Customer Reviews

Hope to Die (Matthew Scudder Mysteries)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lawrence Block and Robert Parker are two of my favorite mystery authors, and share many similarities. Their detectives, Matt Scudder and Spenser are 'fixers', rather than pure detectives or simple toughs. They share a taste for wise-cracks and dry wit, have similar relationships with women, and are men of action. Between the two authors, a whole genre exists that no one else has successfully invaded. I sometimes think of it as the tough guy noir cozy. Although that is a bit of an overstatement.

I do like Block's work a little better, though. Primarily because Matt Scudder is the stronger, more finely developed character. I find his progression from alcoholism to sobriety and his attitude about himself refreshing. He does not preach, but he tries his best to live according to his ethics, and succeeds for the most part. The characters that surround him also seem to be a bit more attractive because they reflect the same basic integrity. Block's stories also often have a darker more chilling coloration than Parker's, who sometimes puts more energy into caustic humor than into the plot itself. And sometimes Block's plots take unexpected and satisfying turns into new directions.

'Hope to Die' is such a case in point. When a married couple who happened to attend the same society event as Matt and Elaine Scudder are brutally murdered in a theft, Matt is intrigued. But the case is quickly solved when the thieves are found dead. One killed by the other, and the other a suicide, with the evidence in hand. But the couple's niece and daughter are not completely comfortable with the resolution, and so Scudder finds himself, and his sidekick T.J., drawn into an investigation into an apparently closed case. They carefully pick out the conflicting strands of the web, but everything is circumstantial, requiring an almost Holmesian effort to get glimpses of the truth.

If it was not for the unexpected appearance of narrative from the viewpoint of a killer, the reader would be completely justified in thinking that Scudder's imagination had gotten the better of him. But Block makes such deft use of a sociopathic killer's reflections that the reader is kept completely engaged and rooting for Matt and T.J. as they reconstruct the murders from ghosts and shadows. While we know before Matt does that the original murders were the work of a mastermind, Block manages to give so little away that the suspense and mystery continue right through to the end.

This injection of a second viewpoint is novel in a Matt Scudder novel, but it is done so perfectly if feels like a regular feature. The device works beautifully to keep the plot moving without the fragmentation and confusion that result when multiple viewpoints are poorly used. I don't think I have ever seen it done better in modern detective fiction. Block minimizes all distractions (at the cost of some of his usually exceptional characterizations), keeping the reader focused on the comparative workings of Scudder's own analytical mind and the machinations of his insane opponent.

A subplot about the sudden death of Scudder's ex-wife and his relationships with his sons is introduced and allowed to run its course, but seems purely peripheral to the main plot. This and a few other threads lead me to believe that this tale is not completely done and that we can expect a continuation. If so it will be another unexpected deviation from formula. If Block has set out to prove that he can still be fresh after 25 years of writing the stories of Matthew Scudder, he has done an admirable job. I think even the most jaded fans will enjoy this book. Newcomers need have no fear. Block has a talent for providing just enough background to prevent any significant discomfort from starting a series at its latest volume.

First off, let me say that the Matt Scudder series are my favorite detective series here (8 Million Ways To Die and Walk Among the Tombstones tie for my all time favorite). So, when Lawrence Block came out with Hope To Die, I immediately snatched it up.

In the beginning of the book, I felt I was in classic Scudder territory. The elements were there. A double murder of an upper class family that appears to be an open and shut case, but of course it isn't. The personal drama of Scudder in that he is moving ahead with his life (with the support of AA, his wife Elaine, best friend Mick and sidekick/surrogate son TJ) but yet dealing with his past (in this case, his first wife has passed away and he has to reconcile with his sons).

However, midway through the book, Block abandons Scudder. The series up to Hope To Die has been written from Scudder's point of view, but now Block gives up chapters of just the killer and his point of view. He comes back to Scudder every now and then, but starts spending more time with the killer as the book progresses. The killer is given more vivid description and persona that by the end of the book, it becomes more his story than Scudder's. Block also diverts from the Scudder formula by having a "sequel" ending (something the series never had).

I will admit I was entertained with the "killer" chapters, but it also made me feel that Hope To Die was a mystery that didn't need Matt Scudder. Block could have sent Scudder home, the killer could have become the protagnoist and the book wouldn't have really lost anything. So while I was entertained by the book and enjoyed it as a quick, light read, I have to dock it a star down. You don't take a great detective character and put him in a story where he isn't needed.

