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jlmb's review against another edition
4.0
Block is always better than I think he will be. He does what he does perfectly and then some. If you are in the mood for a classic hardboiled big city private investigator mystery, then look no farther than the Matthew Scudder series.
Besides writing a tight, well paced mystery, Block imbues his lead with believable, relatable emotions and actions. Scudder is a flawed human and not just a two dimensional protagonist solving a tricky crime. The development of his character isn't perfect (must Block always have Scudder fall into bed with a woman? Can't he ever get turned down?) but maybe having a love interest, no matter how tenuous, is something most readers want?
As for the mystery itself, it was compelling and kept me reading. Of course, like in most mysteries, there is the cliched final scene where the killer has to explain everything in great detail - too bad that doesn't happen more in real life. On the upside, all the main characters weren't assembled in the drawing room for the explanation haha. Honestly, though, I have to admit I kinda like it when mysteries end that way. It just rings more false in urban, cop mysteries than it does in quaint English villages.
Besides writing a tight, well paced mystery, Block imbues his lead with believable, relatable emotions and actions. Scudder is a flawed human and not just a two dimensional protagonist solving a tricky crime. The development of his character isn't perfect (must Block always have Scudder fall into bed with a woman? Can't he ever get turned down?) but maybe having a love interest, no matter how tenuous, is something most readers want?
As for the mystery itself, it was compelling and kept me reading. Of course, like in most mysteries, there is the cliched final scene where the killer has to explain everything in great detail - too bad that doesn't happen more in real life. On the upside, all the main characters weren't assembled in the drawing room for the explanation haha. Honestly, though, I have to admit I kinda like it when mysteries end that way. It just rings more false in urban, cop mysteries than it does in quaint English villages.
wormz's review against another edition
3.0
For the most part it was decent, but points off for having a lesbian turn straight due to the charms of the detective. Weird story choice but I guess it was a different time.
ctgt's review against another edition
3.0
My least favorite of the Scudder books so far. My enjoyment of this series comes from Scudder dealing with all his personal issues not from the cases he runs. Not that the cases are bad, that's just not what thrills me. This book had a couple of those moments, talking with another cop who left the force, discussing drinking habits with a new girlfriend, a phone conversation with his ex-wife but not enough for me. Block does a good job of portraying the mundane aspects of investigating but that's not what I'm looking for in a Scudder book.
carol26388's review
3.0
A lightweight read at only 156 pages. Good suspense and interesting mystery.
In this one, a serial killer is caught by police. The catch? He only confesses to seven of the murders and has an airtight alibi for the eighth. The father of the eighth victim realizes he needs a new kind of closure and hires Scudder to investigate. He pursues it like a terrier; hanging on, chasing down leads from nine years ago, drinking his way through the city. After he interviews the remarried husband and his new wife, he looks up the owner of the daycare center where the victim worked. She's now a sculptor in the Village and struggling with alcohol as well. Personal collides with professional. Eventually, the client makes a feeble effort to call Scudder off, but like the terrier down the rat hole, he won't let up.
This one is notable for Scudder's drinking picking up pace, clearly speeding him along to rock bottom. Slowly, it dawned on me as I read that Scudder's drinking was out of control. There's a few moments when he realizes it and pulls back, but never for long. It's interesting the way Block writes it; the murders capture the reader's attention while Scudder slowly slides off the bar stool in the background.
Definitely a likeable read, with a surprise ending to the murder that I'm not entirely sure was believable.
In this one, a serial killer is caught by police. The catch? He only confesses to seven of the murders and has an airtight alibi for the eighth. The father of the eighth victim realizes he needs a new kind of closure and hires Scudder to investigate. He pursues it like a terrier; hanging on, chasing down leads from nine years ago, drinking his way through the city. After he interviews the remarried husband and his new wife, he looks up the owner of the daycare center where the victim worked. She's now a sculptor in the Village and struggling with alcohol as well. Personal collides with professional. Eventually, the client makes a feeble effort to call Scudder off, but like the terrier down the rat hole, he won't let up.
This one is notable for Scudder's drinking picking up pace, clearly speeding him along to rock bottom. Slowly, it dawned on me as I read that Scudder's drinking was out of control. There's a few moments when he realizes it and pulls back, but never for long. It's interesting the way Block writes it; the murders capture the reader's attention while Scudder slowly slides off the bar stool in the background.
Definitely a likeable read, with a surprise ending to the murder that I'm not entirely sure was believable.
ibeforem's review
4.0
These early Matthew Scudder books, written in the late 70s and early 80s, feel like a window into another world. Scudder isn’t so much a private investigator as he is "a guy who does favors and sometimes takes some money in exchange for them". He solves his mysteries without the aid of computers and databases and cell phones — his tools of the trade are footwork, conversation, and public libraries. He spends a lot of time knocking on doors and dropping dimes(!) into pay phones. Unfortunately, he also spends a lot of time in the bottle, a trait that follows him through the series. In this book, a man has been arrested for a series of murders several years earlier. The problem is, he couldn’t have killed the final victim. That victim’s father is looking for answers, and Scudder is going to try to find them. I enjoy these books because they’re short, gritty, and to the point.
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