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Out of the Mouths of Graves
Robert Bloch. LIMITED EDITION. Out of the Mouths of Graves. New York: Mysterious Press, 1979. First edition, limited to 250 numbered copies. Signed by Bloch. Octavo. 193 pages.
This collection contains: Night School; The Model Wife; The Beautiful People; All in the Family; Double Cross; Crime in Rhyme; His and Hearse; The Man Who Looked Like Napoleon; Lucy Comes to Stay; A Most Unusual Murder; The Warm Farewell; Man With a Hobby; A Matter of Life; Hobo; The Living Bracelet; and The Closer of the Way.
This collection contains: Night School; The Model Wife; The Beautiful People; All in the Family; Double Cross; Crime in Rhyme; His and Hearse; The Man Who Looked Like Napoleon; Lucy Comes to Stay; A Most Unusual Murder; The Warm Farewell; Man With a Hobby; A Matter of Life; Hobo; The Living Bracelet; and The Closer of the Way.
193 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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47 people want to read
About the author
Robert Bloch
1,092 books1,288 followersRobert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer. He was the son of Raphael "Ray" Bloch (1884, Chicago-1952, Chicago), a bank cashier, and his wife Stella Loeb (1880, Attica, Indiana-1944, Milwaukee, WI), a social worker, both of German-Jewish descent.
Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over twenty novels, usually crime fiction, science fiction, and, perhaps most influentially, horror fiction (Psycho). He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle; Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
He was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award (for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Bloch was also a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. In the 1940s, he created the humorous character Lefty Feep in a story for Fantastic Adventures. He also worked for a time in local vaudeville, and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. He was a good friend of the science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. In the 1960's, he wrote 3 stories for Star Trek.
Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over twenty novels, usually crime fiction, science fiction, and, perhaps most influentially, horror fiction (Psycho). He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle; Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
He was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award (for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Bloch was also a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. In the 1940s, he created the humorous character Lefty Feep in a story for Fantastic Adventures. He also worked for a time in local vaudeville, and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. He was a good friend of the science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. In the 1960's, he wrote 3 stories for Star Trek.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2012
While Robert Bloch's name is usually bandied about with other horror/fantasy masters of the 50s and 60s like Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and Ray Bradbury, most of his works are more in the suspense/thriller/mystery genre; Although he can write some of the most riveting supernatural horror when he wants to and originally started as a protege of the Lovecraftian Circles. However the novel Psycho is a good example of his forte; the suspense thriller whose premise is shocking enough to overlap into terror. But he also wrote a significant amount of fairly mainstream murder tales and Out of The Mouth of Graves is an excellent collection of these tales ranging from the 1950's to the early 70s.
The short fiction in this collection includes both the serious and the tongue-in-cheek variety. No author of suspense had such a droll wit. For example, here is a tidbit from "Crime in Rhyme" in which a mystery writer is explaining his new novel...
"Crime in Rhyme", and personally I prefer the editor rejected title, "Rhyme Doesn't Pay", also explains a basic premise of Bloch mysteries. The perfect murder is boring and common. Forty percent of murders, he states, goes unsolved so there is nothing special about the perfect crime. The trick is to plan the perfect murder, then find the one subtle flaw that gets the murderer caught.
Most, but not all of Bloch's murderers, are caught. Often the murderer himself becomes the victim in one of the author's clever twists. But this is where Bloch's stories sometime goes into a rut. Some of his tales are all punch lines. He becomes more interested in developing the punch line than the characters.
But there are still some stunners in this collection; "The Beautiful People", "Double-Cross", and "His and Hearse" are all classics of short mystery fiction. There are even a couple like "A Most Unusual Murder" that has a supernatural element. Yet the strangest, and my favorite, is the delightful "The Closer of the Way" in which Bloch writes himself not only into the story but into a mental asylum. The psychiatrist and the author goes into a dialogue in which the psychiatrist explains why Bloch has such a macabre interest in murder. The author has often written about his fear of psychiatrists. This story takes on the feel of a cathartic purge. It a great tale and a perfect ending for this classic collection of murder stories.
The short fiction in this collection includes both the serious and the tongue-in-cheek variety. No author of suspense had such a droll wit. For example, here is a tidbit from "Crime in Rhyme" in which a mystery writer is explaining his new novel...
Rickie Lane is a private eye who writes in the first person singular - although not quite as singular as some others I could mention. He stumbles on the corpse of a beautiful woman, and since he is not a necrophiliac, there is only one other thing he can do. He must solve the crime.
"Crime in Rhyme", and personally I prefer the editor rejected title, "Rhyme Doesn't Pay", also explains a basic premise of Bloch mysteries. The perfect murder is boring and common. Forty percent of murders, he states, goes unsolved so there is nothing special about the perfect crime. The trick is to plan the perfect murder, then find the one subtle flaw that gets the murderer caught.
