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Matthew Scudder #4
A Stab in the Dark
Louis Pinell, the recently apprehended "Icepick Prowler," freely admits to having slain seven young women nine years ago -- but be swears it was a copycat who killed Barbara Ettinger. — Matthew Scudder believes him. But the trail to Ettinger's true murderer is twisted, dark and dangerous...and even colder than the almost decade-old corpse the P.I. is determined to avenge.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
107 people are currently reading
1744 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 343 reviews
December 1, 2019
This fourth book in the Matt Scudder series is an absorbing mystery in itself, but it also deepens and darkens Block's portrait of his hard-drinking, guilt-ridden hero, and, through the use of two effective foils (an alcoholic woman sculptor and a damaged former cop), increases Scudder's self-knowledge and points him toward change.
Scudder is hired to investigate the case of Barbara Ettinger, classified as a victim of “The Icepick Killer” when she was murdered nine years ago. But “The Icepick Killer” has recently been caught and—although he has frankly confessed to all the other crimes—he claims he had nothing to do with the Ettinger stabbing. Her father has begun to wonder: could the murderer be someone his daughter knew, someone closer to home?
Scudder, fueled by coffee laced with bourbon, takes a trip through Barbara's old neighborhood, uncovering witnesses, secrets, and suspects, and—as bourbon overwhelms the coffee--a few glimmers of truth about himself.
This is the first great Scudder novel, perfectly balanced between the tale itself and the evolution of the detective's character, and as such it is a crucial influence on the later adventures of Dave Robicheaux, Harry Bosch and others too numerous to name.
Essential reading for anyone who loves the hard-boiled detective novel.
May 27, 2024
Matthew Scudder prowls the streets of New York City for the fourth time in A Stab in the Dark. By now the character has been firmly established: Matt is an ex-cop who left the force under tragic circumstances and who now works unofficially as a private detective. He doesn't have a license; he doesn't pay taxes, and he doesn't fill out paperwork. But sometimes he does a "favor" for a friend and the "friend" shows his or her gratitude by giving Matt money.
He also drinks. Heavily by this point. But he refuses to consider himself an alcoholic and insists that he could stop anytime he wants to. He doesn't want to yet, even though he now experiences periodic blackouts. But still, his drinking is not yet interfering with his ability to get the job done.
Insurance executive Charles F. London needs a "favor." Nine years earlier, his daughter, Barbara Ettinger, was viciously stabbed to death, apparently by a maniac who was known as the Ice Pick Killer and who claimed seven other victims. Finally, by a stroke of luck, the madman has now been captured. The only problem is that, while he admits to the seven other killings, he insists that he did not kill Ettinger. He also has an iron-clad alibi for the time Ettinger was murdered, given that he was in custody on that day.
London had come to whatever peace he could find, assuming that his daughter's death was simply an inexplicable piece of bad luck. Now, though, his world is upended again when it appears that Barbara was killed perhaps for a reason and that the murderer is still at large. The cops claim there's nothing they can do, given the time that has elapsed, and so London walks into Armstrong's saloon and asks Scudder to take on the job. Scudder agrees, although he tells London that the odds are very slight. The trail will be just as cold for him as it is for the cops, and he doesn't even have their official standing.
Scudder then does what Scudder does. After depositing ten percent of the fee in a church's Poor Box, he begins pounding the streets, tracking down his pathetically thin leads and fortifying himself with more than the occasional drink, for "maintenance" purposes of course. He's an enormously intriguing character and, as is always the case in this series, the plot is interesting and well-developed. As in the first three books, it's great fun walking the streets of the big city with Matthew Scudder, although by this point one can't help but be increasingly concerned for his health and well-being.
A word of caution: Anyone interested in dipping into this series would be very well-advised to start with the first book, The Sins of the Fathers. Trust me when I say that you want to be on this ride from the very beginning.
He also drinks. Heavily by this point. But he refuses to consider himself an alcoholic and insists that he could stop anytime he wants to. He doesn't want to yet, even though he now experiences periodic blackouts. But still, his drinking is not yet interfering with his ability to get the job done.
Insurance executive Charles F. London needs a "favor." Nine years earlier, his daughter, Barbara Ettinger, was viciously stabbed to death, apparently by a maniac who was known as the Ice Pick Killer and who claimed seven other victims. Finally, by a stroke of luck, the madman has now been captured. The only problem is that, while he admits to the seven other killings, he insists that he did not kill Ettinger. He also has an iron-clad alibi for the time Ettinger was murdered, given that he was in custody on that day.
London had come to whatever peace he could find, assuming that his daughter's death was simply an inexplicable piece of bad luck. Now, though, his world is upended again when it appears that Barbara was killed perhaps for a reason and that the murderer is still at large. The cops claim there's nothing they can do, given the time that has elapsed, and so London walks into Armstrong's saloon and asks Scudder to take on the job. Scudder agrees, although he tells London that the odds are very slight. The trail will be just as cold for him as it is for the cops, and he doesn't even have their official standing.
Scudder then does what Scudder does. After depositing ten percent of the fee in a church's Poor Box, he begins pounding the streets, tracking down his pathetically thin leads and fortifying himself with more than the occasional drink, for "maintenance" purposes of course. He's an enormously intriguing character and, as is always the case in this series, the plot is interesting and well-developed. As in the first three books, it's great fun walking the streets of the big city with Matthew Scudder, although by this point one can't help but be increasingly concerned for his health and well-being.
A word of caution: Anyone interested in dipping into this series would be very well-advised to start with the first book, The Sins of the Fathers. Trust me when I say that you want to be on this ride from the very beginning.
September 18, 2012
Nine years ago, eight women were gruesomely slain with an icepick. The killer was finally apprehended and it turns out he was in an asylum at the time of the eighth murder. So who the hell killed Barbara Ettinger? That's what her father, Charles London, is paying Matthew Scudder to find out...
Lawrence Block does it again. In the fourth volume, Matthew Scudder struggles with his alcoholism and follows a trail nine years cold. Once again, Block did a good job tricking me into thinking I knew who the killer was. Scudder continues to struggle with his alcoholism. The supporting cast is well done, especially Jan.
The Matthew Scudder series continues to be one of my favorites. Lawrence Block continues to wow me.
Lawrence Block does it again. In the fourth volume, Matthew Scudder struggles with his alcoholism and follows a trail nine years cold. Once again, Block did a good job tricking me into thinking I knew who the killer was. Scudder continues to struggle with his alcoholism. The supporting cast is well done, especially Jan.
The Matthew Scudder series continues to be one of my favorites. Lawrence Block continues to wow me.
