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Matthew Scudder #Short Story
A Moment of Wrong Thinking
I began writing about Matthew Scudder in the mid-1970s. The first novel, The Sins of the Fathers, appeared in 1975, and A Drop of the Hard Stuff—the 17th and most recent—was published in 2011. Over the years Scudder has also been featured in 11 short works of fiction; A Moment of Wrong Thinking, which first appeared in EQMM in 2002, is one of them.Short stories have provided me with the opportunity for a glance back at Scudder's life before the first of the novels, when he was a working member of the NYPD. A Moment of Wrong Thinking puts the spotlight on Vince Mahaffey, the veteran plainclothes cop with whom Matt was partnered in his early days on the job in Brooklyn. "They put me with him so he could teach me the ropes," Matt recalls, "and he taught me plenty,including some things they'd have just as soon I never learned." There are references to Mahaffey in several of the novels, but this story gives us a closer look at him.A Moment of Wrong Thinking is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories.
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
41 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Block
767 books2,967 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 5, 2022
A man shoots himself in front of his family. A distressing suicide. But when is a suicide not a suicide: well, when it’s an accident or when someone else pulls the trigger, I guess. All options are up for grabs here as Matt Scudder muses on a case he was called to whilst still a uniformed cop. It’s a short, snappy tale with enough surprises and sufficient ambiguity to keep you thinking for a while after you’ve consumed it.
I listened to an audio version - roughly thirty minutes worth - which is an Audible freebie for members. It was read by the author and I found it as satisfying as I do with nearly of of LB’s output.
I listened to an audio version - roughly thirty minutes worth - which is an Audible freebie for members. It was read by the author and I found it as satisfying as I do with nearly of of LB’s output.
January 20, 2020
Another gift from Mr. Block, a short Scudder (from 2002) recounting an old case of suicide by gun to Elaine.
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February 3, 2024
Available as a short story and within a collection of all Matt Scudder’s short stories that author Lawrence Block has penned over time. As he himself says:
“Short stories have provided me with the opportunity for a glance back at Scudder's life before the first of the novels, when he was a working member of the NYPD. A Moment of Wrong Thinking puts the spotlight on Vince Mahaffey, the veteran plainclothes cop with whom Matt was partnered in his early days on the job in Brooklyn. "They put me with him so he could teach me the ropes," Matt recalls, "and he taught me plenty,including some things they'd have just as soon I never learned." There are references to Mahaffey in several of the novels, but this story gives us a closer look at him.”
A Moment of Wrong Thinking is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories.
While I would encourage everyone to check out this writer’s vast content, I am on a journey rediscovering details about one of my favourite PIs and a classic character who has led so many great novels. These many books I am planning to read in sequence this coming year.
Part of life is about telling stories; incidents in the present moment remind us of events along life’s way. In this story Scudder shares how he learned from an earlier partner and understood different values, beyond those black or white concepts we may all originally hold. A good account, that signifies the quality of Vince Mahaffey and reflects well on Scudder in my opinion.
“Short stories have provided me with the opportunity for a glance back at Scudder's life before the first of the novels, when he was a working member of the NYPD. A Moment of Wrong Thinking puts the spotlight on Vince Mahaffey, the veteran plainclothes cop with whom Matt was partnered in his early days on the job in Brooklyn. "They put me with him so he could teach me the ropes," Matt recalls, "and he taught me plenty,including some things they'd have just as soon I never learned." There are references to Mahaffey in several of the novels, but this story gives us a closer look at him.”
A Moment of Wrong Thinking is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories.
While I would encourage everyone to check out this writer’s vast content, I am on a journey rediscovering details about one of my favourite PIs and a classic character who has led so many great novels. These many books I am planning to read in sequence this coming year.
Part of life is about telling stories; incidents in the present moment remind us of events along life’s way. In this story Scudder shares how he learned from an earlier partner and understood different values, beyond those black or white concepts we may all originally hold. A good account, that signifies the quality of Vince Mahaffey and reflects well on Scudder in my opinion.
