Random Walk

By Lawrence Block

Book Overview

Just in time for the Winter Festival, a glistening layer of snow has covered the streets of April Springs, North Carolina. Of course, it reminds donut shop owner Suzanne Hart of sweet delicious frosting. But her visions of sugar plums plummet when her ex's ex-girlfriend gets iced … "If you like donuts-and who doesn't?-you'll love this mystery series."-Leslie Meier Suzanne could never understand why her ex-husband and actor Max cheated on her with Darlene Higgins. Why Darlene's body was found wearing another woman's clothes is an even bigger mystery. Now Max is suspected of murder-and Suzanne is sifting through her mixed-up love life looking for clues. If she can't sprinkle evidence on her half-baked theories of whodunit, Max is as good as fried….

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312930925
• ISBN13: 9780312930929
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 345 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Unusual, enthralling, compelling

I usually try to avoid the use of personal pronouns in writing my reviews, but Random Walk is not a book one can discuss without revealing one's feelings. First, let me express my happiness that PS Publishing has chosen to bring this extraordinary book back into print--it's the kind of book that makes you think, the kind that gives you hope, the kind that helps achieve an instantaneous, strong connection between those who have read it if it comes up in a conversation (which it has many times, at least for this reviewer). The mere mention of the title brings a smile to each participant's face, triggering pleasant shared memories. The enthusiastic conversation that ensues is peppered with many sentences starting with, "Wasn't it great when..." or, "I liked the part when..." and usually ends in mutual agreement that Block was on fire when he wrote it. The novel proceeds from a simple premise--one day, ordinary guy Guthrie Wagner sets out on a walk, with little idea of where he's going or why he feels compelled to do so. As he walks, people from all races and walks of life join him, again for no other reason than that they feel it is the right thing to do. As the group grows, wondrous things start to happen, causing the walkers to wonder if they are not part of something bigger, whether there's a deeper reason why they have been brought together in this manner. Their journey to discover their purpose occupies the rest of the book, which is filled with surprises galore, and also with a sense of looming disaster, as their path seems destined to cross with that of a prolific serial killer, whose grim story occupies another track of the novel. I won't gush any more about this book, one of Block's most unusual, enthralling and compelling tales--noted SF writer Spider Robinson does an excellent job of this in his insightful introduction, which opens with the words, "Welcome to one of the most glorious journeys ever undertaken." I can't recommend this book highly enough--I think you will enjoy it, and suspect it will stay with you long after you turn the last page, just as it has for the last twenty years with Mr. Robinson and me.

loved this book - way back when

I loved this book when I first read it, way back in the day when I was a practicing psychic. Ok, teeth didn't grow back, but things like this were happening. Now, I have been on a quest to read all Lawrence Block's books, liking some series better than others. It's hard to believe it's the same author. Read Random Walk with an open mind...

Just Remember to Alternate Your Feet

The first thing that struck me about this book was that it's setting began in Oregon. I checked the front cover again, to make sure I'd picked up a Lawrence Block book and not some other author by mistake. Almost all of the Block books in my library (I'm missing only a handful) are set in NYC, so his starting off in Roseburg OR (near where I live) was a real jolt. I was not nearly as surprised when, after being introduced to two of the principles, Guthrie (Roseburg) who was the first to start walking, and Sara (Fort Wayne IN) who brought her 'vision' to the process, Mark the serial killer made his appearance. I knew Block knows serial killers well, so that was actually rather comforting. And in fact the entire book was rather comforting, even though I was not prepared for Mark's 'final disposition'. So why, I asked myself later, did I go into such a depressive state when I'd finished the book? To find out, I decided a day later to read it again. And now that I've finished my second read I'm here to suggest that you run, not walk, to your shopping cart and get this book into your own hands as soon as you can. You may conclude, as some have, that it's some kind of smarmy joke or you may find yourself confronting deep-seated fears/guilt as I did; but I can almost guarantee you won't be bored. The man is truly a master story teller.

A witty send-up of the New Age Movement

Random Walk, Lawrence Block's brilliant send-up of the New Age movement, is as funny and relevant today as it was when first published in 1988. Block takes the New Age movement for a ride -- make that a walk -- and dumps its body in a dark alley (where Matt Scudder just may stumble on it some dark and rainy night). In this witty novel, an Oregon bartender decides to go for a walk one day, and winds up attracting a rag-tag band of fellow travelers who hike across the country with him, crossing paths with a vicious serial killer. A must read for Block fans and those new to the author as well.

A remarkable look at humanity, spirituality, and the growth

Guthry, a bartender, determines one day that it's time to take a walk. And remarkable things begin to happen. He finds his walking comes easy to him, and as time goes on, he starts to meet people, who join him on his journey. On a seperate plotline, Mark, a successful young businessmen, starts a string of horrific strangulations, and seems to live a perfect, if frightening life. The story weaves the plotlines together; the walkers, guided by Sara, a young woman who is going blind as she sees inwardly, are experiencing healings and amazing instances of endurance. The meeting with other walkers, and the revealed purpose will bring a warm feeling to your heart.