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Matthew Scudder #1
The Sins of the Fathers
The pretty young prostitute is dead. Her alleged murderer—a minister's son—hanged himself in his jail cell. The case is closed. But the dead girl's father has come to Matthew Scudder for answers, sending the unlicensed private investigator in search of terrible truths about a life that was lived and lost in a sordid world of perversion and pleasures.
291 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
607 people are currently reading
9077 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Block
767 books2,980 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 - 30 of 988 reviews
March 30, 2023
I'm updating this review in March, 2016, principally to change the edition. As I suggested in my original review, this is the first book in my favorite of all crime fiction series. My original copy is a reprint from 1991, which is when I first discovered the series. At the Left Coast Crime convention this week, I was browsing in the book room and discovered that one of the rare book dealers there had an excellent copy of the first edition from 1976. It's the one pictured here, and I was thrilled to find it. The cover blurb from James M. Cain, no less, pronounces the book as "Very Superior!" I couldn't agree more.
The Sins of the Fathers would be a solid four stars from me on any day. I'm giving it five because it's the first book in what I've always believed to be the best P.I. series that anyone's ever done, if not the best crime fiction series that anyone's ever done. The Matthew Scudder saga now runs to seventeen books and a large number of short stories, and it's hard to think of any other writer who has done a series consisting of this many books over this many years while maintaining this standard of excellence. And for as many times as I've read this book by now, and for as well as I know the story, it's always a treat to pick it up and read it all over again.
In particular, the first chapter is excellent. In a lean, crisp thirteen pages, Block not only sets up the mystery to be resolved but provides a brilliant introduction to the character of Matthew Scudder. Although the character will continue to grow and develop over the course of the series, the first chapter essentially tells you everything you would ever need to know about the man.
Scudder is an ex-cop who left the force for very personal reasons. He now works as an unlicensed P.I. Clients don't hire him in any traditional sense, but occasionally he does a favor for someone and they show their appreciation by giving him monetary gifts.
In this case, the someone is a businessman from upstate New York named Cale Hanniford. A few days earlier, Hanniford's daughter, Wendy, had been savagely murdered in the apartment she shared with a young man named Richard Vanderpoel. Minutes after the killing, Vanderpoel was found covered in the victim's blood, exposing himself and shouting obscenities in the street in front of the apartment. The police arrested him and less than forty-eight hours later, the young man hanged himself in his cell.
The police have closed the case and Hanniford accepts their obvious conclusion that Vanderpoel killed his daughter. But he wants to know why. Hanniford and Wendy had been estranged for several years and he knows nothing of her life during that period. He now knows that she was living in an expensive apartment with no visible means of support, which suggests the obvious to everyone involved. Still, no matter how sordid the details, Hanniford wants Matt to dig into Wendy's life so that he will know how she came to such a tragic end.
Scudder accepts the job and begins investigating in his usual methodical way, turning up one thing after another, asking one question after another, and in the process learning things about both Wendy and Vanderpoel that no parent might ever want to know.
The story is spare and lean--there's not a wasted word, and it draws you inexorably into the lives of all the characters, but especially into that of Matthew Scudder. It's a haunting and intoxicating introduction that sets the stage for all of the great books and stories to follow.
The Sins of the Fathers would be a solid four stars from me on any day. I'm giving it five because it's the first book in what I've always believed to be the best P.I. series that anyone's ever done, if not the best crime fiction series that anyone's ever done. The Matthew Scudder saga now runs to seventeen books and a large number of short stories, and it's hard to think of any other writer who has done a series consisting of this many books over this many years while maintaining this standard of excellence. And for as many times as I've read this book by now, and for as well as I know the story, it's always a treat to pick it up and read it all over again.
In particular, the first chapter is excellent. In a lean, crisp thirteen pages, Block not only sets up the mystery to be resolved but provides a brilliant introduction to the character of Matthew Scudder. Although the character will continue to grow and develop over the course of the series, the first chapter essentially tells you everything you would ever need to know about the man.
Scudder is an ex-cop who left the force for very personal reasons. He now works as an unlicensed P.I. Clients don't hire him in any traditional sense, but occasionally he does a favor for someone and they show their appreciation by giving him monetary gifts.
In this case, the someone is a businessman from upstate New York named Cale Hanniford. A few days earlier, Hanniford's daughter, Wendy, had been savagely murdered in the apartment she shared with a young man named Richard Vanderpoel. Minutes after the killing, Vanderpoel was found covered in the victim's blood, exposing himself and shouting obscenities in the street in front of the apartment. The police arrested him and less than forty-eight hours later, the young man hanged himself in his cell.
The police have closed the case and Hanniford accepts their obvious conclusion that Vanderpoel killed his daughter. But he wants to know why. Hanniford and Wendy had been estranged for several years and he knows nothing of her life during that period. He now knows that she was living in an expensive apartment with no visible means of support, which suggests the obvious to everyone involved. Still, no matter how sordid the details, Hanniford wants Matt to dig into Wendy's life so that he will know how she came to such a tragic end.
Scudder accepts the job and begins investigating in his usual methodical way, turning up one thing after another, asking one question after another, and in the process learning things about both Wendy and Vanderpoel that no parent might ever want to know.
The story is spare and lean--there's not a wasted word, and it draws you inexorably into the lives of all the characters, but especially into that of Matthew Scudder. It's a haunting and intoxicating introduction that sets the stage for all of the great books and stories to follow.
August 18, 2019
They tell me the Matt Scudder series starts slow, that it hits its stride with his fifth adventure, Eight Million Ways to Die. I don't know about that—at least not yet—but one thing I can say for sure: The Sins of the Fathers is plenty good enough.
Scudder was once a cop. But then a seven year old girl is killed by a ricochet he fired in pursuit of a robber, and, even though he is exonerated—hell, they even give him a commendation—he finds he just doesn't have the heart to be a cop anymore. Now he drinks too much and can't shake the guilt, but he still uses his cop skills to make ends meet. While not technically a private dectective (he has no license), he “does favors for people,” and they give him “gifts.”
This particular “favor” is an unusual one. A pretty little hooker living in a nice Greenwich Village apartment has been stabbed to death, and the only suspect—her male roommate—admits his guilt and then hangs himself in the city jail. So the case is closed, and Scudder's client—the dead girl's father—doesn't wanted it reoopened: he just wants to find out what his daughter's life was like. He thought he knew who she was, yet discovers after her death that she had hid her life from him. Now he needs Scudder to uncover a few facts and details so that he may reconstruct a more realistic memory.
The book consists of three parts: 1) an investigation into the life of the dead girl, which leads to 2) the discovery of the motive for the crime, and 3) an account of Scudders plan to bring a rough kind of justice to this "open-and-shut" case.
August 8, 2011
Standing among the crowd of burned out, “ex-cop,” morally suspect private investigators inside the dingy, cluttered, dimly lit literary bar called "Mysteries," Matt Scudder manages to stand out and sparkle shine, despite his seeming overabundance of unassumingness. Well appearances deceive and depth takes time to appreciate. Trust me when I say you haven’t met Matt Scudder before.
This guy is an original. Scudder isn’t the macho, “steely-eyed” superior type. He doesn’t gruffly walk around badassing or cracking wise with his personal brand of “I know how the world works” fortune cookie quips. Matt Scudder is an onion (thank you for that analogy SHREK) and his layers are many.
So who IS Matt Scudder? Hold that thought while I fill in a little of his personal history, beginning with who he was.
Scudder was a police detective and a competent one. True, he was not above a little bribe-taking to help support his family and he had no qualms about framing a suspect he knew to be guilty. However, he tried to make a positive difference and serve his community by taking out the bad guys.
Scudder left the force after accidentally shooting a seven year old girl while breaking up an armed robbery. He subsequently abandoned his wife and two boys and began a serious love affair with coffee spiked with bourbon which he now makes time with ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
Now, Scudder works as an unlicensed private investigator, continues to drink his corn-mash and coffee combo and his only real friends are the police captain who sends him referrals (for a fee) and the hooker he spends time with occasionally. Matt refuses to keep written records of any kind and his jobs consist of doing “favors” for “friends” (i.e., clients) in exchange for cash “gifts.”
So again, who IS Matt Scudder?
Well if the above doesn’t make it clear, he’s one of the good guys. I would even go so far as to say one of the REALLY good guys. Granted, his colorful history would suggest that Matt has a ding or two on his armor and some warts on his soul. Ah, but remember....deceptive appearances and the onion full of layers. Matt is someone who cares, truly and deeply, about right and wrong. He spends more time than most contemplating the nature of good and evil and trying his best to fit into the former while minimizing his contributions to the latter.
A few additional facts about Matt might hint at why I feel this way. He gives 10% of everything he earns “anonymously” to the poor. His relationship with his ex wife is respectful and caring (a minor miracle in itself) and he loves his two boys and they seem to think dad walks on water. Oh, and the hooker he spends time with...you know the one that earlier brought out all your “nose-thumbing,” judgmental prudery? Well the friendship/relationship she and Matt have gives off more genuine warmth and mutual respect than many of the more conventional pairings I’ve seen.
So again, I think Matt is one of the good guys who is struggling with his own weaknesses and how to make his vision of good fit with the world he sees around him. He is contemplative and caring and flawed and lost and a whole bag full of other. He is most defintely engaging. Lawrence Block has created one of the most unique characters I have come across in the Mystery genre and ranks up there with Hap and Leonard by Joe Lansdale among my favorites.
I know, I know....I haven’t told you a thing about the plot of the story. I tend to do that with the first book in a long series because I feel like the character is the real reason why you should check this out. But here you go.
BRIEF (BELATED) PLOT SUMMARY
A young woman is brutally murdered in her apartment. Her male roommate is found at the scene and arrested. The suspect then hangs himself in his jail cell making further investigation unnecessary and closing the case as far as the police are concerned. Matt is hired by the victim’s estranged step-father to find out “who his daughter was” when she was killed. She had mysteriously dropped out of college and the newspapers were had running stories that she was a prostitute. The step-father wants Matt to investigate to find out the truth about her.
There....happy.
Anyway, this was a terrifically written mystery with an amazing lead character. The fact that this is only book 1 of a 17 (so far) book series has me so swollen with happy juice that my eye-balls are floating as I write this.
4.5 stars....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
This guy is an original. Scudder isn’t the macho, “steely-eyed” superior type. He doesn’t gruffly walk around badassing or cracking wise with his personal brand of “I know how the world works” fortune cookie quips. Matt Scudder is an onion (thank you for that analogy SHREK) and his layers are many.
So who IS Matt Scudder? Hold that thought while I fill in a little of his personal history, beginning with who he was.
Scudder was a police detective and a competent one. True, he was not above a little bribe-taking to help support his family and he had no qualms about framing a suspect he knew to be guilty. However, he tried to make a positive difference and serve his community by taking out the bad guys.
Scudder left the force after accidentally shooting a seven year old girl while breaking up an armed robbery. He subsequently abandoned his wife and two boys and began a serious love affair with coffee spiked with bourbon which he now makes time with ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
Now, Scudder works as an unlicensed private investigator, continues to drink his corn-mash and coffee combo and his only real friends are the police captain who sends him referrals (for a fee) and the hooker he spends time with occasionally. Matt refuses to keep written records of any kind and his jobs consist of doing “favors” for “friends” (i.e., clients) in exchange for cash “gifts.”
