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Everybody Dies (Matthew Scudder #14)

by Lawrence Block (Goodreads Author)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 1,085 ratings · 45 reviews

Matt Scudder is finally leading a comfortable life. The crime rate's down and the stock market's up. Gentrification's prettying-up the old neighborhood. The New York streets don't look so mean anymore.

Then all hell breaks loose.

Scudder quickly discovers the spruced-up sidewalks are as mean as ever, dark and gritty and stained with blood. He's living in a world where the pa...more

ebook, 384 pages

Published October 13th 2009 by HarperCollins e-books (first published October 7th 1998)

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Mar 20, 2012 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery, signed-by-author, detectives, scudder, 2012-reread

I want a friend like Matt Scudder. Why? Because Matt is the kind of guy who will drop everything to come over and help you dispose of a couple of bodies in the middle of the night, and then you wouldn‘t even have to worry that he‘d take your last beer out of the fridge. (You know, because of the whole alcoholism thing.) I have a hard time getting a buddy to come over and help me move a couch, let alone take a midnight run to give a couple of corpses the shallow grave treatment.

Matt’s friend, th...more I want a friend like Matt Scudder. Why? Because Matt is the kind of guy who will drop everything to come over and help you dispose of a couple of bodies in the middle of the night, and then you wouldn‘t even have to worry that he‘d take your last beer out of the fridge. (You know, because of the whole alcoholism thing.) I have a hard time getting a buddy to come over and help me move a couch, let alone take a midnight run to give a couple of corpses the shallow grave treatment.

Matt’s friend, the gangster Mick Ballou, calls him for help, and then takes him to a storage unit with a couple of corpses in it. (Two corpses in a storage unit? That’s worth at least a $50 bid if Storage Wars has taught me anything.) The dead men were Mick’s employees sent to pick up some hijacked liquor, but they’ve been shot and the booze is gone. After Matt helps him bury the bodies, Mick confides that someone has been targeting his organization lately and asks Matt to find whoever is behind it. Matt checks a few things out, but suddenly Mick’s enemy is attacking Matt, too, and the losses are devastating.

This is one of the more violent and action filled Scudder novels, and as a long time fan, the idea of Mick and Matt going to war together made me giddy. What I particularly like about this one is the way it’s used to make Matt once again ponder his friendship with Mick. Neither man really understands why a hard drinking gangster and murderer would be BFFs with a sober alcoholic ex-cop with a deep sense of right and wrong, but the bond is well portrayed.

I also like how Block didn’t use shortcuts to try and turn Matt into a bloodthirsty action hero. Matt is hesitant to help Mick at first because he doesn’t want to hand anyone over to be murdered while acknowledging his own hypocrisy because it’s not like Matt hasn’t taken matters into his own hands a few times. When things start getting bad, Matt wants out, and Mick agrees that would be best. Even after a crime that would have most fictional detectives swearing revenge, Matt still would gladly walk away, but realizes that now that he’s been identified as an ally of Mick’s his only way to safety is to help Mick find and kill whoever’s responsible. Once he’s angry, Matt is more than willing to pitch in on that little chore, too.

See, that’s why Matt’s a good friend. And a very bad enemy.(less)

27 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2011 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hardcase-writers, crime-and-mystery, 2010, block

Someone has declared war on Mick Ballou and his criminal enterprises and Matthew Scudder is caught in the middle, first having a friend gunned down in front of him and then nearly being killed at Mick's bar. Can Matt figure out who is behind the attacks before anyone else close to him is killed?

Wow. After I finished Even the Wicked, I thought Lawrence Block might have been phoning in the rest of them. How wrong I was!