Most, but not all of Bloch's murderers, are caught. Often the murderer himself becomes the victim in one of the author's clever twists. But this is where Bloch's stories sometime goes into a rut. Some of his tales are all punch lines. He becomes more interested in developing the punch line than the characters.
But there are still some stunners in this collection; "The Beautiful People", "Double-Cross", and "His and Hearse" are all classics of short mystery fiction. There are even a couple like "A Most Unusual Murder" that has a supernatural element. Yet the strangest, and my favorite, is the delightful "The Closer of the Way" in which Bloch writes himself not only into the story but into a mental asylum. The psychiatrist and the author goes into a dialogue in which the psychiatrist explains why Bloch has such a macabre interest in murder. The author has often written about his fear of psychiatrists. This story takes on the feel of a cathartic purge. It a great tale and a perfect ending for this classic collection of murder stories.
June 6, 2025
Delightfully silly, feels like reading goosebumps from the 60s/70s, I'll cherish this book forever ✨️
September 15, 2025
bloch's punchy tales
ready for johnny craig art
chills for a beach read
ready for johnny craig art
chills for a beach read
October 21, 2014
I picked this up from a lovely used bookstore in Richmond, VA, Black Swan Books. Seriously, if ever you're in town, go there, and say hi to their amazing standard poodle named Copy (short for Copy Editor). He is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest pup, who allowed my semi-rambunctious kids to walk him all over the store while I browsed for books. Their selection is downright amazing, and it's well worth the trip.
Anyhow, back to the book. I'm not even sure why I grabbed this book because short stories aren't my thing, and neither is horror/suspense novels. But I"m really quite glad I did. Bloch is a master at telling a gripping story in even the shortest of stories. A couple of his stories are only a few pages long, though most are longer. Even in his shortest tales, he hits every note just perfectly, and you're left wondering how exactly he can do that in so few words.
I think my favorite story of the collection was "The Living Bracelet," just three pages long. But it's so, so good, and the end is rather unexpected.
I do enjoy how Bloch tends to focus more on the psychology of the killer, versus the actual crime scene. If you're looking for long, drawn-out, gratuitous gore fests, this is probably not the collection for you. I admit that after a while, some of his stories become a bit predictable, and being written in the 1970s can feel a tiny bit dated. But even still, this is truly a wonderful collection.
I highly recommend reading this around Halloween, as I did. It really puts one in the mood for scary nights.
Anyhow, back to the book. I'm not even sure why I grabbed this book because short stories aren't my thing, and neither is horror/suspense novels. But I"m really quite glad I did. Bloch is a master at telling a gripping story in even the shortest of stories. A couple of his stories are only a few pages long, though most are longer. Even in his shortest tales, he hits every note just perfectly, and you're left wondering how exactly he can do that in so few words.
I think my favorite story of the collection was "The Living Bracelet," just three pages long. But it's so, so good, and the end is rather unexpected.
I do enjoy how Bloch tends to focus more on the psychology of the killer, versus the actual crime scene. If you're looking for long, drawn-out, gratuitous gore fests, this is probably not the collection for you. I admit that after a while, some of his stories become a bit predictable, and being written in the 1970s can feel a tiny bit dated. But even still, this is truly a wonderful collection.
I highly recommend reading this around Halloween, as I did. It really puts one in the mood for scary nights.
February 19, 2026
Night School - 5/5
The Model Wife - 4/5
The Beautiful People - 4.5/5
All in the Family - 4.5/5
Double Cross - 5/5
Crime in Rhyme - 4/5
His and Hearse - 5/5
The Man Who Looked Like Napoleon - 4.5/5
Lucy Comes to Stay - 5/5
A Most Unusual Murder - 3.5/5
The Warm Farewell - 4/5
Man With a Hobby - 5/5
A Matter of Life - 5/5
Hobo - 4/5
The Living Bracelet - 4.5/5
The Closer of the Way - 4.5/5
The Model Wife - 4/5
The Beautiful People - 4.5/5
All in the Family - 4.5/5
Double Cross - 5/5
Crime in Rhyme - 4/5
His and Hearse - 5/5
The Man Who Looked Like Napoleon - 4.5/5
Lucy Comes to Stay - 5/5
A Most Unusual Murder - 3.5/5
The Warm Farewell - 4/5
Man With a Hobby - 5/5
A Matter of Life - 5/5
Hobo - 4/5
The Living Bracelet - 4.5/5
The Closer of the Way - 4.5/5
August 24, 2011
This book was my first introduction to Robert Bloch, and it. is. amazing. Wonderful, wonderful short fiction. While I love his novels, Bloch was really a master of the short story craft.
If you like eerie suspense, Bloch is your guy.
If you like eerie suspense, Bloch is your guy.
May 2, 2017
Love his short stories, many of which have been made into TV movies and episodes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews