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Matthew Scudder #14
Everybody Dies
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 past is a minefield, the present is a war zone, and the future's an open question. It's a world where nothing is certain and nobody's safe, a random universe where no one's survival can be taken for granted. Not even his own.A world where everybody dies.Here’s what some reviewers had to “The body count is indeed high in this latest Matt Scudder tale, which is also the best since A Walk Among the Tombstones —resonant, thoughtful, richly textured and capped by a slam-bang windup. Block's seamless weave of thought and action, and his matchless gift for dialogue that is true, funny and revealing, have seldom been on more effective display. The pages leading up to the climax have an almost Shakespearean feel for human resignation in the face of mortality.” ~Publishers Weekly“A taut noir story, one of Lawrence Block's best,” ~Cleveland Plain Dealer“The Philadelphia Inquirer adds, “Devastating! One of the most harrowing yet most rewarding chapters in ther education of a hero.” ~Philadelphia Inquirer"Very, very dark. Also very, very good." ~Denver Post
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
116 people are currently reading
1159 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Block
768 books2,958 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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December 31, 2019
This was a pleasant surprise. Not long ago I completed Even the Wicked, Matt Scudder’s 13th adventure, and, although it wasn’t exactly bad, it was bad enough that I had begun to fear Scudder was past his best days. But then I read his 14th adventure Everybody Dies, and decided it was one of his best, right up there with the classics Eight Million Ways to Die and When the Sacred Ginmill Closes.
To be fair, though, I might be rating it too highly, for at the center of this tale is the fascinating, inimitable Mick Ballou, the half French/half Irish Hell’s Kitchen saloon owner and gangster who combines the brutal bloodiness of the Westies with a renegade Catholic philosophy of life, making him murderous and mystical at the same time. Ballou is usually a minor figure in Scudder’s tales, but he compels attention every time he appears. And this time, Scudder and Ballou have the tale almost all to themselves.
Ballou visits his storage facility stacked with cases of hijacked liquor, and finds the two men left to guard it have been murdered and all the liquor is gone. The thing that worries Mick most is that this seems like a declaration of war, and but has no clue about who his enemy might be. He hires his friend Scudder to look into the matter, which turns out to one of his most perilous cases, endangering the lives of two of the people he cares about.
Everybody Dies is both a mystery and the chronicle of a gang war, and satisfies the reader on both counts. It is an an excellent book, and I recommend it to all fans of the genre.
September 23, 2014
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.
See, that’s why Matt’s a good friend. And a very bad enemy.
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.
See, that’s why Matt’s a good friend. And a very bad enemy.
August 22, 2016
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.
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.
July 8, 2021
“Everybody dies”—John Garfield, in Body and Soul
“Everybody dies”—Randy Newman, “Old Man”
“Everybody dies!”—Matt Scudder
"’And everybody else?’ (Elaine)
I said, ‘Everybody else? Everybody else is dead’”—Scudder
Well, not quite everybody dies in this classic Lawrence Block Matthew Scudder book, #14, one of the very best of the series, when I least expected it since it is not the edgy early Scudder but the comfortable, married Scudder, ho hum... and then bam, ths book! And why is it so great? Because we do not spend all of our time going to upscale restaurants and jazz clubs on the upper west side as we have in some of the recent books. Block returns to fan fave, murderin’ Mick Ballou, proprietor of Grogan’s, close friend of Matt’s.
The story begins, masterfully, with four guys driving from Manhattan to Mick’s farm on Long Island, just sipping whiskey and telling stories, and when they get there this sweet tone almost casually shifts as each guy takes his turn with the single shovel digging a hole, which they eventually fill. That moment when you realize why they are really there at the farm startles, but this rhythm of sweet talk turning to sudden violence happens throughout—an extended talk with Elaine that precedes a shocking shooting to an old friend we know well who was eating with Matt in a Chinese restaurant; seeing old friends at Grogan’s just before an attack. If you conducted a body count across the whole book, you would have to call this tale a bloodbath, yet one that ends cathartically with tenderness and emotional resolve, especially for Mick and Matt.
“You know what I realized?”
“What?”
“Most of the people I know are dead. I guess that happens”—Danny Boy and Matt
You see, someone has declared war on Mick Ballou; Mick killed a guy thirty years ago and now his son, out of prison, decides to even the score. And when Matt gets involved to help, beating up a couple guys who had come to beat him up, he is also part of the war. And because Mick is a criminal and the revenge(s) they enact are clearly illegal, the cops can’t be informed, cutting out (cop) Joe Durkin’s usual help in the process. Lies and murder in the service of a friend; is Scudder more on the side of good or evil? And what about Mick, the killer Catholic who takes Matt from time to time to the Butcher’s Mass at St. Bernard’s. Mick’s extended confession before the final shoot-out is powerfully moving.
There are at least three shocking losses/ turns of events in what would seem to be here a fairly straightforward revenge tale. You know, I read a lot, but at one place I actually gasped and had to put the book down. The ending is both shocking and masterfully accomplished, in various ways. But I can say that the overall achievement of the story is terrific. I wouldn’t begin with this one, because you have to really appreciate the deep relationship between Mick and Matt that emerges over the previous 13 books, and to appreciate the weight of some of the losses that occur throughout this book.
After the final shootout, Matt and Mick see some deer along the road and Mick wonders why people shoot these lovely animals: “It's enough of a strain killing people. I've no time for deer”--Mick Ballou”
“Everybody dies”—Randy Newman, “Old Man”
“Everybody dies!”—Matt Scudder
"’And everybody else?’ (Elaine)
I said, ‘Everybody else? Everybody else is dead’”—Scudder
Well, not quite everybody dies in this classic Lawrence Block Matthew Scudder book, #14, one of the very best of the series, when I least expected it since it is not the edgy early Scudder but the comfortable, married Scudder, ho hum... and then bam, ths book! And why is it so great? Because we do not spend all of our time going to upscale restaurants and jazz clubs on the upper west side as we have in some of the recent books. Block returns to fan fave, murderin’ Mick Ballou, proprietor of Grogan’s, close friend of Matt’s.
