Block introduced Evan Tanner, specialist in lost political causes, in this rousing, often comic 1966 yarn. Unable to sleep for 15 years following a Korean War head wound, Tanner devotes his considerable free time to reading, learning languages, and turning his affliction into a livelihood by writing theses and dissertations for graduate students in New York. Then he learns of hidden Armenian gold in Turkey and sets off on an unlikely adventure that makes him the most wanted fugitive in the world as well as the accidental leader of a Macedonian revolt. Block's tale gets off to an engaging start, sags in the middle partly because of some bone-jarring violence, and recovers neatly at the end. Nick Sullivan handles the characters' many accents quite well. Highly recommended.
-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram

Evan Tanner had never planned to be a spy--he had just been looking for some missing gold--any more than he had planned to lead a Macedonian revolution or find himself jailed in a Turkish prison. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Really good news, Jun 17 2007

By	Gustavo S. Machado (Bras�lia, DF Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep (Mass Market Paperback)

I was able to buy this book at Shakespeare and Company, in Paris, an old and battered edition. And I was lucky, for it was already out of print for decades. I found it fascinating, and my next step was to search in used book sellers for the others with Evan Tanner. I failed to find one or two, and I hope all of them will be re-edited. Read this one. Read all.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Yawn, Sep 2 2003

By	C. Ricci "Tinibeenie" (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Interesting and funny at times but overall it put me to sleep.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The start of something beautiful, May 7 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Thief Who Couldnt Sleep (Paperback)

The first Evan Tanner Novel, where our hero, a bit of a con-man and thief, who has a disorder which prevents him from sleeping, accidentally finds himself on an espionage mission.

While the later novels are spy stories with satirical overtones, this one is a crime caper with spies in pursuit and a comedy of errors in progress.

I can't recommend the series highly enough. It's literate, it's funny, and the commentary on European ethnic nationalism is still extremely valid.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Block introduces Evan Tanner
My first introduction to Lawrence Block's Evan Tanner was in his 1998 book, "Tanner on Ice." The spy-hero had been absent for twenty-five years was brought back by... Read more

Published on Sep 26 1999 by Harold L. Laroff

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!
I like this character even more than Matthew Scudder

Published on Jul 14 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Rice, pilaf, and pilaf
When the Berlin Wall fell, my first thought (ok, maybe my forty-third) was: "Please, Mr. Block, let us know what Evan Tanner thinks about this! Read more

Published on Jul 26 1998 by Susan Abe