All the Flowers Are Dying

Rating:
Summary: Why I prefer Matt Scudder
Review: Everything Block writes is worth reading, but this is more for the cozy reader. It's a little talky. The plot appears to meander. Only at the end do we see how complex it all is. There are bows to genre which are conventional to the point of spoofy irony--locked room problems, mystification, misdirection, McGuffins, and a resolution before the assembled dramatis personae. That resolution is complex to the point of tedium. It's all done with a great light touch and fully displays Block's skills and powers, but readers whose tastes run to the harder boiled should be warned that this may not be to their liking.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece from the Mystery Grandmaster
Review: For nearly three decades, Lawrence Block has been writing mysteries that rank among the finest in the genre. The best of his work has been the 16-volume Matt Scudder series.

Scudder is a former NYPD detective who hung up his shield and climbed into a bottle years ago. Now sober and mostly retired from the private investigator business, he is content to live a quiet life with the woman he loves and leave the violence of his past far behind.

"All the Flowers are Dying," the latest in the series, opens on the eve of an execution. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the man on death row protests he did not commit three murders. The only one who believes him is a psychologist who meets with the condemned man before witnessing his death by lethal injection.

At the same time, Scudder agrees to help out a friend by checking out a man she has met through an online dating service. He could be Mr. Right, but he seems to have secrets in his life that trouble her. As Scudder finds out, he has good reason to keep some things hidden.

Block's extraordinary skill as a writer is evident in the way he brings together the different parts of his plot into one electrifying whole. He spins his story with such cunning ability that you can't help being drawn into his web.

The suspense in "All the Flowers Are Dying" is acute enough to make you hold your breath. Combine that with a hero for the ages and a villain to match, and Block has given us yet another triumphant entry in this fine and memorable series.

Rating:
Summary: All of the author's usual devices don't add up this time
Review: I love Lawrence Block's novels, and I sure hope he isn't starting to give a diminished effort by just throwing together all the standard components of his The Burglar series, featuring Bernie Rhodenbarr.

In this installment, Bernie's pal Carolyn and Policeman Ray Kirschmann both reappear, and Bernie, as always, is something of a ladies man, but always the gentleman.

The burglary that gets Bernie mixed up in a triple murder relies on coincidence to such a great degree, it loses believability. The romantic liaison is also a tough sell for this reader and the resolution of who did what to whom became so confusing it was hard to finish the book, and even when I had finished it, I still didn't understand the intricate relationships and miraculously timed coincidences.

Please don't let my quibbling dissuade you from reading this book if you already like the Bernie Rhodenbarr series: If you're hooked on them, as I am, you have to read it. But if you've never read one of them, don't start with this one.

Rating:
Summary: Welcoming back an old friend.
Review: Previous reviewers have laid out the plot (and given away some of the twists and turns --- I'm glad I didn't read the reviews until AFTER I had read the book!). Sitting down (well, actually laying down on the couch) to read this latest in Lawrence Block's Bernie series was a welcome diversion to the yard work that awaited (and still waits!)

Bernie is one of those reads that is always welcome and fun. Block's turn of phrase, literary references, dialogue, etc. make the reader feel like they are part of the book themselves, welcomed in like old friends to hear the latest adventure. One wonders if perhaps we couldn't visit more frequently. . . alas.

The ending was a bit more challenging to follow --- and a few too many coincidences to be believed, but as mentioned by another reviewer, the previous pages and the last few more than made up for the effort of a couple.

Thank you Mr. Block for this latest installment --- so, can we now expect another Matt Scudder in the wings????? (one can hope, can't one???)