, they also manage to do well. Because when five specialists take on a Mafia-owned bank, why shouldn’t they turn profit on the deal?
If you saw The A-Team on television, this may seem familiar to you. When Lawrence Block saw the A-Team, it seems uncannily familiar to him, and he had the feeling the show’s producers had read his 1968 novel. But he decided, wisely or not, that life is too short for litigation. Now, years later, the TV show has vanished and the book lives on. Isn’t that as it should be?
This Classic Crime Library ebook of The Specialists includes as a bonus the first chapter of the next book in the series, The Triumph of Evil.
Ex army get together to clear criminal and make money from the actions. It started when the senior officer return in a wheel
“The colonel was right. You had to draw a line through mankind, a wavy line but a line, and on one side you had Good and on the other side you had Evil. There was good and bad in everyone, sure, and every shitheel was some mother’s son, and it was all well and good to know this, but when push came to shove, it was just words; there was Good and Evil with no shades of gray and Judgment Day came seven time a week.”
Meet the Specialists, five good men, Manso and Murdock and Simmons and Giordano and Dehn. They scattered when they took off their green berets and returned to civilian life, but now and then their colonel picks up the phone and gets in touch—and they get together to do as they did in Vietnam.
Colonel Roger Elliott Cross left a leg in Vietnam. His men came home physically intact, but each bears scars nonetheless. But when they come together, teamed up to right wrongs, they are a powerful force for good.
And,by doing good, they also manage to do well. Because when five specialists take on a Mafia-owned bank, why shouldn’t they turn profit on the deal?
If you saw The A-Team on television, this may seem familiar to you. When Lawrence Block saw the A-Team, it seems uncannily familiar to him, and he had the feeling the show’s producers had read his 1968 novel. But he decided, wisely or not, that life is too short for litigation. Now, years later, the TV show has vanished and the book lives on. Isn’t that as it should be?
This Classic Crime Library ebook of The Specialists includes as a bonus the first chapter of the next book in the series, The Triumph of Evil.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2017
an early Block crime classic - enjoyed it although slightly dated
March 3, 2010
A group of ex-enlisted men and army officers forms a team to do what the law can't: catch bag guys. Sort of like the A-Team. (This was an early Block and for all I know gave someone in Hollywood the idea.) The colonel, who has money, creates lives for them to account for their unusual income. One of them is a stamp collector and dealer (shades of a future Keller?), another an encyclopedia salesmen (he didn't mind conning people into buying a good encyclopedia since everyone ought to have one - on the other hand one could live an entire life without one, too.) A third is a travel agent, anyway, you get the idea, all have jobs that made it relatively easy to hide money that came from the extracurricular jobs. They decide to take on a mob boss by duplicating one of his earlier bank robberies to assure that he is accused of the second. Lots of things start to go wrong, and while the group has an ostensible moral compass, the justifications for some of their cruder actions struck me as hollow.
Clearly a minor, exploratory work, it shows some of Block's talent and is a fun little read.
Clearly a minor, exploratory work, it shows some of Block's talent and is a fun little read.
July 8, 2011
I couldn't help liking this book. It's fast-paced, with wildly implausible action scenes and tongue-in-cheek humor. (I particularly liked the part where one of the commandos would tape a knife to his leg and then sneak up behind someone, remove the knife quiety, and kill him. Really? How does the intended victim not hear you ripping duct tape off your leg?)
I realize this book is deeply silly on many levels. But it's like watching a James Bond movie from the 70's: Yes, the plot barely makes sense. And yes, the characters are little more than cardboard cutouts. But you still can't turn away because it's so much fun seeing what comes next.
One interesting twist in this story was that the "good guys" were arguably morally worse than the bad guys. In fact, throughout the book, the menacing gangsters never actually killed anyone. Oh, they threatened and they beat a few people up, but nothing like the "good guy" commandos who basically ran around killing gangsters, gangster wives, and hapless security guards almost at random.
But hey, who doesn't like a good shoot-em-up every once in a while?
I realize this book is deeply silly on many levels. But it's like watching a James Bond movie from the 70's: Yes, the plot barely makes sense. And yes, the characters are little more than cardboard cutouts. But you still can't turn away because it's so much fun seeing what comes next.