The thing that keeps me coming back to the Matthew Scudder books is the fluid n...more

13 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 brian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

there's a joke in the 'black' chapter of truly tasteless jokes:

q. what's the harlem branch of toys-r-us called?
a. we be toys.

that book was written in, like, 1983. and everybody dies, written in 1998, has a character who actually speaks like that. now, this ain't about political correctness; i love poking fun at shifty black folks, cheap jews, dumb polacks (one in particular), and so on and on and on... it's just that in '98 nobody really talked like that. and TJ - the black character in the boo...more

5 likes · like · see review

Nov 20, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: PI fans

Shelves: male-lead, mystery, mystery-thriller

Who is ready to weigh in on "How many books in a series is too much?" http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...
Though Lawrence Block is on his 14th book about investigator Matthew Scudder, he has yet to reach the "too much" point. Despite being book 14, Everybody Dies still manages to surprise.

Mick Ballou has been backed into a corner. He suspects he's the target of a personal attack, but needless to say, he can't seek protection from the police. He requests Matt's help, and drives him out to Je...more Who is ready to weigh in on "How many books in a series is too much?" http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...
Though Lawrence Block is on his 14th book about investigator Matthew Scudder, he has yet to reach the "too much" point. Despite being book 14, Everybody Dies still manages to surprise.

Mick Ballou has been backed into a corner. He suspects he's the target of a personal attack, but needless to say, he can't seek protection from the police. He requests Matt's help, and drives him out to Jersey to examine the death scene of two of Mick's employees. There's also a missing truckload of whiskey, worth ten grand or so, so it's possible that may be a motive. Scudder aids in clean-up but is reluctant to take the case further, and only agrees to verify it isn't a crime of opportunity. Unfortunately, even the quietest of inquiries from him and T.J. stirs up a host of trouble. Matt is walking up Fifty-third street, headed to report to Mick, when he gets jumped. Instinct kicks in and he fights back, getting away but potentially angering his unknown opponent.

Perhaps the least enjoyable section was Matt ruminating over whether or not he should become involved in Ballou's battles. After years of friendship with Mick and blatant vigilante justice, it's hardly an ethical issue at this point. Unfortunately, no matter what Matt decides, he's going to be dragged into the fray. From there, it quickly takes a number of unexpected turns. Although one small part of the mystery was predictable, the ending was shocking. My reaction on finishing was a stunned, "oh wow." I may have even wandered around the house for awhile, repeating, "oh wow."

Though it feels more violent than other Scudder books, it's actually less bloodthirsty. The violence is tempered with emotional loss, and will herald a number of significant changes in Matt's life. The attention to Matt's emotional life is one of the things that sets the Scudder series apart--the idea that there are ramifications, both political and emotional.

A compelling series that shows no signs of burning out.(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was easily one of my favorites in the Scudder series. There's a strong sense of dread and unease that carries through much of the book. While I knew going in that there were other books in the series beyond this one, I still found myself worried that, somehow, this might be Scudder's last case. (view spoiler)...more

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Sep 03, 2012 James Thane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, lawrence-block

I've long run out of superlatives to use when describing Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder novels which remain, easily, my favorite crime fiction series.

This is due entirely to the richly-drawn character that Block has created in Scudder who has continued to grow and evolve through seventeen novels and a number of short stories, published over a period of thirty-five years. It's hard to imagine a fan of crime fiction who has not yet encountered these books, but for those who might not know, Scudd...more I've long run out of superlatives to use when describing Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder novels which remain, easily, my favorite crime fiction series.

This is due entirely to the richly-drawn character that Block has created in Scudder who has continued to grow and evolve through seventeen novels and a number of short stories, published over a period of thirty-five years. It's hard to imagine a fan of crime fiction who has not yet encountered these books, but for those who might not know, Scudder is a former New York cop and recovering alcoholic who has spent most of his career as an unlicensed P.I. doing favors for "friends" who then pay him what they think the job is worth.

For most of this time, Matt lived alone in a tiny hotel room in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York, and the city has become a major character in the books. Now well into middle age, Matt has recently married Elaine Mardell, his longtime girlfriend, and moved into an apartment across the street from his old hotel room. He's also finally gotten a license as a private investigator, which enables him to work for attorneys and others from whom he can command a better rate of pay. The neighborhood is gentrifying which is both good and bad as Matt (along with the reader) mourns the passing of landmark institutions that had long populated his neighborhood.

