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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
I’m a mystery book lover and I’ve read plenty of Edgar Award recipients. For the life of me, I don’t know why they pick some of the ones they do. Margaret Millar’s Beast in View is fine but it in no way should be considered better than Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Some of the other winners I’ve not been impressed with either, especially ones by Stephen King and Noah Hawley.
Occasionally, they do get it right. The Laughing Policeman, Briarpatch and The Spy That Came In From the Cold are a few examples of recognizing true greatness.
You can add A Dance At the Slaughterhouse to the list. Wow.
This is probably the best Scudder book I’ve read in the series. Two mysteries at the heart of it but it reads more like a thriller. Block is always a readable hang but here I literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. And while there is a heavy dose of coincidence, and I don’t like coincidence, the way it resolves itself is of the highest quality.
I also like how Block allows Matthew to reckon with the things he’s done without being too heavy handed. I appreciate an author that is willing to truly step into a gray worldview as opposed to one who leans into moral ambiguity for the sake of making their protagonist look like a martyred hero. Block has come a long way with this series and he really trusts his readers. In this, it’s rewarded.
This book also doubles as an excellent time capsule of a New York City that, like the protagonist of the books, is on the edge of change as it enters the 90s. Matthew has to jaunt through the seedy Times Square that will be completely redone well before the decade is out. It still has that visceral edge of things spilling over at any moment but the cracks of change are showing. I’m looking forward to seeing how Block will portray the Giuliani era, which turned Manhattan into a theme park at the expense of many lower class folk who lived and work there.
I’m excited to go through the rest of the series but I don’t know how much better it can get than this.
Occasionally, they do get it right. The Laughing Policeman, Briarpatch and The Spy That Came In From the Cold are a few examples of recognizing true greatness.
You can add A Dance At the Slaughterhouse to the list. Wow.
This is probably the best Scudder book I’ve read in the series. Two mysteries at the heart of it but it reads more like a thriller. Block is always a readable hang but here I literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. And while there is a heavy dose of coincidence, and I don’t like coincidence, the way it resolves itself is of the highest quality.
I also like how Block allows Matthew to reckon with the things he’s done without being too heavy handed. I appreciate an author that is willing to truly step into a gray worldview as opposed to one who leans into moral ambiguity for the sake of making their protagonist look like a martyred hero. Block has come a long way with this series and he really trusts his readers. In this, it’s rewarded.
This book also doubles as an excellent time capsule of a New York City that, like the protagonist of the books, is on the edge of change as it enters the 90s. Matthew has to jaunt through the seedy Times Square that will be completely redone well before the decade is out. It still has that visceral edge of things spilling over at any moment but the cracks of change are showing. I’m looking forward to seeing how Block will portray the Giuliani era, which turned Manhattan into a theme park at the expense of many lower class folk who lived and work there.
I’m excited to go through the rest of the series but I don’t know how much better it can get than this.
Mivel rendszeresen olvasok Block-ot, legalábbis a magyarul megjelent könyveit, mindig hasonlítgatom is őket kicsit egymáshoz. Főleg az az érdekes, hogy mennyire más képet nyújt Scudder szemén keresztül New Yorkról, mint a Bernie regényekben. Mert itt aztán megjelenik a nyomor és az alvilág minden sötét bugyra ami egy nagyvárosban csak lehetséges. Ebben a regényben például, ami az 1980-as évek közepén játszódik amikor az AIDS éppen csak mainstream betegség lett, mindenféle, a szexszel kapcsolatos aberráció kap helyet. S közben ugyanakkor mégis élhetőnek tűnik New York, ahol jókat lehet enni, színházba járni meg kirándulni. Fura volt ez a kettősség, mint ahogy még mindig képes vagyok meglepődni, hogy jé, tényleg, alig 30 éve az embereknek még nem volt természetes, hogy a számítógépek mennyi minden adatot tartalmaznak, hogy mobilokról sokkal gyorsabban lehet telefonálni. Na meg az is különleges volt, ha valaki magánemberként rendelkezett audio-vizuális eszközzel. Matt-nek még videomagnója sincs!
