Tanner on Ice

by Lawrence Block

Book Overview

Cold War superspy Evan Tanner lost the ability to sleep on a battlefield in Korea. So where the heck has he been since the '70s?Frozen. Cryogenically. A Tanner-sicle. Which he never thought would... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451194101
• ISBN13: 9780451194107
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A Tanner fan gives thumbs up to this one as well

I loved the book. I certainly agree that it requires a full suspension of belief, but that has always been the hallmark of these novels. The sense of adventure still seemed present as did the quirky way of looking at the world and the fascination with everything in it. Most (not all) of the books in this series and among my favorite mysteries and I hope Mr. Block writes more on Tanner. I'm guessing those who hated it are fans of Block's darker works, for me, this is just plain fun. (I like the Burglar books too)

"The ending left me cold as "Ice"....!

Another great writing my the master of them all..! One of the "quickest" books i've read in sometime, however the ending was weak but interesting...

Tanner is back!

Evan Tanner is back. "Tanner on Ice: is Lawrence Block's first Evan Tanner novel in twenty-five years. (There are seven others, all out of print.) Tanner is the spy who never sleeps. He was placed in cold storage, hence Tanner on ice; a quarter of a century before this latest adventure takes place. Tanner's reentry into the 1990s finds him catching up with all things modern such as computers, the Internet and E-Mail. He does some quick research to catch up on world events he has missed. Tanner goes to Burma and stirs up the county's regime. Here he meets a beautiful Russian/French/Vietnamese woman who travels with him. The story is an interesting quick read but the characters are not as sold as we meet in the Matt Scudder series or Block's books about Bernie Rhodenbarr. I enjoyed it and will search out the other books in the series.

He's Back

Richard Nixon was president of the United States when Evan Tanner, the man who never sleeps, was placed into a comatose state in a Union City, New Jersey freezer due to an intricate double cross. If the basement of his "permanent home" was not being remodeled, he would have been there a lot longer. No one knows, even the medical experts at NYU, what happened to him except that he should be in his sixties, but Evan looks like he is only in his thirties. He is soon contacted by Rufus Crombie of the Feds, who wants Evan to fly to Burma where he is supposed to eliminate San Suu Kyi, the popular opposition leader, in order to send the current government into chaos. However, Evan was never an assassin and does not plan to start the practice in his second life. He also has met a cool woman in Rangoon, who he genuinely likes and heeds her advice. Than there is the problems with the local police constantly harassing him and the anonymous note threatening his life if he fails to leave town. Like he did with Rhodenbarr, Lawrence Block successfully returns an old fan favorite. The likable lead protagonist struggles with the missing eighties and the trends of the nineties, an iteresting combination which adds much to the story line. TANNER ON ICE will be well-received by a generation of new fans even though the novel is not quite on a par with his Rhodenbarr and Scudder books. Still the Tanner books are terrific tales worth reading and that opportunity will soon become readily available as the novels are all going to be reprinted.Harriet Klausner

Tanner is back and all is right with the world

Richard Nixon was president of the United States when Evan Tanner, the man who never sleeps, was placed into a comatose state in a Union City, New Jersey freezer due to an intricate double cross. If the basement of his "permanent home" was not being remodeled, he would have been there a lot longer. No one knows, even the medical experts at NYU, what happened to him except that he should be in his sixties, but Evan looks like he is only in his thirties. He is soon contacted by Rufus Crombie of the Feds, who wants Evan to fly to Burma where he is supposed to eliminate San Suu Kyi, the popular opposition leader, in order to send the current government into chaos. However, Evan was never an assassin and does not plan to start the practice in his second life. He also has met a cool woman in Rangoon, who he genuinely likes and heeds her advice. Than there is the problems with the local police constantly harassing him and the anonymous note threatening his life if he fails to leave town. Like he did with Rhodenbarr, Lawrence Block successfully returns an old fan favorite. The likable lead protagonist struggles with the missing eighties and the trends of the nineties, an iteresting combination which adds much to the story line. TANNER ON ICE will be well-received by a generation of new fans even though the novel is not quite on a par with his Rhodenbarr and Scudder books. Still the Tanner books are terrific tales worth reading and that opportunity will soon become readily available as the novels are all going to be reprinted.Harriet Klausner