One interesting twist in this story was that the "good guys" were arguably morally worse than the bad guys. In fact, throughout the book, the menacing gangsters never actually killed anyone. Oh, they threatened and they beat a few people up, but nothing like the "good guy" commandos who basically ran around killing gangsters, gangster wives, and hapless security guards almost at random.
But hey, who doesn't like a good shoot-em-up every once in a while?
June 17, 2010
I heard Lawrence Block speak recently, and he mentioned a little-known book he wrote which he said was similar to The A-Team, although he wrote it before the series came out. The premise caught my attention, and I picked up a copy on Kindle for $3.98 and gave it a read.
It was a short read of about 160 pages, and I read it in one sitting. It was quite enjoyable, with memorable characters and an interesting heist plot-line, but I am at a loss to explain exactly why they tried conning Albert Platt instead of just killing him outright, given their lack of moral objections to killing his bodyguards and drivers to get to him.
In the afterword, Block mentions that he was originally supposed to write a series based on these characters, and while he liked The Specialists, he did not like writing the characters enough to continue the series. I find this unfortunate, as I think the characters could be explored much more and would have liked to read more about them.
It was a short read of about 160 pages, and I read it in one sitting. It was quite enjoyable, with memorable characters and an interesting heist plot-line, but I am at a loss to explain exactly why they tried conning Albert Platt instead of just killing him outright, given their lack of moral objections to killing his bodyguards and drivers to get to him.
In the afterword, Block mentions that he was originally supposed to write a series based on these characters, and while he liked The Specialists, he did not like writing the characters enough to continue the series. I find this unfortunate, as I think the characters could be explored much more and would have liked to read more about them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2012
As others have noted, there are serious shades of "The A Team" here. A team of crack soldiers out to right wrongs and help the innocent, etc. There are also shades of Richard Stark/Donald Westlake here--the planning and execution phase of The Specialists reminded me of some of the Parker books a little. Overall, this wasn't a bad read, but nothing particularly special, either. I think that one reason the book falls a little flat is that half of the "good guys" are pretty repugnant. For guys who are supposed to be all about punishing the wicked, they seem to have pretty dirty pasts.
I don't regret that couple of bucks I dropped on this, but this is definitely nowhere near as good as the Scudder books.
I don't regret that couple of bucks I dropped on this, but this is definitely nowhere near as good as the Scudder books.
October 12, 2013
In modern parlance you might consider this "Ocean's Eleven" meets "The A-Team." Basically a bunch of retired Special Forces guys get together to knock over a bank after a tip from a call girl who then conveniently disappears from the plot. It's too bad the book wasn't longer but like a lot of Block's books it's a fun little yarn. Also interesting that he uses a couple of things that show up in other books. The Canadian mining scam was used in another one I can't remember and Block's Keller series has a lot of stamp collecting in it.
That is all.
That is all.
September 15, 2008
The language is terse and plot convoluted, but when a double-amputee Colonel is leading a gang of 5 Vietnam Vets, does that really matter? Like A-Team re-envisioned for Skinemax, this is the best 25 cents I have spent on a book.
April 11, 2013
I borrowed this audio book from the library on a day when the pickings were admittedly slim and I wanted something short and quickly engaging. Mercifully, this book was short or else I would not here suffer the shame of admitting that I fast-listened to it. So that is not a recommendation.
September 25, 2013
An early Block work where the style that would propel him into successful series writing, particularly with Scudder, starts to solidify. In contrast to his early semi-soft porn stuff, where he was searching for rhythm and voice, this book makes a leap forward in both areas. Enjoyable, short read.
November 12, 2016
How had I never read this before? What a great book! The afterword says that it was originally intended to be a series, and I'm so sorry that he didn't write more. Would have loved to have seen what happened to them all.
Want to read
September 28, 2009AKA: Sheldon Lord, Jill Emerson, Paul Kavanaugh, Chip Harrison, Lawrence Block
February 26, 2019
Cool concept, I was into this one
December 1, 2012
Brilliant. Very cinematic. Great book. Would've been a great series.
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