So again, who IS Matt Scudder?
Well if the above doesn’t make it clear, he’s one of the good guys. I would even go so far as to say one of the REALLY good guys. Granted, his colorful history would suggest that Matt has a ding or two on his armor and some warts on his soul. Ah, but remember....deceptive appearances and the onion full of layers. Matt is someone who cares, truly and deeply, about right and wrong. He spends more time than most contemplating the nature of good and evil and trying his best to fit into the former while minimizing his contributions to the latter.
A few additional facts about Matt might hint at why I feel this way. He gives 10% of everything he earns “anonymously” to the poor. His relationship with his ex wife is respectful and caring (a minor miracle in itself) and he loves his two boys and they seem to think dad walks on water. Oh, and the hooker he spends time with...you know the one that earlier brought out all your “nose-thumbing,” judgmental prudery? Well the friendship/relationship she and Matt have gives off more genuine warmth and mutual respect than many of the more conventional pairings I’ve seen.
So again, I think Matt is one of the good guys who is struggling with his own weaknesses and how to make his vision of good fit with the world he sees around him. He is contemplative and caring and flawed and lost and a whole bag full of other. He is most defintely engaging. Lawrence Block has created one of the most unique characters I have come across in the Mystery genre and ranks up there with Hap and Leonard by Joe Lansdale among my favorites.
I know, I know....I haven’t told you a thing about the plot of the story. I tend to do that with the first book in a long series because I feel like the character is the real reason why you should check this out. But here you go.
BRIEF (BELATED) PLOT SUMMARY
A young woman is brutally murdered in her apartment. Her male roommate is found at the scene and arrested. The suspect then hangs himself in his jail cell making further investigation unnecessary and closing the case as far as the police are concerned. Matt is hired by the victim’s estranged step-father to find out “who his daughter was” when she was killed. She had mysteriously dropped out of college and the newspapers were had running stories that she was a prostitute. The step-father wants Matt to investigate to find out the truth about her.
There....happy.
Anyway, this was a terrifically written mystery with an amazing lead character. The fact that this is only book 1 of a 17 (so far) book series has me so swollen with happy juice that my eye-balls are floating as I write this.
4.5 stars....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
January 28, 2011
When call girl is murdered and her roommate/killer hangs himself in prison, the girl's wealthy stepfather hires Matthew Scudder to investigate the girl's past and find out why her life ended the way it did. Scudder's investigations lead him through a web of sex and lies...
Wow. Lawrence Block always keeps me entertained but this was one hell of a read. It's less than 200 pages but one of the more powerful pieces of detective fiction I've read in years. I figured Scudder would unearth some bad things in his quest. Come on, how can you not unearth bad things when you're investigating the death of a call girl? Still, I was surprised by all the twists.
Scudder himself is a great character. He left the police force after a ricocheting bullet of his killed an innocent girl and has been operating as something of a PI ever since. He tithes to the church and drinks a lot. He has a sense of law and order and justice about him that keeps him interesting. For instance, he tells the story of setting up a guy he knew was a rapist by planting heroin in his apartment while he was gone and then informing on him. This is the first Scudder book and I think I'll be picking up the others as I find them.
For fans of noir, you can't go wrong picking up this book.
Wow. Lawrence Block always keeps me entertained but this was one hell of a read. It's less than 200 pages but one of the more powerful pieces of detective fiction I've read in years. I figured Scudder would unearth some bad things in his quest. Come on, how can you not unearth bad things when you're investigating the death of a call girl? Still, I was surprised by all the twists.
Scudder himself is a great character. He left the police force after a ricocheting bullet of his killed an innocent girl and has been operating as something of a PI ever since. He tithes to the church and drinks a lot. He has a sense of law and order and justice about him that keeps him interesting. For instance, he tells the story of setting up a guy he knew was a rapist by planting heroin in his apartment while he was gone and then informing on him. This is the first Scudder book and I think I'll be picking up the others as I find them.
For fans of noir, you can't go wrong picking up this book.
January 30, 2011
On the surface, Matt Scudder would appear to be something of a lowlife.
As a cop in New York in the 1970s, he wasn’t above taking bribes or framing someone. After he accidentally shot and killed a child while trying to break up a robbery, he quit the cops and left his wife and two sons to live in a hotel in Manhattan. He makes his living as an unlicensed private detective who refuses to keep records or file reports, and he gets information by bribing various cops and government workers. He drinks constantly and occasionally engages the services of prostitutes.
Doesn’t sound like the hero of a long running detective series, does he?
What’s great about Scudder is that while someone could get on their high horse and look down their nose at the way he lives, Matt is actually a deeply moral man who broods about the nature of good and evil while trying to figure out where he fits into that battle. He’s also willing to get his hands dirty while trying to do ‘good’.
In this first book of the series, Matt is hired by a man whose estranged daughter, Wendy, was murdered by a man she was living with. The man was immediately caught while covered in her blood and hung himself in his cell. The father thinks that Wendy had become a prostitute and feels guilty that he hadn’t done more for her so he wants Matt to look into her life and give him a sense of what her last years were like.
You can’t really put a label on this series. It’s not action packed although Matt does show flashes of a violent nature and being able to take care of himself. He isn’t an armchair detective sitting back and thinking about clues and figuring out intricate puzzles, although does have a cop’s nose for lies and inconsistencies. Matt isn’t a wise cracking hard-boiled PI with a strong moral code either. He just roams Manhattan talking to everyone from cops to ministers to gay night club owners to get the info he needs. He’s also a realist who does the best he can, and doesn’t see the point of fighting a system that’s inherently corrupt.
Here’s a great scene illustrating that with Scudder advising a rookie patrolmen who has just tried to refuse the twenty-five bucks Matt offered him for telling him about the arrest of the killer:
“Think about it. If you don’t take money when somebody puts it in your hand, you’re going to make a lot of people very nervous. You don’t have to be a crook. Certain kinds of money you can turn down. And you don’t have to walk the streets with your hand out. But you’ve got to play the game with the cards they give you. Take the money.”
Despite being written in first person, we don’t get much introspection into what Scudder is thinking or feeling other than tidbits like this that Block sprinkles throughout the book. The reader often doesn’t realize how much something has effected Scudder until Block gives us a sign like him suddenly gagging while checking out the murder scene. At one point late in the book, Scudder casually tells someone that he would have killed himself years ago if he didn’t think it was a mortal sin. It’s really only at this point that you realize how deeply guilty and weary Matt really feels. Block does a great job of using that without letting Scudder become an angst-ridden bore.
This is one of my favorite characters, and I can’t wait to re-read the rest of these.
As a cop in New York in the 1970s, he wasn’t above taking bribes or framing someone. After he accidentally shot and killed a child while trying to break up a robbery, he quit the cops and left his wife and two sons to live in a hotel in Manhattan. He makes his living as an unlicensed private detective who refuses to keep records or file reports, and he gets information by bribing various cops and government workers. He drinks constantly and occasionally engages the services of prostitutes.
Doesn’t sound like the hero of a long running detective series, does he?
What’s great about Scudder is that while someone could get on their high horse and look down their nose at the way he lives, Matt is actually a deeply moral man who broods about the nature of good and evil while trying to figure out where he fits into that battle. He’s also willing to get his hands dirty while trying to do ‘good’.
In this first book of the series, Matt is hired by a man whose estranged daughter, Wendy, was murdered by a man she was living with. The man was immediately caught while covered in her blood and hung himself in his cell. The father thinks that Wendy had become a prostitute and feels guilty that he hadn’t done more for her so he wants Matt to look into her life and give him a sense of what her last years were like.
You can’t really put a label on this series. It’s not action packed although Matt does show flashes of a violent nature and being able to take care of himself. He isn’t an armchair detective sitting back and thinking about clues and figuring out intricate puzzles, although does have a cop’s nose for lies and inconsistencies. Matt isn’t a wise cracking hard-boiled PI with a strong moral code either. He just roams Manhattan talking to everyone from cops to ministers to gay night club owners to get the info he needs. He’s also a realist who does the best he can, and doesn’t see the point of fighting a system that’s inherently corrupt.
Here’s a great scene illustrating that with Scudder advising a rookie patrolmen who has just tried to refuse the twenty-five bucks Matt offered him for telling him about the arrest of the killer:
“Think about it. If you don’t take money when somebody puts it in your hand, you’re going to make a lot of people very nervous. You don’t have to be a crook. Certain kinds of money you can turn down. And you don’t have to walk the streets with your hand out. But you’ve got to play the game with the cards they give you. Take the money.”
Despite being written in first person, we don’t get much introspection into what Scudder is thinking or feeling other than tidbits like this that Block sprinkles throughout the book. The reader often doesn’t realize how much something has effected Scudder until Block gives us a sign like him suddenly gagging while checking out the murder scene. At one point late in the book, Scudder casually tells someone that he would have killed himself years ago if he didn’t think it was a mortal sin. It’s really only at this point that you realize how deeply guilty and weary Matt really feels. Block does a great job of using that without letting Scudder become an angst-ridden bore.
This is one of my favorite characters, and I can’t wait to re-read the rest of these.
August 2, 2012
Straightforward, clean and classic, The Sins was the perfect book for a lazy afternoon in the sun. Decent characterization, a serviceable investigation and the seedy side of 1970s New York all contribute to a fast read.
The first book in a long-running series introduces Matthew Scudder, a 15 year veteran of NYPD who retired after an accidental shooting of a seven-year-old girl. That incident became a breaking point, an emotional trauma that is shared with the reader in bits and pieces. Now living in an emotion-free zone powered by booze and coffee, he works for 'favors,' where he investigates for people and they express appreciation in cash. The police force, alas, exists on a favor system as well, and undoubtedly set the stage for Scudder's mentality now. As payment for a review of a beat cop's report, he sets the rookie straight, disillusioning him about the job but setting the way for the rookie's advancement.
The story begins at a favor interview: a woman is found brutally murdered, her roommate covered in blood and raving; shortly after, he hangs himself in jail. The woman's stepfather is looking for closure and wants to learn more about her, even if it means digging up the unpleasant. The mystery wasn't particularly surprising, but I give Block credit for creating interesting characters, particularly Scudder. I found his quiet wrestling with issues of good and evil a nice twist.
Aspects to the story feel dated, but less so than most. "Nymphomaniac" was banded about on one occasion by a character other than Scudder, and there is no more certain way to date a detective book than 70s psychology. However, although the dead woman has been going on dates for money, Scudder doesn't judge her, and helps her stepfather understand the situation. Homosexuality also becomes an issue in the investigation, which Scudder investigates without judgement.
Overall, I enjoyed the pace, the narration and the attempt to wrestle with moral ambiguity. I also found it enjoyable to read a mystery that didn't feel the need to venture into thriller territory or multiple murders. It's kind of a popcorn level mystery book: easy, light, non-substantive. For me, a three and half star read, but good enough that I'll be looking for the next in the series.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
The first book in a long-running series introduces Matthew Scudder, a 15 year veteran of NYPD who retired after an accidental shooting of a seven-year-old girl. That incident became a breaking point, an emotional trauma that is shared with the reader in bits and pieces. Now living in an emotion-free zone powered by booze and coffee, he works for 'favors,' where he investigates for people and they express appreciation in cash. The police force, alas, exists on a favor system as well, and undoubtedly set the stage for Scudder's mentality now. As payment for a review of a beat cop's report, he sets the rookie straight, disillusioning him about the job but setting the way for the rookie's advancement.
