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stuffandwhatnot's review against another edition
3.0
The first Matt Scudder novel. Block is a master of the genre. Quick, hard hitting, and a completely enjoyable ride.
jonetta's review against another edition
3.0
Matthew Scudder, a PI and former police officer, is hired by the estranged father of a murdered prostitute to find out what happened to her over the years. The police investigation was over as the suspect hanged himself and it was considered an open and shut case.
Scudder is an interesting but extremely damaged character. It would have helped to have known more of his backstory. The case was fairly easy to figure out but it held my interest, enough so that I'm willing to try the next book in the series.
Scudder is an interesting but extremely damaged character. It would have helped to have known more of his backstory. The case was fairly easy to figure out but it held my interest, enough so that I'm willing to try the next book in the series.
blood_rose_books's review against another edition
3.0
Lawrence Block: The Sins of the Father In the first book in a series, Lawrence Block introduces readers to Matthew Shrudder, who does favours for his "friends" that no one else will:
A brutal murder of a woman by her roommate, who is found raving covered in blood the middle of the street. This is an open and shut case as the roommate confesses and then kills himself while in police custody. But the woman's father cannot let it go, he was estranged from his daughter and wants to know who she was before she was murdered. Enter Matthew Shrudder, a former police officer who has become an unlicensed PI, who has a talent for uncovering information and in the seedy underground of New York, Shrudder's skill set is one that you want working for you.
I became aware of Block as an author because of the move Walk among the Tombstones, which was a darker detective movie with Liam Neeson as a the main character Shrudder. I was intrigued about the book that it was based upon but I am never one to start i the middle of the series so back the beginning I went with this book. I will say after reading this book Neeson was the perfect casting to play Scudder. This book is a mystery one as Scudder attempts to find out who Wendy was before her murder as a "favour" to her father. He father wants to know if he had any responsibility towards her death as they had fallen lost touch with each other and he did nothing to get back in contact with her.
It is hard to describe who Shrudder is as I think you really just scratch the surface of his character in this book. I promise he is one of the good guys (just very rough around the edges), despite the techniques he may use to get the job done. He is an alcoholic, divorced (who rarely sees his kid), it's above using a bribe or intimidation to get his way and well really bend the law in general to find what he is looking for. So basically Shrudder is a very interesting character that I cannot wait to see developed further.
This is an old school modern detective book, well private eye book as Shrudder is a former cop, and by old school modern i mean it takes place in the 80s. This book shows the corruption that used to be every day occurrences in the police forces back in the 80s which is when this book took place. Shrudder knows how this system works and he uses it to his advantage (and does even state he wasn't beyond taking a bribe when he was on the force as well). It was also interesting to see how mindsets have changed even in the past 30 years, as homosexuality plays a prominent role in this book and back to the corruption part, there are talks about police raids on gay bars. I actually appreciated the placement in time for this book as there are no computers, or cell phone or internet for that manner (or one that is used by the every day person) that Shrudder is forced to look for answers the old fashioned way. It was a nice change of pace from all the technology that is in newer books and how easy information is accessed. Shrudder really has to hit the streets and talk to people in order to get the information that he seeks, plus have a keen mind to put it all together as he is not working as part of a team.
This was a good start to a series, and I liked the mystery aspect of it. I thought, based upon the premise there might be more of a thriller aspect, however, there is not, but I still enjoyed the book as it is well written and does not muddy the waters with side stories. I'm looking forward to continuing on in the series.
Enjoy!!!
A brutal murder of a woman by her roommate, who is found raving covered in blood the middle of the street. This is an open and shut case as the roommate confesses and then kills himself while in police custody. But the woman's father cannot let it go, he was estranged from his daughter and wants to know who she was before she was murdered. Enter Matthew Shrudder, a former police officer who has become an unlicensed PI, who has a talent for uncovering information and in the seedy underground of New York, Shrudder's skill set is one that you want working for you.
I became aware of Block as an author because of the move Walk among the Tombstones, which was a darker detective movie with Liam Neeson as a the main character Shrudder. I was intrigued about the book that it was based upon but I am never one to start i the middle of the series so back the beginning I went with this book. I will say after reading this book Neeson was the perfect casting to play Scudder. This book is a mystery one as Scudder attempts to find out who Wendy was before her murder as a "favour" to her father. He father wants to know if he had any responsibility towards her death as they had fallen lost touch with each other and he did nothing to get back in contact with her.
It is hard to describe who Shrudder is as I think you really just scratch the surface of his character in this book. I promise he is one of the good guys (just very rough around the edges), despite the techniques he may use to get the job done. He is an alcoholic, divorced (who rarely sees his kid), it's above using a bribe or intimidation to get his way and well really bend the law in general to find what he is looking for. So basically Shrudder is a very interesting character that I cannot wait to see developed further.
