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A review by billymac1962
Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block
5.0
Back in the early 90s I read four of the Matthew Scudder novels. They were quite good, and just the type of dark noir I was into at the time.
Eventually I had enough and moved on to many other authors and Lawrence Block fell off my radar. Until I saw a great review by Stephen for Block's Grifter's Game from the Hard Case Crime collection.
I read that short story, was thoroughly impressed, and set my mind to
visiting Matt Scudder again after a 20 year break.
Eight Million Ways to Die was published before the four I had read. It's not absolutely imperative to read these in order, but it is recommended not only because of minor spoilers, but to follow the process of Scudder's battle with alcoholism.
From a mystery standpoint, the story is quite good, and would rank a high three or four-star read. Good, but what made the book so engaging for me was Scudder's struggle to stay sober. I was set on giving the book three solid stars (i.e. I liked it), but the very last line of the story encompassed all that had happened and rounded out perspective on Matthew Scudder's character.
I'll typically bump a star for a novel that excels on some aspect,
but this is the first time I've bumped two stars to make this an "It was amazing" read. Like I've said in many reviews, character development is number one for me, and Block did something really special here.
Eventually I had enough and moved on to many other authors and Lawrence Block fell off my radar. Until I saw a great review by Stephen for Block's Grifter's Game from the Hard Case Crime collection.
I read that short story, was thoroughly impressed, and set my mind to
visiting Matt Scudder again after a 20 year break.
Eight Million Ways to Die was published before the four I had read. It's not absolutely imperative to read these in order, but it is recommended not only because of minor spoilers, but to follow the process of Scudder's battle with alcoholism.
From a mystery standpoint, the story is quite good, and would rank a high three or four-star read. Good, but what made the book so engaging for me was Scudder's struggle to stay sober. I was set on giving the book three solid stars (i.e. I liked it), but the very last line of the story encompassed all that had happened and rounded out perspective on Matthew Scudder's character.
I'll typically bump a star for a novel that excels on some aspect,
but this is the first time I've bumped two stars to make this an "It was amazing" read. Like I've said in many reviews, character development is number one for me, and Block did something really special here.