In short, life is good, but then Matt's long-time best friend, the gangster and saloon owner Mick Ballou, comes under attack from a mysterious unidentified enemy. He appeals to Matt for help and almost immediately, Matt becomes a target as well.

As always, the real pleasure in this book is watching the interaction among the characters and listening in as Matt ruminates about the developments in the case and the changing world around him. This is one of the more violent books in the series, and the blood starts flowing early on. From almost the first page the bodies are dropping left and right, and the only question that matters is who will survive in a dangerous world where everybody dies.

(view spoiler)(less)

14 likes · like · see review

Oct 19, 2009 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Starting this book I was a bit worried that I would miss a lot since I had not read the earlier Matthew Scudder books. After a few chapters I found that my fears were clearly unfounded. Block did an good job introducing the characters without throwing entire histories at us. I imagine there is a wrinkle here or there I did not pick up on, but on the whole I enjoyed meeting the characters and did not feel lost in a sea of established faces.

The story itself had some predictable twists and turns. I...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lawrence Block doing what he does best! This is an excellent example of why the author is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and multiple winner of both the Edgar Allen Poe and Shamus awards.

Several things I should mention right up front: I am a huge Lawrence Block fan -- particularly his Matthew Scudder series -- I think Mick Ballou is one of THE BEST secondary characters ever created (seriously, the guy is well worth a series in his own right) and I've always been more fond of the earl...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2013 Wilson Lanue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Like another Scudder story before it (Sacred Ginmill), this is not just a great mystery but a great book. This is literature, folks.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 22, 2009 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first serious Lawrence Block, after reading all of his comic "The Burglar Who..." series. The cover blurb says it's very, very dark and very, very good--which is exactly accurate. The characters are vivid and real. Mick Ballou is a larger-than-life, charming, story-telling, Irishman who is also a sociopath. And he is one of Matthew Scudder's best friends. He dominates this book just as he fills every room he enters. An unforgettable character. The action is tense, the details of the p...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Jaret rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-5-star-books

This was my favorite in the Matthew Scudder series simply because it starred my favorite backup character in the series--Mick Ballou. He is not a nice character, but there is something definitely likeable about him and I can totally understand why Matthew chooses to be friends with him. This story revolves around someone trying to kill Mick (surprise, surprise for a gangster) and Matthew has to help him or run the risk of being killed himself. The mystery portion is well-written and the solution...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Ensiform rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery

Scudder’s Irish gangster friend Mick Ballou hires Scudder to investigate who may be out to move in on his territory, or perhaps kill him. Matt starts asking questions, and... everybody dies. Well, not quite everybody, but there’s a considerable death count. This book follows the pattern set by the previous three --- disappointing, thrilling, disappointing and now thrilling again.

Yes, this time around I again guessed at the villain’s identity (though to be fair this wasn’t as obvious and labored...more

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May 27, 2013 Larou added it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, fiction

When, in my post on the previous entry in Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series, I wrote that it marked a return to form, I was expecting the remaining novels to be solid and mostly unadventurous, with the series settling into a comfortable groove that it would run along in until it eventually came to an end. In consequence, I was more than just a bit surprised to find out that this late in the series there would still be a novel that holds its place besides works like Eight Million Ways to Di...more When, in my post on the previous entry in Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series, I wrote that it marked a return to form, I was expecting the remaining novels to be solid and mostly unadventurous, with the series settling into a comfortable groove that it would run along in until it eventually came to an end. In consequence, I was more than just a bit surprised to find out that this late in the series there would still be a novel that holds its place besides works like Eight Million Ways to Die or When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes.