August 7, 2022
An early Lawrence Block with the now-familiar cadence to his writing. It's basically a short story retold by Scudder to Elaine, not bad, but not great either. Good quick airport read. I like Block, so I'm reading all his stuff.
July 19, 2012
Matt and Elaine are out with friends, taking in a show, having dinner, and the other lady mentions a case she'd read about in the paper where a man at a gathering had begun to rant about his financces, then oulled out a gun, put it in his mouth, and pulled the trigger.
It reminds him of an incident in his early days as a patrolman where his partner, Mahaffey, and he answered a call where a man had committed suicide in front of his wife and children and how Mahaffey had sent him out of the room with the wife to check on the kids. Then, it turns out that the husband had killed himself by accident while playing a joke. He used an automatic and had pulled the clip, forgetting about the one in the chamber.
It relieved the religious wife that he hadn't committed suicide.
Or had he?
It reminds him of an incident in his early days as a patrolman where his partner, Mahaffey, and he answered a call where a man had committed suicide in front of his wife and children and how Mahaffey had sent him out of the room with the wife to check on the kids. Then, it turns out that the husband had killed himself by accident while playing a joke. He used an automatic and had pulled the clip, forgetting about the one in the chamber.
It relieved the religious wife that he hadn't committed suicide.
Or had he?
February 24, 2021
Good story. It reveals some of the psychology of both the main character and his partner. It also shows an interesting way that someone could be murdered even though put the gun to their head themselves and pulled the trigger in front of witnesses.
September 26, 2021
A short story about a decision that could be the right one for you or not.
April 4, 2022
⭐️3.5⭐️
April 27, 2022
Spoilers ahead:
A retrospective story where Scudder tells Elaine about a suicide he responded to when he was a street cop with his older partner Mahaffey. They show up and finds the husband in a chair with a hole in his temple and an automatic in his hand. His wife says that he just put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
They examine the scene and rule out the wife and conclude it is a suicide. The wife is worried about finances but Mahaffey assures her that she will get social security and some other money. He elicits from her that at least the husband had bought life insurance when their son was born 9 years ago and they will pay out for suicides. But she is worried about his soul since they are Catholic and suicide is a sin.
At this point Mahaffey tells Scudder to take the wife to the sink and splash some water on her face and drink some water while he further examines the gun. When they come back he announces that it wasn't suicide but an accident. He points out that the husband had taken the clip out and tried to prank the wife by shooting a blank into his head but forgot about the bullet in the chamber. He assures her that this is the case and the husband won't be denied entry in heaven for suicide.
Scudder admits to Elaine that he can't be positive that Mahaffey staged the whole thing and took the clip out himself since he was with the wife and Mahaffey never mentioned it afterwards. Another benefit was that accidental death paid double.
In a way, this is a feel good and do good story if you can use the word good in a death story. But it's interesting one and couched in a story within a story plot device. The story could just have been told without Elaine or the present day but this type of plot device used to be popular a long time ago.
A retrospective story where Scudder tells Elaine about a suicide he responded to when he was a street cop with his older partner Mahaffey. They show up and finds the husband in a chair with a hole in his temple and an automatic in his hand. His wife says that he just put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
They examine the scene and rule out the wife and conclude it is a suicide. The wife is worried about finances but Mahaffey assures her that she will get social security and some other money. He elicits from her that at least the husband had bought life insurance when their son was born 9 years ago and they will pay out for suicides. But she is worried about his soul since they are Catholic and suicide is a sin.
At this point Mahaffey tells Scudder to take the wife to the sink and splash some water on her face and drink some water while he further examines the gun. When they come back he announces that it wasn't suicide but an accident. He points out that the husband had taken the clip out and tried to prank the wife by shooting a blank into his head but forgot about the bullet in the chamber. He assures her that this is the case and the husband won't be denied entry in heaven for suicide.
Scudder admits to Elaine that he can't be positive that Mahaffey staged the whole thing and took the clip out himself since he was with the wife and Mahaffey never mentioned it afterwards. Another benefit was that accidental death paid double.