August 24, 2016
When you’ve hit a point where you’ve read hundreds of books and age starts to degrade your memory, you sometimes doubt your previous assessments. I’d read most of the Scudder novels anywhere from 10 to 15 years ago, and while I thought they were very good, I’d started to wonder if they were actually as good as I remembered. Having reread the first four, I’m very happy to find that these are actually even better than I originally thought.
Matt gets hired by a man whose daughter, Barbara, was supposedly killed by a serial killer with an icepick nine years earlier. The killer was recently caught but while he’s confessing to the other murders, he denies killing Barbara. The cops aren’t interested in screwing up the gift of getting multiple homicides cleared off the books so they won’t bother looking into it, but one of the detectives has steered the father to Matt, who briefly worked the murder when he was still a cop. Matt doubts he can turn anything up, but agrees to look into it.
As with the other Matt Scudder books, the mystery and resolution are intriguing enough, but what really sets these books apart is the character arc of Scudder himself. Block cleverly never gave us much direct introspection from Matt despite being written in the first person. At first glance, it seems like many things don’t seem to effect him at all, but over the course of the series, particularly these early books, you realize that Matt is a guy consumed with guilt and self hatred.
Matt's a very decent guy, but he freely admits to taking money as a cop and a large part of his unlicensed PI business comes from paying kickbacks to the police. He left the cops after accidentally shooting and killing a young girl while breaking up a robbery and subsequently walked out on his wife and kids to start living in a cheap hotel room. This book is yet another stage in Matt’s relationship to the booze where he gets dangerously drunk without realizing it, and it’s the first time that he even starts to consider the idea that he may be an alcoholic, even if he quickly denies it.
This is another short but powerful book that again shows that Block can deliver more story and create more heartbreaking characters in 180 pages than most writers can in a lifetime.
Matt gets hired by a man whose daughter, Barbara, was supposedly killed by a serial killer with an icepick nine years earlier. The killer was recently caught but while he’s confessing to the other murders, he denies killing Barbara. The cops aren’t interested in screwing up the gift of getting multiple homicides cleared off the books so they won’t bother looking into it, but one of the detectives has steered the father to Matt, who briefly worked the murder when he was still a cop. Matt doubts he can turn anything up, but agrees to look into it.
As with the other Matt Scudder books, the mystery and resolution are intriguing enough, but what really sets these books apart is the character arc of Scudder himself. Block cleverly never gave us much direct introspection from Matt despite being written in the first person. At first glance, it seems like many things don’t seem to effect him at all, but over the course of the series, particularly these early books, you realize that Matt is a guy consumed with guilt and self hatred.
Matt's a very decent guy, but he freely admits to taking money as a cop and a large part of his unlicensed PI business comes from paying kickbacks to the police. He left the cops after accidentally shooting and killing a young girl while breaking up a robbery and subsequently walked out on his wife and kids to start living in a cheap hotel room. This book is yet another stage in Matt’s relationship to the booze where he gets dangerously drunk without realizing it, and it’s the first time that he even starts to consider the idea that he may be an alcoholic, even if he quickly denies it.
This is another short but powerful book that again shows that Block can deliver more story and create more heartbreaking characters in 180 pages than most writers can in a lifetime.
May 8, 2021
In The Midst of Death, a former colleague asks him how he is doing, asks him about drinking, suggests he doesn't have to “climb back inside the bottle” when things go south. And they do, and he does. In this book, a woman named Janice Corwin he interviews for a case calls him out, while they are drinking: “You know what we are, Matthew? We’re both a couple of drunks,” and he goes so far at this point to admit he is “in the drinking life.” If this were a book simply about crime, well, the alcoholism (not just boozing/hangover detective clichés) in these four books would be just a good background trait. And maybe somewhat romanticized. But in these books, and in this book in particular, the story is marked by the ex-cop (unlicensed) detective Matthew Scudder’s steady, marked descent into the bottle, inch by inch. Struggles--decisions not to drink in the morning, or when offered while working--then binges, then retreats. . . with less church, more bars, less coffee, more bourbon. The balance tips to decline.
And as he says, I am still able to do my work, so I think I’m pretty much okay. Is my hand shaking? Okay, a little, but it’s not too bad. But a kid asks him for a match after he leaves a bar and Scudder thinks he is being tailed and the guy intends to scare him off the case, so Scudder beats him up, takes his knife and money. The next day Scudder realizes he has blacked out some of the evening before beating up the kid and he worries: Wait, maybe he just really did want a match, am I losing it?! We do think he is losing it.
A Stab in the Dark is a superb novel about alcoholism/booze addiction which has a kind of typical detective novel title that fits the crime, but in this terrific book, the crime serves to help us understand the character, linking that crime to Scudder’s own need to expiate his own guilt. Nine years ago, Scudder was given a commendation for killing one punk and paralyzing another who had robbed and murdered a guy, but in the process of shooting these two kids he accidentally killed a nine year old girl and thereafter, his life falls apart.
Also nine years ago Scudder was working on a serial murder case with two other cops, wherein a guy, the Ice Pick Prowler, had killed 7 women. 8 had actually been killed, but the convicted murderer adamantly denied having killed the 8th woman, Barbara Ettinger. Nine years later, Barbara’s father hires Scudder to find his daughter’s killer because he—like Scudder—needs closure. Why Scudder? Because, as Ettinger points out to him, Scudder “is someone who cares about the truth.”
In the process of doing the investigation Scudder talks to two people who—like him—stopped living their lives over a terrible crime. For these two people, it happens to be this very case. Janice was a neighbor of Barbra Ettinger and pre-school teacher and things kind of just fell apart for Janice when her friend Barbara died. The same thing happens to one of Scudder’s former colleagues on the case; the serial killer just made him realize he couldn’t do this kind of work anymore. These two people help Scudder (begin to) see that he has given up as they have. He must face this truth, and he is not quite ready to, but it is both of them that lead him closer and closer to his truth. I was surprised and moved by the ending as it pertains to Scudder and both of these people. Nine years—can Scudder, can Scudder’s ex-colleague, can Janice—face the truth and recover their lives?
This book, a Stab in the Dark, features Dostoevsky-level guilt and alcoholism and complicated relationships as Scudder drinks with the (also) drunk Janice. It—and the next one, Eight Million Ways to Die--belongs on the shelf with every great novel of the destruction of lives through booze, including the short stories of Raymond Carver and Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano.