The story begins at a favor interview: a woman is found brutally murdered, her roommate covered in blood and raving; shortly after, he hangs himself in jail. The woman's stepfather is looking for closure and wants to learn more about her, even if it means digging up the unpleasant. The mystery wasn't particularly surprising, but I give Block credit for creating interesting characters, particularly Scudder. I found his quiet wrestling with issues of good and evil a nice twist.
Aspects to the story feel dated, but less so than most. "Nymphomaniac" was banded about on one occasion by a character other than Scudder, and there is no more certain way to date a detective book than 70s psychology. However, although the dead woman has been going on dates for money, Scudder doesn't judge her, and helps her stepfather understand the situation. Homosexuality also becomes an issue in the investigation, which Scudder investigates without judgement.
Overall, I enjoyed the pace, the narration and the attempt to wrestle with moral ambiguity. I also found it enjoyable to read a mystery that didn't feel the need to venture into thriller territory or multiple murders. It's kind of a popcorn level mystery book: easy, light, non-substantive. For me, a three and half star read, but good enough that I'll be looking for the next in the series.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
January 2, 2012
As my first bit of book reviewing for the new year (being started seven minutes into the new year, yep another exciting new year's eve with me reporting on books here on goodreads), I'll admit that I was wrong in my opinion of Lawrence Block. For years I thought nothing of him, I thought he was another of those male macho writers, sort of a mystery version of say a Vince Flynn, or a Brad Thor, or some other preposterously monikered hack. Or I thought he was the type of writers old men read, like cozy mysteries for the greatest generation. What he read while she was off reading a novel where a cat is solving some crime that has to do with sewing and baking. Maybe it was the titles of his Thief who.... series of books. Maybe it was the boringness of his Hit (X) book covers. Maybe it was a lot of things. But I liked to think it was this picture of him that made me feel ambivalent (nope, not ambivalent, actually fairly sure that I would never pick up a book he had written) about him:
This picture for years at the book factory annoyed me. The way he seemed to be coming at me with his glasses off. The picture kind of freaks me out. It was the type of picture I expect the father of someone named Brad Thor would take.
So I was wrong.
I know I am wrong about this next statement but I'll throw it out there anyway; it's quite possible that Lawrence Block can do no wrong. Why is he so fucking good? I have a feeling that eventually in this series there are going to be mediocre books, and some will be better than others, and that it's not humanely possible to keep up with Hit (x) series at the same high level that the first book reached. But, after reading seven of his novels since the middle of October I'm starting to feel confident that even when he's writing a mediocre book (and he wrote a shit ton of books so they aren't all going to be home runs) he is writing at pretty much a whole different level from most of his peers (Westlake and Ellroy as exceptions). Even his pretty silly Killing Castro reads better than a lot of the other Hardcase books I've read, and even his Jill Emerson signed novel Getting Off has something about it that just shouldn't be there in a novel that is basically a repetitive sex and violence book that would make Stewart Home think about maybe interjecting something extra into the story to mix things up a bit. I'm not going to say it's his writing, his writing is fine, but I can't think of any particular passages that have really sung for me, it's not like Ellroy where the prose just rips at you, or Chandler where you just can't believe how much beauty he wrenches out of what should be typical noir schtick. Block's prose is fairly unobtrusive, which is a good thing, too often in crime novels when you notice the prose it's because of it is making you cringe. It's the characters. He creates amazing fucking characters. Matthew Scudder is one of these amazing fucking characters.
Until about twenty pages till the end I thought this was going to be a four star book. It was good, but not great. I liked it but didn't love it, but then the fucking ending! I'm usually not that blown away by the way a book ends, it's usually a fairly foregone conclusion by the time the book chooses to wind up. There might be a twist, but you have a feeling the twist is coming. The book feeds you signals to know how the story is going to go, and if maybe some details surprise you the general arc doesn't. So fucking good.
I think it's quite possible Lawrence Block might be one of the best writers out there and he's been hiding from me in plain sight for years.
This picture for years at the book factory annoyed me. The way he seemed to be coming at me with his glasses off. The picture kind of freaks me out. It was the type of picture I expect the father of someone named Brad Thor would take.
So I was wrong.
I know I am wrong about this next statement but I'll throw it out there anyway; it's quite possible that Lawrence Block can do no wrong. Why is he so fucking good? I have a feeling that eventually in this series there are going to be mediocre books, and some will be better than others, and that it's not humanely possible to keep up with Hit (x) series at the same high level that the first book reached. But, after reading seven of his novels since the middle of October I'm starting to feel confident that even when he's writing a mediocre book (and he wrote a shit ton of books so they aren't all going to be home runs) he is writing at pretty much a whole different level from most of his peers (Westlake and Ellroy as exceptions). Even his pretty silly Killing Castro reads better than a lot of the other Hardcase books I've read, and even his Jill Emerson signed novel Getting Off has something about it that just shouldn't be there in a novel that is basically a repetitive sex and violence book that would make Stewart Home think about maybe interjecting something extra into the story to mix things up a bit. I'm not going to say it's his writing, his writing is fine, but I can't think of any particular passages that have really sung for me, it's not like Ellroy where the prose just rips at you, or Chandler where you just can't believe how much beauty he wrenches out of what should be typical noir schtick. Block's prose is fairly unobtrusive, which is a good thing, too often in crime novels when you notice the prose it's because of it is making you cringe. It's the characters. He creates amazing fucking characters. Matthew Scudder is one of these amazing fucking characters.
Until about twenty pages till the end I thought this was going to be a four star book. It was good, but not great. I liked it but didn't love it, but then the fucking ending! I'm usually not that blown away by the way a book ends, it's usually a fairly foregone conclusion by the time the book chooses to wind up. There might be a twist, but you have a feeling the twist is coming. The book feeds you signals to know how the story is going to go, and if maybe some details surprise you the general arc doesn't. So fucking good.
I think it's quite possible Lawrence Block might be one of the best writers out there and he's been hiding from me in plain sight for years.
July 22, 2020
”He had a daughter in a cold steel drawer in the city mortuary.”
Two dead kids. One, the daughter of a successful businessman, and the other, the son of a reverend. How they ended up living together and why everything turned to murder and suicide is going to be the crux of this case.
The cops aren’t really interested in the why. They have a brutally slashed body and a guy muttering crazy things covered in blood. Guy hangs himself in his cell. High fives all around...open and shut case.
The father of the girl, Cale Hanniford, isn’t satisfied. He calls in Matt Scudder to do a little digging, a little rooting in the underbelly where the real answers lie. Is Scudder a private investigator? Not exactly. He can’t charge for his services, but he can accept donations. He’s outside the law, and as you get to know him in this first book in the series, you’re going to find out just how far outside the law he is willing to go. The law stops here. Scudder just keeps going.
On the surface, this looks like a case of green-eyed jealousy getting way out of control. It doesn’t take long for Scudder to discover that Wendy Hanniford was basically operating as a high-end prostitute with a daddy complex. She liked her men with some mileage. Richie Vanderpoel was conflicted about his sexual orientation, not that he didn’t know that he was gay, but with a father like Reverend Martin Vanderpoel, it was hard to accept that your desires, the very ones that would have you burning in hellfire, were natural.
So if this were a case of raging jealousy and Wendy, as Richie’s father said, had trapped him with sex, why was Richie bunking on the couch?
As Scudder continues to dig, he starts to understand that, whatever the sins of the children may have been, the sins of the fathers may be where the truth lies.
The Matthew Scudder series is extremely successful, growing to seventeen volumes and leading to numerous film adaptations. It proves that the American public, if the concepts can be packaged correctly, still has a taste for the underbelly of American society and the hardboiled dialogue that first sprang to life with writers such as Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. After hacking out a living for decades writing under numerous pseudonyms,...finally Lawrence Block hit on a character and a concept that hopefully gave him a nice retirement. I talk of retirement, but a Scudder novella was just released in 2019. Who knows what ideas are still percolating in the mind of Block, keeping him from sleeping until he nestles down at the computer and turns his thoughts into words, into yet another novel?
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
Two dead kids. One, the daughter of a successful businessman, and the other, the son of a reverend. How they ended up living together and why everything turned to murder and suicide is going to be the crux of this case.
The cops aren’t really interested in the why. They have a brutally slashed body and a guy muttering crazy things covered in blood. Guy hangs himself in his cell. High fives all around...open and shut case.
The father of the girl, Cale Hanniford, isn’t satisfied. He calls in Matt Scudder to do a little digging, a little rooting in the underbelly where the real answers lie. Is Scudder a private investigator? Not exactly. He can’t charge for his services, but he can accept donations. He’s outside the law, and as you get to know him in this first book in the series, you’re going to find out just how far outside the law he is willing to go. The law stops here. Scudder just keeps going.
On the surface, this looks like a case of green-eyed jealousy getting way out of control. It doesn’t take long for Scudder to discover that Wendy Hanniford was basically operating as a high-end prostitute with a daddy complex. She liked her men with some mileage. Richie Vanderpoel was conflicted about his sexual orientation, not that he didn’t know that he was gay, but with a father like Reverend Martin Vanderpoel, it was hard to accept that your desires, the very ones that would have you burning in hellfire, were natural.
So if this were a case of raging jealousy and Wendy, as Richie’s father said, had trapped him with sex, why was Richie bunking on the couch?
As Scudder continues to dig, he starts to understand that, whatever the sins of the children may have been, the sins of the fathers may be where the truth lies.
The Matthew Scudder series is extremely successful, growing to seventeen volumes and leading to numerous film adaptations. It proves that the American public, if the concepts can be packaged correctly, still has a taste for the underbelly of American society and the hardboiled dialogue that first sprang to life with writers such as Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. After hacking out a living for decades writing under numerous pseudonyms,...finally Lawrence Block hit on a character and a concept that hopefully gave him a nice retirement. I talk of retirement, but a Scudder novella was just released in 2019. Who knows what ideas are still percolating in the mind of Block, keeping him from sleeping until he nestles down at the computer and turns his thoughts into words, into yet another novel?
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
August 12, 2016
I've finally found my way to Matt Scudder. And ladies and gents? There ain't no going back. I'm intrigued, a little titillated, crushing for sure, maybe even falling in love. I had my reservations at first. I don't "do" hardboiled detective stories. I have a kink for classic noir films that has never translated into a love for that hyper-masculinized breed of pulp fiction. I chalked it up to "dick-lit" and moved on, assuming these stories were written for the menfolk, and would contain very little appeal for a gal such as myself. How could I have been such a stupid asshole for so flipping long? I have nothing to offer in my defense.