The story begins, masterfully, with four guys driving from Manhattan to Mick’s farm on Long Island, just sipping whiskey and telling stories, and when they get there this sweet tone almost casually shifts as each guy takes his turn with the single shovel digging a hole, which they eventually fill. That moment when you realize why they are really there at the farm startles, but this rhythm of sweet talk turning to sudden violence happens throughout—an extended talk with Elaine that precedes a shocking shooting to an old friend we know well who was eating with Matt in a Chinese restaurant; seeing old friends at Grogan’s just before an attack. If you conducted a body count across the whole book, you would have to call this tale a bloodbath, yet one that ends cathartically with tenderness and emotional resolve, especially for Mick and Matt.
“You know what I realized?”
“What?”
“Most of the people I know are dead. I guess that happens”—Danny Boy and Matt
You see, someone has declared war on Mick Ballou; Mick killed a guy thirty years ago and now his son, out of prison, decides to even the score. And when Matt gets involved to help, beating up a couple guys who had come to beat him up, he is also part of the war. And because Mick is a criminal and the revenge(s) they enact are clearly illegal, the cops can’t be informed, cutting out (cop) Joe Durkin’s usual help in the process. Lies and murder in the service of a friend; is Scudder more on the side of good or evil? And what about Mick, the killer Catholic who takes Matt from time to time to the Butcher’s Mass at St. Bernard’s. Mick’s extended confession before the final shoot-out is powerfully moving.
There are at least three shocking losses/ turns of events in what would seem to be here a fairly straightforward revenge tale. You know, I read a lot, but at one place I actually gasped and had to put the book down. The ending is both shocking and masterfully accomplished, in various ways. But I can say that the overall achievement of the story is terrific. I wouldn’t begin with this one, because you have to really appreciate the deep relationship between Mick and Matt that emerges over the previous 13 books, and to appreciate the weight of some of the losses that occur throughout this book.
After the final shootout, Matt and Mick see some deer along the road and Mick wonders why people shoot these lovely animals: “It's enough of a strain killing people. I've no time for deer”--Mick Ballou”
June 22, 2013
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.
Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
(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.
Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
April 26, 2011
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 nature of Matthew Scudder and his world. The supporting cast are as big of an attraction to me as Scudder himself. Hard Way Ray, Joe Durkin, Danny Boy Bell, Lisa Holtzman, then all make appearances in this one. A couple of them will never make appearances again. That's what made Everybody Dies so powerful. A few long-running cast members end up dead at the hands of a criminal gunning for Mick Ballou. Not even TJ gets out unscathed.
I had an idea who the mole was in Mick's crew about halfway through but I didn't figure out who the big baddie was until about a paragraph before Matt. This one had a finale that sticks out as one of my all time favorites in crime fiction, a glorious shit storm of violence. Like Matt said to Elaine near the end "Everybody else is dead."
I'd been waiting to read a Matthew Scudder story centering in Mick Ballou for a long time and this one did not disappoint. It's easily in the Scudder top three.
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 nature of Matthew Scudder and his world. The supporting cast are as big of an attraction to me as Scudder himself. Hard Way Ray, Joe Durkin, Danny Boy Bell, Lisa Holtzman, then all make appearances in this one. A couple of them will never make appearances again. That's what made Everybody Dies so powerful. A few long-running cast members end up dead at the hands of a criminal gunning for Mick Ballou. Not even TJ gets out unscathed.
I had an idea who the mole was in Mick's crew about halfway through but I didn't figure out who the big baddie was until about a paragraph before Matt. This one had a finale that sticks out as one of my all time favorites in crime fiction, a glorious shit storm of violence. Like Matt said to Elaine near the end "Everybody else is dead."
I'd been waiting to read a Matthew Scudder story centering in Mick Ballou for a long time and this one did not disappoint. It's easily in the Scudder top three.
January 29, 2025
14-тата подред история за живота на Мат Скъдър не разочарова!
"Всички умират" ни въвлича в жестока гангстерска разправа, в която милост за никого не ще има.
Мик Балу е заплашен от неизвестен враг и заедно с Мат трябва да решат успешно сложния криминален ребус, заплашващ живота им.
"Всички умират" ни въвлича в жестока гангстерска разправа, в която милост за никого не ще има.
Мик Балу е заплашен от неизвестен враг и заедно с Мат трябва да решат успешно сложния криминален ребус, заплашващ живота им.
October 9, 2014
“The most successful war seldom pays for its losses.” –Thomas Jefferson
Lawrence Block’s fourteenth entry in his long running Matt Scudder series is by far the most tragic. The loss of life within these pages is astounding and there came a time near the end where I thought very few would make it out alive. Hell, if I didn’t know there were more books to follow, I’d have had my doubts about Matt too.
Matt’s close friend – and ruthless Irish gangster – Mick Ballou is at war. Someone is picking off members of Mick’s organization and when Scudder is tasked to produce the identity of this murderous maniac, those close to Matt are threatened unless he backs off. Given how little he’s accomplished during his investigation, it feels like a blessing in disguise – he can get off without the guilt associated with disappointing Ballou. Unfortunately for Matt, Mick’s nemesis strikes before Scudder can officially get his hands off the case.
What follows is some of the most intense, nerve-wracking storytelling the series has ever produced and I would go so far as to say that Everybody Dies is my favorite of the series up to this point. Everything that makes a great Scudder story lives within this book; late night philosophical rap sessions with Ballou, comedic exchanges with T.J., butting heads with the police and memorable moments with Elaine – but you take all of those elements, add an unseen level of unpredictability and you have a novel that will keep you up at night.
Everybody Dies is so violent, so deadly, that I often wondered if Block had taken tips from George R.R. Martin in how to cause his audience grief. However, when you pick up a book titled Everybody Dies, you should know what you’re in for.