Maybe part of what makes it stand out is that Everybody Dies is not really a Scudder novel – while our protagonist is quite present and is doing his usual investigative rounds, he is only marginally involved in events compared to Mick Ballou, his friend and gangster boss, who stands firm in the center of the story. He has always been one of the most interesting recurring characters in the series (second only to Elaine, in my opinion), as well as the most unlikely one to form a friendship with an ex-alcoholic private detective and former policeman like Scudder. And it stands testimony to Block’s considerable skill as a writer that he has consistently managed to avoid letting him slide into cliché (which is all the more impressive when you consider that Ballou is of Irish descent) – Mick Ballou is not a gangster with a heart of gold and is not redeemed by his Irish sentimentality but is an unapologetic criminal with a very matter-of-fact attitude towards doing what (in his eyes) needs to get done and that with a certain regularity tends to be very much on the violent side of things. Everything considered, he is not a very likable person, and it is again very much to Block’s credit that he never tries to make him appear otherwise, but he is also a very fascinating character and in the end is that which makes Scudder’s friendship with him entirely plausible – one can see and feel (Block makes us see and feel) how someone like Scudder can feel a strong attraction towards someone like Ballou who is in almost all regards his complete opposite, except maybe for a shared respect for things many consider old-fashioned.

So it is very welcome to see Mick Ballou take the spotlight for this installment of the series, when it turns out that someone is out to get him and he hires Scudder to investigate. Scudder is very reluctant about it and only agrees to take a look at what appears a tangential angle for the sake it excluding that possibility – but of course he gets drawn in farther and farther and ends up getting much more involved than he planned, with some disastrous consequences.

This is definitely one of the bleaker volumes in a series that is not exactly uplifting to start with (the blurb on the cover of my edition is not exaggerating when it calls the novel “very, very dark”), but it packs quite an emotional punch and the storytelling is, as always with Lawrence Block, superb – the tension builds slowly but inexorably and the reader’s attention never falters, with the narrative having a relentless grip and never letting go. In the end, it is not so much about who committed the crime but – and this also is a constant in Block’s Scudder novels – about what price everyone – perpetrators as well as victims – will have to pay for it. Overall, this is an outstanding entry in a generally excellent series and made me look forward to the next one.(less)

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Aug 20, 2012 Faith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: faculty-summer-reading, 2012, suspense-thriller

Another of the Matt Scudder series. He has his life cleaned up and is married.. Then he helps a friend from Hells Kitchen and people begin dying. I still like his wry humor but still is not as good as The Hit Man series. After 5 or 6 of Reacher and Scudder books, I have to get back to family sagas and/or historical novels. Looking forward to Follett's 2nd book in his new trilogy to be published in September. Also Gone Girl is recommended as well as Shoemaker's Daughter.

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Dec 27, 2008 Tony Gleeson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I strongly suggest NOT reading this one until you've followed most or all of the preceding Matthew Scudder books. This is as much a summing-up of what came before as Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions" was, I think. Like so many of the Scudder books, this one works on a lot of levels as a great story with vivid characterizations, wryly humorous but darkly cynical. I was frankly disappointed that Block even considered carrying on after this: the next book in the series was weirdly different in to...more

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May 23, 2013 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everybody Dies pits Scudder and his Irish mobster friend, Mick against some enemies who've killed some of Mick's men and show no sign of stopping. The final in upstate NY is well constructed and fun to experience.

Reviewed by, David Feeney, author; Terror on the high seas

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Dec 07, 2012 Bonnie added it · review of another edition

Matt Scudder has stopped drinking, joined AA, married Elaine, and gotten his PI license. Life is good until his friend, Hell's Kitchen hoodlum Mick Ballou, has his restaurant shot up and bombed. When Matt agrees to help his friend, he realizes there are great risks, but not an all-out war with a group of rival gangsters. The action culminates in a country farmhouse owned by Mick. Of course, Matt lives to tell another story.

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Feb 22, 2012 Rich rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The plot and pacing of Lawrence Block's Scudder books will generally get me through them but there are some definite problems with characterization and, especially, with characters having long conversations held only to tease out a personality profile of Scudder. I'm also not at all sure that a recovering alcoholic ex-cop would really become best friends with an Irish gangster and hang out at his bar. But that's just me.

I have a number of other Scudder books picked up at library sales and I'll p...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Katherine Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I find it interesting that though this was a dark book ( I really miss Jim already) it was nowhere near the noirness of the midEdgar books. I'm glad about that. Scudder has his own moral code that he follows. I don't necessarily agree with it, but it is consistent. His friendship with Mick is strange though. Hmmm. Kind of like Myron's for his psychopathic sidekick.

