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billymac1962's review against another edition
4.0
Block's Matt Scudder series is about a NY ex-cop private investigater recovering alcoholic whose girlfriend is a high-priced prostitute. And you think you got troubles?
This novel I've singled out is probably smack-dab in the middle of the series, but it really doesn't matter. It's a gritty read about the snuff movie industry. Great writer here, folks.
I've read four or five from the Scudder series and they're all great reads.
This novel I've singled out is probably smack-dab in the middle of the series, but it really doesn't matter. It's a gritty read about the snuff movie industry. Great writer here, folks.
I've read four or five from the Scudder series and they're all great reads.
dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
Matthew Scudder is hired to figure out if a TV anchor man killed his wife. But what does that have to do with a snuff film a friend of Matt's found disguised as the Dirty Dozen at a video store?
Scudder really stepped in it this time. The Stettners, and to a lesser extent Richard Thurman, the accused anchor, are perverts and psychopaths of the worst kind, the kind that prey on children. I thought James Leo Motely in the previous Scudder book was the worst villain Block could come up with but I was wrong. The thing about Block is that he gets you to see things Scudder's way. While Scudder did something illegal and a little unsettling at the end, you agree that it had to be done.
The supporting cast continues to be one of the hallmarks of the series. Danny Boy Bell, Elaine, Mick, Durkin, even TJ, give the series a little something extra.
A Dance at the Slaughterhouse is one of my top three favorite Scudder books so far. I wouldn't start the Scudder series with it but it's quite a read.
Scudder really stepped in it this time. The Stettners, and to a lesser extent Richard Thurman, the accused anchor, are perverts and psychopaths of the worst kind, the kind that prey on children. I thought James Leo Motely in the previous Scudder book was the worst villain Block could come up with but I was wrong. The thing about Block is that he gets you to see things Scudder's way. While Scudder did something illegal and a little unsettling at the end, you agree that it had to be done.
The supporting cast continues to be one of the hallmarks of the series. Danny Boy Bell, Elaine, Mick, Durkin, even TJ, give the series a little something extra.
A Dance at the Slaughterhouse is one of my top three favorite Scudder books so far. I wouldn't start the Scudder series with it but it's quite a read.
thejoeyharris's review
5.0
A high point of the series
Matt meets TJ in this book, becoming a sort of surrogate father for him. He also deals with a case that spirals out of control quickly, leading him to a pair of sadistic people.
Matt meets TJ in this book, becoming a sort of surrogate father for him. He also deals with a case that spirals out of control quickly, leading him to a pair of sadistic people.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Picking this one up I was not prepared for such a trip into dark and depraved waters. This is more than Scudder has ever gone up against previously and definitely the strongest in the series since [b:Eight Million Ways To Die|402736|Eight Million Ways To Die|Lawrence Block|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348618245s/402736.jpg|2905875]. While we've moved along in years out of the 80's into the early 90's, New York City continues to be a seething trap of anger and violence and desperation with all those ways to die and Scudder has stumbled upon yet another one. This time, he didn't even go looking for it, not really. It sort of finds him in a weird, chilling series of coincidences.
Two words: snuff film. Yeah, like I said, dark and depraved waters.
Scudder is moving along nicely in his life these days. He's sober and regularly attending meetings. He's got his girlfriend Elaine (who one dewy-eyed reviewer wistfully and with no irony whatsoever refers to as Matt's snuggle bunny) no matter that she's a call girl and continues to see clients. He's also forged a pretty meaningful friendship with Mick Ballou, the Irish gangster who may or may not have carried around some guy's head in a bowling ball bag, the man who proudly wears his father's blood stained butcher's apron (and which of those stains are man or animal, nobody knows).
I keep coming back to these books mostly for Scudder. He's such a great character to spend time with. But also for the sense of time and place that Block is able to conjure. I find the Scudder books act like time capsules in a way. So much of the plotting of this story relies on VHS tapes and renting them from a video store. It made me remember what that was like and how long it's been since I've actually done it.
I remember when my family got its first VCR ever and it was this huge exciting moment, like we had finally arrived at a Jetsons' version of the future. And with Block, it's so authentic, because he's not writing these books from a 21st century perspective and recreating 1991, he actually wrote this one in 1991 without the long view and hindsight that we have as readers. I love that. That doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to Scudder aging and getting Block's take on a 21st century New York. I can't wait actually.
I'll wrap this up with a note on the ending -- holy shit snacks.
