Scan barcode
A review by jakewritesbooks
The Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block
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.