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From Amazon
This is far from the best of Lawrence Block's landmark Scudder series-too little action or suspense, too much domestic bliss--so I'll just use its publication as an excuse to introduce newcomers to some past glories. The best of them all is still When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, definitely on my short list of the 100 Best Mysteries. But close behind are such other Scudder classics as A Long Line of Dead Men, A Dance at the Slaughterhouse, The Devil Knows You're Dead, Eight Million Ways to Die, In the Midst of Death, A Ticket to the Boneyard, and A Walk Among the Tombstones.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Marriage to his old flame, Elaine, seems to have mellowed Block's veteran PI, Matt Scudder. He still continues to get his man with a combination of doggedness and occasional flashes of inspiration, but his life has become too cozy to make him the absorbing companion he used to be. Quiet domestic evenings spent talking things over with Elaine in Block's patented delightful dialogue alternate with thoughtful discussions, in this case, with the two perpetrators in the book, who give themselves up without a murmur. Voices are never raised; not even a roscoe barks. It's all too civilized, as if Scudder's formerly gritty world were moving closer to that of Block's much slighter series hero, the daffy burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. There are two plots here, ingeniously intertwined: one involves a serial killer taking out notable bad guys to the delight of the New York press, particularly a pushy columnist who gets to publish the man's gloating notes; the other concerns the mysterious killing, in broad daylight on a park bench, of a friend of a friend of Scudder's who's in the last stages of AIDS and has a complicated insurance arrangement. As usual, Block's ingenuity in finding new motives for crime is endless, his narration polished, his entertainment value high. What is missing here is the violence, or the constant threat of it, that made Scudder's earlier appearances memorable. The ending, involving Scudder's streetwise sidekick TJ, is downright sentimental. Brace up, Block!
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
On a Tuesday night in August I was sitting in the living room with TJ, watching two guys hit each other on one of the Spanish-language cable channels, and enjoying the fresh air more than the fight. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
On a Tuesday night in August I was sitting in the living room with TJ, watching two guys hit each other on one of the Spanish-language cable channels, and enjoying the fresh air more than the fight. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Scudder without purpose,
By A Customer
This review is from: Even The Wicked (Mass Market Paperback)
I have but one more Scudder book to read to be all caught up. Have LOVED them all, even though I am not a "crime/mystery" novel afficiando -- ALL EXCEPT this one. Took it on a LONG plane ride, expecting the usual Block thriller. BORING and definitely forced - must have been a little writer's block and deadline due.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scudder Gets Way Too Satisfied,
By
This review is from: Even The Wicked (Mass Market Paperback)
The Matthew Scudder series is one of my favorite private eye fiction series (I've read all 14 novels). Unfortunately, "Even the Wicked" is easilly the least enjoyable of the bunch. Author Lawrence Block deserves credit for allowing Scudder's character to grow and mature over the years; going from down-and-out alcoholic to struggling AA member to reasonably stable married man while still maintaining an edge. At least, he had until "Wicked." The three interwoven storylines are pure New York City (more so, in fact, than any past entry in the series). But they have absolutely no edge to them. At no time does Scudder seem remotely in physical danger. Instead, he turns into super-sleath, solving high profile cases that are baffling entire police departments. Also, his relationship with Elaine, who he is now married to, has grown stale.Maybe Block sensed these problems and that is why he attempted to give the next (and currently most recent) entry in the series, "Everybody Dies," much more of an edge. If you are not familiar with how great Scudder can be, I implore to to start elsewhere in the series. The best two are arguably, "Eight Million Ways to Die," and "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes."
5.0 out of 5 stars
i disagree.......,
By liam (someplace) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Even The Wicked (Mass Market Paperback)
...with you people. i may not have read any other matthew scudder mysteries, but this is one of my favorite books. i think ill read it again some time soon. get this book. dont listen to the other people. they dont know squat. i wouldnt reccomend this book to kids under 15. this has a lot of profanity in it. even tho im 13, i dont think other poeple my age should read it. oh.... wait...... no i dont. who cares. this is good literature. screw it all, im going to read this again.
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