โ Scribed by Block, Lawrence
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The newest Matt Scudder novel by the blessedly prolific Block is right up to his usual standards. It takes a while to set up the situation (someone in an exclusive male dinner club that meets once a year is killing off the members at an alarming rate), but once it's established, Matt gets his man by his usual patient attention to detail and sheer doggedness. He almost misses him, however (giving rise to a matchless last line), and the punishment meted out to the villain is a highly unusual variant on the kind Scudder thinks up when the law, as sometimes happens, is helpless to act. His ex-call girl companion, Elaine, is her usual comforting self, and there's a brilliant portrait of an offbeat New York lawyer, obviously modeled on William Kunstler, who specializes in representing the underdog. The scene where the lawyer and suspicious ex-cop Scudder get to know and like each other is alone worth the price of the book. Those who become impatient with Scudder's determined pursuit of AA meetings--and it's possible to do so--should note his publisher's assertion that he now has a strong following not only among mystery buffs but also in "the recovery community."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
In Block's first novel since he was named the Mystery Writers of America's 1994 Grand Master, detective Matthew Scudder investigates murder at a private men's club.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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### From Publishers Weekly The newest Matt Scudder novel by the blessedly prolific Block is right up to his usual standards. It takes a while to set up the situation (someone in an exclusive male dinner club that meets once a year is killing off the members at an alarming rate), but once it's estab
### From Booklist Lawrence Block is having a career year. His Bernie Rhodenbarr series returned to wide acclaim after a 10-year hiatus (*The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams* ), he was named the 1994 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, and now the thirteenth entry in his long-running and much-l