Tanner's Tiger

Evan Michael Tanner may be a spy--maybe not. The only Tanner certainties are his permanent insomnia (his sleep center was destroyed in the Korean War), his support of underdogs and revolutionaries, and his unfailing ability to get into more trouble with less effort than anyone. It's 1967. Tanner's adopted daughter wants to visit the Montreal Expo. However, Canada suspects Tanner of being a terrorist. When the two cross the border illegally, the insanity begins. Narrator Nick Sullivan is a winner. He nails each of Tanner's sardonic throwaway lines. Sullivan turns run-ins with the Mounties, some dastardly Cubans, and a Québecois separatists' cell into high farce. His Canadian accents are a hoot, helping to make Lawrence Block's tongue-in-cheek romp a whole lot of fun. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

August 13, 2001
A pity Block doesn't write for the movies. There's a great little B movie here. First published in 1968, this is a reissue of the fifth book in the series featuring Evan Tanner, "whose sleep center was destroyed in Korea" but who remains "not merely conscious but energetically and productively awake 24 hours a day." It reflects its era of anti-war protests and violent political activism. Tanner is a jack-of-all-spycraft, member of (almost all) subversive groups; a man of many guises who hops, skips and parachutes around the globe on errands from those who wag the dog. "The Chief" has asked him this round to investigate the Cuban Pavilion at the Montreal Expo. Rumor has it that the Cubans are using it for something nasty, which proves to be an understatement, indeed. The first nasty thing Tanner observes at the fair is the kidnapping of his daughter, Mina. He is unable to go to the Mounties, since they kicked him out of the country as a suspected terrorist when he first arrived and are now hunting him for sneaking back in. He turns for help to some Quebec nationalists, especially a bright and beautiful young woman named Arlette, who has a problem of her own. The more militant of her group want to blow up the Queen of England on her state visit to the fair. Naturally, she and Tanner team up to sort out the Cuban plot, rescue Mina and frustrate the militants, all with a dazzling display of wit and skill. Like most of Block's books, this is full of humor and high spirits, a treat for established fans and new readers alike. (Sept. 10)Forecast:Based on the performance of past books in this deluxe reprint series, expect a sell-out.

November 1, 2004
This fifth installment in Block's Tanner series has the spy who hasn't slept since the Korean War in Canada during the 1967 Montreal World's Fair. He has been sent by his mysterious handler to check out the Cuban exhibit, where visitors have been disappearing. Meanwhile, his young ward Minna vanishes, and Tanner is pursued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for illegal entry into the country. To avoid deportation and to locate Minna, he joins up with a group of Quebec separatists who are planning to assassinate England's Queen Elizabeth when she attends the fair. Block's thin but well-paced and entertaining story contains a nice collection of odd-ball characters. Narrator Nick Sullivan does an excellent job; recommended for all audio collections.--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ., Parkersburg

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