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anti_formalist12's review
4.0
An interesting introduction to one of the more unique detectives in the annals of hard-boiled crime novel history.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
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.
yorugua1891's review
3.0
This is my first try reading a novel by Lawrence Block and I came away with mixed feelings. On one hand, I liked the main character, Matt Scudder, because he is a PI with a conflicted past, who mixes dark moments with humorous commentary and who is not afraid to get a little dirty to get the job done. On the other hand, the story was uneven in its quality. It started out very promising, when the father of a young woman who was brutally murdered asked Scudder to look into the events that transpired, even though the killer had committed suicide in prison shortly after been caught. But after that, if felt like a subpar concert. In the second movement of a concert is where most of the time my interest is lost when the quality is not great, the reason is that in these cases it just fills like the composer was filling up space to follow form and get to the final and third movement.
I felt similarly about this book. In the middle the story completely lost its appeal, became a drag and I thought it was going to be a painful experience until the finish. Luckily for me, this proved to be untrue, and towards the end, the pace picked up, the story became engaging again, and I was left with the sense that the series may be promising after all.
The bottom line for me is that i will probably end up reading the second book of this series in the near future. My hope is that the dark stories with graphic scenes and explicit language will remain, together with the finely crafted humor and the interesting main character, while at the same time keeping the appeal of the plot high throughout the book.
I felt similarly about this book. In the middle the story completely lost its appeal, became a drag and I thought it was going to be a painful experience until the finish. Luckily for me, this proved to be untrue, and towards the end, the pace picked up, the story became engaging again, and I was left with the sense that the series may be promising after all.
The bottom line for me is that i will probably end up reading the second book of this series in the near future. My hope is that the dark stories with graphic scenes and explicit language will remain, together with the finely crafted humor and the interesting main character, while at the same time keeping the appeal of the plot high throughout the book.
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
A young woman is dead and the alleged murderer has killed himself. Scudder is ‘hired’ by the girl’s father who, while accepting the case has been resolved, wants to know more about his estranged daughter. Unlike most detective stories of this type, Block doesn’t start with an ideal world that has been threatened by some heinous crime. Instead, it begins by letting you know that the world is less than perfect. Police take bribes, and what do you expect? Parents are not always loving in the right way. That is the world. People are not perfect, and so any resolution, however good the detective work might be, will only end in patching up this less than wonderful world in some unsatisfactory way, just enough to keep things moving along. A solid book in an excellent series, a series that is worth getting into.
joniejoon's review against another edition
4.0
While a bit speculative at the end, the pacing and strong writing carry the narrative. Making for an overall satisfying read.
Playlist used: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TMDbUMf8A5UngHgnaEZsd?si=bf803e46f7e04eda
Playlist used: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TMDbUMf8A5UngHgnaEZsd?si=bf803e46f7e04eda
brents's review against another edition
4.0
These Matthew Scudder mysteries on the audible plus catalog are rather enjoyable. This story was first published in 1973, and it a lot of ways it's a product of its time but I actually really dig that. It's a little window into some of the pop culture of the past. As for the story itself it was quite good. This book is rather short being under 6 hours on audio, but Block packs a lot into a short book. At first it doesn't seem like there is going to be much to it, but Scudder unravels the threads in a satisfying way. I'll continue to do these on audio.
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
A old time/old style private eye procedural written in the 1970's and shows it! For some reason you can tell it was written in the 1970's and not just because of the monetary amounts it mentions ($200/month to rent a one bedroom apartment New York city) but the style of writing.
Spoiler/Summary: An ex-NYPD detective works as a PI. He is "hired" by the father of a dead young woman who was murdered by her roommate who subsequently committed suicide in his holding cell. Since the murderer has already been caught, the father only wants to know about his daughter's life subsequent to the murder and what led up to it.
As a mystery book, it's a bit ho-hum. There's not much excitement or mystery, it's basically a by the book PI protocol: the PI uses footwork, investigates and follows up clues to solve the "mystery". I like it because I like the style of writing and the characters. It's a bit quirky, including the protagonist's rationale for what/why he does but I enjoyed the narrative and the procedural work. Most of all I guess I enjoyed reading about what it was like the in 70's - almost seems like a different world. I'll definitely check out book #2 in the series.
Edit: After finishing the entire series I read it again. I'd totally forgotten the plot so it was all new to me. What I liked about it was that it was a character driven book. Block spends a lot of time building up his characters. Scudder is definitely not a 1 dimensional character and his interactions with the other characters are well done and interesting to read.
Scudder solves the mystery with his trademark doggedness. He follows and follows up any avenue of investigation that he can find and that's how he does it. In his interactions with people he often makes them uncomfortable and uses psychology to make them say what they don't want them to say.
He does drink a lot but it doesn't seem Block is making it an issue in this first book. The reveal usually isn't that great with the Scudder books and it's the case in this first book as well but overall a nice and fairly quick read.
Spoiler/Summary: An ex-NYPD detective works as a PI. He is "hired" by the father of a dead young woman who was murdered by her roommate who subsequently committed suicide in his holding cell. Since the murderer has already been caught, the father only wants to know about his daughter's life subsequent to the murder and what led up to it.
As a mystery book, it's a bit ho-hum. There's not much excitement or mystery, it's basically a by the book PI protocol: the PI uses footwork, investigates and follows up clues to solve the "mystery". I like it because I like the style of writing and the characters. It's a bit quirky, including the protagonist's rationale for what/why he does but I enjoyed the narrative and the procedural work. Most of all I guess I enjoyed reading about what it was like the in 70's - almost seems like a different world. I'll definitely check out book #2 in the series.
Edit: After finishing the entire series I read it again. I'd totally forgotten the plot so it was all new to me. What I liked about it was that it was a character driven book. Block spends a lot of time building up his characters. Scudder is definitely not a 1 dimensional character and his interactions with the other characters are well done and interesting to read.
Scudder solves the mystery with his trademark doggedness. He follows and follows up any avenue of investigation that he can find and that's how he does it. In his interactions with people he often makes them uncomfortable and uses psychology to make them say what they don't want them to say.
He does drink a lot but it doesn't seem Block is making it an issue in this first book. The reveal usually isn't that great with the Scudder books and it's the case in this first book as well but overall a nice and fairly quick read.
zwrobertson's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0