This is an old school modern detective book, well private eye book as Shrudder is a former cop, and by old school modern i mean it takes place in the 80s. This book shows the corruption that used to be every day occurrences in the police forces back in the 80s which is when this book took place. Shrudder knows how this system works and he uses it to his advantage (and does even state he wasn't beyond taking a bribe when he was on the force as well). It was also interesting to see how mindsets have changed even in the past 30 years, as homosexuality plays a prominent role in this book and back to the corruption part, there are talks about police raids on gay bars. I actually appreciated the placement in time for this book as there are no computers, or cell phone or internet for that manner (or one that is used by the every day person) that Shrudder is forced to look for answers the old fashioned way. It was a nice change of pace from all the technology that is in newer books and how easy information is accessed. Shrudder really has to hit the streets and talk to people in order to get the information that he seeks, plus have a keen mind to put it all together as he is not working as part of a team.
This was a good start to a series, and I liked the mystery aspect of it. I thought, based upon the premise there might be more of a thriller aspect, however, there is not, but I still enjoyed the book as it is well written and does not muddy the waters with side stories. I'm looking forward to continuing on in the series.
Enjoy!!!
hcothran's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this. Block's writing is unfussy, but not uninteresting, and I'm excited to have a new mystery series to get caught up on.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I did not realize until I sat down to write this review that Sins of the Fathers is the first work of the acclaimed Matthew Scudder series. I picked it up because the religious premise seemed interesting, even though I'm trying to stay away from novels that centrally involved women and/or children being slashed/raped/enslaved. I've read several other Block novels and they're good time-wasting tales. He's a quality writer (he's probably written hundreds of books, screenplays, and short stories under various pen names) and he keeps the action moving, infusing just enough testosterone so as not to suffocate the reader. This is a good, if unremarkable read (and the killer is glaringly obvious) but you can see the talent Block brings for the start of the series.
2023 re-read:
For the next fourteen or so months (save February and March), I’m going to do a Matthew Scudder re-read. I love these books and I’ve been aching to revisit them. If I’m fortunate to live for a few years, I may do this with favored series. It’s good to revisit them, not as much too see what you missed the first time but to gain a deeper perspective of what drew you to them in the first place.
The Sins of the Fathers is not the first Lawrence Block book I read; that distinction goes to In the Midst of Death. I didn’t even know eight years ago that when I picked it up, I had already read a book in this series or that it was even a series! I was drawn to the religious angle.
I think about the conclusion a lot though and I had even before I decided to down the Matthew Scudder novels. But in reading the rest of the book, which I originally nabbed as 3-stars, I discovered that it’s better than I remember. I dinged it because I didn’t have much tolerance for alcoholic PIs and murdered sex workers, thus it was tough to look past the cliches. But reading it now, I see how Block elevates the genre. There’s some rough moments, like Scudder calling a female potential witness the b-word. Even his final showdown with the killer felt a little hoakier than I recall. But the touches on what would be a great series were there: the deep empathy, the shoe leather detective work, the dive into the wild world of 1970s Manhattan.
Getting older, I try to fold a book’s faults in with its overall narrative rather than look at the faults independent of it. Matt, like Lawrence Block is a creature of the time for better and for worse. This time, I could take both and still appreciate a quality detective story.
2023 re-read:
For the next fourteen or so months (save February and March), I’m going to do a Matthew Scudder re-read. I love these books and I’ve been aching to revisit them. If I’m fortunate to live for a few years, I may do this with favored series. It’s good to revisit them, not as much too see what you missed the first time but to gain a deeper perspective of what drew you to them in the first place.
The Sins of the Fathers is not the first Lawrence Block book I read; that distinction goes to In the Midst of Death. I didn’t even know eight years ago that when I picked it up, I had already read a book in this series or that it was even a series! I was drawn to the religious angle.
I think about the conclusion a lot though and I had even before I decided to down the Matthew Scudder novels. But in reading the rest of the book, which I originally nabbed as 3-stars, I discovered that it’s better than I remember. I dinged it because I didn’t have much tolerance for alcoholic PIs and murdered sex workers, thus it was tough to look past the cliches. But reading it now, I see how Block elevates the genre. There’s some rough moments, like Scudder calling a female potential witness the b-word. Even his final showdown with the killer felt a little hoakier than I recall. But the touches on what would be a great series were there: the deep empathy, the shoe leather detective work, the dive into the wild world of 1970s Manhattan.
Getting older, I try to fold a book’s faults in with its overall narrative rather than look at the faults independent of it. Matt, like Lawrence Block is a creature of the time for better and for worse. This time, I could take both and still appreciate a quality detective story.
nantoka_neko's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed the first Scudder book! Straight to the point writing, no fluff or anything. Just solving the crime and looking behind the curtain. Looking forward to the next books.
arifahjf's review against another edition
4.0
I usually don't read mystery fiction but my boyfriend wants me to read this book together with him. I didn't regret anything because this is such a fun book to read. I only read this in one sitting because I can't put this book down. I like how the author tells the story, it is straight to the point yet it is still giving you a chance to feel curious of what is happening. Overall, it is worth to read for anyone who started reading mystery fiction.