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Jul 20, 2012 Dagny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-series, block-lawrence

Continuing Block's Matthew Scudder series, Everybody Dies is another hard hitting mystery novel. Matt's gangster friend Mick had been targeted but it doesn't seem to be by a competitor. Being on the wrong side of the law, Mick cannot call in the police and hesitates to ask his friend to put his life on the line to investigate the case.

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Jun 08, 2013 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Was worried that the Scudder series was going to drop off a bit as the previous one wasn't quite as good as the others but LB is bang on form again with this one. Probably my second favourite of the series and almost 5 stars. Certainly lives up to its title as well - the "Red Wedding" of Scudder books !

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Mar 28, 2013 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

bookontape.
I'd been away from reading Block for years.

This ws wonderful listening while driving LA freeways.
It made gridlock a pleasure. (well, not a pleasure but tolerable).

I also liked the voice and performance of reader Mark Hammer.. Kudos!!!!!

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Dec 11, 2008 Ed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a later title than DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, the Matt Scudder I read a bit earlier. Matt's butcher friend Mick Ballou plays a big role in this story. I enjoyed SLAUGHTERHOUSE a little more, I believe. Not sure why. Still a satisfying hardboiled read but Matt has a big heart.

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Mar 07, 2013 Gary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Been a long while since I went back to the Matt Scudder novels - no real reason. But was like meeting on old friend. This is number 14 - I wisely ordered 15 16 and 17 at the same time. Looking forward to it. Great character - stoic, world weary...

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Aug 21, 2012 Temple rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

"We got in the car. He started it up. I found myself trying to determine if the car felt any lighter now that we didn't have Andy with us anymore, and then I remembered that the weight was the same. He'd been behind the wheel before, and now he was in the trunk."

Can't beat this book for the best crime noir has to offer. Wonderful dialogue. Excellent read. I gave it 5 stars.

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Jan 07, 2012 Der-shing rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, mystery, horror, humane

One of my favorite Scudder books, and a bit more violent than most of them. Kind of evokes feelings of the first Godfather novel with me, but with that "modern" (for the late 90s, at least) New York twist.

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Nov 12, 2011 Joe Barlow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another terrific Scudder adventure. Take the title of the book literally: a number of supporting characters from the series meet their ultimate fate in this book, lending to a more thoughtful, reflective, and (oddly) cinematic read. If another Scudder film ever gets made, this is the book to do.

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Aug 26, 2009 Joe O'c rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very Good; Continuing character: Matt Scudder; PI Scudder helps his old friend Mick Ballou, who is in the midst of a gang war against an unknown enemy.

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Apr 24, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-and-suspense

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Jan 11, 2010 Diane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Audiobook (cassette)

Who can tell if this was good or not--I certainly can't. The reader was simply awful. He read sooo very slooowly that the plot seemed to be taking forever and he sounded like his mouth was full of mush (particularly when he tried Irish accents) and so it was hard to follow what was going on.

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About Lawrence Block

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2002.

From his web site:

I'm told every good author website needs a bio, so here's mine:

"Lawrence Block's novels range from the urban noir of Matthew Scudder (A Drop of the Hard Stuff) to the urbane effervescence of Bernie Rhodenbarr (The Burglar on the Prowl), while other characters include the globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanne...more

More about Lawrence Block...

Books by Lawrence Block

The Sins of the Fathers (Matthew Scudder, #1)

Eight Million Ways to Die (Matthew Scudder, #5)

When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder, #6)

Burglars Can't Be Choosers (Rhodenbarr, #1)

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Quotes from Everybody Dies

“Fuck you! I hope you die!"
"Everybody Dies," I said. "So fuck you.” — 11 people liked it

“It's enough of a strain killing people. I've no time for deer.
--Mick Ballou” — 5 people liked it

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Everybody Dies (Matthew Scudder #14)

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