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Summary: Block is America's best detective/mystery writer
Review: I have read hundreds of mystery authors (have worked in retail book store for a number of years), L. Block's Scudder series is the best American detective series in print. Period. A MUST read (every book in the series) for all detective fiction fans.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best (Mystery) Novels-Ever
Review: I read approximately 2-3 books a week. Admittedly, I am a big fan of Lawrence Block and particularly Matt Scudder. However, this book not only works as a mystery novel, but also as a portrait of a man battling his addiction. For me, a good ending is 75% of what makes a book great. This has a fantastic ending! This is definitely one of the best books I have ever read.
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Summary: Sue the makers of the movie.
Review: If I was Lawrence Block, I'd sue the people that made the
movie. It didn't come close to recreating the full depth of
the characters or the plot.
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Summary: A detective story that bares a soul
Review: Scudder, an ex-NYPD detective, is trying to achieve sobriety through AA when he becomes invoved in the murder of a hooker. The agony involved in the search through the tough underworld of Manhattan makes him long constantly for a drink even though he knows it will kill him. A superb depiction of the search for sobriety as well as a great detective story
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT!!
Review: Should be on any list of the best books of the 20th century. Scudder is a complex real character. His search for villians in NYC and within himself is powerful. Depiction of the real NYC is wonderful. This is New York before "Mr. Clean" (Rudy G.) got his paws on it.
Rating:
Summary: it doesn't get any better than this...
Review: This is Block at his best....anyone who hasn't read it will be blown away by the ending...I still can't believe it and i read it four years ago!!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best mystery novels of the past fifty years.
Review: This is easily one of the best mystery novels of the last fifty years, and Lawrence Block is one of the best mystery writers working today. Scratch that--one of the best writers, period. Block does a great job of putting us IN New York, and letting us live right next to Matt Scudder as he fights both a murderer and his own alcoholism. Beginning writers should read everything Block has written. It has as much instructional value as entertainment value. A great book
Rating:
Summary: Still crazy about L. Block after all these years....
Review: This is L. Block's best book about Matthew Scudder, bar none. The characters are vivid, settings place you right in the action, the dialogue believable, and Scudder's descent into addiction - dead on. Block could have rested on his laurels (deservedly so) after this book, but thank goodness, he's still writing. Of course, it helps if you started reading the series from the very beginning, and you understand the life Scudder's been living, and how he's been fooling himself. Hard to believe he's not real.
Rating:
Summary: eight million ways to die
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite books. If you are new toLawrence Block or his Scudder novels, this is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best (Mystery) Novels-Ever
Review: This is the book that really set the standard for the Scudder series. It's the fifth Scudder adventure and it opens with Matt just out of the hospital after a major drinking binge. He is hired by a prostitute who wants out of the business, so he tracks down her pimp, Chance. No problem, Chance says. She can get out, but she could have saved herself some money and skipped the middleman.Everything looks great, but then the prostitute is murdered. Scudder, of course, assumes that Chance is the killer, so he calls in a tip to the police. Next thing you know, Chance is out and he's looking for Matt. This book is the first to really show Matt's struggle with alcohol. He starts attending AA meetings, but still doesn't see himself as an alcoholic. Normally, by the fifth book, a series begins to run out of steam. With Matt Scudder, though, the series is just beginning to find its legs. The mystery is fair play, but if you figure out how it all ties together before Matt, you're a more astute reader than I am. All of the characters are well-drawn and fully realized. Block is a true master and this is a masterpiece!
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