I began to come to my senses when I started to read some of the men's reviews, the same men who read LOTS of detective fiction but continue to single out Scudder again and again as one of their favorite go-to guys -- Dan, Kemper, Stephen all share in a Scudder man-crush so let's just say my interest was piqued. Then Carol comes along and starts blasting through the Scudder books like they're made of chocolate rolled in potato chips. She just couldn't stop at one. The more she read the more I knew I had to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
And if I needed one more reason to sanction this virgin foray into Scudder territory, I got it when the edition I picked up featured an introduction by my man Stephen King. So I get an entire King essay I didn't even know existed. Thank you Matt Scudder. I have a feeling this marks the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Well that's enough about me, what about the book? The mystery is very secondary here; in fact, I didn't think the mystery seemed all that important. Much more vital to the story is our introduction to weary, troubled, lonesome ex-cop Matt Scudder and his booze-soaked life in the Big Apple. Scudder has had a very bad thing happen that's driven him out of the force and away from his wife and sons into a solitary life of unlicensed private investigating. People come to Scudder with questions they want answered. For a variable fee, he'll try to help them out.
What I love about Scudder is that he's not a macho, bullying asshole strutting around intimidating people and getting in their face. He goes about his business with a quiet intensity that speaks volumes about his integrity. Don't get me wrong; he's no pushover. If he's got to get tough he will, he just prefers to keep things civilized and on a low simmer. He's got class and despite his unquenchable thirst for coffee laced with bourbon and a talent for greasing palms, he's got a built-in moral compass that's always pointing true north. That isn't to say he's a saint. There are flaws, but flaws that make him human and a little tragic (and only more lovable in my books).
I also appreciated how unflappable and non-judgmental Scudder is (self-righteous people piss me off). He treats everyone with the same level of respect whether a gay bar owner, a prostitute or a minister. He knows he doesn't have all the answers and adults should be free to live their own life as they see fit. If you want to try and get away with murder though, don't expect to do it around him. He will figure out a way to make you pay, one way or the other.
A totally unexpected source of joy came from the book's dated references. Published in 1976, Sins of the Fathers is filled with details about life before the personal computer, before Google and Facebook and smartphones. When Scudder visits his lady friend Elaine she's got a pile of vinyl on the record player. It's subtle, but it creates a kind of unintentional nostalgia that I found inexplicably pleasing.
Block's writing is crisp and uncomplicated. The dialogue has a natural rhythm that caresses the ear. The prose might be stripped to its bare essentials, but it manages to retain depth and texture. It's emotional writing, intuitive and smart. Out of it comes Matt Scudder, fully realized, three dimensional and ready to take on the world. Okay, I think I've gushed enough, wouldn't you say? I'm off to read the next book in the series. I want more Scudder now, but I've promised myself not to gorge, to save some for later. Let's see if I can hold to that.
September 9, 2025
“I was looking for something, but I didn’t know what it was.”
I first read John Snyder’s comics adaptation of Lawrence Block’s Six Million Ways to Die, then read Block’s original novel, and thought I would make my way through the series, beginning with this first volume. Block is a hard-boiled detective writer, focused on the hard-drinking Matthew Scudder, who is separated from his wife, having quit his job on the police force, in large part because, while off-duty, he had accidentally killed a 7-year-old girl. We don’t learn much in this first book about his internal struggles, not as much as gets revealed in the fifth book, but we know it is there. Scudder, not religious, nevertheless drops into churches, tithes his meager income as an unlicensed P.I., lights candles. Just in case. He has a lot of guilt about this girl. So much that he quit his job as NYPD detective, and left his family to marry the bottle.
In both books I’ve read Block takes on the cases of defending sex workers/prostitutes; in this one a young woman is apparently killed by her gay male roommate, who confesses and hangs himself in his cell. Case closed!? The link between his caring about his having failed to protect a little girl and his caring about young women who are also in some sense in crisis—needing protection—is clear. To investigate this case is a form of expiation for the non-religious Scudder. In the process Block humanizes these women, and in doing so humanizes Scudder, too. As with many hard-boiled detective stories, Scudder is in trouble emotionally, but in this book that trouble is just barely beneath the surface. Scudder has a girlfriend he depends on but doesn’t want to get too close to. He doesn’t want her to get close to him; he doesn’t want to get too close to himself.
Scudder visits the father of the killer of the young woman, and this father is a Dutch Reformed minister. As a Dutch American raised in the Dutch Reformed Church, I was interested. Conservative religious leaders are something I know a little about, and in one sense I recognized the minister as a pretty familiarly dour, intensely sin-obsessed Calvinist, but as an insider in this area, I felt initially he was a bit cartoonish: It’s easy to make fun of religious hypocrites on issues of sexual sinning.
There’s also a lot of psychologizing Block does that I associate with a lot of noir detective works; in this book the Oedipal, Daddy-love basis for the young woman’s chosen sexual life—always with older men, wow!—was a little bit tired, and ultimately predictable, though I can’t say I thought it was badly written. I did not like the conclusion, Scudder’s way of opening the closed case and closing it again. It's the first book in the series! And I already know that at least the fifth book is remarkable. But from the beginning Scudder comes alive, and his movement through the darkness of the story feels real. I didn’t like it nearly as much as Six Million Ways to Die, but Sins of the Fathers is a well-written story. Yes, that title relates to both the pastor and Scudder in thoughtful ways.
I first read John Snyder’s comics adaptation of Lawrence Block’s Six Million Ways to Die, then read Block’s original novel, and thought I would make my way through the series, beginning with this first volume. Block is a hard-boiled detective writer, focused on the hard-drinking Matthew Scudder, who is separated from his wife, having quit his job on the police force, in large part because, while off-duty, he had accidentally killed a 7-year-old girl. We don’t learn much in this first book about his internal struggles, not as much as gets revealed in the fifth book, but we know it is there. Scudder, not religious, nevertheless drops into churches, tithes his meager income as an unlicensed P.I., lights candles. Just in case. He has a lot of guilt about this girl. So much that he quit his job as NYPD detective, and left his family to marry the bottle.
In both books I’ve read Block takes on the cases of defending sex workers/prostitutes; in this one a young woman is apparently killed by her gay male roommate, who confesses and hangs himself in his cell. Case closed!? The link between his caring about his having failed to protect a little girl and his caring about young women who are also in some sense in crisis—needing protection—is clear. To investigate this case is a form of expiation for the non-religious Scudder. In the process Block humanizes these women, and in doing so humanizes Scudder, too. As with many hard-boiled detective stories, Scudder is in trouble emotionally, but in this book that trouble is just barely beneath the surface. Scudder has a girlfriend he depends on but doesn’t want to get too close to. He doesn’t want her to get close to him; he doesn’t want to get too close to himself.
Scudder visits the father of the killer of the young woman, and this father is a Dutch Reformed minister. As a Dutch American raised in the Dutch Reformed Church, I was interested. Conservative religious leaders are something I know a little about, and in one sense I recognized the minister as a pretty familiarly dour, intensely sin-obsessed Calvinist, but as an insider in this area, I felt initially he was a bit cartoonish: It’s easy to make fun of religious hypocrites on issues of sexual sinning.
There’s also a lot of psychologizing Block does that I associate with a lot of noir detective works; in this book the Oedipal, Daddy-love basis for the young woman’s chosen sexual life—always with older men, wow!—was a little bit tired, and ultimately predictable, though I can’t say I thought it was badly written. I did not like the conclusion, Scudder’s way of opening the closed case and closing it again. It's the first book in the series! And I already know that at least the fifth book is remarkable. But from the beginning Scudder comes alive, and his movement through the darkness of the story feels real. I didn’t like it nearly as much as Six Million Ways to Die, but Sins of the Fathers is a well-written story. Yes, that title relates to both the pastor and Scudder in thoughtful ways.
April 6, 2015
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Matt Scudder book. The previous one was Eight Million Ways to Die, which was made into a horrible movie starring Jeff Bridges. I don’t know if watching this botched cinematic attempt to capture Lawrence Block’s character tempered my desire to pursue the books, but I can honestly say I’m sorry I waited so long to re-boot my interest in the series.
Although the plot is a good one (it revolves around Scudder’s attempt to bring some closure to the brutal murder of girl who moonlights as a hooker) and predictable, its Block’s laying the literary foundation for Scudder’s character (this is the first book in the series) that’s fascinating.
Scudder is the divorced father of two and a guy with serious drinking and rage issues. Trying to recover from a tragic incident that occurred while he was a police officer, Scudder feeds the guilt monster with booze, prostitutes and moments of rage (“Everybody has mean little places inside himself.”). Less of a boy scout than say Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, Scudder seems one step away from permanently stepping into the abyss. “Hello, darkness my old friend.”
For some reason the Scudder books are hard to find in my area, but I did manage to pick up two more over the weekend, so let’s go stare into the great, black nebulous hole that’s gaining traction in Matt Scudder’s soul.
Although the plot is a good one (it revolves around Scudder’s attempt to bring some closure to the brutal murder of girl who moonlights as a hooker) and predictable, its Block’s laying the literary foundation for Scudder’s character (this is the first book in the series) that’s fascinating.
Scudder is the divorced father of two and a guy with serious drinking and rage issues. Trying to recover from a tragic incident that occurred while he was a police officer, Scudder feeds the guilt monster with booze, prostitutes and moments of rage (“Everybody has mean little places inside himself.”). Less of a boy scout than say Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, Scudder seems one step away from permanently stepping into the abyss. “Hello, darkness my old friend.”
For some reason the Scudder books are hard to find in my area, but I did manage to pick up two more over the weekend, so let’s go stare into the great, black nebulous hole that’s gaining traction in Matt Scudder’s soul.
October 6, 2016
Once upon a time I picked up a Lawrence Block book. I liked it, so I tried another. The next one was from his Matthew Scudder series. Now I'm hooked.
Scudder debuted in 1976's The Sins of the Fathers as an alcoholic ex-cop who had recently quit the NYPD and left his family after accidentally causing the death of a young girl. Living in a rent-controlled hotel room in Hell's Kitchen, he earns his living as an unlicensed private investigator—or, as he puts it, "doing favors for friends." - Wikipedia
Scudder's not a prototypical "lovable" guy and yet I love him. I wanna be best buds with him. What I would give to hang out, have a beer and shoot the shit with this guy! Oh the stories he could tell!
Block has spun a solid yarn here with The Sins of the Fathers. Some might call it a yawn, as there's not a lot of action considering this is a crime story. I admit the pace is a bit slow and there's no explosive climax.
However, this is still great reading. I was totally engaged with the character and the story. Everything felt very real. I chalk that up to Mr. Block's chops. You can tell the dude's done some writing prior to this point (<-- Understatement intended). He's comfortable in his skin. Everything's all very relaxed and natural. There's an obvious and satisfactory flow to this work.
I'm definitely moving on to Time to Murder and Create!
Scudder debuted in 1976's The Sins of the Fathers as an alcoholic ex-cop who had recently quit the NYPD and left his family after accidentally causing the death of a young girl. Living in a rent-controlled hotel room in Hell's Kitchen, he earns his living as an unlicensed private investigator—or, as he puts it, "doing favors for friends." - Wikipedia
Scudder's not a prototypical "lovable" guy and yet I love him. I wanna be best buds with him. What I would give to hang out, have a beer and shoot the shit with this guy! Oh the stories he could tell!
Block has spun a solid yarn here with The Sins of the Fathers. Some might call it a yawn, as there's not a lot of action considering this is a crime story. I admit the pace is a bit slow and there's no explosive climax.
However, this is still great reading. I was totally engaged with the character and the story. Everything felt very real. I chalk that up to Mr. Block's chops. You can tell the dude's done some writing prior to this point (<-- Understatement intended). He's comfortable in his skin. Everything's all very relaxed and natural. There's an obvious and satisfactory flow to this work.
