From Publishers Weekly
Kicking off Cumberland's Seven Deadly Sins series is Speaking of Lust: Stories of Forbidden Desire, edited by Lawrence Block (Hit Man), with 19 racy and bone-chilling stories. Joyce Carol Oates imagines a conversation between a man accused of rape and his public defender. Block presents a novella in which four professionals in the off-hours share stories of lust gone awry. Ed Gorman and Clive Barker also contribute. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This first in a series of short-fiction collections based onthe seven deadly sins brings together 18 titillating tales (includingeditor Block's title novella) that are outrageous, explicit, gory, andjust plain fun. The first tale, "Crack," by James W. Hall, about oneman's destructive obsession with a teenage neighbor, sets the tone forthose that follow. Such well-known authors as James Crumley, JoyceCarole Oates, Joan Hess, and Clive Barker are among the contributors,and the wide range of styles brings a fascinating variety to acollection that, given the common theme, might otherwise have sufferedfrom repetitiveness. In bringing together everyday men and women whoencounter lust in extraordinary circumstances, the authors mix realismand mystery with eroticism in a beguiling manner that suggestssoft-porn episodes of The Twilight Zone. All but the mostsheltered readers will waiting eagerly to sample the other sixsins. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
This first volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, "Speaking of Lust" is a collection of outstanding short stories on that exceedingly deadly sin we call lust. In addition to being the title of this anthology, "Speaking of Lust" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that finishes this unique collection.

From the Author
"I had as much fun writing 'Speaking of Lust' as I've had with anything in years, and if you enjoy it half as much as I did you'll be happy indeed. As I already know you'll be happy with all the other stories in the book. For my part, I look forward to the other six volumes. And right about now the one I'm most looking forward to is 'Sloth.'" --from the introduction

From the Inside Flap
The first volume in the Seven Deadly Sins series, "Speaking of Lust" is a collection of oustanding short stories on that exceedingly deadly sin known as lust. From James W. Hll's voyeuristic Fulbright fellow at a Jesuit university in Bilbao, Spain, obsessed with an exotic fifteen-year-old girl to Block's four characters--a soldier, a policeman, a doctor, and a priest--who share labyrinthine tales of passion and murder at a weekly bridge game, these stories are as beguiling as they are clever. "Speaking of Lust" is a compelling anthology that will entertain and amaze readers with the power of desire raised to sinful proportions.

About the Author
LAWRENCE BLOCK, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, is a four-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe and Shamus awards and a recipient of literary prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. The author of more than fifty books, including fourteen Matthew Scudder novels and "Eight Million Ways to Die" and "Even the Wicked," Block lives in New York City.

Excerpted from Speaking of Lust : Stories of Forbidden Desire (Seven Deadly Sins Series) by Lawrence Block. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
"How romantic," murmurs Audrey as he describes the plans he has made, although he alludes only obliquely to what he hopes will transpire after his proposal. He's aware that she disapproves of sexual activity outside of wedlock, but he is over forty, after all. He realizes he is blushing and wills himself to stop behaving like a bashful adolescent. "I'll call Miss McCloud and ask her to stay with you. That way, if you feel dizzy or need extra insulin, she'll be there to help you." "Don't be absurd," she responds curtly. "But I'll worry if you're here alone all night." "I can take care of myself--and don't call her against my wishes. If she shows up at the front door, I'll send her away. Now please stop dithering and bring me another blanket. My feet feel as though they're frozen." He goes to the linen closet in the hallway. As he takes a blanket from the shelf, he hears a peculiar thump. He dashes to his mother's bedroom and finds her lying on the floor like a discarded rag doll. --from "All That Glitters"

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This first volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, Speaking of Lust is a collection of outstanding short stories on that exceedingly deadly sin we call lust. In addition to being the title of this anthology, "Speaking of Lust" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that leads off this unique collection.

"I had as much fun writing 'Speaking of Lust' as I've had with anything in years," Block writes in the introduction, "and if you enjoy it half as much as I did, you'll be happy indeed. As I already know you'll be happy with all the other stories in the book."

Included in this stellar field of storytellers are the following stories and authors:

"Speaking of Lust" by Lawrence Block * "Crack" by James W. Hall * "The Girls in the Villa Costas" by Simon Brett * "I'm Not that Kind of Girl" by Ed Gorman * "A Theme for Hyacinth" by Julian Symons * "Hot Springs" by James Crumley * "Do With Me What You Will" by Joyce Carol Oates * "Hero" by Jeremiah Healy * "Ro Erg" by Robert Weinberg * "Sauce for the Goose" by Gil Brewer * "Every Morning" by Richard Marsden * "I'm In the Book" by Loren D. Estleman * "Hell on Wheels" by Thomas S. Roche * "A Handgun for Protection" by John Lutz * "All That Glitters" by Joan Hess * "The Man Who Shot Trinity Valance" by Paul Bishop * "The Age of Desire" by Clive Barker.

Author Biography: Lawrence Block, a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, is a four-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe and Shamus awards and a recipient of literary prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. The author of more than fifty books, including fourteen Matthew Scudder novels and Eight Million Ways to Die and Even the Wicked, Block lives in New York City.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly