Tanner’s Tiger by Lawrence Block
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a very well written book and very interesting, too. Mostly due to the narrative around the story. The story itself doesn’t make a lot of sense.

The believably factor that a “spy” takes a phone call and dashes off with no indication of support financially or otherwise into what could be a dangerous situation makes this book hard to accept. Block does little to support the notion that Tanner is a spy to begin with. Even throughout the book there is little that gives background as to the spy premise. There’s also the whole issue of Tanner having a little girl who he’s torn about keeping. How’d he get her without some formal process? There’s a weird angle of Tanner supposedly on a mission to fight people that he consistently claims support for. I never got the feeling the bad guys were as bad as the one Tanner sympathies with.

Clearly Block has socialist to communist viewpoints toward government, which might explain why the story is so flimsy as to just what on earth Tanner is working toward or for.

Outside of the core story are wonderfully written asides and other pieces that I found only made the book worthwhile.

Characters are standard to weak. Settings, important throughout the story are also weakly written.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.

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