I'm definitely moving on to Time to Murder and Create!
June 11, 2025
Поредицата на Лорънс Блок за Мат Скъдър е много любима за мен. За съжаление, тя така и не е издадена изцяло на български. Няколко наши издателства публикуваха три или четири части без порядък през годините и до там. :(
Аз обаче бях привлечен силно от героите и майсторството на писателя, разкриващи ми едни отминали, понякога наивни времена и един Ню Йорк от 70те години на XX век, място което много би ми допаднало и в реалността.
В "Греховете на отците ни", Блок ни запознава с главния си герой - оттеглилия се от полицията Мат Скъдър, човек търсещ своя път и междувременно изкарващ малко пари, като нелицензиран частен детектив.
Млада жена е жестоко убита от съквартиранта си и случая изглежда ясен на полицията. Нейният доведен баща се среща с Мат и му плаща, за да научи повече за нея и живота ѝ - от години тя не поддържа връзка със семейството си.
Елегантна кримка, написана на достъпен английски език - чисто удоволствие бе за мен да и се насладя.
Продължавам със следващата книга - "Време да убиваш и да твориш".
Аз обаче бях привлечен силно от героите и майсторството на писателя, разкриващи ми едни отминали, понякога наивни времена и един Ню Йорк от 70те години на XX век, място което много би ми допаднало и в реалността.
В "Греховете на отците ни", Блок ни запознава с главния си герой - оттеглилия се от полицията Мат Скъдър, човек търсещ своя път и междувременно изкарващ малко пари, като нелицензиран частен детектив.
Млада жена е жестоко убита от съквартиранта си и случая изглежда ясен на полицията. Нейният доведен баща се среща с Мат и му плаща, за да научи повече за нея и живота ѝ - от години тя не поддържа връзка със семейството си.
Елегантна кримка, написана на достъпен английски език - чисто удоволствие бе за мен да и се насладя.
Продължавам със следващата книга - "Време да убиваш и да твориш".
August 29, 2012
The Sins of the Fathers: Lawrence Block's First Matt Scudder Novel
Dell First Edition, 1976
"The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children."--William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act Three, Scene Five, Line One
All right. I admit it. I'm turning 60 in two days. And I've never read Lawrence Block. How could this happen, all you Block fans ask?
Lawrence Block introduced Matt Scudder to the world of detective fiction in 1976. No, I wasn't on an extensive Bi-Centennial celebration. I was in law school. I wasn't reading much of anything that wasn't between the covers of some massive tome guaranteed to cure the worst case of insomnia.
In a nutshell, I graduated from law school, passed the bar, neither of which has much to do with the practice of law, and became an Assistant District Attorney. Twenty-eight years went by in a flash. I didn't read Lawrence Block, Robert Parker, Ed McBain, or watch Law and Order. I lived it.
Along the way I had my favorite good cops who never wrote "cleared by arrest" until the case was worked and they and I knew we were ready to roll into a court room. I came to know a few cops who lost the faith along the way. Some cases do that to you. Four years directing a domestic violence and sexual assault program did me in. A year and a half in private practice was more than enough for me. Just call me semi-retired, and hoping to teach. It won't be law.
So with a few years behind me out of the real world, I get a yen for a good crime novel, watch Criminal Minds and I said it was about time when Booth and Bones finally did it. I have to give goodreads group Pulp Fiction a plug for steering me to some excellent reads in the genre. Give them a look. http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/5...
With that brief commercial interruption, I finally met Matt Scudder a couple of days ago. A Lawrence Block fan had dropped off a heap of Block's Scudder novels at our Library's book store. At a buck apiece I now know I got a helluva deal.
Block introduced me to a smart cop's cop--a man I've known before. But, just as in the real world, Scudder is never off duty. He's one of New York's finest.
He's stopped off at a bar for a drink on his way home to the wife and kids. Two bad asses with guns try to knock over the bar and kill the bar tender in one of those moments where everything goes wrong. Scudder kills one and knocks the other out with a shot through the thigh. These are the kinds of cases for which officers get commendations. Scudder is no exception. But in the fire fight, one of Scudder's shots ricochets off a brick wall and kills innocent bystander, seven year old Estrelita Rivera.
Smith & Wesson K-38 Combat Master, a common service revolver for law enforcement in the 1970s
Scudder can't shake his responsibility for the little girl's death. He leaves NYPD. He leaves his wife and two sons. Scudder's drink of choice is bourbon. He drinks a lot of it, frequently mixing it with coffee, though he recognizes that combination just results in being drunk and awake. He lives in a cheap cramped hotel room, operating as an unlicensed private investigator. In his way of putting it, he does favors for people and they give him gifts. Scudder's complexity is revealed when Block tells us that he tithes ten percent of his gifts to churches, though he's not a religious man. He seems to favor Catholic churches because you can light a candle for the dead. You wonder how many times he's lit one for Estrelita Rivera.
In Scudder's first case two fathers each lose a child, one a son, the other a daughter. Young Wendy Hanniford was a freelance escort. Her father, Cole, wants to know why his daughter was killed. Scudder bluntly tells Hanniford he may be opening doors he doesn't want opened, but Hanniford has to know.
It's an apparent open and shut case. The dead son is Richard Vanderpoel, son of a minister, who was Wendy's roommate. Richard is caught by a patrol officer running from the apartment, screaming obscenities, covered in blood, his penis out of his pants. Wendy is upstairs, slashed to death, apparently with a straight razor. When Richard hangs himself in his jail cell, it's case closed.
One of these does a nasty job
Both fathers have secrets they attempt to keep from Scudder. It's those secret sins that are laid on their children in this case. By the time Scudder has completed his favor for Cole Hanniford, there will be more candles to burn than just the one for Estrelita.
Could I see the solution coming. Yes. A mile off. Did I care? No. Block is a pro. He knows how to tell a story.
Scudder is Block's most enduring character. The background is set for Scudder's problem with alcohol and whether he'll beat it. There's a number of characters I imagine I'll see in later novels. I hope I do. Scudder's still at it in A Drop of the Hard Stuff published in 2011. Considering Block is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and has taken the Edgar, Shamus, and Silver Dagger Award, I've got a lot of good reading coming my way.
And, on your way to your favorite bookstore or library, remember...
"Let's be careful out there."
Dell First Edition, 1976
"The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children."--William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act Three, Scene Five, Line One
All right. I admit it. I'm turning 60 in two days. And I've never read Lawrence Block. How could this happen, all you Block fans ask?
Lawrence Block introduced Matt Scudder to the world of detective fiction in 1976. No, I wasn't on an extensive Bi-Centennial celebration. I was in law school. I wasn't reading much of anything that wasn't between the covers of some massive tome guaranteed to cure the worst case of insomnia.
In a nutshell, I graduated from law school, passed the bar, neither of which has much to do with the practice of law, and became an Assistant District Attorney. Twenty-eight years went by in a flash. I didn't read Lawrence Block, Robert Parker, Ed McBain, or watch Law and Order. I lived it.
Along the way I had my favorite good cops who never wrote "cleared by arrest" until the case was worked and they and I knew we were ready to roll into a court room. I came to know a few cops who lost the faith along the way. Some cases do that to you. Four years directing a domestic violence and sexual assault program did me in. A year and a half in private practice was more than enough for me. Just call me semi-retired, and hoping to teach. It won't be law.
So with a few years behind me out of the real world, I get a yen for a good crime novel, watch Criminal Minds and I said it was about time when Booth and Bones finally did it. I have to give goodreads group Pulp Fiction a plug for steering me to some excellent reads in the genre. Give them a look. http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/5...
With that brief commercial interruption, I finally met Matt Scudder a couple of days ago. A Lawrence Block fan had dropped off a heap of Block's Scudder novels at our Library's book store. At a buck apiece I now know I got a helluva deal.
Block introduced me to a smart cop's cop--a man I've known before. But, just as in the real world, Scudder is never off duty. He's one of New York's finest.
He's stopped off at a bar for a drink on his way home to the wife and kids. Two bad asses with guns try to knock over the bar and kill the bar tender in one of those moments where everything goes wrong. Scudder kills one and knocks the other out with a shot through the thigh. These are the kinds of cases for which officers get commendations. Scudder is no exception. But in the fire fight, one of Scudder's shots ricochets off a brick wall and kills innocent bystander, seven year old Estrelita Rivera.
Smith & Wesson K-38 Combat Master, a common service revolver for law enforcement in the 1970s
Scudder can't shake his responsibility for the little girl's death. He leaves NYPD. He leaves his wife and two sons. Scudder's drink of choice is bourbon. He drinks a lot of it, frequently mixing it with coffee, though he recognizes that combination just results in being drunk and awake. He lives in a cheap cramped hotel room, operating as an unlicensed private investigator. In his way of putting it, he does favors for people and they give him gifts. Scudder's complexity is revealed when Block tells us that he tithes ten percent of his gifts to churches, though he's not a religious man. He seems to favor Catholic churches because you can light a candle for the dead. You wonder how many times he's lit one for Estrelita Rivera.
In Scudder's first case two fathers each lose a child, one a son, the other a daughter. Young Wendy Hanniford was a freelance escort. Her father, Cole, wants to know why his daughter was killed. Scudder bluntly tells Hanniford he may be opening doors he doesn't want opened, but Hanniford has to know.
It's an apparent open and shut case. The dead son is Richard Vanderpoel, son of a minister, who was Wendy's roommate. Richard is caught by a patrol officer running from the apartment, screaming obscenities, covered in blood, his penis out of his pants. Wendy is upstairs, slashed to death, apparently with a straight razor. When Richard hangs himself in his jail cell, it's case closed.
One of these does a nasty job
Both fathers have secrets they attempt to keep from Scudder. It's those secret sins that are laid on their children in this case. By the time Scudder has completed his favor for Cole Hanniford, there will be more candles to burn than just the one for Estrelita.
Could I see the solution coming. Yes. A mile off. Did I care? No. Block is a pro. He knows how to tell a story.
Scudder is Block's most enduring character. The background is set for Scudder's problem with alcohol and whether he'll beat it. There's a number of characters I imagine I'll see in later novels. I hope I do. Scudder's still at it in A Drop of the Hard Stuff published in 2011. Considering Block is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and has taken the Edgar, Shamus, and Silver Dagger Award, I've got a lot of good reading coming my way.
And, on your way to your favorite bookstore or library, remember...
"Let's be careful out there."
April 13, 2019
In “A Diet of Treacle” Lawrence Block detailed the depths to which young adults fleeing to the city in the early sixties had reached. That books showed a world of drugs, prostitution, depravity, and bloody apartments. A decade later, Block introduced the world to the character of Matthew Scudder in “The Sins of the Fathers” and, in many ways, revisited the idea of what happened to kids who left college and sank into the netherworld of New York City in the early seventies. In particular, this is the story of a young lady who became a call girl and was found hacked apart with a razor and her male roommate was found wandering in front of the apartment building, half-crazed and covered with blood. He hanged himself in the tombs within a few days. The legal establishment considered the case closed at that point. But, when the girl’s father asks Scudder to poke around and find out who his daughter was and what her life had been about, Scudder unravels things about these two kids he never would have suspected.