And as he says, I am still able to do my work, so I think I’m pretty much okay. Is my hand shaking? Okay, a little, but it’s not too bad. But a kid asks him for a match after he leaves a bar and Scudder thinks he is being tailed and the guy intends to scare him off the case, so Scudder beats him up, takes his knife and money. The next day Scudder realizes he has blacked out some of the evening before beating up the kid and he worries: Wait, maybe he just really did want a match, am I losing it?! We do think he is losing it.
A Stab in the Dark is a superb novel about alcoholism/booze addiction which has a kind of typical detective novel title that fits the crime, but in this terrific book, the crime serves to help us understand the character, linking that crime to Scudder’s own need to expiate his own guilt. Nine years ago, Scudder was given a commendation for killing one punk and paralyzing another who had robbed and murdered a guy, but in the process of shooting these two kids he accidentally killed a nine year old girl and thereafter, his life falls apart.
Also nine years ago Scudder was working on a serial murder case with two other cops, wherein a guy, the Ice Pick Prowler, had killed 7 women. 8 had actually been killed, but the convicted murderer adamantly denied having killed the 8th woman, Barbara Ettinger. Nine years later, Barbara’s father hires Scudder to find his daughter’s killer because he—like Scudder—needs closure. Why Scudder? Because, as Ettinger points out to him, Scudder “is someone who cares about the truth.”
In the process of doing the investigation Scudder talks to two people who—like him—stopped living their lives over a terrible crime. For these two people, it happens to be this very case. Janice was a neighbor of Barbra Ettinger and pre-school teacher and things kind of just fell apart for Janice when her friend Barbara died. The same thing happens to one of Scudder’s former colleagues on the case; the serial killer just made him realize he couldn’t do this kind of work anymore. These two people help Scudder (begin to) see that he has given up as they have. He must face this truth, and he is not quite ready to, but it is both of them that lead him closer and closer to his truth. I was surprised and moved by the ending as it pertains to Scudder and both of these people. Nine years—can Scudder, can Scudder’s ex-colleague, can Janice—face the truth and recover their lives?
This book, a Stab in the Dark, features Dostoevsky-level guilt and alcoholism and complicated relationships as Scudder drinks with the (also) drunk Janice. It—and the next one, Eight Million Ways to Die--belongs on the shelf with every great novel of the destruction of lives through booze, including the short stories of Raymond Carver and Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano.
September 16, 2012
The brandy, I told myself. Probably be a good idea to stay away from it. Stick to what you're used to. Stick to bourbon. I went on over to Armstrong's. A little bourbon would take the edge off the brandy rush. A little bourbon would take the edge off almost anything. ~A Stab in the DarkAh, Matt. Things are getting pretty dark for you my friend. Rock bottom is rushing up to meet you at about 200 miles an hour. It's going to hit like a freight train and I'm afraid you won't even see it coming. Cause we all know 'denial' is not just a river in Egypt.
As you may have guessed, what marks this fourth installment of Lawrence Block's Scudder series, isn't the unsolved nine-year-old murder, or Scudder's uncanny ability to solve it with his characteristic dogged style, but his further descent into excessive boozing, blackouts and hangovers. He meets a woman this time that suffers from the same malady as Matt, but she has a name for it -- alcoholic. Matt bristles at this term, because as far as he's concerned he can stop drinking any time he wants. Like any good boozer who ain't ready to jump on that proverbial wagon and stay there, Matt doesn't see himself as having a problem. He sees himself as still in control.
I acutely felt Matt's loneliness and guilt in this one. It's a sad book really. Even the crime is a sad one that should never have happened in the first place. Now on to Book 5 - Eight Million Ways to Die. What's in store for you, Matt? How bad is this going to get before it gets better?
March 5, 2017
These Matthew Scudder books aren't action-packed, sometimes they're even slow, but boy howdy, do I ever enjoy them!
I like the picture you get of New York City in the '70s (At least with these first few books in the series. I'm not sure about the rest, because I haven't read them). I love Scudder's character. He's not in it for the money. Admirable. I like the light mystery involved in each book. Lawrence Block keeps you guessing! All of these things and probably a few more I'm forgetting right now just jive really well with my reading tastes!
Usually with these books there's a certain amount of psychology, as in the psychology of the killer. However, in A Stab in the Dark we get even more of a look at "why?". Psycho killers and their copycats are given a decent an examination here. It's not super deep. These Scudder books are fairly short after all. However, it is about as long as you'd want it to be in a crime fiction pleasure read.
So, book #4 in the series was a success and I'll definitely be moving on to #5!
I like the picture you get of New York City in the '70s (At least with these first few books in the series. I'm not sure about the rest, because I haven't read them). I love Scudder's character. He's not in it for the money. Admirable. I like the light mystery involved in each book. Lawrence Block keeps you guessing! All of these things and probably a few more I'm forgetting right now just jive really well with my reading tastes!
Usually with these books there's a certain amount of psychology, as in the psychology of the killer. However, in A Stab in the Dark we get even more of a look at "why?". Psycho killers and their copycats are given a decent an examination here. It's not super deep. These Scudder books are fairly short after all. However, it is about as long as you'd want it to be in a crime fiction pleasure read.
So, book #4 in the series was a success and I'll definitely be moving on to #5!
August 17, 2012
A lightweight read at only 156 pages. Good suspense and interesting mystery.
In this one, a serial killer is caught by police. The catch? He only confesses to seven of the murders and has an airtight alibi for the eighth. The father of the eighth victim realizes he needs a new kind of closure and hires Scudder to investigate. He pursues it like a terrier; hanging on, chasing down leads from nine years ago, drinking his way through the city. After he interviews the remarried husband and his new wife, he looks up the owner of the daycare center where the victim worked. She's now a sculptor in the Village and struggling with alcohol as well. Personal collides with professional. Eventually, the client makes a feeble effort to call Scudder off, but like the terrier down the rat hole, he won't let up.
This one is notable for Scudder's drinking picking up pace, clearly speeding him along to rock bottom. Slowly, it dawned on me as I read that Scudder's drinking was out of control. There's a few moments when he realizes it and pulls back, but never for long. It's interesting the way Block writes it; the murders capture the reader's attention while Scudder slowly slides off the bar stool in the background.
Definitely a likeable read, with a surprise ending to the murder that I'm not entirely sure was believable.
In this one, a serial killer is caught by police. The catch? He only confesses to seven of the murders and has an airtight alibi for the eighth. The father of the eighth victim realizes he needs a new kind of closure and hires Scudder to investigate. He pursues it like a terrier; hanging on, chasing down leads from nine years ago, drinking his way through the city. After he interviews the remarried husband and his new wife, he looks up the owner of the daycare center where the victim worked. She's now a sculptor in the Village and struggling with alcohol as well. Personal collides with professional. Eventually, the client makes a feeble effort to call Scudder off, but like the terrier down the rat hole, he won't let up.
