1. No Score (1970): A farce about the narrator, Chip Harrison, trying to lose his virginity in a series of increasingly unlikely situations. It's highly readable, with Lawrence Block’s usual wit and insight. Plot-wise it’s a shaggy-dog story that doesn’t really “go" anywhere, but if you enjoy the way he writes it doesn’t matter.
2. Chip Harrison Scores Again (1971): Part two of Harrison's life story, this continues the "shaggy dog story" element of the first book but is somewhat darker in tone. This time around, Chip's restless wanderings lead him through situations in which he feels lonely and out of place. The most interesting section of the book details his time living in Bordentown, South Carolina – which, with typical Chip randomness, he is inspired to travel to after finding a Greyhound bus ticket in a discarded wallet. There, he begins to fit in with locals – such as the Sheriff and the preacher's daughter – and integrate into their way of life. But, of course, it isn't as simple as him settling down and living under false pretences that he cannot sustain. Life quickly becomes more complicated. While the first book sees Chip leaping from one bawdy scene to the next, this one weaves a few intimate interludes (see the bus scene with Willamina Emily Weeks) into a more serious narrative detailing his emotions for the women he begins to care for. There's also more character development. A very satisfying novel.
3. Make Out With Murder (a.k.a. The Five Little Rich Girls) (1974): Chip ends his former restless roaming and finds himself resident in New York, working as an assistant to the detective Leo Haig. The latter is a fan of Nero Wolfe, to whom this book pays tribute. The plot? Five beautiful sisters in the Trelawney family are being murdered and Chip has to identify the killer before it's too late. Being Chip, he has various adventures with these highly alluring females as part of his 'investigations'. Unlike No Score and Chip Harrison Scores Again, which detailed the wanderings of our young narrator, this third book works as a regular crime novel. It has the wit and stylistic touches that make Lawrence Block such a delight to read.
4. The Topless Tulip Caper (1975): The fourth and final Chip Harrison novel sees young Chip investigating multiple murder – of some exotic fish. In fact, this crime relates to the killing of a dancer in a dodgy New York club. He's still working for the maddening Leo Haig and still getting into trouble. It's another witty, clever, fast-paced mystery with colourful characters and a series of unlikely intimate encounters.
