Speaking of Greed: Stories of Envious Desire

The second volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, Speaking of Greed is a collection of short stories on the destructive deadly sin known as greed. In addition to being the title of this anthology, Speaking of Greed is also the title of Lawrence Block’s original novella that leads off this unique collection. My task as an anthologist in this series, Block writes in the introduction, is threefold: first, I have to pick the stories; then I have to write a longish novella with my four series characters, whom we know only as the priest, the doctor, the soldier, and the policeman; finally, I have to hammer out an introduction. The stories Block has chosen are delightful. His novella delivers what he promises. And the introduction is a heads-up plea for authors to ensure that their work will continue to be read after they are no longer around to write any more.