This one is notable for Scudder's drinking picking up pace, clearly speeding him along to rock bottom. Slowly, it dawned on me as I read that Scudder's drinking was out of control. There's a few moments when he realizes it and pulls back, but never for long. It's interesting the way Block writes it; the murders capture the reader's attention while Scudder slowly slides off the bar stool in the background.
Definitely a likeable read, with a surprise ending to the murder that I'm not entirely sure was believable.
September 12, 2022
Nine years ago a killer known as the ‘Icepick Prowler’ ruthlessly murdered seven women in New York. Now a man has been apprehended and he’s confessed to perpetrating these hideous crimes. But there’s one case that’s stumped the NYPD, an eighth woman was killed in the same time period, the police noticing a nearly identical modus operandi. However, the arrested man denies this killing and there’s irrefutable evidence to support his claim. Unlicensed PI Matt Scudder is approached by the father of the eighth victim with a request that he investigate this unclosed case. Is it possible that he can turn up anything useful after all this time?
Scudder is an alcoholic – though he’s not yet admitted this to himself – and as he moves around the city attempting to dig into people’s memory banks he hits bars, lots of bars. Readers of this series know that the truth will dawn and action will follow but it’s interesting to re-visit these books and witness him, in these early episodes, struggling to manage his craving for the demon drink. Published in 1981, at a time that cellular phones and internet were still in the future, everything feels like hard work. Matt trudges around, knocking on doors and using pay phones to chase down leads, doggedly sticking to his task.
I really enjoy the rhythm and flow of these books, Block’s phrasing is expert too. You can taste the booze and smell the barroom aromas and his descriptions of characters paint clear pictures in my mind – for instance, this one of a lady Scudder visited:
She was an attractive woman. Medium height and a little more well fleshed than was strictly fashionable. She wore faded Levi’s and a slate blue chamois shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. Her face was heart shaped, it’s contours accentuated by a sharply defined widow’s peak. Her hair, dark brown salted with grey, hung almost to her shoulders. Her grey eyes were large and well-spaced, and a touch of mascara around them was the only makeup she wore.
The mood is most often melancholy, the ending both surprising and sad. But not after Matt will have settled back into his normal spot in Jimmy Armstrong's Saloon at West 57th Street and 10th Avenue, where he’ll wait for the next case to come along.
Scudder is an alcoholic – though he’s not yet admitted this to himself – and as he moves around the city attempting to dig into people’s memory banks he hits bars, lots of bars. Readers of this series know that the truth will dawn and action will follow but it’s interesting to re-visit these books and witness him, in these early episodes, struggling to manage his craving for the demon drink. Published in 1981, at a time that cellular phones and internet were still in the future, everything feels like hard work. Matt trudges around, knocking on doors and using pay phones to chase down leads, doggedly sticking to his task.
I really enjoy the rhythm and flow of these books, Block’s phrasing is expert too. You can taste the booze and smell the barroom aromas and his descriptions of characters paint clear pictures in my mind – for instance, this one of a lady Scudder visited:
She was an attractive woman. Medium height and a little more well fleshed than was strictly fashionable. She wore faded Levi’s and a slate blue chamois shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. Her face was heart shaped, it’s contours accentuated by a sharply defined widow’s peak. Her hair, dark brown salted with grey, hung almost to her shoulders. Her grey eyes were large and well-spaced, and a touch of mascara around them was the only makeup she wore.
The mood is most often melancholy, the ending both surprising and sad. But not after Matt will have settled back into his normal spot in Jimmy Armstrong's Saloon at West 57th Street and 10th Avenue, where he’ll wait for the next case to come along.
November 19, 2017
Liam Neeson é Matthew Scudder no filme de Scott Frank - uma adaptação do livro de Lawrence Block - "A Walk Among The Tombstones" - (Matthew Scudder #10) - em português o filme teve o título O Caminho Entre o Bem e o Mal - trailer em português - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAlsn...
Lawrence Block (n. 1938) já publicou mais de 100 livros – quer com nome próprio, quer com recurso a inúmeros pseudónimos -, quase exclusivamente com a temática do policial e do thriller a dominar, a que se associa um invejável palmarés literário em mais de cinquenta e cinco anos de carreira.
Há, no entanto, duas séries que dominam a sua produção literária: a de Matthew Scudder e a de Bernie Rhodenbarr; a primeira série com dezassete ou dezoito livros (dependente da fonte de informação) e a segunda série com onze livros.
Em Portugal – inexplicavelmente, ou talvez não – foram editados apenas quatro livros: ”Os Ladrões Não Podem Escolher” – Bernie Rhodenbarr#1 (Livros do Brasil) e, numa edição verdadeiramente excepcional pela Livros Cotovia na Colecção Gato Preto, três livros – "Uma Punhalada no Escuro" e "Na Linha da Frente", ambos da série Matthew Scudder, respectivamente, #4 e #7, e "O Ladrão que Estudava Espinosa" da série Bernie Rhodenbarr, #4.
Li algures que Lawrence Block é um dos melhores escritores do género “policial”, possuindo “uma notável capacidade de criar tramas que são verdadeiros quebra-cabeças e de deixar o leitor feliz e satisfeito por não os conseguir resolver.”
”Uma Punhalada no Escuro tem uma sinopse irresistível: ”Um serial killer mata oito mulheres sem deixar vestígio. Nove anos depois é preso e confessa a autoria dos crimes – mas não de todos. Nega veementemente ter assassinado Barbara Ettinger, a sexta vítima, e apresenta um álibi irrefutável. Mas se não foi ele, quem terá sido?
Matthew Scudder é um ex-polícia, que abandonou a força policial por razões pessoais, agora detective particular, sem licença profissional, inteligente e extremamente perspicaz, que no seu passado de detective estivera envolvido na investigação – inconclusiva - dos crimes do homem do picador de gelo. Passados nove anos é contratado pelo pai de Barbara Ettinger, Charles London, para investigar, novamente, a morte da sua filha; não sendo Louis Pinell o homem do picador de gelo quem é que a matou – efectivamente. ”De repente, a minha memória foi invadida por algumas sensações.” (Pág. 9), algumas lembranças quase nenhuma recordação, mas muitas interrogações e muitas incertezas.