Also posted @ Every Read Thing.
Lawrence Block’s fourteenth entry in his long running Matt Scudder series is by far the most tragic. The loss of life within these pages is astounding and there came a time near the end where I thought very few would make it out alive. Hell, if I didn’t know there were more books to follow, I’d have had my doubts about Matt too.
Matt’s close friend – and ruthless Irish gangster – Mick Ballou is at war. Someone is picking off members of Mick’s organization and when Scudder is tasked to produce the identity of this murderous maniac, those close to Matt are threatened unless he backs off. Given how little he’s accomplished during his investigation, it feels like a blessing in disguise – he can get off without the guilt associated with disappointing Ballou. Unfortunately for Matt, Mick’s nemesis strikes before Scudder can officially get his hands off the case.
What follows is some of the most intense, nerve-wracking storytelling the series has ever produced and I would go so far as to say that Everybody Dies is my favorite of the series up to this point. Everything that makes a great Scudder story lives within this book; late night philosophical rap sessions with Ballou, comedic exchanges with T.J., butting heads with the police and memorable moments with Elaine – but you take all of those elements, add an unseen level of unpredictability and you have a novel that will keep you up at night.
Everybody Dies is so violent, so deadly, that I often wondered if Block had taken tips from George R.R. Martin in how to cause his audience grief. However, when you pick up a book titled Everybody Dies, you should know what you’re in for.
Also posted @ Every Read Thing.
March 20, 2024
Early on, Matt Scudder explains that this is Mick’s story. That’d be Mick Ballou, his friend who also happens to be a New York City crime boss. As a former cop and now private investigator you’d think he’d be an odd friend for Matt to have, and yet over the years they’d become close. Mick has asked for Matt’s help in identifying the perpetrators of a murderous act carried out on members of his team - it’s an odd one, even allowing for the violent world that Mick and his crew inhabit.
The pace of the tale is slow, but punctuated with acts of extreme violence. Not unusually in this series the topics are serious ones, the mood dark – brooding might be a better description. Matt and Mick talk a lot, ruminating on life, faith, and alcoholism. And death, of course, there’s a lot of death here. Matt fears that he’s lost faith in ‘the rules’, he’s fearful of the slow erosion of his morals. He’s always wanted to do the right thing, and yet as a cop he took money and lied in court. He’s struggling to square these dimensions.
I’d read this book before, another Scudder mystery I’d picked up long ago. I didn’t recall the story at the start, but about half way through I suddenly recalled whodunnit. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of of it though, as I was able to admire how Block skillfully circled his way around to the solution. He really is a clever writer. Also, despite Matt’s early assertion, this really is Matt’s story too. It’s an exploration of Scudder the man, more so than in any of the other books in the series, I believe. I’m finding it hard to find fault with any of the books I’m re-visiting in this masterful series. The only pity is I’ve very few left to re-visit. A third lap? Perhaps one day.
The pace of the tale is slow, but punctuated with acts of extreme violence. Not unusually in this series the topics are serious ones, the mood dark – brooding might be a better description. Matt and Mick talk a lot, ruminating on life, faith, and alcoholism. And death, of course, there’s a lot of death here. Matt fears that he’s lost faith in ‘the rules’, he’s fearful of the slow erosion of his morals. He’s always wanted to do the right thing, and yet as a cop he took money and lied in court. He’s struggling to square these dimensions.
I’d read this book before, another Scudder mystery I’d picked up long ago. I didn’t recall the story at the start, but about half way through I suddenly recalled whodunnit. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of of it though, as I was able to admire how Block skillfully circled his way around to the solution. He really is a clever writer. Also, despite Matt’s early assertion, this really is Matt’s story too. It’s an exploration of Scudder the man, more so than in any of the other books in the series, I believe. I’m finding it hard to find fault with any of the books I’m re-visiting in this masterful series. The only pity is I’ve very few left to re-visit. A third lap? Perhaps one day.
February 23, 2025
I couldn’t finish the previous book in the series, but “Everybody Dies” is one of the best of the Scudder Novels. It includes a rather memorable and brutal finale, and an even morally greyer Scudder.
I’m now itchin’ to revisit that previous instalment and give it another shot — That should tell you how good this one is.
I’m now itchin’ to revisit that previous instalment and give it another shot — That should tell you how good this one is.
August 30, 2015
The title of this book seems to ring true when you close the book having finished it. In this 14th tale Matt's butcher friend Mick Ballou plays a big role in this story and the story starts with a burial at his farm.
Matt is married and enjoying his life when a lot of violence enters his life due to his friendship with a "gangster" who did ask him to look into the dead of some of his employees and who might be behind this. It all turns into a bloody finale in which everybody dies.
Another well written thriller/detective tale about violence and darkness as the past catches up with Scudders friend.
If you like a smart modern detective story with great characters you cannot go wrong with the Scudder series.
Matt is married and enjoying his life when a lot of violence enters his life due to his friendship with a "gangster" who did ask him to look into the dead of some of his employees and who might be behind this. It all turns into a bloody finale in which everybody dies.
Another well written thriller/detective tale about violence and darkness as the past catches up with Scudders friend.
If you like a smart modern detective story with great characters you cannot go wrong with the Scudder series.
November 29, 2019
Scudder's best friend - gangster Mick Ballou is in the midst of a war with an unknown enemy. Scudder tries to help him out and is surprised that choosing sides in gang warfare can be injurious to health of friends and family. All that whiskey must have fried his brain cells. I knew that and I don't even have a gangster best friend. I really didn't care for Everybody Dies, it reads like fan fiction. Scudder teams up with the fan favorite character and they become a two man army wrecking havoc on the villains.
