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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dark in parts but the tone was inconsistent. Author was afraid or unwilling to enter the grey— it was really dark villains and obnoxiously wholesome protagonist and victim families even though they were drug traffickers.
Consider that your drug trafficking victims works with the Taliban and Cartels and the KKK to secure drugs. Now imagine those same scum bags being described as humble down on their luck fellows who care so deeply for their family—they just can’t understand why something would happen to their family. Jeez they really don’t like violence and don’t know how to talk to hostage takers. Blah!
The author doesn’t feel comfortable making grey characters . So everyone is a good person except the criminal villains….even though the other characters are all corrupt and criminals .
I won’t continue with this author or series.
Consider that your drug trafficking victims works with the Taliban and Cartels and the KKK to secure drugs. Now imagine those same scum bags being described as humble down on their luck fellows who care so deeply for their family—they just can’t understand why something would happen to their family. Jeez they really don’t like violence and don’t know how to talk to hostage takers. Blah!
The author doesn’t feel comfortable making grey characters . So everyone is a good person except the criminal villains….even though the other characters are all corrupt and criminals .
I won’t continue with this author or series.
One thing I’ve come to appreciate about Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series the further I get into it is how unique each book feels. Sure, as with any writer one reads a lot of, I’m used to Block’s rhythms and characters but every plot and finale feels fresh. I’m ten books into this series and it’s remarkable that he can keep such a streak going. There are other series I like more than this one but I can’t say the same about them. Block is such a creative writer.
This is my monthly Hard Case Crime book, a reissue from HCC to promote the movie based on the book. I got it long before I delved into this series. I think I tried to read it once years ago but couldn’t get into it. Picking it back up, I start to remember why.
A Walk Among the Tombstones is kind of messy for a Scudder book. It begins with the perspective of the client instead of Scudder, which felt weird to me and I wonder if that (and perhaps some other material) was tacked on for the benefit of the movie-going crowd. I was never really able to connect with the clients the way I normally do. And while Block is great at making Scudder’s shoe-leather detective work seem exciting, here it just felt boring with the endless searching for payphones. I just couldn’t connect with the tension and drama the way I normally could. Add on the sadism that felt too familiar from the last Scudder novel and…I don’t know, this one just didn’t work for me.
It’s a Scudder novel so it’s still fun to watch him work and again, I had no idea how it was going to end. Block also dips into Matt and Elaine’s relationship in a heartrending way. So it’s not a hopeless cause but it’s far from his best work.
This is my monthly Hard Case Crime book, a reissue from HCC to promote the movie based on the book. I got it long before I delved into this series. I think I tried to read it once years ago but couldn’t get into it. Picking it back up, I start to remember why.
A Walk Among the Tombstones is kind of messy for a Scudder book. It begins with the perspective of the client instead of Scudder, which felt weird to me and I wonder if that (and perhaps some other material) was tacked on for the benefit of the movie-going crowd. I was never really able to connect with the clients the way I normally do. And while Block is great at making Scudder’s shoe-leather detective work seem exciting, here it just felt boring with the endless searching for payphones. I just couldn’t connect with the tension and drama the way I normally could. Add on the sadism that felt too familiar from the last Scudder novel and…I don’t know, this one just didn’t work for me.
It’s a Scudder novel so it’s still fun to watch him work and again, I had no idea how it was going to end. Block also dips into Matt and Elaine’s relationship in a heartrending way. So it’s not a hopeless cause but it’s far from his best work.
Saw the movie first, then read this book. The book is a lot better. It makes more sense, and there was extra bits that weren’t in the movie, as well as some changes.
I read this very fast. This is Block at his best
I read this very fast. This is Block at his best
The film was more thoroughly grim than this book. Not that grim stuff doesn't happen here, but it's leavened with humor, dark and otherwise.
Ha kézbe veszek egy Block regényt, akkor mindig biztos lehetek abban, hogy beszippant New York, a nagyváros és szívdobogást fogok kapni, amikor arról olvasok, hogy miféle sötét bugyrai vannak az emberi pszichének.
Volt az utolsó harmadban egy rész, amikor 5 percenként le kellett raknom a könyvet. Még meg is jegyeztem, hogy “Annyi a feszültség ebben a Scudder regényben, hogy le kellett tennem a metrón, mielőtt elpattanok.” Úgyhogy igen, megkaptam a szokásos szívdobogást is, amikor azon izgultam, hogy vajon mennyire fog sötétbe borulni ez az egész történet és hol meg hogyan fog jönni a feloldozás és mennyire fog tudni ezzel együtt élni Matt, meg az olvasó. Mert persze szokás szerint ott vannak az erkölcsi dilemmák is: az elkövetők büntetését kire kell bízni? S ezt megint Scuddernek és az olvasónak is el kell döntenie.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2014/11/24/lawrence-block-sirok-kozott/
Volt az utolsó harmadban egy rész, amikor 5 percenként le kellett raknom a könyvet. Még meg is jegyeztem, hogy “Annyi a feszültség ebben a Scudder regényben, hogy le kellett tennem a metrón, mielőtt elpattanok.” Úgyhogy igen, megkaptam a szokásos szívdobogást is, amikor azon izgultam, hogy vajon mennyire fog sötétbe borulni ez az egész történet és hol meg hogyan fog jönni a feloldozás és mennyire fog tudni ezzel együtt élni Matt, meg az olvasó. Mert persze szokás szerint ott vannak az erkölcsi dilemmák is: az elkövetők büntetését kire kell bízni? S ezt megint Scuddernek és az olvasónak is el kell döntenie.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2014/11/24/lawrence-block-sirok-kozott/
În ultima joi din luna martie, cândva între zece treizeci şi unsprezece dimineaţa, Francine Khoury i-a spus soţului său că dă o fugă în oraş, că are ceva de cumpărat.