Matthew Scudder avança na investigação de um modo tradicional – estamos nos anos 80 e já passaram nove anos depois da data do crime ou dos crimes -, fazendo perguntas, porta-a-porta, tomando notas, efectuando telefonemas em cabines telefónicas públicas, procurando relacionamentos passados, averiguando coincidências, umas prováveis outras improváveis, esgravatando pelas verdades e pelas mentiras, com minúcia e detalhe; numa narrativa em que não há tiros, nem existem mais crimes.
”Uma Punhalada no Escuro” é um excepcional roteiro por Nova Iorque – que nunca visitei – através de locais como Brooklin, Bronx ou Manhattan, e por inúmeros zonas da emblemática cidade norte-americana.
Como nunca bebi nenhum tipo de bebidas alcoólicas, não sendo um alcoólatra, acredito na veracidade da narrativa, entre o comportamento e a atitude que Lawrence Bolck nos retrata dos hábitos e da conduta de Matthew Scudder, entre a sobriedade e a transição do estar efectivamente bêbado. Não é fácil lidarmos com os problemas pessoais e emocionais de Matthew Scudder; é durante a investigação que conhece Janice Corwin, uma elegante mulher, ex-proprietária da creche Happy Hours, com quem Barbara Ettinger trabalhara como uma auxiliar para ajudar com as crianças; que o “obriga” a enfrentar, sem subterfúgios, o problema do álcool, prefere o Bourbon ao Whisky, mas também aprecia Vodka ou Conhaque, com um desfecho inesperado.
A resolução final desiludiu-me moderadamente – talvez, pouco consistente ou pouco credível, mas perfeitamente entendível e explicável; apesar de tudo, ”Uma Punhada no Escuro” apresenta uma escrita inteligente, com diálogos excepcionalmente vívidos e uma notável caracterização de todas as personagens, incluindo as secundárias, com descrições invulgarmente precisas, de uma forma autêntica e genuína, sem qualquer tipo de sentimentalismo.
”Um pouco de Bourbon tirar-me-ia a angústia de quase tudo.” assim, termina ”Uma Punhalada no Escuro”.
August 13, 2016
I was in kind of a cranky mood when I began this installment of my adventures with Matthew Scudder- in one of those nitpicky modes where anything that can annoy you will do so. I even got so far as starting on a bit of a tirade regarding the use of an icepick as a murder weapon (see below). But, this is what makes Lawrence Block such a stud of an author- if I had just been patient, I would have saved myself from my own ramblings re. the dangerous weapon of choice, as Scudder, too, takes issue with the instrument of choice.
This isn’t much in the way of a review, but, for me, it says quite a lot when I can enjoy a story in spite of myself. Block’s answers to the question of “who dunnit?” are never so simple that they feel predictable, and this time was no exception.
Also, in case anyone else isn’t up on their street knife knowledge, here are my animated findings as per gravity and/or butterfly knives:
A Murderous Query: I have a lot of questions vis-à-vis the (literary) use of icepicks as murder weapons. What kind of icepicks are we talking about? Like the really long needle kind? I’ve gone ice climbing (though not very well) and I get where an ice axe would make a useful murder weapon (though difficult to conceal), and I’ve used an ice chipper, which would be a pretty terrible murder weapon since you’d have to contend with several dermal layers (hard to scrape someone to death). So, are we just talking the long needley kind that look like awls? Does one use a hammer as a driver, because I feel like it’d be hard to get the necessary momentum going for a really good puncture wound just by hanging on to that wooden grip? You might just inadvertently perform a transorbital lobotomy which, while destructive, might not suit your needs. Why not just use a meat thermometer? If there are any icepick assassins out there, please respond at your nearest convenience as this has been troubling me for some time.
This isn’t much in the way of a review, but, for me, it says quite a lot when I can enjoy a story in spite of myself. Block’s answers to the question of “who dunnit?” are never so simple that they feel predictable, and this time was no exception.
Also, in case anyone else isn’t up on their street knife knowledge, here are my animated findings as per gravity and/or butterfly knives:
December 11, 2012
Days off, laying on the sofa reading. Sweet dreams are made of these. Add a drunken PI on a self destructive life path and the dream turns slightly darker. Hooray for Lawrence Block!
Matt Scudder, unlicensed PI returns for his fourth instalment, this time doing a favour for a bereaved father who has recently discovered that his dead daughter is the only "victim" of a captured serial killer that he couldn't possibly have murdered. Once more treading the unsafe streets of New York, bourbon and coffee constantly sustaining his alcoholism, Scudder won't rest until he has found justice for a slain maiden.
The thing with Scudder is that his alcoholism and self hatred has become an obvious character trait by now BUT can his penchant for cases involving dead young women (three from three early Scudder novels) also be considered one? It seems like Horatio Caine could be given a run for his money in this game.
Plotwise this is probably the entry with the most "procedural" work from the protagonist, most notable being the time spent pumping dimes in to payphones, adding to his usual haphazard approach towards following lines of investigation. You may think that he's getting nowhere but somehow all his questions and all his footwork are enough to force the villain of the piece in to an error and thus the case gets solved seemingly out of the blue.
I've been reading the Martin Beck series of detective novels alongside these Scudder's and it seems to me that the Swedes get a lot of credit for planning a complete 10 book series in advance - criticising society, the police force etc - but the obvious development of Matt Scudder in these books from Lawrence Block and their unflinching portrait of New York (as a microcosm for America) as a cesspit of decaying morals (including the police department) required just as much forethought and planning and is equally as impressive if not more so.
Matt Scudder, unlicensed PI returns for his fourth instalment, this time doing a favour for a bereaved father who has recently discovered that his dead daughter is the only "victim" of a captured serial killer that he couldn't possibly have murdered. Once more treading the unsafe streets of New York, bourbon and coffee constantly sustaining his alcoholism, Scudder won't rest until he has found justice for a slain maiden.
The thing with Scudder is that his alcoholism and self hatred has become an obvious character trait by now BUT can his penchant for cases involving dead young women (three from three early Scudder novels) also be considered one? It seems like Horatio Caine could be given a run for his money in this game.
Plotwise this is probably the entry with the most "procedural" work from the protagonist, most notable being the time spent pumping dimes in to payphones, adding to his usual haphazard approach towards following lines of investigation. You may think that he's getting nowhere but somehow all his questions and all his footwork are enough to force the villain of the piece in to an error and thus the case gets solved seemingly out of the blue.
I've been reading the Martin Beck series of detective novels alongside these Scudder's and it seems to me that the Swedes get a lot of credit for planning a complete 10 book series in advance - criticising society, the police force etc - but the obvious development of Matt Scudder in these books from Lawrence Block and their unflinching portrait of New York (as a microcosm for America) as a cesspit of decaying morals (including the police department) required just as much forethought and planning and is equally as impressive if not more so.