You can pick up the Scudder novels in just about any order and be intrigued. For the most part, they are each independent books. Each one is a terrific detective novel. If you think these novels are going to be about a hardboiled detective with a fedora and a sexy secretary taking dictation, you will be quite surprised. Although derived from the hardboiled tradition, the Scudder books are different. Scudder is an old-fashioned detective who puts together little bits and pieces and figures things out by dogged work.
Scudder, if you did not know, is a former police officer. One night, off duty in a bar (where else would he be), he sees two guys hold up the joint and take out the bartender. Pursuing them outside, Scudder took them out, but a stray bullet from his gun ricocheted into the skull of a seven-year-old girl, ending her life. The shooting was found justified, but Scudder lost the desire for police work, the desire for his married life, and holed up in Hell’s Kitchen, doing favors for people in return for a few bucks. It is a dark period of his life and he literally tries to drown his troubles in booze.
This book is an amazing introduction to the Scudder series and is absolutely a powerful story. Although, as noted earlier, you can Catch hints about this book in some of the earlier Block books about the beats and the hippies, Block’s writing truly blossoms when he writes about Scudder. These books have a depth to them that few modern-day mysteries do. Five stars, indeed.
You can pick up the Scudder novels in just about any order and be intrigued. For the most part, they are each independent books. Each one is a terrific detective novel. If you think these novels are going to be about a hardboiled detective with a fedora and a sexy secretary taking dictation, you will be quite surprised. Although derived from the hardboiled tradition, the Scudder books are different. Scudder is an old-fashioned detective who puts together little bits and pieces and figures things out by dogged work.
Scudder, if you did not know, is a former police officer. One night, off duty in a bar (where else would he be), he sees two guys hold up the joint and take out the bartender. Pursuing them outside, Scudder took them out, but a stray bullet from his gun ricocheted into the skull of a seven-year-old girl, ending her life. The shooting was found justified, but Scudder lost the desire for police work, the desire for his married life, and holed up in Hell’s Kitchen, doing favors for people in return for a few bucks. It is a dark period of his life and he literally tries to drown his troubles in booze.
This book is an amazing introduction to the Scudder series and is absolutely a powerful story. Although, as noted earlier, you can Catch hints about this book in some of the earlier Block books about the beats and the hippies, Block’s writing truly blossoms when he writes about Scudder. These books have a depth to them that few modern-day mysteries do. Five stars, indeed.
April 5, 2014
It seems that lately, everywhere I turn, Lawrence Block's name comes up. This is probably due to some of the company I keep here on this site. But in my opinion, that's a good thing. It led me here and intrigued me to read this book.
I imagine that the Scudder series is one of those that just keeps getting better with each book. I hope that's the case, anyway - not because the first book wasn't great, but rather because it gives me something to look forward to as I read through them.
I really liked Scudder. I liked his style, quiet, up-front, honest with himself, but ready and willing to get pushy when it seems to be needed. I appreciated his sense of morality, even though it's dingy and dirty, and would definitely not be the type to be put on a pedestal. He's brutal at times, and I liked that. When he called Marcia a foolish bitch, I admit that I shivered a bit. It was sharp and unexpected - to me AND Marcia - but I was glad that he isn't the type to let himself be railroaded by some stupid girl. He seems to be great at reading people, and with her, he knew that she needed to see that he wasn't going to be shoved off by her reticence, so he chose the quickest way to get her attention. I could have cheered, because I was already kinda ready to slap her myself.
Yeah, yeah, I know, that's all disrespectful to women and yada yada yada, but I get so tired of women either being treated as fragile dolls or punching bags in books like these. It was nice to see the various ways that Scudder interacted with the women he encountered, especially his ex-wife. He seems to have respect for women - but isn't too concerned with their fragility if they are between him and a piece of info he wants. He doesn't try to own or control or threaten - he just accepts the situation and deals with it accordingly. I like that a lot.
The mystery was, in my opinion, the weakest aspect of the book. I figured it out much earlier than Scudder himself did, though to be fair, he was thorough in his investigation and didn't leap to judgement like I did. Still, I did enjoy going through the investigation with him, and seeing how his mind works and how the impressions he picked up came together to form a picture. What I really liked was his method of justice. I shouldn't say that, because it's not the approved way of things, but I liked it all the same. He's creative and resourceful and more than a little bit ruthless. So yes, I like.
There were some editing issues in this book - the kind that you see in badly formatted ebooks. I'm chalking this up to the same kind of thing, since the edition that I read was put out in the 90s, when the book would have been almost 20 years old already. There was one case of "must of" instead of "must've", but I can't recall if that was in dialogue or not. (I usually ignore it if it is in dialogue, since that could be patois rather than bad writing.)
Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series. I really enjoyed the first book, and I can't wait to hook up with Scudder again. ;)
I imagine that the Scudder series is one of those that just keeps getting better with each book. I hope that's the case, anyway - not because the first book wasn't great, but rather because it gives me something to look forward to as I read through them.
I really liked Scudder. I liked his style, quiet, up-front, honest with himself, but ready and willing to get pushy when it seems to be needed. I appreciated his sense of morality, even though it's dingy and dirty, and would definitely not be the type to be put on a pedestal. He's brutal at times, and I liked that. When he called Marcia a foolish bitch, I admit that I shivered a bit. It was sharp and unexpected - to me AND Marcia - but I was glad that he isn't the type to let himself be railroaded by some stupid girl. He seems to be great at reading people, and with her, he knew that she needed to see that he wasn't going to be shoved off by her reticence, so he chose the quickest way to get her attention. I could have cheered, because I was already kinda ready to slap her myself.
Yeah, yeah, I know, that's all disrespectful to women and yada yada yada, but I get so tired of women either being treated as fragile dolls or punching bags in books like these. It was nice to see the various ways that Scudder interacted with the women he encountered, especially his ex-wife. He seems to have respect for women - but isn't too concerned with their fragility if they are between him and a piece of info he wants. He doesn't try to own or control or threaten - he just accepts the situation and deals with it accordingly. I like that a lot.
The mystery was, in my opinion, the weakest aspect of the book. I figured it out much earlier than Scudder himself did, though to be fair, he was thorough in his investigation and didn't leap to judgement like I did. Still, I did enjoy going through the investigation with him, and seeing how his mind works and how the impressions he picked up came together to form a picture. What I really liked was his method of justice. I shouldn't say that, because it's not the approved way of things, but I liked it all the same. He's creative and resourceful and more than a little bit ruthless. So yes, I like.
There were some editing issues in this book - the kind that you see in badly formatted ebooks. I'm chalking this up to the same kind of thing, since the edition that I read was put out in the 90s, when the book would have been almost 20 years old already. There was one case of "must of" instead of "must've", but I can't recall if that was in dialogue or not. (I usually ignore it if it is in dialogue, since that could be patois rather than bad writing.)
Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series. I really enjoyed the first book, and I can't wait to hook up with Scudder again. ;)
November 13, 2015
8.5/10
Holy shit, this was good. Very good. Why did I leave this on my wish list for over 3 years. Because I'm an idiot. Scudder is a hard boiled detective in a world gone by before the Internet, mobile phones, openly bribing police. Although saying that, he's not a detective of sorts. He used to be in the police but there is a backstory there which I won't say about here.
This was another foray into audiobook territory for me, with it being only 5 hours long and some great reviews from friends I decided to take the plunge. It's old school in its style with Scudder actually interviewing all the people involved and digging around for clues. The interactions between Scudder and his interviewees were the highlight of the novel for me. Some really good back and forth's revelling key things about the characters.
There were two reasons why it just fell short of the elusive 5 stars. The narrator was good but not great, at times it was hard to differentiate between who was talking and he had a weird way of really extending the length of saying "yeeeeeeeesssss" or "nooooooooooo". It grated after a while. The other reason was .
I'm really keen to continue the series and read more about Scudder and see what the author has to offer. I'll continue the series in audiobook format for now due to the length, let's see if I can get a 5 star out of these!
Holy shit, this was good. Very good. Why did I leave this on my wish list for over 3 years. Because I'm an idiot. Scudder is a hard boiled detective in a world gone by before the Internet, mobile phones, openly bribing police. Although saying that, he's not a detective of sorts. He used to be in the police but there is a backstory there which I won't say about here.
This was another foray into audiobook territory for me, with it being only 5 hours long and some great reviews from friends I decided to take the plunge. It's old school in its style with Scudder actually interviewing all the people involved and digging around for clues. The interactions between Scudder and his interviewees were the highlight of the novel for me. Some really good back and forth's revelling key things about the characters.
There were two reasons why it just fell short of the elusive 5 stars. The narrator was good but not great, at times it was hard to differentiate between who was talking and he had a weird way of really extending the length of saying "yeeeeeeeesssss" or "nooooooooooo". It grated after a while. The other reason was .
I'm really keen to continue the series and read more about Scudder and see what the author has to offer. I'll continue the series in audiobook format for now due to the length, let's see if I can get a 5 star out of these!
July 9, 2023
what an ending.
and what a character. matt scudder’s what makes this book so readable for me. the way he understands and rationalizes even the most extreme elements of human nature as he’s solving the mystery is endlessly fascinating. lawrence block’s voice brings a subtle sympathy to all his characters, good or bad, even when hard choices are being made. there’s real humanity bubbling under the hood of this dark but rather amiable detective tale.
i guess one of the best compliment you can give a book is that you want to spend more time with the characters when it’s over. like they’re your friends now, and you need another hang out session soon.
so thank god lawrence block wrote like a bajillion scudder stories that i can devour next.
because i shall.
and what a character. matt scudder’s what makes this book so readable for me. the way he understands and rationalizes even the most extreme elements of human nature as he’s solving the mystery is endlessly fascinating. lawrence block’s voice brings a subtle sympathy to all his characters, good or bad, even when hard choices are being made. there’s real humanity bubbling under the hood of this dark but rather amiable detective tale.
i guess one of the best compliment you can give a book is that you want to spend more time with the characters when it’s over. like they’re your friends now, and you need another hang out session soon.
so thank god lawrence block wrote like a bajillion scudder stories that i can devour next.
because i shall.
February 27, 2019
My Conversation with Grand Master of Noir Lawrence Block On his writings, Matthew Scudder, and his anthology pipeline.
Dead son and a dead daughter.
Father and son, Father and daughter all have a dark past and all weigh up in the play of good and evil.
Suicide is tragic and a last call out of turmoil and distress, it’s a sin even Scudder knows that otherwise he himself confesses to contemplating taking that road. Scudder ex-cop turned Private Investigator was on the force for almost sixteen years divorced with kids, he works as infrequently as he can for now and in no need for money, he has a cheap room and lives on modest day to day expenses.
Scudder takes on a case and is investigating the death of a girl and the suicide of her caught killer. He needs to question prostitutes, a priest and a step-father.
With all this talk and investigation on father and child relationships by the time the case is closed he finds himself wanting to rekindle his relationship with his boys. You find a real connection in this story with Matthew Scudder and find he’s a real character of today that’s dealing with a real world of good and evil. You will want to be there with him in the future novels after reading this one, battling through the rough and enjoying the smooth.
Lawrence Block writes with a crisp narrative no words wasted takes you straight to the case on the opening pages and really writes the plot to the point. The story is thoroughly engaging and so spot on it reminds me a bit of James M Cain’s writing. This story flows well and will find you are on the final pages in no time at all. This was a re-read for me a masterful start of a great Matthew Scudder series.