Spoiler
If Scudder had done this in his heavy drinking days, I would have blamed it on the booze, but to do it stone cold sober, I'm positively shocked. Yet pleased. Satisfied. There was a time early on when I was so angry at Scudder for letting a child rapist walk free (forcing him to donate money to Boys' Town). I was so disappointed with his lack of action then. Well, no one can accuse him of lack of action here. Decisive. Unequivocal. Was this justice or cold-blooded murder? I loved when Scudder tells Ballou about his mentor who told him you don't ever do something with your own hands you can get somebody else to do for you. Well I guess Scudder decided that wasn't for him. If this was going to happen, he was going to have blood on his hands to show for it. I can respect that.Now I think I'll go for a walk among the tombstones.
mferrante83's review against another edition
4.0
First Line: Midway into the fifth round the kid in the blue trunks rocked his opponent with a solid left to the jaw.
A Dance At the Slaughterhouse is the ninth novel to feature Lawrence Block’s private detective, Matthew Scudder. Scudder, an unlicensed detective and currently sober alcoholic is hired to find out if (or how) a TV producer manged to stage the rape and murder of his own wife. Of course, as with most of the detective novels I’ve read so far, that really only describes the plot at the outset. Rivaling only The Long Goodbye with its twisting plot A Dance at the Slaughterhouse takes many turns before it finally arrives at a satisfying, thrilling, and morally ambiguous conclusion..
Scudder is an interesting character. He frequently attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings yet his best friend Mick Ballou is a saloon owner with whom Scudder spends long nights with talking and drinking (coke or coffee, Mick sticks to whiskey). He lacks the outright wry humor of many hard-boiled detectives yet he manages to have a way with words (his “way out here in the middle of the alphabet” comment when discussing love and marriage with his girlfriend Elaine, was particularly noteworthy). He has a strong sense of justice, of right and wrong, but that sense clashes with the reality of the justice system. There is a comforting stoicism to him that speaks towards a certain strength of character while at the same time hinting at at somewhat jaded world view.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph the plot of A Dance at the Slaughterhouse is a bit twisting wherein two large, seemingly unrelated mysteries wind up being totally related. In all honesty I find that element to be somewhat tiresome, and I haven’t come across it too many times in my reading, but I’d be interesting to read a detective story wherein the two major mysteries manage to actually be two separate but totally unrelated mysteries. The amount of coincidence that connects the two plots here, the first involving the aforementioned television producer and the second involving a child porn snuff film (I feel dirty just typing that out), strains credibility. On the other hand, once those connections are revealed they are actually quite sound and play out to satisfying ending during the novel’s climatic finally. I only wish that Scudder’s intuitive leap at the connection didn’t quite feel so random. Then again intuition and instinct are like the bread and butter of the private detective.
Indeed, given that the initial plot set forth (the investigation of the television producer) is set aside within only a couple of chapters as a chance encounter refocuses Scudder on his exposure to the snuff tape and initiates a lengthy flashback wherein Scudder details his past investigation into its origins. It is a little jarring to say the least. Regardless the plot set forth by that tape is compelling and Scudders reaction, a man who has seen it all being suddenly exposed to a new horror, makes for some heart-rending reading. In particular Scudder’s conversation with the traumatized woman who works at a local halfway house/homeless shelter for runaway teens/children is masterfully done; the distant cast to the woman’s dialogue is a stirring tribute to the injustice she is forced to witness on a daily basis. When the plots do finally converge, a slow process but I’m certain I overlooked several clues during my reading that others might not, everything seems to fit quite neatly. Fits neatly yes but, as it turns out, not neatly enough for the law.
Which is where Scudder, takes a page out of Mike Hammer’s book. Having not read A Ticket to the Boneyard Scudder’s decision to take justice into his own hands came out of left field; though readers of that earlier novel might not be so surprised. It adds an element of moral ambiguity that is the result of moral certainty. It raises the novel beyond a whodunnit (or perhaps a howdunnit) to something a bit more complex; a mediation on the nature of justice. Reservations via plot structure aside, A Dance at the Slaughterhouse was an excellent read on par with the best the detective genre has to offer. If you’ve never read any of the Scudder novels so far A Dance at the Slaughterhouse isn’t a bad place to start (it does spoil A Ticket to the Boneyard, though).
A Dance At the Slaughterhouse is the ninth novel to feature Lawrence Block’s private detective, Matthew Scudder. Scudder, an unlicensed detective and currently sober alcoholic is hired to find out if (or how) a TV producer manged to stage the rape and murder of his own wife. Of course, as with most of the detective novels I’ve read so far, that really only describes the plot at the outset. Rivaling only The Long Goodbye with its twisting plot A Dance at the Slaughterhouse takes many turns before it finally arrives at a satisfying, thrilling, and morally ambiguous conclusion..