October 17, 2022
A stab in the dark by Lawerence Block
Nine years ago some psychopath serial killer armed with an ice-pick commited eight crimes.All victims were young females. Now he's arrested by NYPD .But he has an alibi for the time that "Barbara Ettinger" one of victime has murdered.
Now after nine years her father hiers
Matthew Scudder an alcoholic ex-cop working as an unlicensed private investigator to finding out who was the copy-cat who killed his dear daughter.
Nine years ago some psychopath serial killer armed with an ice-pick commited eight crimes.All victims were young females. Now he's arrested by NYPD .But he has an alibi for the time that "Barbara Ettinger" one of victime has murdered.
Now after nine years her father hiers
Matthew Scudder an alcoholic ex-cop working as an unlicensed private investigator to finding out who was the copy-cat who killed his dear daughter.
August 29, 2011
This is by far, my favorite of the Scudder books at this point. Once again, I am presented with the 5 star problem. With the other 3 getting the same rating, how do I differentiate between the installments? I don't have an answer for that. Stop making me feel bad!
I really wanted to open this review with the line, "My favorite part was when Scudder drinks coffee with bourbon" (get it? 'cause that's like 90% of the novel) but I thought better of it. Scudder's boozing is totally out of control in A Stab In The Dark. He recognizes that he has a problem but he's under the impression that he can stop at any point. It appears that he's in denial but I guess I'll find that out shortly as it looks like it's starting to replace water as his main source of hydration - someone can only do that for so long.
Considering that Scudder is given a case that's 9 years old with the victim being "buried so goddamn deep", Block shows the true range of Scudder's talent. Block has true writing chops. The fact that he can have Scudder solve a crime of that age under those circumstances AND make it seem plausible is pretty damn impressive.
About halfway through, I thought I had it all figured out but once again, Block turned the tables and shocked me. Don't even get me started on another big reveal at the end which I also didn't clue in on (but I'd be shocked to know of anyone who did).
Once again, I'll finish with how excited I am to continue this series. Picked up 8 Million Ways to Die last night and started it right away. I'll be a very sad Brandon when I finish this series.
I really wanted to open this review with the line, "My favorite part was when Scudder drinks coffee with bourbon" (get it? 'cause that's like 90% of the novel) but I thought better of it. Scudder's boozing is totally out of control in A Stab In The Dark. He recognizes that he has a problem but he's under the impression that he can stop at any point. It appears that he's in denial but I guess I'll find that out shortly as it looks like it's starting to replace water as his main source of hydration - someone can only do that for so long.
Considering that Scudder is given a case that's 9 years old with the victim being "buried so goddamn deep", Block shows the true range of Scudder's talent. Block has true writing chops. The fact that he can have Scudder solve a crime of that age under those circumstances AND make it seem plausible is pretty damn impressive.
About halfway through, I thought I had it all figured out but once again, Block turned the tables and shocked me. Don't even get me started on another big reveal at the end which I also didn't clue in on (but I'd be shocked to know of anyone who did).
Once again, I'll finish with how excited I am to continue this series. Picked up 8 Million Ways to Die last night and started it right away. I'll be a very sad Brandon when I finish this series.
July 20, 2016
*3.5 Stars*
It's going to get harder and harder writing fresh reviews for these Lawrence Block novels, that don't sound terribly repetitive! Once again he has written a solid piece of detective mystery fiction in this latest installment in his Matthew Scudder series, about an ex-cop who lives a lonely life in a hotel room in Manhattan and does "favors" for people as an unlicensed private investigator. In this novel, Scudder takes on a nine-year old cold case after a serial killer is finally caught, and confesses to all of his suspected killings except for one. Now that dead girl's father can't rest until he finds out the truth behind her murder, which is now nearly a decade old.
I'm four novels into the Scudder series and I've yet to be disappointed. It has another compelling mystery, layers of Matt's character continues to be laid, and the writing continues to be solid. It's impressive how consistent Block has been so far. I love how throughout the series you start to slowly realize, along with Matthew himself, how serious his drinking problem really is, although he continues to deny it. If this series gets even better than this, Lawrence Block might become one of my favorites!
It's going to get harder and harder writing fresh reviews for these Lawrence Block novels, that don't sound terribly repetitive! Once again he has written a solid piece of detective mystery fiction in this latest installment in his Matthew Scudder series, about an ex-cop who lives a lonely life in a hotel room in Manhattan and does "favors" for people as an unlicensed private investigator. In this novel, Scudder takes on a nine-year old cold case after a serial killer is finally caught, and confesses to all of his suspected killings except for one. Now that dead girl's father can't rest until he finds out the truth behind her murder, which is now nearly a decade old.
I'm four novels into the Scudder series and I've yet to be disappointed. It has another compelling mystery, layers of Matt's character continues to be laid, and the writing continues to be solid. It's impressive how consistent Block has been so far. I love how throughout the series you start to slowly realize, along with Matthew himself, how serious his drinking problem really is, although he continues to deny it. If this series gets even better than this, Lawrence Block might become one of my favorites!
November 12, 2010
This book is my fav Scudder so far and not because of the plot,mystery he has to detect this time. It was the atmosphere,Scudder himself running around in NYC and making the setting coming alive so well. Scudder struggling with his alcoholism,his life in general is interesting as always. The case was interesting,not too flashy,convulted plot twists like there is too often in PI stories. I like it was mostly instinct,legwork much more realistic than what you usually see in the subgenre.
After this novel Block has risen many levels in my eyes as a writer of PI crime,a writer of great characters,human stories. The cover blurb comparing him to Hammett stories isnt hyperbole. I havent read PI stories of this quality outside Hammett's famous stories.
After this novel Block has risen many levels in my eyes as a writer of PI crime,a writer of great characters,human stories. The cover blurb comparing him to Hammett stories isnt hyperbole. I havent read PI stories of this quality outside Hammett's famous stories.
July 7, 2023
Another very solid Matt Scudder procedural. I kinda like these books - especially these shorter novels that were published at the start of the series.
This one is about a heartbroken father who asks Scudder - a former cop who's very good at getting to the bottom of things - to look into his daughter's murder. Nine years before, she was found on her kitchen floor with an icepick through one eye. A short time after her death, the Icepick Killer was caught and put in jail for life. So why is her father asking Scudder for a new investigation?
