Everybody Dies

Block, Lawrence

ISBN 10: 0752826832 / ISBN 13: 9780752826837

Published by Orion Publishing Group, Limited, 1999

About this Item

Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 42309342-6

Bibliographic Details

Title: Everybody Dies

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group, Limited

Publication Date: 1999

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis:

A blistering Matt Scudder novel.

Matt Scudder is well and truly off the booze, but he still spends time with some of his old drinking pals including Mick Ballou - an Irish American who operates more often than not on the wrong side of the law.

Mick is worried - a garage full of bourbon has been ripped off and two of his henchman killed in cold blood. Somebody is muscling in on Micks patch and he wants Scudder to look into it. Matt reluctantly agrees to take a look but won't promise a result. On the way home he is attacked by somebody wants him off Mick's case.

The following weekend Matt's mentor from AA is shot dead at point blank range when Scudder is in the men's room of the restaurant where the 2 had met for dinner - Matt knows it should have been him. Now the case is personal and no matter that he's warned off by his ex-colleagues in the NYPD and his wife Elaine, this is one he is going to see out to the end.

Review:

You would think that by the 14th novel in a series, an author might become a bit bored with his characters, a bit sloppy in his writing. Thankfully, Lawrence Block is no such writer. Matt Scudder, in his 14th appearance, is as sharp and entertaining as he is in such mysteries as Eight Million Ways to Die and A Dance at the Slaughterhouse. Scudder is one of the few PIs out there with a fully fleshed-out personality; he's not insensitive to the mayhem around him and his fears are well founded and realistic. After all, as the title boldly states, we live in a world where everybody dies.

Settled into married life, sober and finally a legit private eye (the state granted his license), Scudder is prepared to become a respectable high-priced detective working for New York City lawyers. But when his old buddy, Mick Ballou, comes to him because two of his runners end up murdered, Scudder finds himself sinking back into the muck of the underworld. While dodging thugs who are out to put a stop to his investigation, Scudder must figure out who has it in for Ballou.

The writing in this novel is elegant-- equally supple in describing the gibbous moon as it is in sorting out Scudder's feelings on the murder of a close friend, or when recounting a rather gory eye plucking. The dialogue is snappy and true to life. Lawrence Block once again proves he's worthy of the title "Grand Master of Mystery". So be sure to set aside a chunk of time before you sit down to read this novel, because you're not going to be able to tear yourself away. --Jenny Brown