He quotes in the novel
“ I said, “ I lost the faith.”
“Like a priest?”
“Something like that. Not exactly, because it’s not rare for a cop to lose the faith and go on being a cop. He may never have had it in the first place. What it amounted to was that I found out I didn’t want to be a cop anymore.” Or a husband, or a father. Or a productive member of society.
The reason for his quitting as a cop was due to an incident where he was off-duty one night and found himself stopping an armed robbery. One of his gunshots went wide and ricocheted and hit a seven-year old girl in the eye she died instantly. The death of that girl Estrellita Rivera changed his life forever and the cause of one too many sleepless nights and probably the need for his Bourbon drinking.
In Stephen King’s introduction of this novel he writes at length his love of Block’s novels here mention one quote.
“Accessibility is only one of Lawrence Block’s virtues as a writer, but it is surely his greatest gift. His novels-better than two dozen of them at this writing-combine clarity, simplicity, honesty, and vividness to create nearly seamless entertainments.”
http://more2read.com/?review=the-sins-of-the-fathers-matthew-scudder-1-by-lawrence-block
There is a good video interview on this link http://more2read.com/?p=1897 Larry Block is interviewed by Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore, Arizona.
Dead son and a dead daughter.
Father and son, Father and daughter all have a dark past and all weigh up in the play of good and evil.
Suicide is tragic and a last call out of turmoil and distress, it’s a sin even Scudder knows that otherwise he himself confesses to contemplating taking that road. Scudder ex-cop turned Private Investigator was on the force for almost sixteen years divorced with kids, he works as infrequently as he can for now and in no need for money, he has a cheap room and lives on modest day to day expenses.
Scudder takes on a case and is investigating the death of a girl and the suicide of her caught killer. He needs to question prostitutes, a priest and a step-father.
With all this talk and investigation on father and child relationships by the time the case is closed he finds himself wanting to rekindle his relationship with his boys. You find a real connection in this story with Matthew Scudder and find he’s a real character of today that’s dealing with a real world of good and evil. You will want to be there with him in the future novels after reading this one, battling through the rough and enjoying the smooth.
Lawrence Block writes with a crisp narrative no words wasted takes you straight to the case on the opening pages and really writes the plot to the point. The story is thoroughly engaging and so spot on it reminds me a bit of James M Cain’s writing. This story flows well and will find you are on the final pages in no time at all. This was a re-read for me a masterful start of a great Matthew Scudder series.
He quotes in the novel
“ I said, “ I lost the faith.”
“Like a priest?”
“Something like that. Not exactly, because it’s not rare for a cop to lose the faith and go on being a cop. He may never have had it in the first place. What it amounted to was that I found out I didn’t want to be a cop anymore.” Or a husband, or a father. Or a productive member of society.
The reason for his quitting as a cop was due to an incident where he was off-duty one night and found himself stopping an armed robbery. One of his gunshots went wide and ricocheted and hit a seven-year old girl in the eye she died instantly. The death of that girl Estrellita Rivera changed his life forever and the cause of one too many sleepless nights and probably the need for his Bourbon drinking.
In Stephen King’s introduction of this novel he writes at length his love of Block’s novels here mention one quote.
“Accessibility is only one of Lawrence Block’s virtues as a writer, but it is surely his greatest gift. His novels-better than two dozen of them at this writing-combine clarity, simplicity, honesty, and vividness to create nearly seamless entertainments.”
http://more2read.com/?review=the-sins-of-the-fathers-matthew-scudder-1-by-lawrence-block
There is a good video interview on this link http://more2read.com/?p=1897 Larry Block is interviewed by Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore, Arizona.
October 12, 2024
Ah, NYC in the 70s and a hard-boiled ex-cop named Matt Scudder. Block's crisp prose and jaded reflections really pull this novel along nicely. Scudder quit the force after 15 years or so after a gunfight where his bullet killed a young girl. Now he does 'favors' for people who can pay; something like a private eye, but no license and no bullshit. Oh, and he likes to drink. A lot.
This starts off with a guy, Cale Hanniford, finding Matt in his favorite drinking hole. Turns out it was his daughter that got slaughtered a few days ago in her apartment. He and his daughter lost contact with each other 3 or so years ago, and now he wants to find out what she has been up to before her death. Matt takes the 'case' and starts digging...
Block provides a rather unusual focus for a police procedural here; the deed has been done, the 'perp' hanged himself in jail a few days later (her housemate). The cops are done with the case. Yet, Cale wants her background. Last he heard from her she had dropped out of college a few months prior to graduating and moved to NYC. She sent him and his wife a few postcards, including one from Miami, but that is it. Well, when Matt starts digging, some things become clear, and others less so.
I can see why this series has such a fan base. Block paces this so nicely, with rich characters and twisty plots all with the seedy 70s NYC as the backdrop. No real heroes here, just a lot of damaged, corrupt people with a few trying to keep the slime off their shoes. Moody and dark-- just what the doctor ordered! 4 hard-boiled stars!!
This starts off with a guy, Cale Hanniford, finding Matt in his favorite drinking hole. Turns out it was his daughter that got slaughtered a few days ago in her apartment. He and his daughter lost contact with each other 3 or so years ago, and now he wants to find out what she has been up to before her death. Matt takes the 'case' and starts digging...
Block provides a rather unusual focus for a police procedural here; the deed has been done, the 'perp' hanged himself in jail a few days later (her housemate). The cops are done with the case. Yet, Cale wants her background. Last he heard from her she had dropped out of college a few months prior to graduating and moved to NYC. She sent him and his wife a few postcards, including one from Miami, but that is it. Well, when Matt starts digging, some things become clear, and others less so.
I can see why this series has such a fan base. Block paces this so nicely, with rich characters and twisty plots all with the seedy 70s NYC as the backdrop. No real heroes here, just a lot of damaged, corrupt people with a few trying to keep the slime off their shoes. Moody and dark-- just what the doctor ordered! 4 hard-boiled stars!!
August 9, 2024
Hardboiled Block
Review of the LB Productions eBook (September 9, 2020) of the original Dell paperback (1976).
The Sins of the Fathers introduces Lawrence Block's longest running series character, the former NYPD detective Matthew Scudder. Scudder quit the force and abandoned his family after a shooting incident where an innocent girl was killed by a ricochet bullet. He lives a downbeat life in a Hell's Kitchen hotel making the rounds of the neighbourhood bars and churches while doing the occasional "favour" in exchange for monetary "gifts."
He does not have an actual private detective licence. He tithes 10% of his income to church poor boxes, sends money home to his ex-wife and sons and drinks quite a lot of liquor and coffee. Several books into the series he quits drinking and regular attendance at AA meetings becomes a central focus of the plots.
The books are set in a noir world where the innocents suffer and the guilty often escape justice. Scudder's own methods are not quite legal and certainly the early novels are set in the world of the Serpico era of NYPD bribery and corruption. Scudder gets many of his "cases" through referrals from his former NYPD colleagues, for which he pays them the price of a "hat", code for a $25 bribe (worth $138.17 in 2024 current market value).
Front cover of the original 1976 Dell paperback edition. Image sourced from Biblio.
In The Sins of the Fathers, Scudder agrees to investigate the death of a young woman who was apparently killed by her housemate, who hanged himself while in police custody shortly afterwards. His client is the woman's stepfather who feels the guilt of the loss of the daughter who abandoned a Utica home and college to live a carefree life in New York City. Scudder's search uncovers the hidden lives of two young people who were scarred by their earlier experiences. It also raises a suspicion that the actual murderer was never brought to justice.
Trivia and Links
I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms. This re-read will be the beginning of a further look back at some of those.
Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in August 2024. He self-publishes some of his earlier works that have otherwise gone out of print, using his own LB Productions imprint. This current eBook edition of The Sins of the Fathers is one of those.
Review of the LB Productions eBook (September 9, 2020) of the original Dell paperback (1976).
He sat for a few minutes in silence. I took out my flask and had another drink. Drinking was against his religion. Well, murder was against mine.
The Sins of the Fathers introduces Lawrence Block's longest running series character, the former NYPD detective Matthew Scudder. Scudder quit the force and abandoned his family after a shooting incident where an innocent girl was killed by a ricochet bullet. He lives a downbeat life in a Hell's Kitchen hotel making the rounds of the neighbourhood bars and churches while doing the occasional "favour" in exchange for monetary "gifts."
He does not have an actual private detective licence. He tithes 10% of his income to church poor boxes, sends money home to his ex-wife and sons and drinks quite a lot of liquor and coffee. Several books into the series he quits drinking and regular attendance at AA meetings becomes a central focus of the plots.
The books are set in a noir world where the innocents suffer and the guilty often escape justice. Scudder's own methods are not quite legal and certainly the early novels are set in the world of the Serpico era of NYPD bribery and corruption. Scudder gets many of his "cases" through referrals from his former NYPD colleagues, for which he pays them the price of a "hat", code for a $25 bribe (worth $138.17 in 2024 current market value).
Front cover of the original 1976 Dell paperback edition. Image sourced from Biblio.
In The Sins of the Fathers, Scudder agrees to investigate the death of a young woman who was apparently killed by her housemate, who hanged himself while in police custody shortly afterwards. His client is the woman's stepfather who feels the guilt of the loss of the daughter who abandoned a Utica home and college to live a carefree life in New York City. Scudder's search uncovers the hidden lives of two young people who were scarred by their earlier experiences. It also raises a suspicion that the actual murderer was never brought to justice.
Trivia and Links
I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms. This re-read will be the beginning of a further look back at some of those.
Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in August 2024. He self-publishes some of his earlier works that have otherwise gone out of print, using his own LB Productions imprint. This current eBook edition of The Sins of the Fathers is one of those.
July 20, 2024
Hard is not the right word but it is within the range of that particular word's meaning is what I would describe in trying to find a great detective fiction or crime thriller that are more than, as the westerners would call as a mere "airport/holiday" read. Enter The Sins of the Fathers, the first book of Lawrence Block seminal PI series starring Matthew Scudder, first published in 1976. Thank you Samuel for the recommendation.
The plot of the book is simple, a young pretty prostitute found dead and her alleged killer was identified. Case open and shut. This being a noir-crime-thriller, there's always a giant iceberg of truth buried under the cold sea. The alleged killer, the son of a minister hanged himself in his cell and the prostitute's father came to an ex-cop, our main protagonist: Matthew Scudder not to dispute the police's investigation but to find out why he ended up with a dead daughter.
Block writes this one in the same vein of Chandler and Hammetts in term of writing structure. Beyond the plot is where the novel truly shines and where Block shows his writing chops. Saying that however, the novel is in no way a character driven piece that meditates upon the main protagonist's life, hardly any character progression are present but Block ability to create a fun way to use a character such as Scudder in the manner that it was presented in the novel with economic but still lyrical prose are where the book's purest enjoyment came about.
Scudder the character was blast. A competent cop. A dirty cop that took bribe. A dirty cop that would go beyond the legal framework to plan evidence against people he knows dead to right are the perpetrators. The fact that he was a competent cop back during his time in the NYPD as a detective makes the investigative portion of the novel a fun ride and Scudder, a character to root for despite what we know of him. It's a series of interviews and interrogation, and of scenic description of the game - clues, to find evidence.
