Rating: 
Summary: This book is to DIE for!
Review: New York's best unlicensed private detective, Matthew Scudder, is back after a three year absence in this very welcome, fifteenth volume in the series. Mystery lovers can only hope that it won't be the last. Scudder might be showing his age (he's now 62!) and slowing down just a little, but his mind and his instincts are as sharp as they've ever been. He needs all of his experience and resources, too, in order to solve a brutal crime that everyone else, including the police, is satisfied to forget. Many authors would be showing their boredom and fatigue with a character after twenty-five years, but such is definitely not the case with Lawrence Block and Matthew Scudder. The series is as fresh, exciting and brilliant as it ever was. Block truly is the master of the detective novel.
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 Stars - A Good Edition To The Series....But
Review: not one of the best. In typical Lawrence Block style, he continues to evolve Matthew Scudder into one of the most multi-dimensional protagonists "alive" in any mystery series today. Block's writing is always strong and he continues to develop interesting supporting and secondary characters as well as subplots that hold your interest almost as much as the main character and plot. Further, his description of the sights and sounds of NYC make you feel that you are right there with Scudder experiencing them. As an intense mystery, however, Hope To Die, while entertaining and enjoyable, is not quite up to par with many of the earlier books in the series. While I was anticipating giving Hope To Die a rating between 4 and 5 stars during the first three-quarters of the book, I found the ending a bit weak and unbelievable, which caused me to lower my rating to between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. Overall, Hope To Die is a worthwhile read for those who, like myself, are familiar with the series, but is not the book I would recommend to those interested in starting this series. Despite some weaknesses in this book, the Matthew Scudder series continues to be one of my favorites and I'm looking forward to joining him on his next unofficial private investigation.
Rating:
Summary: Murder most foul
Review: PI without a license Matthew Scudder may be aging, but he's still got what it takes. When society couple Byrne and Susan Hollander are brutally murdered in what appears to be a home invasion, it isn't long before their niece, Lia, puts a bug in Scudder's ear about the Hollanders' daughter, Kristin. Kristin stands to inherit a small fortune in cash and property. But then, there's a bequest in the will for Lia, too. Did one of the girls set up the Hollanders? Scratch Lia from the suspect list when she, too, ends up dead. But what about Kristin? Scudder likes her, and can't find any cracks in her story. So what about her friends and associates? The answer is about as cold-blooded and chilling as it gets. I would have liked to see the diabolical plot tied up a little more neatly in the end, but this is a heck of a good murder mystery, just perfect for a rainy Winter evening. Block's writing is as crisp and meaty as ever, and I hope Matthew Scudder will still be entertaining us when he's 82.
Rating:
Summary: Matt's Back
Review: Reading the latest installment in the Matthew Schudder series is like spending time with old friends; maybe it isn't the most scintilling visit, but it's still FAR better than the average read. With Matt, its not so much the "mystery", its the people and conversations that make up the investigation. Everyone (execept the "bad guy") could be someone you know. I agree with some of the other reviewers, this is not as emotionally involving as "8 million ways to Die", "A Dance at the Slaughter house" etc; but I think its tone is appropriate for Matt at this point in his life. Lawrence Block has is a phenomenal writer !
Rating:
Summary: Not the Scudder I've always loved
Review: Scudder is aging gracefully, which may be why I didn't love this book. He is still virile, still like a dog with a bone, but he uses different resources to maintain control. He is a loner who has collected a family of people to love, but who doesn't know how to bridge the gap with his adult sons. He no longer fights bad guys with his fists, but calls on his pal Mick for muscle when necessary. Influenced by his wife's sophistocation, he has grown urbane, a tough guy at home at the symphony. The sexual tension is more subtle, but not completely missing. As a former New Yorker, one of the reasons I love Lawrence Block's books, especially the Scudder series, is that to read one of them is like a visit home. That said, this one doesn't saturate the reader with New York the way most of them do. Block narrows the geographic boundaries this time to the Upper West Side, with a couple of brief stops in Brooklyn, and I was disappointed. This case involves the murder of a prosperous married couple that appears to be a simple robbery gone bad, after which the two thieves (and apparent killers) die in what looks like a murder-suicide. Scudder and his partner, TJ, take a closer look at the couple's daughter, who stands to inherit a small fortune. As the truth unfolds, a string of people are brutally murdered, and Block puts the reader inside the killer's mind as he plots his next move. It's a different perspective than the usual Matt Scudder fare. Scudder is arguably the most interesting character in crime fiction, and Block takes him to a new level of literature in this book. Unfortunately, some of the intensity of the earlier Scudder tales is diminished. Hardcore Scudder fans must, of course, read this book, but I'm not sure I would have fallen in love with the series if I'd read this one first.
Rating: 
Summary: Slowing Down
Review: Scudder is showing his age. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but takes some adjustment on the reader's part. Little action on Matt's part and the non-ending is a disappointment. Nevertheless, Block can hold your attention and has created a real character in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Is the Deaf Man branching out?