I have always believed Ballou (and also TJ) works best in small doses. This practically makes Ballou a co-lead and suffers for it. Ballou's interactions with Scudder had always been discursive as they discuss everything under the sun every time they meet. It is alright when Ballou pops up for a chapter or two but when he is present in half the book, a lot of it feels like filler. Some of it also seems written by a hack scriptwriter. They discuss philosophy before the big gunfight, they review movies after getting shot at and Ballou sings lullabies about betrayers before letting the betrayer know he is caught. One of those would have been fine but their combined effect makes it appear Block is trying too hard. This series used to be so gritty, how did it go from that to lullaby as an intimidation device??
Block's writing is still effortless to follow. His whole Keller series is based on the premise that a slightly eccentric character muses on random things in a offbeat, sarcastic way. So if anyone could have pulled it off, it would be Block but he unfortunately doesn't. The difference between Keller and Scudder books being the latter is essentially an action thriller, and all this meandering keeps hampering the pacing. Most fans love Ballou a lot more than me, so maybe Block simply wanted to try something different. For me Durkin has always been my favorite supporting character. With him the dialogue is always pertinent, sarcastic and flab free. I liked what little interaction he had with Scudder here.
Everybody Dies has also got many things working in its favor. As the title suggests, some long term supporting characters buy it and one of those deaths is quite hard-hitting. It also has some of the best set pieces in the series, there is just too much unnecessary fat between those high points. Block shows off his versatility by switching from complex whodunnits to action thrillers from one book to the next. He had made both work before but this did not gel as well as it could. Rating - 3/5.
I have always believed Ballou (and also TJ) works best in small doses. This practically makes Ballou a co-lead and suffers for it. Ballou's interactions with Scudder had always been discursive as they discuss everything under the sun every time they meet. It is alright when Ballou pops up for a chapter or two but when he is present in half the book, a lot of it feels like filler. Some of it also seems written by a hack scriptwriter. They discuss philosophy before the big gunfight, they review movies after getting shot at and Ballou sings lullabies about betrayers before letting the betrayer know he is caught. One of those would have been fine but their combined effect makes it appear Block is trying too hard. This series used to be so gritty, how did it go from that to lullaby as an intimidation device??
Block's writing is still effortless to follow. His whole Keller series is based on the premise that a slightly eccentric character muses on random things in a offbeat, sarcastic way. So if anyone could have pulled it off, it would be Block but he unfortunately doesn't. The difference between Keller and Scudder books being the latter is essentially an action thriller, and all this meandering keeps hampering the pacing. Most fans love Ballou a lot more than me, so maybe Block simply wanted to try something different. For me Durkin has always been my favorite supporting character. With him the dialogue is always pertinent, sarcastic and flab free. I liked what little interaction he had with Scudder here.
Everybody Dies has also got many things working in its favor. As the title suggests, some long term supporting characters buy it and one of those deaths is quite hard-hitting. It also has some of the best set pieces in the series, there is just too much unnecessary fat between those high points. Block shows off his versatility by switching from complex whodunnits to action thrillers from one book to the next. He had made both work before but this did not gel as well as it could. Rating - 3/5.
January 15, 2018
This was so damned good. How does he make me love book after book? Excellent plot and nail-biting action.
December 17, 2021
Fantastic! Highly enjoyable and perfect in my eyes, but that's just me. Admittedly there are slow points. The Matt Scudder series isn't about balls to the wall action from cover to cover. It's about portraying as real a person, in the form of a NYC PI, as Lawrence Block could manage. So that means sometimes you have scenes where it's just two people having a mundane conversation in their living room or maybe two friends going out for a weekly ritual dinner. Don't worry, because sooner or later someone's going to get shot or done-in in some way, shape, or form. Everybody Dies goes more in depth into Matt's unlikely friendship with Irish gangster Mick Ballou. In fact, Matt becomes intrinsically tied to Mick in ways that could get them both killed. What fun!
June 2, 2023
Another solid entry in the Matt Scudder series. I have really enjoyed these gritty crime novels from Block. This is the fourteenth in the series and I have read all of them up to this point; only three left to go!
This one is really Mick Ballou's story; Mick is Matt's mobster friend who owns a bar (under someone else's name) and who Matt enjoyed shooting the shit with, some of it quite bloody shit. The story starts out with two of Mick's cohorts getting shot and killed when they went to one of Mick's storage areas to get a load of booze. But who and why would someone coldbloodedly kill them? The booze is stolen but is it really worth two lives. Then Matt appears to be in someone's gunsights resulting in the tragic death of one of his best friends. And then Mick's bar is attacked resulting in more death and destruction. Based on Matt's recall of seeing a face, Mick comes to realize who is after him — the son of old enemy who Mick killed over 30 years ago. So how can Mick get even and will he and Matt come through this alive?
This was really one of the more bloody books in the series with many deaths along the way. The title is very apropos "Everybody Dies"; well almost everybody! Another high recommendation for this series.
This one is really Mick Ballou's story; Mick is Matt's mobster friend who owns a bar (under someone else's name) and who Matt enjoyed shooting the shit with, some of it quite bloody shit. The story starts out with two of Mick's cohorts getting shot and killed when they went to one of Mick's storage areas to get a load of booze. But who and why would someone coldbloodedly kill them? The booze is stolen but is it really worth two lives. Then Matt appears to be in someone's gunsights resulting in the tragic death of one of his best friends. And then Mick's bar is attacked resulting in more death and destruction. Based on Matt's recall of seeing a face, Mick comes to realize who is after him — the son of old enemy who Mick killed over 30 years ago. So how can Mick get even and will he and Matt come through this alive?
This was really one of the more bloody books in the series with many deaths along the way. The title is very apropos "Everybody Dies"; well almost everybody! Another high recommendation for this series.
September 24, 2017
4.5/5 stars for me
This book profoundly portrays a richly layered friendship between the two unlikely pals, a former cop (Matt Scudder) and a criminal (Mick Ballou) through unimaginable trials. It is so creatively and outrageously over-stuffed with extreme examples of male bonding that cannot be understood by reason that it leaves this reader in exhausted awe.
