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twincam59's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
vorpalblad's review against another edition
4.0
Another great read. I enjoy Scudder's changes and while some of Block's books have too many twists, leaving me to wonder how it all came together, this one had just enough to keep me interested and reading through the night.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
The Hollanders are brutally killed by a pair of burglars who have a falling out and kill each other. At least, that's how it appears initially. Matthew Scudder takes a closer look and stumbles upon a serial killer. Can he stop the killer before he kills again?
Once again, Block pulled the wool over my eyes. I knew my guess as to who the killer was was wrong when I noticed there were 120 pages left. Block planted a series of red herrings and Scudder and I both fell for them initially. The killer was cold and scarily reallistic. The chapters told from the killer's point of view were pretty chilling.
I've touted Matthew Scudder's supporting cast and character development as favorite attractions of the series. While we get appearances by Danny Boy Bell and Joe Durkin and a cameo by Mick Ballou, that's about as many of the continuing supporting cast appears. Actually, Matt's relationship with his estranged sons changes quite a bit, now that I think about it. TJ trying to get Matt to use a cellphone and a computer are amusing. Plus, how many detectives age as their further adventures are chronicled? Matt was 44 in the first book. Now he's 62.
While Hope to Die isn't my favorite Matthew Scudder books, it's still really good. Not to be missed by Matthew Scudder fans.
Once again, Block pulled the wool over my eyes. I knew my guess as to who the killer was was wrong when I noticed there were 120 pages left. Block planted a series of red herrings and Scudder and I both fell for them initially. The killer was cold and scarily reallistic. The chapters told from the killer's point of view were pretty chilling.
I've touted Matthew Scudder's supporting cast and character development as favorite attractions of the series. While we get appearances by Danny Boy Bell and Joe Durkin and a cameo by Mick Ballou, that's about as many of the continuing supporting cast appears. Actually, Matt's relationship with his estranged sons changes quite a bit, now that I think about it. TJ trying to get Matt to use a cellphone and a computer are amusing. Plus, how many detectives age as their further adventures are chronicled? Matt was 44 in the first book. Now he's 62.
While Hope to Die isn't my favorite Matthew Scudder books, it's still really good. Not to be missed by Matthew Scudder fans.
emjay24's review against another edition
3.0
this is a matthew scudder mystery, and my first i think. though its way advanced into the series. i love stories about psychopath killers. great mystery, likeable characters, all around great.
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
3.0
I know Block by way of the Keller books. I liked those books for the strange sense of humor, and I like those books a good deal more than this.
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
Spoilers ahead:
Well, that was something slightly different and I'm glad that Block does more than most authors' boiler plate plots in their series. In this book a respectable couple is killed in a home invasion burglary and the wife brutally raped. The killers are shortly found in a murder suicide scenario where one of them kills the other and then commits suicide. The evidence is all there including fingerprint and stolen goods. Case closed, right?
Well apparently the police closes the case but the niece of the wife contacts Scudder and tells him that she doesn't feel right about the case. There is one key element she insists is fishy. The house has an alarm and the killers would not have been able to bypass it.
It's got Scudder intrigued and he starts his usual bulldog like investigation. He starts off with who benefits (daughter inherits a lot of money, $10M worth) and looks at everything. He starts finding anomalies and the case starts to unravel.
What's different in this book is that Block includes the killer's POV. I actually hate this because I don't like having to reset my mind when the killer's POV alternates with the rest of the narrative. And it's mostly a waste of time since you don't really know who he is anyway, until the end. I'd rather just stick with Scudder's POV.
Apart from that, it's good investigative crime protocol which Block excels at. The other good thing is there isn't a lot of that long stretched dialog between characters that don't really lead anywhere. Maybe there is, I usually now automatically fast read through it if it's not interesting, though sometimes it is. And I pretty much fast read through the killer's POV (not losing anything) and managed to finish the book in one day.