The novel, despite being written in first person, hardly sinks into Scudder's idiosyncrasy that we learned through piecing from dialogue and action. He's not your action movie hero or cynical cop. He's a realist and does the best he can for his client.
If you ever watch any of the Columbo episode, think of that but rather than written to the tone of a 'howcatchem' genre, we got a grittier hardboiled version of a Columbo-like character running around looking for answers. That's a perfect description of The Sins of the Fathers and I will certainly come back for more.
The plot of the book is simple, a young pretty prostitute found dead and her alleged killer was identified. Case open and shut. This being a noir-crime-thriller, there's always a giant iceberg of truth buried under the cold sea. The alleged killer, the son of a minister hanged himself in his cell and the prostitute's father came to an ex-cop, our main protagonist: Matthew Scudder not to dispute the police's investigation but to find out why he ended up with a dead daughter.
Block writes this one in the same vein of Chandler and Hammetts in term of writing structure. Beyond the plot is where the novel truly shines and where Block shows his writing chops. Saying that however, the novel is in no way a character driven piece that meditates upon the main protagonist's life, hardly any character progression are present but Block ability to create a fun way to use a character such as Scudder in the manner that it was presented in the novel with economic but still lyrical prose are where the book's purest enjoyment came about.
Scudder the character was blast. A competent cop. A dirty cop that took bribe. A dirty cop that would go beyond the legal framework to plan evidence against people he knows dead to right are the perpetrators. The fact that he was a competent cop back during his time in the NYPD as a detective makes the investigative portion of the novel a fun ride and Scudder, a character to root for despite what we know of him. It's a series of interviews and interrogation, and of scenic description of the game - clues, to find evidence.
The novel, despite being written in first person, hardly sinks into Scudder's idiosyncrasy that we learned through piecing from dialogue and action. He's not your action movie hero or cynical cop. He's a realist and does the best he can for his client.
If you ever watch any of the Columbo episode, think of that but rather than written to the tone of a 'howcatchem' genre, we got a grittier hardboiled version of a Columbo-like character running around looking for answers. That's a perfect description of The Sins of the Fathers and I will certainly come back for more.
August 10, 2011
I needed a hole to fill the VOID left by my consumption of the John Connolly Charlie Parker series. Luckily, Connolly has a new book coming out in September, The Burning Soul. Until then, I needed a detective series of substance. A character so cool, so awesome, that I could branch out from Charlie Parker into another series. I've actually had this book on my to-read list for several months now. I have no idea what took me so long to pick it up. I mean, it's not like Kemper, Dan or Stephen had been singing it's praises up and down Goodreads. What? They have? Oh.
This is classic.. no wait, VINTAGE detective writing. Scudder is my type of character. He drinks a lot, he's suffering from self inflicted guilt and he has little patience for the public. This is a guy who has lived through a freak accident which in turn caused him to alienate his wife in asking for a divorce, distancing himself from his kids and quitting the force. He takes on cases which he identifies as "favors" for cash, which he identifies as "gifts". Sure, he tosses a couple of bucks to charity every now and then but he's pretty much a loner. He's like a hooker with a heart of gold. Did I just say that?
Man, I'm really excited to dive into this series and really sink my teeth in. I devoured this is one day, which, for me (at least lately)is equivalent to the speed of light. I basically broke the sound barrier reading this thing I loved it that much. I actually picked up the second installment today and I intend to start on that ASAP.
This is classic.. no wait, VINTAGE detective writing. Scudder is my type of character. He drinks a lot, he's suffering from self inflicted guilt and he has little patience for the public. This is a guy who has lived through a freak accident which in turn caused him to alienate his wife in asking for a divorce, distancing himself from his kids and quitting the force. He takes on cases which he identifies as "favors" for cash, which he identifies as "gifts". Sure, he tosses a couple of bucks to charity every now and then but he's pretty much a loner. He's like a hooker with a heart of gold. Did I just say that?
Man, I'm really excited to dive into this series and really sink my teeth in. I devoured this is one day, which, for me (at least lately)is equivalent to the speed of light. I basically broke the sound barrier reading this thing I loved it that much. I actually picked up the second installment today and I intend to start on that ASAP.
November 7, 2019
This first Matthew Scudder story, a bit of a non-conventional murder mystery, is quite good. It reads like a procedural, as Scudder hunts down clues in the stabbing death of a high end New York prostitute with severe daddy issues. Block has created a very convincing character in Scudder, a brooding, morally ambiguous ex-cop turned unofficial PI, willing to do what the cops, or more legitimate PI's, can't or won't. Corruptible and tortured, there are no black and whites in his world, only shades of gray. I love the character and the New York setting and look forward to continuing the series.
January 6, 2015
It’s not that often I delve into the noir-ish side of crime, though it’s not because I have anything particular against it — the whole class of casually drinking, smoking and screwing detectives with cynical attitudes don’t repel me, whether it be Brandstetter, Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade. Or, in this case, Matt Scudder. It comes down to the individual detective, and in that sense, Scudder probably comes out neck and neck with Brandstetter. He’s involved in a case that seems sordid, yet he avoids making obvious conclusions and follows the facts; he’s straight, but he ends up in gay bars, talking to gay people, etc, and yet Block doesn’t seem to need to overhype Scudder’s masculinity in compensation. And despite the cynicism, Scudder tithes to local churches, keeps an open mind about people, and doesn’t judge. There’s an honesty about him, too: he takes money, but he admits it, he knows when to take it, and there’s times he’d say no.
There are things about the whole treatment of gay people that don’t come off so well, but most of it seems to be a genuine attempt to let people do their own thing and not get stuck on judging what that is. Unless you’ve killed someone, of course.
In terms of the writing, it’s not Raymond Chandler: there’s no gems where Lawrence Block wrote something in a way no one else has. It’s clean and it works, without unnecessary verbiage or prevarication. Most of the clues are given to us, though there’s one point where the thinking process is based on proper detective work in old records and stuff, and that’s less easy to bring across to the reader in a way that’s at all interesting, so that aspect was a little smudged.
Overall, I actually really enjoyed this. There are some noir detectives I don’t want to spend a minute more with — Mike Hammer, for example — but Matt seems basically decent, and never too convinced that that’s the case.
There are things about the whole treatment of gay people that don’t come off so well, but most of it seems to be a genuine attempt to let people do their own thing and not get stuck on judging what that is. Unless you’ve killed someone, of course.
In terms of the writing, it’s not Raymond Chandler: there’s no gems where Lawrence Block wrote something in a way no one else has. It’s clean and it works, without unnecessary verbiage or prevarication. Most of the clues are given to us, though there’s one point where the thinking process is based on proper detective work in old records and stuff, and that’s less easy to bring across to the reader in a way that’s at all interesting, so that aspect was a little smudged.
Overall, I actually really enjoyed this. There are some noir detectives I don’t want to spend a minute more with — Mike Hammer, for example — but Matt seems basically decent, and never too convinced that that’s the case.
March 23, 2024
I wondered whether it was worse for men to do the wrong things for the right reason or the right things for the wrong reason. It wasn’t the first time I wondered, or the last.
[4.7] what an intro to Matthew Scudder: unlicensed PI who conducts the odd [insert quotes as needed] favor for friends in exchange for gifts, 10% of which he never fails to donate to church alms boxes, and lights candles for the dead. a far-cry from the stock hardboiled detective who carries an air of macho superiority and strong arms the world for answers. he has both bark and bite, still greases palms and entertains the games that have to be played, but his actions, the way he carries himself, they're filtered through the light of a man who tries to do good as he drinks his bourbon-spiked coffee, metes out his own crafty justice, and battles with his own guilt.
it only took one book to make him a standout character in my mind.
the only qualm i have is with a particularly salient point of the case extrapolated with little to no buttressing that we’re told to accept out of thin air. i have a feeling readers will immediately know what i'm referring to: .
but everything else? i'm jonesing for my next Scudder book.
February 4, 2014
If you're entering the world of Matthew Scudder, you better brace yourself for some dark and delicious detective work. I don't know why I keep wanting to use adjectives normally reserved for coffee blends to describe this book. I'm pretty sure evenly-roasted isn't a term intended for literary review, but this story (and Scudder himself) just hit every note I never knew I needed for a supremely satisfying read.
Scudder is neither hero nor villain; he goes by his own rules and defies what might be considered conventional morality while sifting through a world where it's hard to starkly delineate right from wrong. I wanted this book to last me more than a day, but, like Matt, I felt compelled to keep on digging.
I don't know how to deal with spoiler-y material from a tablet, so I'll just say that the tale is slightly more twisted than (what I imagine) you might find in your average 70s noir. So if you're looking for straight-up mystery without that extra level of peering at some of humanity's less-desirable traits, I might look elsewhere. Otherwise, grab your coffee and bourbon and go for it.
Scudder is neither hero nor villain; he goes by his own rules and defies what might be considered conventional morality while sifting through a world where it's hard to starkly delineate right from wrong. I wanted this book to last me more than a day, but, like Matt, I felt compelled to keep on digging.
I don't know how to deal with spoiler-y material from a tablet, so I'll just say that the tale is slightly more twisted than (what I imagine) you might find in your average 70s noir. So if you're looking for straight-up mystery without that extra level of peering at some of humanity's less-desirable traits, I might look elsewhere. Otherwise, grab your coffee and bourbon and go for it.
October 11, 2025
3.5 Stars for The Sons of the Father: Matthew Scudder, Book 1 (audiobook) by Lawrence Block read by Alan Sklar.
The former Police officer, Matthew Scudder is brought in when a young prostitute is murdered and her father wants to know what really happened and how she ended up there.
The former Police officer, Matthew Scudder is brought in when a young prostitute is murdered and her father wants to know what really happened and how she ended up there.
June 19, 2012
Lawrence Block does it again!
The man sure can write. This is a tight little novel, the debut of Matt Scudder and an enjoyable piece of 70's noir. He's an ex-cop with a drinking problem exchanging favours to get by. The murder-suicide of a prostitute and a gay guy serve as a background for his introduction to the reader and an excuse for him to drink as much as possible.
His journey kicks over some rocks that some people would have preferred to have remained in place and leads to the inevitable conflicted noir ending, unearthing the darkness hidden in even the brightest amongst us. Block once more lets us know that we are not alone with our foibles and psychological angst, everyone else suffers similarly whether they admit it or not.
The slim nature of the book means you can fly through it but it still packs a punch, however perhaps a little more depth is required to fully comprehend the nature of the man and the crimes. But I guess that's what the rest of the series if for. Go Lawrence Go!
The man sure can write. This is a tight little novel, the debut of Matt Scudder and an enjoyable piece of 70's noir. He's an ex-cop with a drinking problem exchanging favours to get by. The murder-suicide of a prostitute and a gay guy serve as a background for his introduction to the reader and an excuse for him to drink as much as possible.
His journey kicks over some rocks that some people would have preferred to have remained in place and leads to the inevitable conflicted noir ending, unearthing the darkness hidden in even the brightest amongst us. Block once more lets us know that we are not alone with our foibles and psychological angst, everyone else suffers similarly whether they admit it or not.
The slim nature of the book means you can fly through it but it still packs a punch, however perhaps a little more depth is required to fully comprehend the nature of the man and the crimes. But I guess that's what the rest of the series if for. Go Lawrence Go!
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