Some stories have fine threads woven into their fabric; this one has a cord of embroidery involving Matthew Scudder's drinking problem. On his way to interviews with old neighbors and friends of the deceased he stops for a drink, often missing appointments and rationalizing the time wasted. The new woman in his life decides AA is the best thing for her, and if Matt doesn't see he has a problem too, then she doesn't want any part of him. As expected, he has a bourbon to take the edge off his disappointment. Poor Matt.
I can't wait to start the next book, Eight Million Ways to Die - the 5th and probably the most famous title in the Scudder series.
This one is about a heartbroken father who asks Scudder - a former cop who's very good at getting to the bottom of things - to look into his daughter's murder. Nine years before, she was found on her kitchen floor with an icepick through one eye. A short time after her death, the Icepick Killer was caught and put in jail for life. So why is her father asking Scudder for a new investigation?
Some stories have fine threads woven into their fabric; this one has a cord of embroidery involving Matthew Scudder's drinking problem. On his way to interviews with old neighbors and friends of the deceased he stops for a drink, often missing appointments and rationalizing the time wasted. The new woman in his life decides AA is the best thing for her, and if Matt doesn't see he has a problem too, then she doesn't want any part of him. As expected, he has a bourbon to take the edge off his disappointment. Poor Matt.
I can't wait to start the next book, Eight Million Ways to Die - the 5th and probably the most famous title in the Scudder series.
November 6, 2024
Вече познаваме добре Мат Скъдър, знаем какво го тласка напред и го задържа донякъде в правия път.
В “Пробождане в мрака”, той е нает да открие убиеца на млада жена. Преди девет години тя е причислена към жертвите на маниак, гръмко наречен от пресата "Icepick prowler". Но след като е заловен случайно, той отказва да признае единствено това престъпление!
Макар и без големи шансове за успех, Мат "захапва" здраво случая и успява да го разреши! Интуицията и упоритата му детективска работа се отплащат богато.
В “Пробождане в мрака”, той е нает да открие убиеца на млада жена. Преди девет години тя е причислена към жертвите на маниак, гръмко наречен от пресата "Icepick prowler". Но след като е заловен случайно, той отказва да признае единствено това престъпление!
Макар и без големи шансове за успех, Мат "захапва" здраво случая и успява да го разреши! Интуицията и упоритата му детективска работа се отплащат богато.
November 17, 2024
Another Matthew Scudder novel which left me melancholy, and while A Stab in the Dark may not be his strongest mystery, it still packs an existential punch. Matt gets approached by a guy at his favorite watering hole to investigate the murder of his daughter. 9 years prior, some loony was running around NYC and environs with an ice pick killing women during the day and the father thought his daughter was just another victim of the guy. Well, the cops finally (luckily!) found the Ice Pick murderer, but he only confessed the 8 killings; in fact he had an airtight alibi for the day the Father's daughter was murdered. Now the father wants to know who did it.
Picking up a case after almost a decade proves difficult, but Matt plugs away at it. What I liked best about this one concerns not the mystery per se, but the development of Matt and his musings on life itself. Much of the musings concern how much things change in just a decade; people move, couples divorce and/or marry, jobs come and go, but many of these changes occur for small reasons that in the end loom large. Matt continues to be estranged from his wife and kids for no good reason, just like he hits the bottle without much care. He always loved being a detective, but did not care much for the police department or the criminal justice system. Nor, for that matter, much for himself. The brooding, melancholy mood Block evokes here really carries the story and impinges upon the dialogue almost every page. Matt's wanderings, stopping in pubs for a shot or a double, could be said to represent the pointlessness of life itself. 3.5 moody stars, rounding up!!
Picking up a case after almost a decade proves difficult, but Matt plugs away at it. What I liked best about this one concerns not the mystery per se, but the development of Matt and his musings on life itself. Much of the musings concern how much things change in just a decade; people move, couples divorce and/or marry, jobs come and go, but many of these changes occur for small reasons that in the end loom large. Matt continues to be estranged from his wife and kids for no good reason, just like he hits the bottle without much care. He always loved being a detective, but did not care much for the police department or the criminal justice system. Nor, for that matter, much for himself. The brooding, melancholy mood Block evokes here really carries the story and impinges upon the dialogue almost every page. Matt's wanderings, stopping in pubs for a shot or a double, could be said to represent the pointlessness of life itself. 3.5 moody stars, rounding up!!
August 21, 2020
The first 158 pages of this 180 page easy to read book was fantastic: tough, gritty, relentless. But then came the last 22 pages which came close to ruining the whole book. The first 158 pages deserves a 5-star rating, the last 22 pages just suck. Block's editor let him down on this one. He (or she) should have given the manuscript back to him with instructions to fix the ending. Block is a good writer and Scudder in a classic down-on-his luck detective with ethics, but I don't know why Block couldn't see that this was a nothing ending.
June 30, 2021
A good mystery in a stock standard PI way. Felt repetitive at times with Scudder bouncing from interview to interview without much plot or character development in between.
September 2, 2020
Quite a short Scudder story which really doesn't pickup a sense of tension and get moving until late in the game. The story follows the typical formula. Scudder does the mundane investigative work of tracking down leads that mostly prove worthless. And even more than usual, as the case is years cold. Then, after pounding miles of pavement, beating on doors and visiting way too many bars, enough clues somehow manage to seep into his subconscious to form something concrete. As always, drinking and loneliness follow Scudder like a hungry puppy, and the story is littered with failed marriages, broken families, random acts of violence, neighborhoods in decay and a generally depressing sense of the impermanence of life.
May 1, 2022
Leaner than its sequel Eight Million Ways to Die, with the main character Matt Scudder less fully developed, the writing is still very solid, the mystery arguably more interesting. A Stab in the Dark is pushed forward not by the antics of the hopelessly deranged Icepick Prowler, but by a father's discovery that the Prowler was safely in prison on the night of his daughter's murder, a murder that has for years been attributed to the Prowler. Naturally, as one does, he drops in to Armstrong's cafe to request Scudder's help.
I love this trashy-looking old-school cover (which sadly is not the edition I have), and on the whole this was just as enjoyable as 8MWTD. The mystery twists and turns around St. Mark's Place and Dylan Thomas poetry, leading up to a villain who's more Dostoevskian than a character out of say, Agatha Christie- a plus in my book.
April 15, 2019
Nobody better than Block and the Matthew Scudder series.