— Ia maşina mea, i-a sugerat el. N-am de mers nicăieri.
— E prea mare, a zis ea. Ultima dată, parcă aş fi condus un vapor.
— Cum vrei, a spus el.
Cele două maşini, a lui, un Buick Park Avenue, şi a ei, o Toyota Camry, împărţeau garajul din spatele casei, o imitaţie de stil Tudor cu stucaturi din lemn situată pe Colonial Road între Seventy-eight şi Seventy-ninth Street, în porţiunea Bay Ridge din Brooklyn. Francine a pornit motorul Toyotei, a dat cu spatele din garaj şi a mers în marşarier până în stradă. La primul semafor pe roşu, a pus în casetofon o casetă cu muzică clasică. Beethoven, unul dintre ultimele lui cvartete. Acasă asculta jazz, genul preferat al lui Kenan, dar când se afla la volan punea muzică de cameră.
Era o femeie atrăgătoare, unu şaptezeci, 52 kilograme, lată în umeri, subţire la mijloc, şolduri bine şlefuite. Păr negru, luxuriant şi buclat, pieptănat pe spate, care îi lăsa faţa liberă. Ochi negri şi nas acvilin, gură generoasă, cu buze pline.
În fotografii, are mereu gura închisă. Am înţeles că avea incisivi superiori proeminenţi, că dinţii de sus călcau mult peste cei de jos şi că, din cauza aceasta, nu zâmbea prea des. În pozele de la nuntă, deşi radiază prin toţi porii, dinţii îi rămân nevăzuţi.
Avea un ten măsliniu, care se bronza repede şi în profunzime. Soarele verii lăsase urme deja; ea şi Kenan petrecuseră ultima săptămână din februarie pe plaja din Negril, în Jamaica. S-ar fi înnegrit şi mai tare, dar Kenan o pusese să se dea cu loţiune de protecţie şi îi limitase orele de expunere la soare. „Nu te avantajează”, îi spusese. „Pielea prea bronzată nu e atrăgătoare. Un bob de strugure care stă prea mult la soare se transformă în stafidă”. Şi ce era aşa atrăgător la boabele de strugure, voise ea să ştie. Sunt ferme şi zemoase, îi spusese el.
— Ia maşina mea, i-a sugerat el. N-am de mers nicăieri.
— E prea mare, a zis ea. Ultima dată, parcă aş fi condus un vapor.
— Cum vrei, a spus el.
Cele două maşini, a lui, un Buick Park Avenue, şi a ei, o Toyota Camry, împărţeau garajul din spatele casei, o imitaţie de stil Tudor cu stucaturi din lemn situată pe Colonial Road între Seventy-eight şi Seventy-ninth Street, în porţiunea Bay Ridge din Brooklyn. Francine a pornit motorul Toyotei, a dat cu spatele din garaj şi a mers în marşarier până în stradă. La primul semafor pe roşu, a pus în casetofon o casetă cu muzică clasică. Beethoven, unul dintre ultimele lui cvartete. Acasă asculta jazz, genul preferat al lui Kenan, dar când se afla la volan punea muzică de cameră.
Era o femeie atrăgătoare, unu şaptezeci, 52 kilograme, lată în umeri, subţire la mijloc, şolduri bine şlefuite. Păr negru, luxuriant şi buclat, pieptănat pe spate, care îi lăsa faţa liberă. Ochi negri şi nas acvilin, gură generoasă, cu buze pline.
În fotografii, are mereu gura închisă. Am înţeles că avea incisivi superiori proeminenţi, că dinţii de sus călcau mult peste cei de jos şi că, din cauza aceasta, nu zâmbea prea des. În pozele de la nuntă, deşi radiază prin toţi porii, dinţii îi rămân nevăzuţi.
Avea un ten măsliniu, care se bronza repede şi în profunzime. Soarele verii lăsase urme deja; ea şi Kenan petrecuseră ultima săptămână din februarie pe plaja din Negril, în Jamaica. S-ar fi înnegrit şi mai tare, dar Kenan o pusese să se dea cu loţiune de protecţie şi îi limitase orele de expunere la soare. „Nu te avantajează”, îi spusese. „Pielea prea bronzată nu e atrăgătoare. Un bob de strugure care stă prea mult la soare se transformă în stafidă”. Şi ce era aşa atrăgător la boabele de strugure, voise ea să ştie. Sunt ferme şi zemoase, îi spusese el.
They seem to be getting a little vicious, but still worthwhile...