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A review by ncrabb
Hope to Die by Lawrence Block
3.0
As this book opens, recovering alcoholic Matthew Scudder is 62, married to Elaine, and semi-retired. He no longer has his private investigator’s license, but he still handles a case now and then when the case intrigues him.
His latest intrigue stems from the brutal murders of a wealthy socialite couple who died within minutes of returning to their home from an event Scudder and his wife had also attended. It is that proximity that makes him take a second look at the case.
The couple have a daughter in their early 20s who stands to inherit everything, but while she’s somewhat complex, Scudder soon recognizes that she’s ultimately not a suspect. Indeed, he’s rather taken with her in an entirely respectable decent way. Scudder writes the girl’s character such that you can understand how the aging investigator would find her refreshing and an ally.
The young heiress has a cousin about her age who could also conceivably factor in as a suspect. More interestingly, the woman is about to leave a message on Scudder’s answering machine at one point when the call is interrupted.
Scudder is the only one pursuing the case who believes that a third-party suspect exists. After all, the men who murdered the wealthy couple are later found dead themselves. It’s up to Scudder to figure out whether they’re actually guilty.
There’s plenty of creep factor here as you gradually pull away the layers and join Scudder in the investigation. Indeed, the book ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, and that’s quite ok, since it gives me something to look forward to the next time Scudder and I cross paths, and there will surely be a next time!
His latest intrigue stems from the brutal murders of a wealthy socialite couple who died within minutes of returning to their home from an event Scudder and his wife had also attended. It is that proximity that makes him take a second look at the case.
The couple have a daughter in their early 20s who stands to inherit everything, but while she’s somewhat complex, Scudder soon recognizes that she’s ultimately not a suspect. Indeed, he’s rather taken with her in an entirely respectable decent way. Scudder writes the girl’s character such that you can understand how the aging investigator would find her refreshing and an ally.
The young heiress has a cousin about her age who could also conceivably factor in as a suspect. More interestingly, the woman is about to leave a message on Scudder’s answering machine at one point when the call is interrupted.
Scudder is the only one pursuing the case who believes that a third-party suspect exists. After all, the men who murdered the wealthy couple are later found dead themselves. It’s up to Scudder to figure out whether they’re actually guilty.
There’s plenty of creep factor here as you gradually pull away the layers and join Scudder in the investigation. Indeed, the book ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, and that’s quite ok, since it gives me something to look forward to the next time Scudder and I cross paths, and there will surely be a next time!