THE AFFAIRS OF CHIP HARRISON

This is a series with a split personality. The first two books are not mysteries at all (although you couldn’t tell that from the packaging of the Signet paperbacks). They’re erotic coming-of-age novels. Then in the third book Chip goes to work for Leo Haig, and the books are puzzle mysteries, very much in the manner of Rex Stout.

1

NO SCORE. Fawcett Gold Medal, 1970. Chip, alone in the world, seeks to make something of himself and lose his virginity.  Tough assignments, both of them…

2

CHIP HARRISON SCORES AGAIN. Fawcett Gold Medal, 1971. Chip, still seeking a job with a future, takes a position as a bouncer in a whorehouse in Bordentown, South Carolina.

3

MAKE OUT WITH MURDER. Fawcett Gold Medal, 1974. The first book with Leo Haig. A hardcover edition was published in 1984 in the UK by Allison & Busby, with the title changed to The Five Little Rich Girls.

4

THE TOPLESS TULIP CAPER. Fawcett Gold Medal, 1975. Haig signs on to investigate the murder of a tankful of tropical fish bred by a topless dancer. Allison & Busby issued this one in hardcover, too, but kept the title.

To compound the confusion, Foul Play Press reprinted the books in 1983-4 as two omnibus volumes. Introducing Chip Harrison contains the first two books, A/K/A Chip Harrison the last two; more recently, a UK publisher issued a four-book omnibus volume.  The original Gold Medal editions are "by Chip Harrison," all other printings "by Lawrence Block." Will there be more? I doubt it, but I’ve learned not to rule anything out. There have been a couple of Chip Harrison short stories over the years, most recently "As Dark as Christmas Gets."

All four books, I’m pleased to report, are in print and eVailable.