Review: Scudder's return, while welcome, isn't *quite* the Scudder we've known before. As has been pointed out, he is 62, and slowing down a bit physically, so it seems only fair that nobody tries to personally punch his ticket to any extent in this volume. As is often the case in a Scudder novel, indirection is the underlying driving force here, to the extent that, even though Scudder and TJ -- TJ is moving steadily upward toward the status of a full partner, it looks like -- solve the killings, at the end of the story, they are still not *quite* certain that everything is over and all the ends are tied up. Other reviewers have objected to the italicised sections featuring the killer's thoughts and plans, but i believe that they *do* advance and enlarge the plot, and are definitely necessary. This book runs on a formula that Ed McBain has pretty well worked out in the 87th Precinct's sporadic encounters with the Master Criminal they know only as "the deaf man". When the story involves this sort of cat and mouse game between antagonist and protagonist, the reader, at least, must have at least some inkling of what the "cat" is thinking, or else the action of the story becomes a series of random events, not shaped to any visual end, as "mouse" after "mouse" is swept from the board. On the other hand, it is possible to let the reader see too much of what the antagonist is thinking/planning, thus vitiating the suspense, but Block, like McBain, has a firm enough grasp on his narrative as to not go that way. And this one is a spooky one to share the thoughts of; a somewhat unusual serial killer, he is so cheerily analytical about his own actions, so calm and precise in making his plans and setting them in motion that i was struck by the notion that if the Joker were a bit less flamboyant (both physically and personal-style-wise) the villain of this book would resemble him. Scudder's untangling of the layer upon layer of deception came only a bit less quickly than mine, in some areas, and rather more quickly when i occasionally found myself almost at a standstill. One thing that i did wonder at is that Scudder lets things progress rather beyond the point where, in my opinion, he ought to be arranging a little protection for people -- there's at least one point in here where, if Scudder were Spenser, Hawk and Vinnie Morris would be taking surveillance/protection shifts alternating with Belson and Quirk, and Scudder doesn't see it that way. Eventually, seeing a real threat to one character who does not seem to be receiving requested police protection, Scudder enlists Mick Ballou's aid. As i said, though they basically solve the specific cases/killings, Scudder, TJ and friends are a bit slow on some things, setting up the possibility of repercussions in future books. Unusually for the series so far, Scudder's ex-wife and estranged sons, ritually referred to in every most if not all of the previous volumes but seldom if ever actually seen, here appear as actual characters with actual lives and problems that (at least peripherally) Scudder finds himself drawn into. Already, i think, we have seen more of them in this one volume than we have in all the seventeen preceding books combined. It will be interesting to see if Block continues to enlarge upon this connection to Scudder's former life as the series moves forward.
Rating:
Summary: Matt Scudder Strikes Again!
Review: The latest installment in the Matthew Scudder series "Hope To Die" offers an up to date Scudder, who at age 62 finds himself investigating the vicious murder of a wealthy Manhattan couple.
The story unfolds with the grizzly details of the murder and follow Scudder as he gets to the bottom of the crime by venturing into Brooklyn and using the assistance of partner T.J. and T.J.'s hi-tech computer equipment. Matt & Elaine's relationship is further explored and the story differs from previous installments in that Scudders' two sons are introduced in a more in-depth style. The reader learns more about the discrepancies between the two sons and their reactions to their father's previous absence. The story refers to past characters such as Mick Ballou, the Hongs, and Danny Boy. We also hear the voice of the unknown murderer in several passages. We are exposed to the killer's thoughts and plans as the story unfolds. With the usual references to New York City, overall, "Hope To Die" is an entertaining book.
Rating: 
Summary: Noir Exemplified
Review: The master of the modern noir novel has done it again. Matt Scudder, alcoholic ex-cop, unlicensed private eye, is now married to his long time lover, Elaine, who, during her working days, invested her money in apartment buildings in Queens and now neither has to work, but, of course, both still do. Scudder still gives money to those he thinks are needier than he, and Elaine supports the arts. They are invited to a donor dinner and concert at Lincoln Center. In the same room with them are a couple, the Hollanders, who are brutally murdered in a home invasion shortly after arriving back from the concert. Their bodies are discovered by their daughter, Kristin, who returns from a party later that evening. Within a few days, the perps are found dead in an apartment in Brooklyn and the cops close the case. Matt gets a phone call from his son telling him that his ex-wife has died of a heart attack. Scudder starts feeling his age. He goes to the funeral and has an unpleasant meeting with his sons. He starts going to AA meetings daily again. (In Manhattan, there are AA meetings at all hours of the day and night. The AA book of meetings is as thick as TIME magazine in a busy week.) In order to get his mind off his own troubles, Scudder starts wondering about the murder of the Hollanders and the convenient deaths of the murderers. TJ, the street kid who is Scudder's protege (now living in Scudder's old flat and working with and for Matt) has been crashing lectures at Columbia and has met Kristin Hollander's cousin, Lia Parkman, who thnks that Kristin had her parents murdered so she could inherit the family upper west side town house. They meet and Matt and TJ walk back downtown feeling that Lia is hiding something. Matt, Elaine, and TJ are all people you'd want on your side. New York is an integral part of this series. The mystery unravels carefully and slowly. If so inclined, one can figure out the puzzle but part of the joy of reading a book by Block is allowing him to do the work while just sitting outside and watching the plot unravel while a dozen different New Yorks curl up from the pages like a beautifully peeled Big Apple.
Rating: 
Summary: Scudder Lite
Review: There is always a sense of anticipation when a new Scudder book goes on sale, and this is largely because of the peaks that Block has achieved in this lengthy series (Eight Million Ways To Die and When the Sacred Ginmill Closes to name a couple). Sadly, Block's latest falls well short of those standards. While it begins with one of Block's most graphic murder scenarios, Hope to Die soon descends into telemovie fare. The novel bleeds itself of danger and darkness, instead preferring to give us the italicized expositions of the killer. Maybe it's just me, but the motive and plans of this 'killer' were so far fetched as to be ludicrous. Various favourite characters are wheeled on and woefully underused, and Scudder's life is now so devoid of colour and tension that he seems barely to exist at all.
Only the short scene with his long lost sons has some of the richness of dialogue that Block used to pack into his books.
I look forward to the day Scudder encounters some real moral questions again.
|
