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A review by usbsticky
A Stab in the Dark by Lawrence Block
5.0
Spoilers ahead: This is the 4th book I've read in the series. I liked the first two (4 star ratings), thought the 3rd was meh (3 star rating) and stopped for a while. Taking a break from Bernard Cornwell I decided to read #4 in this series and was blown away.
This is an investigator procedural. The protagonist is a former NYPD detective who quit his job because he inadvertently shot and killed a child shooting at a robbery gone bad. Since then he has become an unofficial unlicensed PI who looks at cases when they are referred to him. They are referred to him because people (usually cops he used to work with) know that he's good, and unofficial.
The whole setting is a bit strange, it's based in NY but the dollar amounts (a few hundred bucks for rent), people casually smoking, diners in pharmacies, the lack of technology and the way people behave make it seem like it's in the 50-60's when the book is published in the 1980 or so. It never really gives dates.
Back to the book. A serial killer (ice picks) has been apprehended but the father of a victim doesn't believe his daughter was killed by the serial killer and hires Scudder for another look.
This procedural is faithful to its name because it follows the formula of Scudder doing the footwork, looking up and interviewing witnesses one by one and piecing the story together and building up the excitement.
It isn't fast paced but I'm glued to the book because of the work the author puts in to make the setting and characters feel real and interesting. By the middle of the book I already knew I was going to give the book 5 stars and I was going to read the next one.
There is a lot of noir feeling in this book despite the dubious (to me) timeline. And every notable mystery series protagonist has a catch, in this case Scudder is an alcoholic. I read the first 3 books some time ago so I don't remember how much he was drinking but in this book, he's drink every meal and in between.
The reveal and ending is quite quick. The enjoyment of the book to me isn't really in the goal (solving the mystery), it's in the journey. I'm going to get book 5 not because of what new mystery he's going to solve but because I want to find out what is going to happen to Scudder next, and that's what a truly good book and series is.
This is an investigator procedural. The protagonist is a former NYPD detective who quit his job because he inadvertently shot and killed a child shooting at a robbery gone bad. Since then he has become an unofficial unlicensed PI who looks at cases when they are referred to him. They are referred to him because people (usually cops he used to work with) know that he's good, and unofficial.
The whole setting is a bit strange, it's based in NY but the dollar amounts (a few hundred bucks for rent), people casually smoking, diners in pharmacies, the lack of technology and the way people behave make it seem like it's in the 50-60's when the book is published in the 1980 or so. It never really gives dates.
Back to the book. A serial killer (ice picks) has been apprehended but the father of a victim doesn't believe his daughter was killed by the serial killer and hires Scudder for another look.
This procedural is faithful to its name because it follows the formula of Scudder doing the footwork, looking up and interviewing witnesses one by one and piecing the story together and building up the excitement.
It isn't fast paced but I'm glued to the book because of the work the author puts in to make the setting and characters feel real and interesting. By the middle of the book I already knew I was going to give the book 5 stars and I was going to read the next one.
There is a lot of noir feeling in this book despite the dubious (to me) timeline. And every notable mystery series protagonist has a catch, in this case Scudder is an alcoholic. I read the first 3 books some time ago so I don't remember how much he was drinking but in this book, he's drink every meal and in between.
The reveal and ending is quite quick. The enjoyment of the book to me isn't really in the goal (solving the mystery), it's in the journey. I'm going to get book 5 not because of what new mystery he's going to solve but because I want to find out what is going to happen to Scudder next, and that's what a truly good book and series is.