Tidbits include Matt Scudder recalling Mick's gift of ham for Christmas for Elaine, a Jewish vegetarian, soon after Matt's discovery that Mick had disposed of a troublesome young man (guilty of murdering young woman) by feeding him to his hogs. If that does not tickle your funny bone this book would not be one for you.
Mick has an enemy and asks Matt to investigate after a couple of his men are killed at the location where he stores whiskey for his bar.
It gets dangerous and more people are killed and property destroyed - some impacting Matt more personally than others as his own life is threatened as well. As they talk, Mick says, "There's nothing to walk away from. I don't know who he is or what he wants, the man who's set all this in motion, but it can't be anything I have. He wants to destroy me."
When the action intensifies Matt and Mick are on a country road where they admire some deer crossing the road. "It's enough of a strain killing people...I've no time to waste on deer."
As the two men walk towards a showdown considering Mick's premonition that he will not live through the night he recites all of his crimes to Matt by way of confession AA style. Read the book as this section is worth the price alone. Plenty of action follows.
This book profoundly portrays a richly layered friendship between the two unlikely pals, a former cop (Matt Scudder) and a criminal (Mick Ballou) through unimaginable trials. It is so creatively and outrageously over-stuffed with extreme examples of male bonding that cannot be understood by reason that it leaves this reader in exhausted awe.
Tidbits include Matt Scudder recalling Mick's gift of ham for Christmas for Elaine, a Jewish vegetarian, soon after Matt's discovery that Mick had disposed of a troublesome young man (guilty of murdering young woman) by feeding him to his hogs. If that does not tickle your funny bone this book would not be one for you.
Mick has an enemy and asks Matt to investigate after a couple of his men are killed at the location where he stores whiskey for his bar.
It gets dangerous and more people are killed and property destroyed - some impacting Matt more personally than others as his own life is threatened as well. As they talk, Mick says, "There's nothing to walk away from. I don't know who he is or what he wants, the man who's set all this in motion, but it can't be anything I have. He wants to destroy me."
When the action intensifies Matt and Mick are on a country road where they admire some deer crossing the road. "It's enough of a strain killing people...I've no time to waste on deer."
As the two men walk towards a showdown considering Mick's premonition that he will not live through the night he recites all of his crimes to Matt by way of confession AA style. Read the book as this section is worth the price alone. Plenty of action follows.
September 7, 2018
It’s a little while since I read a book in the Scudder series. The previous book had been a comparatively lacklustre entry, but I’m glad to report Lawrence Block is back on form with this novel.
Those who have been reading the series will know that throughout Scudder has been portrayed as a morally ambivalent character, and this is very much the theme here. His friendship with gangster Mick Ballou causes him to be dragged into an underworld war when Mick and his associates find themselves targeted by unknown assailants. The body count is probably higher in this novel than in any other in the series. On the other hand, the storyline avoids some of the very dark themes that featured in a few of the earlier ones.
To go off on a bit of a gripe, I made the mistake of looking at the blurb at the top of the GR page before I started. For some reason, it includes information that gives away a major part of the plot. I was really quite irritated by that, and it certainly reduced the impact of the event within the novel.
That of course, is not the author’s fault. I found this to be well-paced, and it held my interest from beginning to end.
Those who have been reading the series will know that throughout Scudder has been portrayed as a morally ambivalent character, and this is very much the theme here. His friendship with gangster Mick Ballou causes him to be dragged into an underworld war when Mick and his associates find themselves targeted by unknown assailants. The body count is probably higher in this novel than in any other in the series. On the other hand, the storyline avoids some of the very dark themes that featured in a few of the earlier ones.
To go off on a bit of a gripe, I made the mistake of looking at the blurb at the top of the GR page before I started. For some reason, it includes information that gives away a major part of the plot. I was really quite irritated by that, and it certainly reduced the impact of the event within the novel.
That of course, is not the author’s fault. I found this to be well-paced, and it held my interest from beginning to end.
October 31, 2012
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 early Matthew Scudder who hadn't quite found the road to sobriety and was a little more edgy.
This is the 14th book to feature detective Matthew Scudder and it finds him at something of a crossroads in his life. Long past are the days of bar hopping and blackout drinking. He no longer lives in a residential hotel. He's married to a woman he loves and, wonder of wonders, he's actually gotten around to becoming an officially licensed private investigator! After all these years he's starting to become downright respectable.
Except respectable people don't have best friends like legendary criminal Mick "The Butcher Boy" Ballou... so when Ballou asks his friend to investigate the possibility that some unknown nefarious entity is attempting to permanently put him out of business Matt is reluctant to take the case. He's not sure how far he can go before he is no longer able to tell himself that, even though one of his nearest and dearest friends in the world is a notorious lifelong criminal, he's basically on the side of the law.
But friends, real true friends, are few and far between, and these particular men share an uncommon bond that neither can quite describe, so Scudder agrees to look into it with the understanding that if it begins to lead in a direction he doesn't like he can walk away with no hard feelings.
After a little bit of nosing around it becomes obvious that all roads lead in a direction that Scudder would just as soon not follow. Not even for Mick. So he tells Mick he's out of it, no hard feelings. Unfortunately, someone else has other ideas, so, when a contract killer sent to "eliminate" the respectable licensed private investigator who has been making inquiries on behalf of Mick Ballou mistakenly kills another friend of Matt Scudder's all bets are off! He's in it up to his ears and he couldn't get out of it even if he wanted to... and Matt's not so sure he wants out.
This book is faster paced than a lot of the later Scudder books, even though Scudder is struggling with ideas of who he is and what he stands for he is less retrospective then usual because of the urgency of the case.
There are some instances of graphic violence and the occasional use of offensive language.
One of the things I have often admired about the Scudder novels is that Matt Scudder is not trapped in time. He is constantly evolving, learning, aging, readjusting to his life and the changes that have come with it. As a result these books have always been multi-layered, there's what's happening in front of you and the depths that run underneath.
