Synopsis:
"Right up there with Mr. Block's best....A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF keeps us guessing."--Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
Facing his demons in his first year of sobriety, Matthew Scudder finds himself on the trail of a killer. When Scudder's childhood friend Jack Ellery is murdered, presumably while attempting to atone for past sins, Scudder reluctantly begins his own investigation, with just one lead: Ellery's Alcoholics Anonymous list of people he wronged. One of them may be a killer, but that's not necessarily Scudder's greatest danger. Immersing himself in Ellery's world may lead him right back to the bar stool.
In a novel widely celebrated by critics and readers, Lawrence Block circle back to how it all began, reestablishing the Matthew Scudder series as one of the pinnacles of American detective fiction.
Review:
"Scudder fans, and there are many, will enjoy both the mystery and the history, glimpsing characters who did (and didn't) make it into the later story line. And the prose, as always, is like the club soda Scudder sips in the opening pages: cool, fizzy, and completely refreshing."-- Booklist (starred review)
"The deftly handled nostalgic tone this time around adds to the appeal. Fans will certainly appreciate this entry, which recaptures the feel of the best Scudder mysteries of the 1980's and fills in part of the series chronology. That said, it will also likely work as an introduction to the detective for new readers."-- Library Journal
"There's nothing like a few rounds with old friends like Matt to take the edge off. "-- KirkusReviews.com
"Block is the modern hardboiled master."--George Pelecanos
"Totally gripping....A great American crime novel." "Ed Park, Time""
"Block has so perfected a pared-down, hard-boiled style that this story--about good intentions that backfire, fatally--seems to tell itself." "Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post""
Mesmerizing....A lament for all the old familiar things that are now almost lost, almost forgotten." "Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review""
"A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF is a wise and fascinating addition to the Matthew Scudder cannon. It could not be more welcome, nor could it have been written with more understated craftsmanship. The dialogue sounds exactly like things people say to each other, but it isn't. It's better, quicker, smarter. Read this book attentively. It's much more fun than taking lessons." "Thomas Perry""
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
