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A Drop Of The Hard Stuff (2011)

by Lawrence Block(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0316127337 (ISBN13: 9780316127332)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Mulholland Books

series

Matthew Scudder

review 1: Frustrating. After enjoying his first Scudder book so much, I probably shouldn't have jumped straight to his last book (#17, written about 30 years later), but it was the only one available at my library branch. That'll show me. I waffled between 2.5 and 3 stars, but it ended ok, so I gave it 3. I'm not sure what hit me the wrong way, but I think it's because the dialogue was off. Not Scudder's, because he doesn't talk much. But the people he spoke to had a rhythm that felt unnecessary (they all talked too much and in this weird jokey way) and unrealistic, and most of the characters sounded the same--they had the same patter. It just felt off to me. I like that Scudder is flawed, and in this book he's exploring his sobriety in AA after years of drinking, casual sex, and bl... moreackouts (he's still dabbling a little in the casual sex). Combining his AA with a murder mystery seemed a little convenient for me, but I guess it tied two plots together. I just wasn't that engaged by the mystery, and the dialogue irritated. I'll go back and read #2 to see if it's just a been-writing-this-character-too-long thing. I was just expecting more.
review 2: Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series follows an alcoholic ex-cop working as an off the books PI and working hard everyday to stay sober. This story is told in flashback one evening as Matthew sits in a bar with an old friend. I read this out of order (in the series) but since I'm familiar with all the characters it wasn't hard to follow. Still I would recommend starting from the beginning. Matthew is a great character, fully formed and flawed and earnest and the supporting cast is always just as engaging. Pick one up and get started! less

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