Ami még a Scudder regények visszatérő témája, az az alkoholizmus. Hiszen Matt alkoholista, bár már évek óta nem ivott, de ebből a betegségből úgy tartják, nem lehet kigyógyulni. Majd minden regényben, ami azóta keletkezett, hogy letette a poharát van egy pont, ahol meginog, s már-már nyúlna az üveg után. Ám itt ez nem történik meg, ami azt hiszem, még őt magát is meglepi. Nekem, mint olvasónak az jön át nagyon, hogy mennyire őszintén ír Block az alkoholizmusról, hogy milyen nehéz lehet leküzdeni ezt és tényleg csak a sorstársaktól kaphat segítséget az ember. Mert ki más az, aki megérti őket? Akik ugyanúgy tudják, min mennek keresztül nap mint nap, amikor az alkohol kísérti egy nagyvárosi ember szinte minden lépését. Úgyhogy kezdem megérteni az AA gyűlésekre járás szükségességét is. Mert Matt is ahányszor nehéz helyzetbe kerül, felkeres egy helyet, ahol hozzá hasonlóakkal beszélhet, akik meghallgatják és támogatják és szurkolnak neki.
Block a Scudder regényekben tudatosan és folyamatosan kényelmetlen helyzetbe hozza az olvasót. Szinte soha semmi se simán fekete vagy fehér, ha az ember Matt Scudder útját követi. De az biztos, hogy úgy kell dönteni, hogy együtt tudjunk élni vele és ne nyúljunk a pohár után.
Részletesebben: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2012/09/11/lawrence_block_tanc_a_meszarszeken/
Ami még a Scudder regények visszatérő témája, az az alkoholizmus. Hiszen Matt alkoholista, bár már évek óta nem ivott, de ebből a betegségből úgy tartják, nem lehet kigyógyulni. Majd minden regényben, ami azóta keletkezett, hogy letette a poharát van egy pont, ahol meginog, s már-már nyúlna az üveg után. Ám itt ez nem történik meg, ami azt hiszem, még őt magát is meglepi. Nekem, mint olvasónak az jön át nagyon, hogy mennyire őszintén ír Block az alkoholizmusról, hogy milyen nehéz lehet leküzdeni ezt és tényleg csak a sorstársaktól kaphat segítséget az ember. Mert ki más az, aki megérti őket? Akik ugyanúgy tudják, min mennek keresztül nap mint nap, amikor az alkohol kísérti egy nagyvárosi ember szinte minden lépését. Úgyhogy kezdem megérteni az AA gyűlésekre járás szükségességét is. Mert Matt is ahányszor nehéz helyzetbe kerül, felkeres egy helyet, ahol hozzá hasonlóakkal beszélhet, akik meghallgatják és támogatják és szurkolnak neki.
Block a Scudder regényekben tudatosan és folyamatosan kényelmetlen helyzetbe hozza az olvasót. Szinte soha semmi se simán fekete vagy fehér, ha az ember Matt Scudder útját követi. De az biztos, hogy úgy kell dönteni, hogy együtt tudjunk élni vele és ne nyúljunk a pohár után.
Részletesebben: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2012/09/11/lawrence_block_tanc_a_meszarszeken/
La mijlocul celei de-a cincea runde, puştiul în şort albastru şi-a zguduit adversarul cu o stângă serioasă în maxilar. Imediat după, i-a tras o dreaptă drept în cap.
— E gata să se prăbuşească, a spus Mick Ballou.
Chiar aşa arăta, dar când băiatul în albastru a început să se clatine, celălalt a reuşit să-i fure un pumn şi s-a agăţat anevoie în clinci. Înainte ca arbitrul să îi despartă, i-am putut zări ochii. Păreau opaci, neconcentraţi.
— Cât a mai rămas?
— Peste un minut.
— Timp berechet, a spus Mick. Fii atent cum omul tău îl face lat pe băiat. La cât e de mic, e tare ca un taur.
Nu erau chiar aşa mici. Boxau la categoria semimijlocie, ceea ce însemna că aveau în jur de 70 kg. Cândva ştiam limitele de greutate ale tuturor categoriilor, însă pe-atunci era uşor. Acum numărul categoriilor lor s-a dublat, au apărut tot felul de nuanţe şi există trei organizaţii diferite, fiecare cu propriul ei campion. Cred că moda a început când cineva şi-a dat seama că e mai uşor să promovezi o partidă de titlu şi s-a ajuns acum de numai la aşa ceva mai poţi să asişti.
