When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Lawrence Block (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1987 | Series: G K Hall Large Print Book Series

In the dark days, in a sad and lonely place, ex-cop Matt Scudder is drinking his life away -- and doing "favors" for pay for his ginmill cronies. But when three such assignments flow together in dangerous and disturbing ways, he'll need to change his priorities from boozing to surviving.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The prolific, Edgar Awardwinning Block has written many mysteries, most in assorted series with colorful protagonists. Featured here is Matt Scudder in his follow-up appearance to Eight Million Ways to Die. Scudder is a former New York cop, now an unlicensed private detective who does favors for friends. Divorced from his wife, who lives with their sons on Long Island, Scudder rooms in a West Side hotel. His real home, however, is any one of three or four local bars, and his family are their owners, staff and habitues. In the summer of 1975, Matt is busy with assorted favors. Tommie Tillary, an investment salesman in flashy clothes, whose wife has been murdered in Bay Ridge, needs to be cleared of suspicion. The real booksas opposed to those shown to the IRSstolen from Skip Devoe's bar must be ransomed, and the masked gunmen who robbed the Morrisey brothers' after-hours place have to be identified. Drinking steadily all summer, Scudder accomplishes all of the above, his intuition, doggedness and respect for a higher law sputtering through the alcoholic haze. Block is an accomplished storyteller, and Matt Scudder is a fine example of hero as human being. Mystery Guild selection.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Ambitious and intense...A compelling and memorable novel." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Chilling" -- Washington Post --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co (August 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816142440
• ISBN-13: 978-0816142446
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,853,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally renowned bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series as well as dozens of short stories, articles, and books on writing. He has won four Edgar and Shamus Awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom. In France, he has been awarded the title Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice received the Societe 813 trophy.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Block attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Leaving school before graduation, he moved to New York City, a locale that features prominently in most of his works. His earliest published writing appeared in the 1950s, frequently under pseudonyms, and many of these novels are now considered classics of the pulp fiction genre. During his early writing years, Block also worked in the mailroom of a publishing house and reviewed the submission slush pile for a literary agency. He has cited the latter experience as a valuable lesson for a beginning writer.

Block's first short story, "You Can't Lose," was published in 1957 in Manhunt, the first of dozens of short stories and articles that he would publish over the years in publications including American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and the New York Times. His short fiction has been featured and reprinted in over eleven collections including Enough Rope (2002), which is comprised of eighty-four of his short stories.

In 1966, Block introduced the insomniac protagonist Evan Tanner in the novel The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep. Block's diverse heroes also include the urbane and witty bookseller--and thief-on-the-side--Bernie Rhodenbarr; the gritty recovering alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder; and Chip Harrison, the comical assistant to a private investigator with a Nero Wolfe fixation who appears in No Score, Chip Harrison Scores Again, Make Out with Murder, and The Topless Tulip Caper. Block has also written several short stories and novels featuring Keller, a professional hit man. Block's work is praised for his richly imagined and varied characters and frequent use of humor.

A father of three daughters, Block lives in New York City with his second wife, Lynne. When he isn't touring or attending mystery conventions, he and Lynne are frequent travelers, as members of the Travelers' Century Club for nearly a decade now, and have visited about 150 countries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Falling Uphill, August 19, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was introduced to Lawrence Block's tales of Matthew Scudder relatively recently, but I believe I have made up for lost time. There is something about this tough guy detective that adds a level to these stories that similar series', such as Robert Parker's, do not have. No doubt this is due to Scudder's recovery from alcoholism. AA meetings and wisdom permeate the series, sometimes as a major theme and sometimes as background music. It never interferes with the story itself but it adds much to Scudder's character and makes the tales more accessible.

"When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" was written in 1986. Scudder narrates from the viewpoint of that year, but the story actually takes place 10 years earlier, when Scudder was still drinking heavily. It is very much a bar story; most of the action takes place in and around these establishments in New York City and its environs. There are many Irish in the story, as players, bartenders and owners, so there is always just a dash of an accent in the air. When the wife of one friend is murdered, and the illegal accounting records of another are stolen, Matthew Scudder is drawn in as 'a friend who does favors for money.' Scudder, an ex-cop who left the force when a ricocheting bullet accidentally killed a child, survives by being a not quite private eye in the moments between drinks.

This is a tough story, about hard-bitten people. While drinking hasn't destroyed the lives of any of Scudder's friends yet, it has hollowed many of them out. Beneath the smiling exteriors lie anger and greed and sorrow. As Matthew digs and considers in his search for answers, he uncovers much of the masquerade. This is a story about betrayals, some subtle and some not. Most readers will quickly single out the killer, but the nature of the crime and its aftermath unfold slowly, until Scudder is unable to know and not take action. The story of the theft is a separate thread, full of humor and melancholy, and is true detective fiction

While the theme of "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" is somber, it's mood is kept light by the dry wit of Block's telling. Characters are limned with quick sure strokes and the rhythm of the dialog keeps the story moving easily along. The novel draws its title from a Dave Van Ronk song -- "Last Call." The verses tell the real story that lies beneath the action; "And so we've had another night of poetry and poses. And each man knows he'll be alone when the sacred ginmill closes." This is a novel that steadily grows on the reader, providing much to think about.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable, February 4, 2000

By 

John D. Costanzo "johndc" (Bensalem, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

A grim and disturbing novel about crime, alcoholism and betrayal, this should have been gloomy and depressing, but, like his previous novels, Block is able to leave you completely satisfied. The seediness of NYC becomes the backdrop for the flawed hero that you have to love.

This was the third Scudder mystery I have read, and they have all been excellent. There are several fast moving plot lines that are expertly intertwined; there is quality writing; and the dialogue is sharp and accurate. But, like any great work of fiction, the novel goes much deeper. An unforgettable novel, I highly recommend it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scudder not dry, July 19, 2001

By 

Joseph Quinton (Wilkes Barre, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Block runs his alcoholic detective Matt Scudder through the bar scene of the 70"s in Manhattan. The problems he is presented with all revolve around denizens of his alcoholic world. The amazing thing for this series is that Block does not have Scudder agonizing over his drinking. Of course, he is surrounded by others who drink the way he does which serves to conceal his drinking. Block inserted this title into the series outside of the chronological order giving him a chance to close on an up-beat note. Readers looking for a straight crime novel will not find it here. Readers interested in a gritty potrayal of the low end of life in Manhattan will be mesmerized.