Customer Reviews

When the Sacred Ginmill Closes

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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.

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.

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.

Matt Scudder, ex-NYPD detective, alcoholic, seeker, runs across crime on his own street. Starting with a holdup in an afterhours joint, continuing with the murder of a wife of a drinking friend and involving a tax avoidance scheme of some friendly bar owners the book's plot manages to tie up everything with rough justice for all. Block knows how to set a realistic scene among the second class bars of Manhattan and the losers that live in them. NOTE: The time of the book is set before "Eight Milion Ways to Die" in the same series, but the book was published later

"When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" ranks up there with "8 Million Ways to Die" as one of the best Matthew Scudder novels. In this book, the freshly rehabbed Scudder recalls a case from the heart of his alcoholic period (circa 1975). He gets involved in a couple of cases involving his barfly buddies. One involves extortion, the other a burglary and murder. In neither instance is Scudder terribly enthusiastic about being involved. Author Lawrence Block vividly describes the drinking life with the eye of a man who's obviously been there. The descriptions of self denial and lives slowly being wasted are memorable without being heavy handed. "Ginmill" is a hardboiled P.I. story from a master author who is on top of his game. Fans of Chandler-esque fiction should love it.

I am writing this because I was looking to see what others were saying about my favorite mystery/crime character. The latest few reviews were pretty hard on Block and I just want to put a few things straight.

First of all, Block is a very hit or miss author. He has written dozens of books and maybe only 25% of them are Scudder novels. He has written just as many 'Burglar' books that are more akin to Agatha Christy than Dashiel Hammett, and I am not their biggest fan. Besides that, Block has written countless short stories and started a few other series' that are in comparison to Scudder, uninspired.

What Block has done here is not write just one book and then continue to revise the same plot over and over as so many mystery writers do. Instead, as a reader you should start at the beginning of this series 'Sins of our Fathers' where you will find a Matthew Scudder, moderately in control of his alcoholism. This is not the best Block, but it is pretty important to follow the development of this amazing character from one book to the next.

By the time you come to 'Ginmill,' '8 Million Ways to Die,' or others further along in the series, you will have found yourself keenly aware of the small developments of Matthew Scudder as a character. 'Ginmill' is a key Scudder novel in that it marks a transitional point that opens up new horizons in coming books and acts as a bridge in many ways. If you have not read the preceding books, and don't wait to judge 'Ginmill' until reading a few more, this will not be apparent.

Secondly, 'Ginmill,' like all of the Scudder novels, is not earth shattering. After you have read hundreds of thrillers where the earth hangs in the balance every time, it is refreshing to pick up a Scudder book that is all about smaller mundane everyday occurrences. These pages are all the more satisfying due to the fact that Block is using this book to really explore a character that he has already spent a great deal of time and energy with.

I would highly recommend this series as a whole, it is one of two that really follow a primary character through a lifetimes worth of changes. The other that I am keenly thinking of as I write this would be by John Fante, and I would even recommend his work over Blocks (high praise). If you have read most of Block's work and would like to find another author who treats a character this way, start with Fante's 'Arturo Bandini' books (Fante's alter ego) and then pick up the rest of them. They all fit nicely together portraying a life from infancy to senility.

Scudder, Lawrence Block's very New York detective, is faced with and solves several puzzles in his own backyard. Block delineates well the seedy New York bar scene that Scudder inhabits and portrays the residents with a realism that is startling. As usual thre are several plots going on at once, held together by the undoubted detective talents of the hero. The New York police train their men well for even after several years off the force Scudder knows how to put the pieces together. For followers of the series this book is set several years before "Eight Million Ways to Die" though published subsequently

"When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" is one of my favorite books ever. The way Block looks back and remembers things and doesn't remember things and the kind of perspective he puts all of it in is very close to home. It is one of those rare things in a book that really makes you feel like you have a kinship with the author. Lots of us have lived through not just a few booze soaked years. And sometimes it is natural to have, if not fond memories of these crazy times, then at least not a fatalistic view of them either. It is hard to say why some books are so important to some people, this is one of those.
Had this not been the first book of this series that I read, I probably wouldn't have read any more of it. That's not to say that the other books in this series aren't good, but this was certainly the right one to get your attention. Speaking of the series, this book could easily have been a cliche, since it is the transition between drunkenness and then muddle and then sobreity. It seems like most series have to have that one book that is a device to introduce different moods or relationships for the character. The way it was done here was taking the alcoholic side of it to a new level. It seemed like a brief moment of clarity that some alcoholics have years down the road. When something that happened back then all of a sudden comes back into your conciousness and it is clearly remembered and considered as it just happened a few days ago. Sometimes these moments are the greatest thing in the world, even if they are about something which is all to forgettable. What a book.

. 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. Because he is unlicensed you can't "hire" him. Instead he does you a favor by taking your case and solving the crime. In exchange for the favor the client returns the favor by giving him some cash. Scudder is an alcoholic. Rarely do you find him without a drink in has hand or at one of has favorite watering holes. "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" takes place in 1975 when a telephone call still costs a dime. In this exciting novel we find Scudder searching for Skip Devoe's tax records. Tommy Tillary's wife is dead and our hero has to find who killed her and clear Timmy. Tim Pat's after-hours place is robbed and Matt has to find out who committed that crime as well. There are several intertwined plots, which makes this Block novel suspenseful and exciting. An afterthought: Matthew Scudder is a realistic, likeable character. In the early books we find that after he left the NYPD he took up drinking and left his wife and two sons. From time to time she asks Scudder to send more money because "we need it." Scudder generally obliges. Although not living with his family Scudder is not distant from them. He speaks to his boys on the phone and brings them into the city for a ball game. For some reason that Scudder doesn't know finds himself visiting churches and leaving a donation, tithing, ten percent of money recently received from a client. Scudder says Catholic churches receive donations for than others because they are generally open at late hours. Although he's not a religious man he finds peace and solitude in the almost always empty sanctuary he visits.

In this book, Matthew Scudder reminisces about a period in the early seventies, when he was an alcoholic and helped out some of his drinking buddies. The narative is taut, the language is excellent and the scenarios are entirely plausible. This is perhaps one of Scudder's best books, although it is somewhat underrated. This book does not have the anticlimactic ending like in the later Scudder novels, and leaves the reader refreshed. I simply could not get up before finishing the book.