March 11, 2024
[4.4~4.5] oh boy things are really picking back up again, but with a much more personal twist. as Scudder's alcoholism becomes an increasingly vocal & incessant devil on his shoulder, he's approaching a crossroads where he either confronts his hard drinking or keeps his eyes shut, giving into the temptation right up until his life snuffs out.
this internal battleground plays against the backdrop of an unsolved murder and the Ice Pick Prowler, a serial killer caught years ago who denies any involvement (solid alibi included) in an eighth woman's killing.
i haven't read a lot of noir crime fiction, but from my own experience, i can say that Lawrence Block is more than living up to his Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America title.
as a note for audio listeners, the books from here on out are narrated by a colorful variety of folks, so i wouldn't get too attached to one voice. the narration quality can be especially jarring if you've come from listening to the first three books (the narrator of which did a superb job). but please don't let that deter you from reading on with the series - book 5 has been so worth it.
this internal battleground plays against the backdrop of an unsolved murder and the Ice Pick Prowler, a serial killer caught years ago who denies any involvement (solid alibi included) in an eighth woman's killing.
i haven't read a lot of noir crime fiction, but from my own experience, i can say that Lawrence Block is more than living up to his Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America title.
as a note for audio listeners, the books from here on out are narrated by a colorful variety of folks, so i wouldn't get too attached to one voice. the narration quality can be especially jarring if you've come from listening to the first three books (the narrator of which did a superb job). but please don't let that deter you from reading on with the series - book 5 has been so worth it.
April 19, 2025
rating: 3 ⭐
this book was intriguing from the very start, but it didn’t fully appeal to me, i did have interest in it but was not fully immersed in it. the plot was very surface level and had no substance. the ending also felt very abrupt :(
this book was intriguing from the very start, but it didn’t fully appeal to me, i did have interest in it but was not fully immersed in it. the plot was very surface level and had no substance. the ending also felt very abrupt :(
March 27, 2013
Forever Questions Answered About New York City Boroughs
From the book...
SoHo is from South of Houston (street location)
Tribeca is from Triangle Below Canal
***********
Matthew Scudder is such atortured anguished, unlicensed P.I. I hate that overused word for these protagonist and hate that word protagonist, too.
Let's say Scudder has some definite daytime and night-time mares (Cockney slang, folks, easy to figure out.)
Those mares walk with him every waking and sleeping moment for this ex-cop who resigned the NYPD due to a stray bullet which killed an innocent bystander; a little girl, no less.
Such a great mystery with twists and turns (trite comment, too) which kept me wondering 'who dunnit' until the end.
Was thinking earlier, I'm not good on puzzles, chess, a multitude of games so never should expect to figure out the 'who dunnit' of any mystery. Surprising if I do.
Anyway, reading Scudder in order and this is number four for me and a cut above the last one, I think.
Block's Scudder is a great guy, character,flawed (another overused word) imperfect, knowingly imperfect man. But how can the reader not love and admire him?
Block's writing is the best and his use of one-liners, such as "Any port in the storm.", referring to a sleazy bar where he can get a drink, endears him to me even more. Speaking of the same bar he says "I guess I didn't look as though I belonged there, and I hope to God I never do." Block writes like he's talking to me and I just love that.
Sorry that you had to endure my rambling about trite terms I hate. Ok, I'm dropping it, got it off my chest, letting it go, as they say.
Matthew Scudder is a must for mystery lovers and such an enjoyable read, always. Sad day when I finish the series.
From the book...
SoHo is from South of Houston (street location)
Tribeca is from Triangle Below Canal
***********
Matthew Scudder is such a
Let's say Scudder has some definite daytime and night-time mares (Cockney slang, folks, easy to figure out.)
Those mares walk with him every waking and sleeping moment for this ex-cop who resigned the NYPD due to a stray bullet which killed an innocent bystander; a little girl, no less.
Such a great mystery with twists and turns (trite comment, too) which kept me wondering 'who dunnit' until the end.
Was thinking earlier, I'm not good on puzzles, chess, a multitude of games so never should expect to figure out the 'who dunnit' of any mystery. Surprising if I do.
Anyway, reading Scudder in order and this is number four for me and a cut above the last one, I think.
Block's Scudder is a great guy, character,
Block's writing is the best and his use of one-liners, such as "Any port in the storm.", referring to a sleazy bar where he can get a drink, endears him to me even more. Speaking of the same bar he says "I guess I didn't look as though I belonged there, and I hope to God I never do." Block writes like he's talking to me and I just love that.
Sorry that you had to endure my rambling about trite terms I hate. Ok, I'm dropping it, got it off my chest, letting it go, as they say.
Matthew Scudder is a must for mystery lovers and such an enjoyable read, always. Sad day when I finish the series.
April 22, 2025
4.5/5, rounded up.
Another excellent Matthew Scudder novel, though this one has a powerful melancholy running through it. None of them have been upbeat by any means, but this one was kind of heartbreaking. Block is a phenomenal writer, he’s just doing the hard boiled detective in a very different way, and on a completely different level. Scudder is a fantastic character, but Block gives life to even the smallest of his characters. The dialogue and the situations feel absolutely authentic, with nary a false note to be found.
Another excellent Matthew Scudder novel, though this one has a powerful melancholy running through it. None of them have been upbeat by any means, but this one was kind of heartbreaking. Block is a phenomenal writer, he’s just doing the hard boiled detective in a very different way, and on a completely different level. Scudder is a fantastic character, but Block gives life to even the smallest of his characters. The dialogue and the situations feel absolutely authentic, with nary a false note to be found.
June 24, 2015
My least favorite of the Scudder books so far. My enjoyment of this series comes from Scudder dealing with all his personal issues not from the cases he runs. Not that the cases are bad, that's just not what thrills me. This book had a couple of those moments, talking with another cop who left the force, discussing drinking habits with a new girlfriend, a phone conversation with his ex-wife but not enough for me. Block does a good job of portraying the mundane aspects of investigating but that's not what I'm looking for in a Scudder book.
March 30, 2024
This book was pure sadness and heartbreaking.
Scudder gets hired by a grieving father. He always thought his daughter was killed by a serial killer but comes to find out that’s not the truth.
Even though this crime is 9 years ago and is a cold case, Scudder methodically goes about solving it. This is a master class in how to tell a murder mystery.
The twists and turns. The red herrings. All lead to the final conclusion. One I should have seen coming but didn’t! I get why Block is so popular.
Scudder gets hired by a grieving father. He always thought his daughter was killed by a serial killer but comes to find out that’s not the truth.
Even though this crime is 9 years ago and is a cold case, Scudder methodically goes about solving it. This is a master class in how to tell a murder mystery.
The twists and turns. The red herrings. All lead to the final conclusion. One I should have seen coming but didn’t! I get why Block is so popular.
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