Scudder is an interesting character. He frequently attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings yet his best friend Mick Ballou is a saloon owner with whom Scudder spends long nights with talking and drinking (coke or coffee, Mick sticks to whiskey). He lacks the outright wry humor of many hard-boiled detectives yet he manages to have a way with words (his “way out here in the middle of the alphabet” comment when discussing love and marriage with his girlfriend Elaine, was particularly noteworthy). He has a strong sense of justice, of right and wrong, but that sense clashes with the reality of the justice system. There is a comforting stoicism to him that speaks towards a certain strength of character while at the same time hinting at at somewhat jaded world view.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph the plot of A Dance at the Slaughterhouse is a bit twisting wherein two large, seemingly unrelated mysteries wind up being totally related. In all honesty I find that element to be somewhat tiresome, and I haven’t come across it too many times in my reading, but I’d be interesting to read a detective story wherein the two major mysteries manage to actually be two separate but totally unrelated mysteries. The amount of coincidence that connects the two plots here, the first involving the aforementioned television producer and the second involving a child porn snuff film (I feel dirty just typing that out), strains credibility. On the other hand, once those connections are revealed they are actually quite sound and play out to satisfying ending during the novel’s climatic finally. I only wish that Scudder’s intuitive leap at the connection didn’t quite feel so random. Then again intuition and instinct are like the bread and butter of the private detective.
Indeed, given that the initial plot set forth (the investigation of the television producer) is set aside within only a couple of chapters as a chance encounter refocuses Scudder on his exposure to the snuff tape and initiates a lengthy flashback wherein Scudder details his past investigation into its origins. It is a little jarring to say the least. Regardless the plot set forth by that tape is compelling and Scudders reaction, a man who has seen it all being suddenly exposed to a new horror, makes for some heart-rending reading. In particular Scudder’s conversation with the traumatized woman who works at a local halfway house/homeless shelter for runaway teens/children is masterfully done; the distant cast to the woman’s dialogue is a stirring tribute to the injustice she is forced to witness on a daily basis. When the plots do finally converge, a slow process but I’m certain I overlooked several clues during my reading that others might not, everything seems to fit quite neatly. Fits neatly yes but, as it turns out, not neatly enough for the law.
Which is where Scudder, takes a page out of Mike Hammer’s book. Having not read A Ticket to the Boneyard Scudder’s decision to take justice into his own hands came out of left field; though readers of that earlier novel might not be so surprised. It adds an element of moral ambiguity that is the result of moral certainty. It raises the novel beyond a whodunnit (or perhaps a howdunnit) to something a bit more complex; a mediation on the nature of justice. Reservations via plot structure aside, A Dance at the Slaughterhouse was an excellent read on par with the best the detective genre has to offer. If you’ve never read any of the Scudder novels so far A Dance at the Slaughterhouse isn’t a bad place to start (it does spoil A Ticket to the Boneyard, though).
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
The Matthew Scudder series continues and seems to get more and more polished. The oft repeated format of two apparently distinct crimes that become linked, the same collection of likeable characters, and the same Scudder (though with less on his fight against alcoholism in this one) . All we know is that Scudder will actually solve the crime and that we should expect an unconventional ending. I’ll be sad to see the end of this series.
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
1.0
Everything about this is fine--writing, plot, etc. I do like the character of Elaine. I'm just tired of child abuse as a plot device. I've now read all of the series. What a book to end on.
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading these in order and I assume that people reading this review started from book 1 so I won't explain the characters and the series. For those not familiar with the series, I suggest they start from book #1.
Spoilers ahead:
As usual Block does a pretty good job of segueing two story lines into one. In plot 1, a brother hires Scudder because he thinks that his brother in law (Thurman) staged a burglary gone bad in which his sister was raped and killed. He just wants the evidence that his BIL did it.
In plot 2, a fellow AA member discovers a snuff film taped over into the middle of a commercial VHS copy of the Dirty Dozen. Scudder decides to find the story behind it. By patient footwork, he discovers the man who owned the tape. He did this by investigating the rental store that the tape came from. He assumes that the man (since died) lived close by and was a renter. By looking through the records of people who stopped renting he finds the man. However it seems to be a dead end as the man was killed in a robbery.
By accident he is able to link Thurman and the culprit of the snuff film (Stettner) when he sees them at a boxing match together. By now Scudder has a lot of evidence that Thurman killed his wife and Stettner is the man in the snuff flim, but nothing concrete (or that can be explained away) that can be used to convict either one of them. In fact, Scudder's police friend (Durkin) is so bitter at the justice system that he gets upset and dead drunk while meeting Scudder at a dive.
