Rating: 
Summary: Book #4, another winner!
Review: . Matthew Scudder is Lawrence Block's remarkable private investigator. He's a former NYPD detective who left the force after an accident left a child dead in a crossfire. Because he is unlicensed you can't "hire" him. Instead he does you a favor by taking your case and solving the crime. In exchange for the favor the client returns the favor by giving him some cash. Scudder is an alcoholic. Rarely do you find him without a drink in has hand or at one of has favorite watering holes. "A Stab in the Dark" is 4th in the Matthew Scudder series. There are 14 dozen more to read and enjoy. Scudder is hired to solve a nine year murder of a young woman. There had been a series of ice-pick killings. This one doesn't quite match the others. Scudder needs to find the psycho killer who may no longer be in New York. The book is exciting from start to finish. We also find him with female partner who also loves to drink. In Stab in the hard hitting private eye looks towards the possibility of sobriety as he considers AA. An afterthought: Matthew Scudder is a realistic, likeable character. In the early books we find that after he left the NYPD he took up drinking and left his wife and two sons. From time to time she asks Scudder to send more money because "we need it." Scudder generally obliges. Although not living with his family Scudder is not distant from them. He speaks to his boys on the phone and brings them into the city for a ball game. For some reason that Scudder doesn't know finds himself visiting churches and leaving a donation, tithing, ten percent of money recently received from a client. Scudder says Catholic churches receive donations for than others because they are generally open at late hours. Although he's not a religious man he finds peace and solitude in the almost always empty sanctuary he visits.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Detective Fiction
Review: Excepting a middle section that drags, Lawrence Block's fourth Matthew Scudder mystery is another lip-smacking goodie. Block deftly lays out the clues to this whodunit with admirable grace, and the unshrouding of the culprit is worth the wait. What makes the Scudder series so distinctive and intimately personal is the amount of identification we're allowed to have with this stubborn detective. He's become a nice friend to have around.
Rating: 
Summary: Snore.. snort.. huh? I guess I went to sleep
Review: I made it the whole way to Jan's and Matt's "enlighting" [not very... cut me a break Block], trite, hack conversation about if he was a drunk or not and realized I was going to sleep. I made a firm decision and tossed the book into the get rid of this asap pile and went and found something else to read.Block reads like "she said... he said..." conversations. Dry comes to mind. As I said in a previous review if you really hate "show not tell" in novels this is the writer for you. He does no showing at all. I feel as if I am listening to someone outline what might be a very good book. I had read another book of his which had the same fate as this one: halfway I tossed it into the get rid of this do NOT pass on to someone you like pile. Matt comes across as the most pathetic attempt at an alcoholic I have encountered in novels [or in real life and I use to work Drug and Alcohol units]. He meanders aimlessly thru his addiction and Block meanders aimlessly thru the plot. Well suited for each other. It's a shame. As I said previously there is great potential for a GREAT story here. It was wasted more than Matt ever was in his drinking days. IF you must try Block, I suggest the library.
Rating:
Summary: Snore.. snort.. huh? I guess I went to sleep
Review: I made it the whole way to Jan's and Matt's "enlighting" [not very... cut me a break Block], trite, hack conversation about if he was a drunk or not and realized I was going to sleep. I made a firm decision and tossed the book into the get rid of this asap pile and went and found something else to read. Block reads like "she said... he said..." conversations. Dry comes to mind. As I said in a previous review if you really hate "show not tell" in novels this is the writer for you. He does no showing at all. I feel as if I am listening to someone outline what might be a very good book. I had read another book of his which had the same fate as this one: halfway I tossed it into the get rid of this do NOT pass on to someone you like pile. Matt comes across as the most pathetic attempt at an alcoholic I have encountered in novels [or in real life and I use to work Drug and Alcohol units]. He meanders aimlessly thru his addiction and Block meanders aimlessly thru the plot. Well suited for each other. It's a shame. As I said previously there is great potential for a GREAT story here. It was wasted more than Matt ever was in his drinking days. IF you must try Block, I suggest the library.
Rating:
Summary: A very dark and deeply disturbing book
Review: I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thrill Lawrence Block has a style like no one else. It will keep you glued to every page. Needless to say i loved it
Rating:
Summary: Best Scudder book in the series up to this point
Review: Lawrence Block took his Scudder books to a new level in "Stab in the Dark". The first three books were good enough to keep me reading, but they were not anything special. In the other books the only thing that kept me interested was Block's style and Scudder's character. The mysteries were never that interesting. This book however has a wonderful plot and has a wonderful supporting cast. Everything about this book surpassed the previous entries. While Scudder, himself, has always been a good character this entry allows the reader to probe inside his mind a little more. Hopefully this was Block's stepping stone and the rest of the series is on par with this one. It is a must read for any P.I. lover.
Rating:
Summary: Best Scudder book in the series up to this point
Review: Lawrence Block took his Scudder books to a new level in "Stab in the Dark". The first three books were good enough to keep me reading, but they were not anything special. In the other books the only thing that kept me interested was Block's style and Scudder's character. The mysteries were never that interesting. This book however has a wonderful plot and has a wonderful supporting cast. Everything about this book surpassed the previous entries. While Scudder, himself, has always been a good character this entry allows the reader to probe inside his mind a little more. Hopefully this was Block's stepping stone and the rest of the series is on par with this one. It is a must read for any P.I. lover.
Rating:
Summary: Scudder is losing control
Review: The fourth novel in the Matthew Scudder series shows our hero's drinking starting to spin out of control. Eventually, this would lead him to AA, sobriety and a more upbeat outlook. But back in the bad old days, he investigates a compelling mystery in which the supposed victim of a serial killer turns out to have been the victim of a copycat crime. This is made more complicated by the fact that the murder happened nine years before. Though the story is relatively brief at a mere 180 pages in trade paperback form, it is well written and contains enough suspense to keep you on edge. Scudder wasn't a happy guy before he dried up. And this is one of the best of his early "wet" adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Scudder is losing control
Review: The fourth novel in the Matthew Scudder series shows our hero's drinking starting to spin out of control. Eventually, this would lead him to AA, sobriety and a more upbeat outlook. But back in the bad old days, he investigates a compelling mystery in which the supposed victim of a serial killer turns out to have been the victim of a copycat crime. This is made more complicated by the fact that the murder happened nine years before. Though the story is relatively brief at a mere 180 pages in trade paperback form, it is well written and contains enough suspense to keep you on edge. Scudder wasn't a happy guy before he dried up. And this is one of the best of his early "wet" adventures.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best mysteries I have read to date
Review: this book really keeps you haning on every word and every turn. I highly recommend it .Even if your not a fan of Lawrence Block you will love it
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