In a way, this is a feel good and do good story if you can use the word good in a death story. But it's interesting one and couched in a story within a story plot device. The story could just have been told without Elaine or the present day but this type of plot device used to be popular a long time ago.
May 28, 2021
An early Scudder
Like the longer story this one was a good read. This story is from Matt Scudder 's days on the police force in New York City. It was interesting, because it showed a side him that is only hinted at in the long stories. If you are a fan and haven't read this one then what are you waiting for.
Like the longer story this one was a good read. This story is from Matt Scudder 's days on the police force in New York City. It was interesting, because it showed a side him that is only hinted at in the long stories. If you are a fan and haven't read this one then what are you waiting for.
September 28, 2020
Good Story
Good story about Matthew Scudder’s earlier life. Well told like most of the author’s stories. I personally love the character and how the author treats him.
Good story about Matthew Scudder’s earlier life. Well told like most of the author’s stories. I personally love the character and how the author treats him.
October 27, 2012
I am a big fan of both Lawrence Block and his fictional detective Matthew Scudder.
I've read the majority of Block's novels and short stories involving Scudder -- most are very good, some are exceptional, and one or two are, frankly, not good at all.
This short isn't so much bad as it is substandard. It's a perfectly fine, serviceable short story, it just doesn't meet the usual expectations one has for a Matthew Scudder narrative.
After a night out with friends, Matt is reminded of an enigmatic case he had while still a uniform policeman (many, many years ago) and he relates the case to his wife Elaine.
The case in question involves the suicide of a devout Catholic man in front of his wife and children... or was it a suicide?
It's typical of the type of quick narrative puzzler you might find in either Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine or Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (in which the story actually appeared). It's not a bad story. The problem, in this case, is not so much with the story as it is with the reader, Mr. Block is so very good at what he does that I expected better from him. I guess, more than anything else, it was a little disappointing.
I've read the majority of Block's novels and short stories involving Scudder -- most are very good, some are exceptional, and one or two are, frankly, not good at all.
This short isn't so much bad as it is substandard. It's a perfectly fine, serviceable short story, it just doesn't meet the usual expectations one has for a Matthew Scudder narrative.
After a night out with friends, Matt is reminded of an enigmatic case he had while still a uniform policeman (many, many years ago) and he relates the case to his wife Elaine.
The case in question involves the suicide of a devout Catholic man in front of his wife and children... or was it a suicide?
It's typical of the type of quick narrative puzzler you might find in either Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine or Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (in which the story actually appeared). It's not a bad story. The problem, in this case, is not so much with the story as it is with the reader, Mr. Block is so very good at what he does that I expected better from him. I guess, more than anything else, it was a little disappointing.
July 19, 2012
A well constructed short story -- at this point, I expect nothing less from Lawrence Block -- about an incident from Matthew Scudder's days on the police force. I got a Kindle copy for free on Amazon.com.
August 11, 2012
Very well written. The only reason I guess I didn't give it five stars is because it's really a story within a story. Someone is telling about a particular case they dealt with when they were a cop. I enjoyed it quite a lot, though.
October 25, 2012
Great short story-- the kind that makes you immediately look for the next story the author wrote.
January 3, 2013
Good story. Scudder tells his girlfriend about an old case about a man who may or may not have shot himself deliberately or on accident. Not riveting, but interesting nonetheless.
August 14, 2014
Block's best on the block as usual
I always love Matt and Elaine. I like picking up pieces of their live. They seem to be right next to you telling their experiences
I always love Matt and Elaine. I like picking up pieces of their live. They seem to be right next to you telling their experiences
July 15, 2015
Short and enjoyable. Block's dialog is funny and clever. It makes me wish that either I had characters like those he creates involved in my life, or that my mind worked in the same way as theirs.
December 24, 2015
Cold case remembered
A very interesting re-telling of a suicide/ accidental death/murder. Everyone can pick the theory they like and all are happy. Block is one of the best.
A very interesting re-telling of a suicide/ accidental death/murder. Everyone can pick the theory they like and all are happy. Block is one of the best.
December 21, 2020
A short story in the Matthew Scudder series. Quick and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews