Defender of the Innocent: The Casebook of Martin Ehrengraf (27 page)

The story count for Ehrengraf now stands at twelve—the body count is of course a good deal higher—and it would please me if there should turn out to be more tales yet to be recounted. For now, though, it would seem that there are enough of them to warrant a new edition of the collected stories.

I hope you’ve enjoyed them. (Or, if you’ve cheated and read the afterword first, I hope such enjoyment lies in your future.)

It is my earnest wish for you, Gentle Reader, that you never have need of Ehrengraf’s services. But life is an uncertain enterprise; should you find yourself in such desperate straits, I can but wish that you secure an advocate who will represent your interests with the zeal and dispatch of Martin H. Ehrengraf.

And, after he’s worked his magic on your behalf, I trust you’ll have the good sense to pay his fee. In full, and at once.

It would be the greatest folly to do otherwise . . .

Lawrence Block
Greenwich Village, 2014

About the Author

Lawrence Block
has been writing award-winning mystery and suspense fiction for half a century. His most recent novels are
The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons
, featuring Bernie Rhodenbarr;
Hit Me,
featuring Keller; and
A Drop of the Hard Stuff,
featuring Matthew Scudder, who will be played by Liam Neeson in the forthcoming film,
A Walk Among the Tombstones.
Several of his other books have been filmed, although not terribly well. He’s well known for his books for writers, including the classic
Telling Lies for Fun & Profit,
and
The Liar’s Bible.
In addition to prose works, he has written episodic television (
Tilt!
) and the Wong Kar-wai film,
My Blueberry Nights.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.

Email:
[email protected]

Twitter:
@LawrenceBlock

Blog:
LB’s Blog

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Website:
lawrenceblock.com