In this story you can see how Matt Scudder has to finally come to terms with just how far he can cross the line he has been walking for years -- the line between good and bad, right and wrong -- in the process he has to create a new line between who he used to be, who he is today and who he will become.
This is very good stuff with several twists and turns. Some mystery, one huge surprise and a very satisfying conclusion. Long time readers of the Scudder novels will be particularly surprised and drawn in to what is revealed as the story comes to a conclusion.
Minor quibbles: I've never really been a fan of Matt's protege TJ, mainly because I find his rhyming phrases to be annoying and I think it comes across as a lame attempt at trying to give the appearance of being streetwise rather than actual experience in the street (maybe that's the point, to show that TJ isn't as street as he pretends but it's still lame and annoying).
Since the appearance of Elaine (who I do like) there are more and more instances where instead of the narrative informing what Scudder is thinking he has conversations with Elaine that often come out as stilted and unnatural. Exposition for the sake of exposition that brings everything to a crawl. Those instances are few in this book but they're still there.
You can't go wrong with this book. As always I suggest starting as early in the series as you can and going through them in order, it still works well as a stand alone novel but it works SO much better if you know more of the history between the characters.
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 early Matthew Scudder who hadn't quite found the road to sobriety and was a little more edgy.
This is the 14th book to feature detective Matthew Scudder and it finds him at something of a crossroads in his life. Long past are the days of bar hopping and blackout drinking. He no longer lives in a residential hotel. He's married to a woman he loves and, wonder of wonders, he's actually gotten around to becoming an officially licensed private investigator! After all these years he's starting to become downright respectable.
Except respectable people don't have best friends like legendary criminal Mick "The Butcher Boy" Ballou... so when Ballou asks his friend to investigate the possibility that some unknown nefarious entity is attempting to permanently put him out of business Matt is reluctant to take the case. He's not sure how far he can go before he is no longer able to tell himself that, even though one of his nearest and dearest friends in the world is a notorious lifelong criminal, he's basically on the side of the law.
But friends, real true friends, are few and far between, and these particular men share an uncommon bond that neither can quite describe, so Scudder agrees to look into it with the understanding that if it begins to lead in a direction he doesn't like he can walk away with no hard feelings.
After a little bit of nosing around it becomes obvious that all roads lead in a direction that Scudder would just as soon not follow. Not even for Mick. So he tells Mick he's out of it, no hard feelings. Unfortunately, someone else has other ideas, so, when a contract killer sent to "eliminate" the respectable licensed private investigator who has been making inquiries on behalf of Mick Ballou mistakenly kills another friend of Matt Scudder's all bets are off! He's in it up to his ears and he couldn't get out of it even if he wanted to... and Matt's not so sure he wants out.
This book is faster paced than a lot of the later Scudder books, even though Scudder is struggling with ideas of who he is and what he stands for he is less retrospective then usual because of the urgency of the case.
There are some instances of graphic violence and the occasional use of offensive language.
One of the things I have often admired about the Scudder novels is that Matt Scudder is not trapped in time. He is constantly evolving, learning, aging, readjusting to his life and the changes that have come with it. As a result these books have always been multi-layered, there's what's happening in front of you and the depths that run underneath.
In this story you can see how Matt Scudder has to finally come to terms with just how far he can cross the line he has been walking for years -- the line between good and bad, right and wrong -- in the process he has to create a new line between who he used to be, who he is today and who he will become.
This is very good stuff with several twists and turns. Some mystery, one huge surprise and a very satisfying conclusion. Long time readers of the Scudder novels will be particularly surprised and drawn in to what is revealed as the story comes to a conclusion.
Minor quibbles: I've never really been a fan of Matt's protege TJ, mainly because I find his rhyming phrases to be annoying and I think it comes across as a lame attempt at trying to give the appearance of being streetwise rather than actual experience in the street (maybe that's the point, to show that TJ isn't as street as he pretends but it's still lame and annoying).
Since the appearance of Elaine (who I do like) there are more and more instances where instead of the narrative informing what Scudder is thinking he has conversations with Elaine that often come out as stilted and unnatural. Exposition for the sake of exposition that brings everything to a crawl. Those instances are few in this book but they're still there.
You can't go wrong with this book. As always I suggest starting as early in the series as you can and going through them in order, it still works well as a stand alone novel but it works SO much better if you know more of the history between the characters.
April 13, 2024
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 as in Even the Wicked). But the danger imbued on each page, the sense that the axe could fall anywhere this time except perhaps on Scudder himself, mitigates the transparency of the “mystery.” Besides, this situation isn’t presented as a whodunit — it’s simply too chaotic and rapid — so even if the identity of the man they’re looking for is apparent, that doesn’t redound with bad credit on Scudder. I was a bit disappointed with the book’s final coda, but other than that, it’s a solid thriller, an enthralling look at a world of pure violence.
[Read three times: 7/1/03, 12/16/05, 1/2/08]
Yes, this time around I again guessed at the villain’s identity (though to be fair this wasn’t as obvious and labored as in Even the Wicked). But the danger imbued on each page, the sense that the axe could fall anywhere this time except perhaps on Scudder himself, mitigates the transparency of the “mystery.” Besides, this situation isn’t presented as a whodunit — it’s simply too chaotic and rapid — so even if the identity of the man they’re looking for is apparent, that doesn’t redound with bad credit on Scudder. I was a bit disappointed with the book’s final coda, but other than that, it’s a solid thriller, an enthralling look at a world of pure violence.
[Read three times: 7/1/03, 12/16/05, 1/2/08]
October 10, 2011
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 book - is a streetsmart black kid who'd rather spend his weekends hanging around matt and elaine scudder (a middle-aged white couple) than be out on the streets smoking crack and raping whitey... (<--- y'see?) that said, everybody dies is a good entry in the scudder series, marred by some irritating booooshit.
