Customer Reviews

Even The Wicked

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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."

...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.

Scudder continues to deliver the goods, but at times seems to be only a shadow of the man he used to be. Still, this is a good read and actually concentrates on two (non-related! ) mysteries. The final page is heart-breaking, sincere and even this coldhearted reviewer felt a leeeetle bit of sting in his eyes! This contrasts nicely with earlier Scudder novels, which usually ended on a blunt, bleak note and goes to demonstrates the meaningfullness of the hard-boiled PI's new life. Good stuff!

Matthew Scudder is Lawrence Block's remarkable private investigator. He's a former NYPD detective who left the force after an accident left a child dead in a crossfire. Scudder is a sober alcoholic "Even the Wicked " is not as well as written as the 12 previous Matt Scudder novels. In the past I found in difficult to put a Scudder novel down. This one was difficult to pick up. It failed to keep my interest. I have read them all with the exception of "Everybody Dies," Block's latest in the series and "In the Midst of Death," one of his earlier ones. In "Even the Wicked" we find a vigilante is writing letters to the New York papers. Each time he targets some person by name he makes good on his promise. He calls himself "the will of the people: and is nicked named "will" by the media. Eventually the mystery is solved. Elaine, how Scudder's wife, returns in this novel and so does TJ the street smart teen that has been assisting Scudder in the past few novels. Although I didn't enjoy this novel I'm looking forward to the two in the series I haven't read.

I think Lawrence Block is a great writer, but this book failed to hold my interest. Usually I have a difficult time putting Block's books down; this one, on the other hand, I had a difficult time keeping up.

A visit with Matthew Scudder is always a thrill, and "Even the wicked", Lawrence Block's Latest is no different. This is the latest installment with Matthew Scudder, the freelance private eye living in the belly of American murder-New York City. A vigilante is writing letters to a newspaper columnist, each time announcing his next target by name, and eventually making good on his promise. Calling himself "the will of the people" the killer targets everyone from pedophiles, to mob bosses, anti-abortion radicals and eventually a very nervous lawyer who calls upon his friend for help-a certain private detective. Scudder is hired to find "will" before he gets to his friend. But what can one man do that the entire N.Y.P.D. hasn't allready? Don't worry, this is Matthew Scudder, the James Bond of the detective world. A layed-back sober alchoholic who takes his paychecks like his sobriety-One Day at a Time. Even the wicked is certainly not the best of the Scudder mysteries, but it follows the same style that keeps Block's fans coming back for more. The story rarely goes in the direction the reader thinks it might, and always seems one step ahead of us. The writing is smart. Smarter than the reader, and never boring-the mark of any good mystery. Even the wicked rates high on the "one more chapter" scale. "one more chapter. One more chapter and I'll put it down. One more chapter and I'll go to bed. One more capter and I've FINISHED IT!"

THIS BLOCK ENTRY IS NOT UP TO THE STANDARD OF THE PREVIOUS "SCUDDER" BOOKS. HE IS STARTING TO SOUND MORE LIKE THE "BURGLAR" OF BLOCK'S OTHER SERIES THAN THE SCUDDER SERIES. THE HARD EDGE THAT MAKES SCUDDER SCUDDER IS MISSING. NOT A TOTAL WASHOUT BECAUSE OF BLOCK'S GREAT SKILL AS A WRITER. IF THIS IS THE READERS FIRST EXPOSURE TO BLOCK, GIVE HIS EARLIER EFFORTS A SERIOUS LOOK, THEN JUDGE HIS ABILITIES AND THE MATTHEW SCUDDER SERIES.

ALTHOUGH THIS IS MY FIRST MATTHEW SCUDDER BOOK, I FEEL LIKE I KNOW HIM ALREADY. ALTHOUGH YOU PRETTY MUCH KNOW WHO THE KILLER IS FROM THE BEGINNING, IT'S STILL A GREAT PIECE OF MYSTERY FICTION. SHOWS HOW YOU CAN MAKE A GREAT CRIME BOOK FULL OF GREAT CHARACTERS WITHOUT HAVING AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE, GORE, AND ACTION.

When Mr. Block created Matthew Scudder he created a character with whom many people could identify. However, as Block writes new books in this line, both Scudder and the handful or so of people who regularly appear in his little world have become very precidtable. There is not much new to learn about Scudder, Elaine, T.J. We know all there is to know about Ray the police sketch artist, Mick Ballou, Joe Durkin. The book spends too much time rehashing what we regulars already know of these characters, and not enough time on story development. Block's first 10 books in this series were excellent, but the last few have delivered nothing out of the ordinary. If Block wants to wow us, he needs to take one or more of these characters and shock us with something we didn't already know, something that will turn the character's life upside down and tune his readers back in!