Reviews

The Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block

Only show reviews with written explanations

bb9159's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75

book_concierge's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

A pretty young woman is found in a pool of blood; she’s been slashed repeatedly with a sharp instrument. Her male roommate is found on the street nearby, covered in her blood, exposing himself and babbling incoherently. Arrested for her murder, he hangs himself in his jail cell. The case is closed. But the dead girl's father has come to Matthew Scudder, an ex-cop and unlicensed private investigator, hoping for answers; he’s been somewhat estranged from his daughter and he wants to know how she came to be in this setting. Scudder begins looking into her background, and finds much more than he expected.

Wow. I’ve been a fan of Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr series (Burglars Can’t Be Choosers, et al) for quite some time, but had not read any of the Matt Scudder series until now. This series is darker than the “Burglar” books. Block is a master of suspense, and he writes a tight novel. There is nary a word out of place or an extraneous phrase.

What I really loved about the book was Scudder himself. He’s contemplative and relatively quiet, not given to macho acts of aggression (though he’s not above teaching a lesson or two to a bad guy). I like the way he deals with other people – respectful, even when he’s applying pressure. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and while he feels comfortable rendering judgment, he recognizes the slippery slope he’s on when he takes matters into his own hands.

I’ll definitely be reading more of this series. I want to get to know Matthew Scudder better.

decretaro's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

gabmc's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I've had this book on my shelves for years and finally decided to read it. It was set and written in New York in the 1970s and it was great to read a detective/crime novel from those days. No mobile phones or even faxes to help the detective solve the crime. Matt Scudder is a former police officer who left the force under questionable circumstances. He's now a private detective and in this case he's been asked by the father of a murdered girl to find out more about her life. I'd like to read more in this series.