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 book - is a streetsmart black kid who'd rather spend his weekends hanging around matt and elaine scudder (a middle-aged white couple) than be out on the streets smoking crack and raping whitey... (<--- y'see?) that said, everybody dies is a good entry in the scudder series, marred by some irritating booooshit.
January 17, 2019
When members of Mick Ballou's crew start turning up dead, the New York gangster turns to one of the city's best private investigators who also happens to be his good friend: Matthew Scudder. Working for Mick will test Matt's reputation along with some of his relationships as the murders turn into an all-out gang war. Scudder's assistance with Mick's problems will uncover the past that was thought to have been buried long ago. What Matt doesn't know for sure about his pal will be unearthed when he takes up arms with the man in the white apron.
Great book. Just great. Everybody Dies has it all for the Scudder fan and crime fiction aficionado alike. I don't know if I've mentioned this in previous reviews, but Mick Ballou is my favorite fictitious character in the mystery world. Larger than life, shrouded in mystery and myth, he brings some deeper impressions to the series when our main man stops by Grogan's for a cup of coffee or when they attend Butcher's Mass in the wee hours of the morning. Well, we get to peak behind the curtain a little bit and what is there is sure to please the faithful reader of this series. Mick has a lot to offer in terms of substance and some of the stories that surround him face a reckoning in this book.
If you've made it this far you're probably going in order. That's they way to do it!
Great book. Just great. Everybody Dies has it all for the Scudder fan and crime fiction aficionado alike. I don't know if I've mentioned this in previous reviews, but Mick Ballou is my favorite fictitious character in the mystery world. Larger than life, shrouded in mystery and myth, he brings some deeper impressions to the series when our main man stops by Grogan's for a cup of coffee or when they attend Butcher's Mass in the wee hours of the morning. Well, we get to peak behind the curtain a little bit and what is there is sure to please the faithful reader of this series. Mick has a lot to offer in terms of substance and some of the stories that surround him face a reckoning in this book.
If you've made it this far you're probably going in order. That's they way to do it!
November 3, 2016
Lawrence Block is one of my favorite authors and The Matthew Scudder series have been enjoyable and entertaining . Everybody Dies is no exception to my enjoyable experience. Looking forward to reading more of this series!
May 22, 2017
PROTAGONIST: Matt Scudder, PI
SETTING: New York City
SERIES: #14
RATING: 4.5
WHY: Matt's old friend, Irish bar owner Mick Ballou, comes to him when 2 of his runners are killed. Ballou can't figure out who is behind the hits. It gets personal when someone tries to kill Scudder to stop the investigation. They form an alliance that pits them against the cops. Block excels at his thoughtful handling of the history of the 2 men and the things that they have done. One of the best in the series.
SETTING: New York City
SERIES: #14
RATING: 4.5
WHY: Matt's old friend, Irish bar owner Mick Ballou, comes to him when 2 of his runners are killed. Ballou can't figure out who is behind the hits. It gets personal when someone tries to kill Scudder to stop the investigation. They form an alliance that pits them against the cops. Block excels at his thoughtful handling of the history of the 2 men and the things that they have done. One of the best in the series.
November 25, 2022
Scudder, minus booze, is still a tainted protagonist. Despite the licence to carry and investigate, his hardman ways persist. In this, someone dies at the hands of Scudder and he couldn't give a damn. There's no moral compass for revenge in the worst way. I enjoyed the dark narrative.
November 20, 2017
Yet another typical, heavily-padded load of old bollocks by Block here. Starts out very well, as usual, then bogs down in endless pages of dull dialogue and irrelevant bull dung. Just a 150 page book padded out to 350... The ending is laughably predictable and clichéd. Ugh.
Block has famously never talked of his possible AA membership, but I would strongly suggest that every book he wrote after Matt (Block) goes sober is a "virtual AA meeting" for Block. They start out fine, you fall asleep in the too-dull middle, and then wake up for a rousing coffee/shootup at the end. Yes?
My strong advice: After you read the brilliant Sins of the Fathers, the masterpiece 8 Million Ways to Die, and the still terrific A Stab in the Dark and Out on the Cutting Edge, just quit with Block.... All Block's got in him after those are short story scams padded to novel length, just to get a higher payout for himself and his publishers. Insulting.
* Facepalm *
Some moments of good stuff, but it doesn't last:
It was September, and a very transitional sort of September, with days like August and nights like October. Days to remind you of where you’d been, nights to make sure you knew where you were going.
Matt took this gun from the goon: .38 with a 1" barrel
I miss the wonderful character, Jan...
I’d obtained [a different] gun for a friend who was dying of pancreatic cancer. She wanted a quick way out if it got too bad to be borne. It got very bad indeed before it finally killed her, but she’d somehow been able to live with it until she died of it, and she’d never had to use the gun.
“Be careful... What the dude said, ain’t it? ... One lived in the woods and didn’t pay his taxes. Musta been before Lyme disease, when you could still get by with that shit. You know the dude I talkin’ about. Said to watch out for jobs you got to dress up for.”
“Thoreau.”
“Yeah, that’s him.
If you’re going to get shot, always go for small caliber and low muzzle velocity. A BB from an air rifle would be best, but they always seem to find their way into children’s eyes.”
Notes:
1.0% ".. I've skipped a few Scudders due to Block or his publisher's greed or stupidity. Your kind reviews have led me here. I love Scudder and hate the way he was abused after Out on the Cutting Edge"
9.0% "... One thing, most of Block's novels start off well. This one is good, so far."
17.0% ".... omg, there's a fight, then Matt thinks about the fight, then he tells someone about the fight, then they discuss the fight, then he tells Elaine about the fight, etc
* Facepalm *"
20% "... wow, two conversations here between Matt and Elaine sound very much like the reparteé of Spenser and Susan (Robert B. Parker and wife Joan)"
43.0% "... one thing bugs me a lot with detective stories: Don't they ever consider their room or phones might be bugged? With bad guys listening in?"