Well, that was something slightly different and I'm glad that Block does more than most authors' boiler plate plots in their series. In this book a respectable couple is killed in a home invasion burglary and the wife brutally raped. The killers are shortly found in a murder suicide scenario where one of them kills the other and then commits suicide. The evidence is all there including fingerprint and stolen goods. Case closed, right?
Well apparently the police closes the case but the niece of the wife contacts Scudder and tells him that she doesn't feel right about the case. There is one key element she insists is fishy. The house has an alarm and the killers would not have been able to bypass it.
It's got Scudder intrigued and he starts his usual bulldog like investigation. He starts off with who benefits (daughter inherits a lot of money, $10M worth) and looks at everything. He starts finding anomalies and the case starts to unravel.
What's different in this book is that Block includes the killer's POV. I actually hate this because I don't like having to reset my mind when the killer's POV alternates with the rest of the narrative. And it's mostly a waste of time since you don't really know who he is anyway, until the end. I'd rather just stick with Scudder's POV.
Apart from that, it's good investigative crime protocol which Block excels at. The other good thing is there isn't a lot of that long stretched dialog between characters that don't really lead anywhere. Maybe there is, I usually now automatically fast read through it if it's not interesting, though sometimes it is. And I pretty much fast read through the killer's POV (not losing anything) and managed to finish the book in one day.
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
One of the few fictional super serial killer books I’ve read that I didn’t despise.
kayeness's review against another edition
4.0
Pleasantly twisty and Matt Scudder is always an engaging detective. It's a little dated now .
Re-read as part of my run through of the whole series. The datedness of the setting is part of the charm.
Re-read as part of my run through of the whole series. The datedness of the setting is part of the charm.
ncrabb's review against another edition
3.0
As this book opens, recovering alcoholic Matthew Scudder is 62, married to Elaine, and semi-retired. He no longer has his private investigator’s license, but he still handles a case now and then when the case intrigues him.
His latest intrigue stems from the brutal murders of a wealthy socialite couple who died within minutes of returning to their home from an event Scudder and his wife had also attended. It is that proximity that makes him take a second look at the case.
The couple have a daughter in their early 20s who stands to inherit everything, but while she’s somewhat complex, Scudder soon recognizes that she’s ultimately not a suspect. Indeed, he’s rather taken with her in an entirely respectable decent way. Scudder writes the girl’s character such that you can understand how the aging investigator would find her refreshing and an ally.
The young heiress has a cousin about her age who could also conceivably factor in as a suspect. More interestingly, the woman is about to leave a message on Scudder’s answering machine at one point when the call is interrupted.
Scudder is the only one pursuing the case who believes that a third-party suspect exists. After all, the men who murdered the wealthy couple are later found dead themselves. It’s up to Scudder to figure out whether they’re actually guilty.
There’s plenty of creep factor here as you gradually pull away the layers and join Scudder in the investigation. Indeed, the book ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, and that’s quite ok, since it gives me something to look forward to the next time Scudder and I cross paths, and there will surely be a next time!
His latest intrigue stems from the brutal murders of a wealthy socialite couple who died within minutes of returning to their home from an event Scudder and his wife had also attended. It is that proximity that makes him take a second look at the case.
The couple have a daughter in their early 20s who stands to inherit everything, but while she’s somewhat complex, Scudder soon recognizes that she’s ultimately not a suspect. Indeed, he’s rather taken with her in an entirely respectable decent way. Scudder writes the girl’s character such that you can understand how the aging investigator would find her refreshing and an ally.
The young heiress has a cousin about her age who could also conceivably factor in as a suspect. More interestingly, the woman is about to leave a message on Scudder’s answering machine at one point when the call is interrupted.
Scudder is the only one pursuing the case who believes that a third-party suspect exists. After all, the men who murdered the wealthy couple are later found dead themselves. It’s up to Scudder to figure out whether they’re actually guilty.
There’s plenty of creep factor here as you gradually pull away the layers and join Scudder in the investigation. Indeed, the book ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, and that’s quite ok, since it gives me something to look forward to the next time Scudder and I cross paths, and there will surely be a next time!