Lawrence Block has long been my very favorite mystery writer, above James Lee Burke, James Crumley, Dennis Lehane and others on my list of faves. Block isn't the prose stylist that the aforementioned writers are, but he's far and away the most natural storyteller, with an uncanny gift for creating fascinating characters and sounds-like-real-people dialogue. Of all his creations (Burglar/Detective Bernie Rhodenbarr, ersatz spy Tanner, low-key hit man Keller), Block has always done his best work with his series of mysteries featuring the recovering alcoholic ex-cop Matthew Scudder. All of which is to say that when a new Scudder mystery came out, I pounced on it like a lion taking down a gazelle. Sadly, by the time I finished "Hope to Die," I came away from the experience feeling a little disappointed. Scudder's search for a budding serial killer who murders a wealthy couple comes off feeling a little thin in the plot department. Scudder's first-person narrative is interspersed with chapters told from the killer's point of view and for the most part these chapters don't add much to the story. Take them out entirely and you can still easily follow what's happening, making these chapters appear superfluous. Of course, taking them out would have also made the book pretty darn short, too. On the plus side, it's always nice to drop in on Scudder's life and see what's going on with him. There's a great subplot involving the death of Scudder's ex-wife, finally allowing the reader a chance to meet his oft-mentioned but never seen estranged sons. The reader also gets a chance to catch up with Scudder's terrific cast of secondary characters--his wife Elaine, his streetwise helper TJ, Irish gangster Mick Ballou--characters who are always a lot of fun to read about. But overall, "Hope to Die" just doesn't stack up to the best in the Scudder series (Everybody Dies, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, The Devil Knows You're Dead, Eight Million Ways to Die). Mind you, I didn't dislike the book. It just left me wanting more. I look forward to the next book in the series, and considering how the reader is left hanging at the end, the sequel seems inevitable.

There is always a sense of anticipation when a new Scudder book goes on sale, and this is largely because of the peaks that Block has achieved in this lengthy series (Eight Million Ways To Die and When the Sacred Ginmill Closes to name a couple). Sadly, Block's latest falls well short of those standards. While it begins with one of Block's most graphic murder scenarios, Hope to Die soon descends into telemovie fare. The novel bleeds itself of danger and darkness, instead preferring to give us the italicized expositions of the killer. Maybe it's just me, but the motive and plans of this 'killer' were so far fetched as to be ludicrous. Various favourite characters are wheeled on and woefully underused, and Scudder's life is now so devoid of colour and tension that he seems barely to exist at all.
Only the short scene with his long lost sons has some of the richness of dialogue that Block used to pack into his books.
I look forward to the day Scudder encounters some real moral questions again.

I don't know why but I like Block's Matt Scudder series, but I don't enjoy his burglar novels. I think it's because Scudder is constantly on the move, giving us a good sense of what Manhattan and the five boroughs are like. Bernie the burglar is more absorbed by his book store and the next apartment he plans to burgle.
Also, the cast of characters in the burglar novels aren't as entertaining. I really like T.J., Scudder's street-wise protege with the computer expertise. The interplay between the two is hilarious. Then there's Elaine, his wife and erstwhile high-class prostitute.
What Block does best is make the reader empathize with outlaw characters. Scudder himself is a former alcoholic. His friend Mick is a murderer. He does this by giving Mick romantic qualities, such as the fact that he attends the butcher's mass every morning. No, this isn't meant to be irony. Mick's father was a butcher and Mick does this to show his father respect. Scudder and Mick have after hour philosophical discussions at Mick's bar, Scudder drinking coffee, Mick the hair of the dog.
HOPE TO DIE is about the murder of Byrne and Susan Hollander. Scudder and Elaine were at a social function with them on the night they died. The killers turn up dead a few days later. Murder, suicide? Scudder doesn't think so. As stories go, this one isn't much, but as he investigates, Scudder's past returns to haunt him. His ex-wife Anita dies, Mike and Andy's mother, whom Scudder abandoned when they were kids. So then, the `B' story becomes Andy's need for money. Scudder must decide whether to bail the boy out and contribute to his irresponsibility or to let him come to grips on his own. But will his conscience let him do that?
Back to the Hollander story. They're not the last to die. This murderer should be easy to catch. He has a fascination with the initials "A.B.". The ending may cause some readers to throw the book up against the wall, but I personally think it makes the story more realistic. This isn't television. Sometimes the detective doesn't get his man. Although he doesn't catch his killer, Scudder gets paid anyway; as he's done in the past, he drops some of the money in the poor box.