52.0% ".... again and again, repeated discussions about the (now 3) incidents. If you cut this padding out, the book would be half as long."
69.0% ".... gah! Talking about talking. Discussion about what happened again and again. Repetition to pad the book to scalable length. So much other padding here, pretending to be significant, but actually shoot yourself dull. 😥"
70.0% "... omg they're talking about the movies. What a load of crap"
75.0% ... boring, boring, padded crap. What a scam.
.
Block has famously never talked of his possible AA membership, but I would strongly suggest that every book he wrote after Matt (Block) goes sober is a "virtual AA meeting" for Block. They start out fine, you fall asleep in the too-dull middle, and then wake up for a rousing coffee/shootup at the end. Yes?
My strong advice: After you read the brilliant Sins of the Fathers, the masterpiece 8 Million Ways to Die, and the still terrific A Stab in the Dark and Out on the Cutting Edge, just quit with Block.... All Block's got in him after those are short story scams padded to novel length, just to get a higher payout for himself and his publishers. Insulting.
* Facepalm *
Some moments of good stuff, but it doesn't last:
It was September, and a very transitional sort of September, with days like August and nights like October. Days to remind you of where you’d been, nights to make sure you knew where you were going.
Matt took this gun from the goon: .38 with a 1" barrel
I miss the wonderful character, Jan...
I’d obtained [a different] gun for a friend who was dying of pancreatic cancer. She wanted a quick way out if it got too bad to be borne. It got very bad indeed before it finally killed her, but she’d somehow been able to live with it until she died of it, and she’d never had to use the gun.
“Be careful... What the dude said, ain’t it? ... One lived in the woods and didn’t pay his taxes. Musta been before Lyme disease, when you could still get by with that shit. You know the dude I talkin’ about. Said to watch out for jobs you got to dress up for.”
“Thoreau.”
“Yeah, that’s him.
If you’re going to get shot, always go for small caliber and low muzzle velocity. A BB from an air rifle would be best, but they always seem to find their way into children’s eyes.”
Notes:
1.0% ".. I've skipped a few Scudders due to Block or his publisher's greed or stupidity. Your kind reviews have led me here. I love Scudder and hate the way he was abused after Out on the Cutting Edge"
9.0% "... One thing, most of Block's novels start off well. This one is good, so far."
17.0% ".... omg, there's a fight, then Matt thinks about the fight, then he tells someone about the fight, then they discuss the fight, then he tells Elaine about the fight, etc
* Facepalm *"
20% "... wow, two conversations here between Matt and Elaine sound very much like the reparteé of Spenser and Susan (Robert B. Parker and wife Joan)"
43.0% "... one thing bugs me a lot with detective stories: Don't they ever consider their room or phones might be bugged? With bad guys listening in?"
52.0% ".... again and again, repeated discussions about the (now 3) incidents. If you cut this padding out, the book would be half as long."
69.0% ".... gah! Talking about talking. Discussion about what happened again and again. Repetition to pad the book to scalable length. So much other padding here, pretending to be significant, but actually shoot yourself dull. 😥"
70.0% "... omg they're talking about the movies. What a load of crap"
75.0% ... boring, boring, padded crap. What a scam.
.
December 11, 2008
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.
April 2, 2020
I have been reading the Matt Scudder series in order, but it had been a year or two since the last one when I came across Everybody Dies. To appreciate the plot and characterizations, it really helps to have read the previous novels in this series since it advances several story arcs. The primary focus is on Matt's friend, Mick Ballou, the gangster, who is actually the central figure in this story. However, the reader should also be familiar with Jim Faber, Matt's AA sponsor because Matt's alcoholism has been a central arc throughout the series, and with Elaine, the former call girl, now Matt's wife, who also plays an important role.
Not having read Block for awhile, I was struck anew by his writing. The dialog was outstanding, even better than Robert Parker's if you can believe that. (See the "If only" passage ca. pp. 70-75.)
The love scenes were well done, tasteful and believable. The brief subplot concerning continuing character Lisa Holtzman (ca. p. 110) is a gem with understated impact.
In the central plot, Mick involves Matt in what becomes a bloody gang war. Casualties abound including at least a dozen named characters and another dozen foot soldiers. So much so that incredibly the shooters sometimes run out of ammunition.
Not having read Block for awhile, I was struck anew by his writing. The dialog was outstanding, even better than Robert Parker's if you can believe that. (See the "If only" passage ca. pp. 70-75.)
The love scenes were well done, tasteful and believable. The brief subplot concerning continuing character Lisa Holtzman (ca. p. 110) is a gem with understated impact.
In the central plot, Mick involves Matt in what becomes a bloody gang war. Casualties abound including at least a dozen named characters and another dozen foot soldiers. So much so that incredibly the shooters sometimes run out of ammunition.
July 14, 2017
"Everybody Does" is the fourteenth book in the Matthew Scudder series and, in my opinion, every single novel in this series is excellent, including this one. Scudder is a former police officer who walked away after an innocent died from a ricocheting bullet. He drowned his sorrows in booze for years until he discovered sobriety, this novel features an older Scudder, now married and finally a licensed investigator instead of one working as favors for friends he met in bars. He's a former cop, but his best buddy in a bar owner with a reputation as a lifetime criminal and a butcher, Mick Ballou. Scudder here is trying to figure out where he stands-- with the angels or the devils. Is he still a good guy or was he always a bit crooked, always taking money, always working favors. When all hell breaks loose and bodies of people he knows are gunned down, does Scudder work with the authorities or does his thirst for vengeance require he work outside the law? This is a terrific thriller more than perhaps a Detective story. It is a wild ride that takes the reader straight down the highway without any pause in the action.
December 27, 2008
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 tone and to me a bit of a disappointment. And I haven't gotten to the one after that, "All the Flowers are Dying." "Everybody Dies" struck me as a wonderful way to climax the series and give poor old beleaguered Matt a well-deserved rest in a world of blessed non-excitement.
June 8, 2013
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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