mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely my favorite in the series since the first volume: the mystery is solid, the characters interesting, and Scudder gets closer to acknowledging the impact of his alcoholism. I also liked how Scudder always has a clearer view of what his investigations mean than anyone around him; there's a moving passage in this book as a woman realizes her marriage is falling apart, not because of what Scudder has found, but because of the questions she and others are finally facing.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
The brandy, I told myself. Probably be a good idea to stay away from it. Stick to what you're used to. Stick to bourbon. I went on over to Armstrong's. A little bourbon would take the edge off the brandy rush. A little bourbon would take the edge off almost anything. ~A Stab in the DarkAh, Matt. Things are getting pretty dark for you my friend. Rock bottom is rushing up to meet you at about 200 miles an hour. It's going to hit like a freight train and I'm afraid you won't even see it coming. Cause we all know 'denial' is not just a river in Egypt.
As you may have guessed, what marks this fourth installment of Lawrence Block's Scudder series, isn't the unsolved nine-year-old murder, or Scudder's uncanny ability to solve it with his characteristic dogged style, but his further descent into excessive boozing, blackouts and hangovers. He meets a woman this time that suffers from the same malady as Matt, but she has a name for it -- alcoholic. Matt bristles at this term, because as far as he's concerned he can stop drinking any time he wants. Like any good boozer who ain't ready to jump on that proverbial wagon and stay there, Matt doesn't see himself as having a problem. He sees himself as still in control.
I acutely felt Matt's loneliness and guilt in this one. It's a sad book really. Even the crime is a sad one that should never have happened in the first place. Now on to Book 5 - [b:Eight Million Ways to Die|76758|Eight Million Ways to Die (Matthew Scudder, #5)|Lawrence Block|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1289521310s/76758.jpg|2905875]. What's in store for you, Matt? How bad is this going to get before it gets better?
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
3.0
Not a hard-driving book, but engaging nonetheless. Not real fond of the criminals' monologues that explain everything, but that seems to be a trait for this series. What I like are the intuitive leaps that Scudder makes, permitting the reader to see if they can figure it out at this point as well.
usbsticky's review against another edition
5.0
Spoilers ahead: This is the 4th book I've read in the series. I liked the first two (4 star ratings), thought the 3rd was meh (3 star rating) and stopped for a while. Taking a break from Bernard Cornwell I decided to read #4 in this series and was blown away.
This is an investigator procedural. The protagonist is a former NYPD detective who quit his job because he inadvertently shot and killed a child shooting at a robbery gone bad. Since then he has become an unofficial unlicensed PI who looks at cases when they are referred to him. They are referred to him because people (usually cops he used to work with) know that he's good, and unofficial.
The whole setting is a bit strange, it's based in NY but the dollar amounts (a few hundred bucks for rent), people casually smoking, diners in pharmacies, the lack of technology and the way people behave make it seem like it's in the 50-60's when the book is published in the 1980 or so. It never really gives dates.
Back to the book. A serial killer (ice picks) has been apprehended but the father of a victim doesn't believe his daughter was killed by the serial killer and hires Scudder for another look.
This procedural is faithful to its name because it follows the formula of Scudder doing the footwork, looking up and interviewing witnesses one by one and piecing the story together and building up the excitement.
It isn't fast paced but I'm glued to the book because of the work the author puts in to make the setting and characters feel real and interesting. By the middle of the book I already knew I was going to give the book 5 stars and I was going to read the next one.
There is a lot of noir feeling in this book despite the dubious (to me) timeline. And every notable mystery series protagonist has a catch, in this case Scudder is an alcoholic. I read the first 3 books some time ago so I don't remember how much he was drinking but in this book, he's drink every meal and in between.
The reveal and ending is quite quick. The enjoyment of the book to me isn't really in the goal (solving the mystery), it's in the journey. I'm going to get book 5 not because of what new mystery he's going to solve but because I want to find out what is going to happen to Scudder next, and that's what a truly good book and series is.
This is an investigator procedural. The protagonist is a former NYPD detective who quit his job because he inadvertently shot and killed a child shooting at a robbery gone bad. Since then he has become an unofficial unlicensed PI who looks at cases when they are referred to him. They are referred to him because people (usually cops he used to work with) know that he's good, and unofficial.
The whole setting is a bit strange, it's based in NY but the dollar amounts (a few hundred bucks for rent), people casually smoking, diners in pharmacies, the lack of technology and the way people behave make it seem like it's in the 50-60's when the book is published in the 1980 or so. It never really gives dates.
Back to the book. A serial killer (ice picks) has been apprehended but the father of a victim doesn't believe his daughter was killed by the serial killer and hires Scudder for another look.
This procedural is faithful to its name because it follows the formula of Scudder doing the footwork, looking up and interviewing witnesses one by one and piecing the story together and building up the excitement.
It isn't fast paced but I'm glued to the book because of the work the author puts in to make the setting and characters feel real and interesting. By the middle of the book I already knew I was going to give the book 5 stars and I was going to read the next one.
There is a lot of noir feeling in this book despite the dubious (to me) timeline. And every notable mystery series protagonist has a catch, in this case Scudder is an alcoholic. I read the first 3 books some time ago so I don't remember how much he was drinking but in this book, he's drink every meal and in between.
The reveal and ending is quite quick. The enjoyment of the book to me isn't really in the goal (solving the mystery), it's in the journey. I'm going to get book 5 not because of what new mystery he's going to solve but because I want to find out what is going to happen to Scudder next, and that's what a truly good book and series is.
bambooty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hpuphd's review against another edition
5.0
This novel works expertly as both a detective story and a character-driven story on the struggle to keep the light on in our soul. Chapter 8 is a great example. Matt Scudder goes to talk to a woman familiar with the nine-year-old murder he is investigating. But they both happen to be incipient alcoholics, a condition they slowly begin to sense about each other in a long conversation with some difficult and revealing questions. As it develops, you suddenly realize that Block has set the crime story aside to favor the deeper concerns of a mainstream novel. Later, Scudder’s ex-wife calls him to say that the aged family dog had to be put to sleep. Their sons had grown so old that they ignored the pet, but the wife cherished and misses the dog. She has no one else who knew of him to talk to. Block devotes a page and a half to that awkward, human moment. Again and again lonely people reach out or fool themselves into thinking they don’t need to. The book is a dark but honest meditation on human need.