Resume Speed -- Lawrence Block

A new work by Lawrence Block is always good news.  Recently he's published an e-novella called Resume Speed.  I don't read a lot on my Kindle, but I downloaded this one (of course) and read it last night.

A man who calls himself Bill Thompson gets off the bus in Cross Creek, Montana, to stretch his legs.  He sees a sign advertising a job for a short-order book and decides that he'll stay right there and take the job.  

We know that he's running from something, but we aren't told what.  He seems like a nice guy, and he's great at the new job.  It's something he's done before.  He has a nice enough room in a boarding house, and he gets along well with the restaurant owner.  Pretty soon he's dating a local librarian, and they like each other a lot.  But .  . . what's he running from?

I can say no more about that.  It would be unfair.  What I can say is that you get about 1/3 of a Gold Medal-type novel here (a high compliment, coming from me), and that the ending leaves some questions unanswered.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  It's a deliberate choice, and it's just right for what Block is doing here.  The writing is as smooth and fine as always in a Block story, and I recommend this one highly.