Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

On the Precipice

Hope to Die by Lawrence Block

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Ah yes, the year 2000. Right before The Troubles. Before 9/11, Katrina, Iraq, Recession 1, the Tea Party, melting coastlines,  Trump, and the coronavirus hailing Recession II. Matthew Scudder has emerged from the social decay of 70s and 80s Manhattan to make a decent life for itself in a city that’s enjoying its final moments of pre-9/11 glory. But who knows what trouble lurks in the hearts of men? The Scudder does! This time with (sigh) yet another serial killer. These have always been the […]

They Sure Do

Everybody Dies by Lawrence Block

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I usually don’t get excited about the specific plots of Lawrence Block’s Scudder novels. Just the opportunity to read a Scudder book is cause for excitement in and of itself. But I was pretty pumped for this one. I’ve always been fascinated with his Mick Ballou character, the last of the great Irish gangsters in Hell’s Kitchen according to Matt’s universe. Since this one centered around Ballou hiring Matt, I desperately wanted to get to it. I read through it’s predecessor novel Even the Wicked in anticipation […]

Free Will

Even The Wicked by Lawrence Block

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When I first saw what the plot of this one was, I groaned. I’ve really grown to love the Matthew Scudder series in the few months that I’ve been pouring through it. They’re great as far as being gritty New York crime tales but Lawrence Block also does a wonderful job of building a world around his recovering alcoholic ex-cop PI. It takes the conventions of PI tales and breaks them just enough to feel lived in. Every story in the series feels unique. Unfortunately, […]

Throughout Generations

A Long Line of Dead Men by Lawrence Block

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It took me twelve books total to realize how much I love the Matthew Scudder series. But I do. I’m so glad I re-discovered this in the last few months. The early books were just simple whodunnits, no more no less. Competently written yet not necessarily worth the time and effort to invest in the whole series. Yet my thirst for gritty New York tales is almost impossible to slake, so I kept coming back to these. Slowly but surely, Block continued to improve as […]

…And the Streets Are Mean

The Devil Knows You're Dead by Lawrence Block

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I wanna start backwards and focus on the end of this book, even though I won’t spoil anything. I’m appreciative of Lawrence Block’s ability to always give the Matthew Scudder novels a fresh, unique ending. Each one has its own twist that I didn’t see coming or, while I may have guessed what exactly was coming, still surprised me with its execution. That’s a big reason why I’ve come to love these books, along with the great New York atmosphere, and the genuine complexity of […]

Telephone!

A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block

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One thing I’ve come to appreciate about Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series the further I get into it is how unique each book feels. Sure, as with any writer one reads a lot of, I’m used to Block’s rhythms and characters but every plot and finale feels fresh. I’m ten books into this series and it’s remarkable that he can keep such a streak going. There are other series I like more than this one but I can’t say the same about them. Block is […]



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