Meciul la care asistam însă, nu avea nici o miză de titlu şi era hăt-departe de strălucirea şi amploarea luptelor de campionat ţinute în cazinourile din Vegas şi Atlantic City. Mai exact spus, eram într-o baracă din blocuri de beton pe o stradă întunecată din Maspeth, o zonă industrială pustie din cartierul Queens, mărginită la sud şi la vest de secţiunile Greenpoint şi Bushwick ale Brooklyn-ului şi delimitată de restul cartierului de un semicerc de cimitire. Ai fi putut trăi toată viaţa în New York fără să ajungi vreodată în Maspeth sau puteai trece cu maşina pe acolo de zeci de ori fără să ai habar unde eşti. Cu depozitele, fabricile şi străzile rezidenţiale sordide de acolo, slabe şanse ca cineva să treacă Maspeth pe lista sa scurtă a locurilor pentru investiţii viitoare, dar presupun că nu se ştie niciodată. Mai devreme sau mai târziu, investitorii rămân în pană de locuri şi-atunci depozitele părăginite ar putea fi readuse la viaţă, transformate în hogeacuri pentru artişti, iar tinerii ecologişti urbani vor smulge cartonul gudronat putred de pe pereţii caselor terasate şi vor redecora interioarele. Atunci, de-a lungul trotuarelor de pe Grand Avenue vor creşte arbori de ginkgo biloba şi va fi câte-un aprozar coreean la fiecare intersecţie.
Până una alta, singurul semn pe care îl văzusem şi care să trimită la viitorul glorios al cartierului era New Maspeth Arena. Cu câteva luni în urmă, Madison Square Garden închisese sala Felt Forum în vederea renovării, iar cândva, pe la începutul lui decembrie, New Maspeth Arena se deschisese, oferind o serie de meciuri de box în fiecare seară de joi, rundele preliminarii începând în jur de şapte.
— E gata să se prăbuşească, a spus Mick Ballou.
Chiar aşa arăta, dar când băiatul în albastru a început să se clatine, celălalt a reuşit să-i fure un pumn şi s-a agăţat anevoie în clinci. Înainte ca arbitrul să îi despartă, i-am putut zări ochii. Păreau opaci, neconcentraţi.
— Cât a mai rămas?
— Peste un minut.
— Timp berechet, a spus Mick. Fii atent cum omul tău îl face lat pe băiat. La cât e de mic, e tare ca un taur.
Nu erau chiar aşa mici. Boxau la categoria semimijlocie, ceea ce însemna că aveau în jur de 70 kg. Cândva ştiam limitele de greutate ale tuturor categoriilor, însă pe-atunci era uşor. Acum numărul categoriilor lor s-a dublat, au apărut tot felul de nuanţe şi există trei organizaţii diferite, fiecare cu propriul ei campion. Cred că moda a început când cineva şi-a dat seama că e mai uşor să promovezi o partidă de titlu şi s-a ajuns acum de numai la aşa ceva mai poţi să asişti.
Meciul la care asistam însă, nu avea nici o miză de titlu şi era hăt-departe de strălucirea şi amploarea luptelor de campionat ţinute în cazinourile din Vegas şi Atlantic City. Mai exact spus, eram într-o baracă din blocuri de beton pe o stradă întunecată din Maspeth, o zonă industrială pustie din cartierul Queens, mărginită la sud şi la vest de secţiunile Greenpoint şi Bushwick ale Brooklyn-ului şi delimitată de restul cartierului de un semicerc de cimitire. Ai fi putut trăi toată viaţa în New York fără să ajungi vreodată în Maspeth sau puteai trece cu maşina pe acolo de zeci de ori fără să ai habar unde eşti. Cu depozitele, fabricile şi străzile rezidenţiale sordide de acolo, slabe şanse ca cineva să treacă Maspeth pe lista sa scurtă a locurilor pentru investiţii viitoare, dar presupun că nu se ştie niciodată. Mai devreme sau mai târziu, investitorii rămân în pană de locuri şi-atunci depozitele părăginite ar putea fi readuse la viaţă, transformate în hogeacuri pentru artişti, iar tinerii ecologişti urbani vor smulge cartonul gudronat putred de pe pereţii caselor terasate şi vor redecora interioarele. Atunci, de-a lungul trotuarelor de pe Grand Avenue vor creşte arbori de ginkgo biloba şi va fi câte-un aprozar coreean la fiecare intersecţie.
Până una alta, singurul semn pe care îl văzusem şi care să trimită la viitorul glorios al cartierului era New Maspeth Arena. Cu câteva luni în urmă, Madison Square Garden închisese sala Felt Forum în vederea renovării, iar cândva, pe la începutul lui decembrie, New Maspeth Arena se deschisese, oferind o serie de meciuri de box în fiecare seară de joi, rundele preliminarii începând în jur de şapte.