At this point the series takes a turn (actually in the last book too). Is this series going to be a vigilante series? Because that's what's going to happen. Thurman is killed (probably by Stettner to keep his mouth shut) and Scudder sets up Stettner for a meet, ostensibly to trade the snuff tape for $50k but we know something else is in the works because he takes Ballou (a gangster he met a few books ago) and his crew along.
Stettner has set up Scudder too with 2 gunmen in an ambush but Ballou kills them both. And during the changeover, which has turned into a straight up robbery, Ballou kills Stettner and Scudder shoots his wife (who is an active participant in the films).
Afterwards Scudder meets up with Faber (his AA sponsor), tells him everything and explains his rationale (basically to the readers) of why he did it. We already know, since in the last book Scudder killed the villain because he didn't think the justice system would do justice.
The series: Block does a great job of making the characters real and the detective protocol footwork interesting. The characters are becoming a bit cliched though, everything from the street smart urchin, to the earnest detective or the high minded criminal. Sometimes the action is a bit slow when Block decides to write pages of philosophy or thought that doesn't move the plot along. Still, I'm vested in the characters. I like Scudder and I want to see him solve more crime and punish more villains. The plots have been quite unique and not cookie-cutter like many other authors. OK, on to the next book!
Spoilers ahead:
As usual Block does a pretty good job of segueing two story lines into one. In plot 1, a brother hires Scudder because he thinks that his brother in law (Thurman) staged a burglary gone bad in which his sister was raped and killed. He just wants the evidence that his BIL did it.
In plot 2, a fellow AA member discovers a snuff film taped over into the middle of a commercial VHS copy of the Dirty Dozen. Scudder decides to find the story behind it. By patient footwork, he discovers the man who owned the tape. He did this by investigating the rental store that the tape came from. He assumes that the man (since died) lived close by and was a renter. By looking through the records of people who stopped renting he finds the man. However it seems to be a dead end as the man was killed in a robbery.
By accident he is able to link Thurman and the culprit of the snuff film (Stettner) when he sees them at a boxing match together. By now Scudder has a lot of evidence that Thurman killed his wife and Stettner is the man in the snuff flim, but nothing concrete (or that can be explained away) that can be used to convict either one of them. In fact, Scudder's police friend (Durkin) is so bitter at the justice system that he gets upset and dead drunk while meeting Scudder at a dive.
At this point the series takes a turn (actually in the last book too). Is this series going to be a vigilante series? Because that's what's going to happen. Thurman is killed (probably by Stettner to keep his mouth shut) and Scudder sets up Stettner for a meet, ostensibly to trade the snuff tape for $50k but we know something else is in the works because he takes Ballou (a gangster he met a few books ago) and his crew along.
Stettner has set up Scudder too with 2 gunmen in an ambush but Ballou kills them both. And during the changeover, which has turned into a straight up robbery, Ballou kills Stettner and Scudder shoots his wife (who is an active participant in the films).
Afterwards Scudder meets up with Faber (his AA sponsor), tells him everything and explains his rationale (basically to the readers) of why he did it. We already know, since in the last book Scudder killed the villain because he didn't think the justice system would do justice.
The series: Block does a great job of making the characters real and the detective protocol footwork interesting. The characters are becoming a bit cliched though, everything from the street smart urchin, to the earnest detective or the high minded criminal. Sometimes the action is a bit slow when Block decides to write pages of philosophy or thought that doesn't move the plot along. Still, I'm vested in the characters. I like Scudder and I want to see him solve more crime and punish more villains. The plots have been quite unique and not cookie-cutter like many other authors. OK, on to the next book!
gracenow's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars. I love Matthew Scudder but this was such a walk down violent and seedy areas, things I'd never even want to contemplate. Saw a side of Scudder that I don't believe was ever repeated (I believe I've read all of his Scudder books). Meet TJ in this, a young street kid who helps Scudder out over the course of many of the books. I will say the last 50 pages I was glued to the book, nothing short of the power going out, so I can't see, would have stopped me from finishing it.
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
9 books in and just when I was feeling like Matthew Scudder was becoming predictable Lawrence Block throws this ending at me… Well played Mr. Block.
The only thing holding this back from that magical 5th star is that there are maybe a few too many coincidences that tie the 2 cases together here. Normally that would make me groan and roll my eyes but for whatever reason it actually kind of almost works in the horrible, dirty, grimy world that Scudder exists in.
4.4 stars
The only thing holding this back from that magical 5th star is that there are maybe a few too many coincidences that tie the 2 cases together here. Normally that would make me groan and roll my eyes but for whatever reason it actually kind of almost works in the horrible, dirty, grimy world that Scudder exists in.
4.4 stars