If there is any doubt that Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder is the best private detective series currently ongoing, "Hope to Die" dispells it. After two subpar Scudder efforts ("Even the Wicked" and "Everybody Dies") that made one wonder if it wasn't time for the alcoholic P.I. to pack it in, he returns here as good as he has ever been.

To his credit, Block uses a literary device this time that's he's never used before in a Scudder novel, namely interspersing the usual first person narrative with a view through the eyes of the villian. It could have backfired, but instead it succeeds brilliantly as Block creates one of the most chilling enemies that Scudder has ever faced. The story involves the grizzly murder of a Manhattan socialite couple and the apparent murder -suicide of the perpetrators. Scudder is turned on to the possibility that there is something more to it and begins scratching around. Sure enough, before long more bodies start turning up, the victims of a criminal mastermind.

Block is a first rate crime writer who pulls no punches in his descriptions. Scudder's contiuned growth as a character during the series is another plus, and its nice to see him back in his element. "Hope to Die" leaves you waiting impatiently for the next Scudder novel.

Lawrence Block has been around for a while, writing a number of successful series. Although many of his books are good to great, I have found that his most recent books in his other series (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Keller, Evan Tanner) have been a little weaker than in the past, this book - featuring his best character, Matthew Scudder - shows that Block still has it.

Scudder is a constantly evolving character. In the earliest novels, he was a standard hard-boiled private eye, but soon he came to terms with his inner demons (in particular, his alcoholism) and learned how to reconstruct his life. Now, he is sixty-two, not as inclined to get in dangerous situations, but still out to expose murderers.

This case deals with a couple who is killed in a home invasion robbery. Soon, the killers are themselves dead in a murder-suicide, but Scudder, when drawn into the case, begins to think there is a third man. Along with his investigation, he is involved with a subplot involving the death of his ex-wife and his relationship with his estranged sons.

Block is always at his best when writing about Scudder, and this case is no exception. Admittedly, this book works best if you have read the others in the series, but even as a standalone, this is a good novel.

The latest installment in the Matthew Scudder series "Hope To Die" offers an up to date Scudder, who at age 62 finds himself investigating the vicious murder of a wealthy Manhattan couple.
The story unfolds with the grizzly details of the murder and follow Scudder as he gets to the bottom of the crime by venturing into Brooklyn and using the assistance of partner T.J. and T.J.'s hi-tech computer equipment. Matt & Elaine's relationship is further explored and the story differs from previous installments in that Scudders' two sons are introduced in a more in-depth style. The reader learns more about the discrepancies between the two sons and their reactions to their father's previous absence. The story refers to past characters such as Mick Ballou, the Hongs, and Danny Boy. We also hear the voice of the unknown murderer in several passages. We are exposed to the killer's thoughts and plans as the story unfolds. With the usual references to New York City, overall, "Hope To Die" is an entertaining book.

Lawrence Block is my favorite detective author, and, as others have said, I couldn't wait to read this newest entry in the Scudder series. I was really disappointed. The plot seemed thin, but, more disturbingly, I felt like Block's usually strong supporting characters -- especially Elaine and T.J. -- were diluted and lifeless.
In the past, I've had a hard time putting down any of the Scudder books. I actually had a difficult time finishing this one.

Matthew Scudder is back in Lawrence Block's latest novel, Hope to Die. As is to be expected, the unlicensed private investigator finds himself drawn into the middle of a horrible and violent murder case that was considered solved and closed by the New York police.

Upon returning home from a night at the theater, a prominent and wealthy couple is surprised to find burglars ransacking their half-million dollar brownstone. The thieves viciously torture and murder the couple and flee with pillowcases full of stolen treasures. The case is immediately solved when the bodies of the burglars are discovered, in a murder-suicide fashion. Open and closed. Nice and neat.


Except what if there was a third thief, a mastermind behind the entire scheme? What if pillowcases full of stolen treasures was not the motive for the crime? What if the wealthy dead couple had a daughter who stood to inherit millions? Or a close-to-the-family niece who would be in better financial standing if an accident happened to her cousin?

What it? What if? Leave it to Lawrence Block to compile and dump on the reader an array of `what if's' to keep you guessing and keep you turning pages. Leave it to Block to come up with a well thought out and carefully plotted thriller that is nothing short of classic Scudder. The host of characters Block creates are lively and real. Dialogue is crisp and believable. As always the mystery is full of puzzle pieces to sift through. It is no wonder Lawrence Block is an award-winning novelist. Hope to Die is fast and complete and I enjoyed every chapter.
--Phillip Tomasso III, author of Third Ring and Tenth House