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Lawrence Block
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Lawrence Block
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Michael, Anti-Hero
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May 23, 2012 03:16AM
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Alberto is right. Matthew Scudder is probably the best PI series ever.
I wouldnt call Matt Scudder PI series as the best PI series ever when i conisider The Continental OP series best because of Hammett writing ability,prose style. Block isnt as great prose wise as Hammett but he is a great storyteller,builds Scudder world so well after each book.Scudder though is easily the best PI series i have read in novel form. It outshines contemporary PI series i have read.
Always found Matt Scudder boring, too right on. I mean, a recovering ex alcoholic? There's hope? For PIs? Block has written plenty of other sterling stuff. Such Men Are Dangerous is a favorite, a weird book that left me unsettled, not really Noir, but dark nevertheless.
I wouldn't call Lawrence Block Noir anyway, he writes great crime fiction, often with a very humorous bent, as is evident in his Burglar series and the hilarious Tanner books. It's hard to recommend any particular series of his books to someone who has never read his work because Block writes across a wide range of crime fiction. For me, the Tanner novels are fun, very much of their time and the way sex is dealt with in these books cracks me up every time.
Here's some thoughts on Tanner, culled from my blog, http://thedevilsroad.com
I just read Here comes a Hero, right after plowing throughTanner’s Tiger, both excellent late 1960s pulp titles by crime writer Lawrence Block, also known for his Matthew Scudder and Burglar series.
These Noir-lite offerings feature an enigmatic protagonist: the indefatigable Evan Tanner, a thirty-something special agent for a US secret service so secret that even Evan does not know who he is working for. And Tanner has a little quirk that makes him special, if not downright bizarre: During the Korean War, a sliver of shrapnel entered Tanner’s brain and hit his sleep center and since then, this likeable, sex-addled, leftist and somewhat anarchic protagonist has not required any shut-eye.
Here comes a Hero is a sordid and gloriously un-PC tale about brothels and Russian and US ambitions in Afghanistan, while Tanner’s Tiger has the novel’s hero preventing the assassination of Queen Elizabeth during a state visit to Canada.
And there’s a Southeast Asian connection in the Tanner series too: My favorite of Lawrence Block’s many protagonists recently made a comeback in Tanner on Ice, in which our hero heads for Rangoon and prevents the assassination of Burma’s poster auntie and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
And check out another early Tanner novel called The Scoreless Thai, which is set in 1960s Laos and features a young Thai man who just can’t get laid.
Many Tanner novels are still in print and Lawrence Block‘s perceptions of global politics, sex and the spy game are refreshing and because they are dated – attitudes to sex and America’s foreign policies are refreshingly liberal and the humor is often way freer than today’s accepted norms in the genre – these books stand up well. They don’t write them like this anymore.
Classic pulp.
How many Scudder books have you read? I wonder because if he was only a recovering alcoholic doing some generic PI work he would not be so acclaimed and so loved by readers of PI field. Scudder has been almost too patheic,too dark,horrible life the 8 books i have read. I wouldnt say he is right on.
The only other books of his i have read is Keller books so far and they are no way near Scudder books greatness. I hope he can turn to light,humor books,other series that is close to his writing in Scudder in quality.
Hi Mohammed, I had a go at Sins of the Fathers, the first Scudder novel I think. Couldn't get through it. Also tried the more recent Drop of the Hard Stuff and fell asleep. The moralistic aspect, this whole good and evil thing, perhaps, is what put me off. I prefer Tanner who has no moral issues. Haven't read the Keller titles. But this is not to denigrate Block's work. He's a fine writer. For more Noirish and hardboiled fare, I prefer Ross MacDonald, Jim Thompson, Chester Himes, Charles Willeford.
Tom wrote: "Hi Mohammed, I had a go at Sins of the Fathers, the first Scudder novel I think. Couldn't get through it. Also tried the more recent Drop of the Hard Stuff and fell asleep. The moralistic aspect, ..."Thats what i thought because the first book is by far the weakest Matt Scudder book i have read. I didnt respect the series before i read the second book. The moralistic aspect is because you missed when he was a terrible,low life drunk in books 2-6.
The growth to a moralistic,normal man from the guy who sat in bars drinking whole day is the interesting part beside the cases he works.
When its hardboiled PI i rank like this: Hammett,Block,Ross Macdonald. Noir: Richard Stark,Ken Bruen,Jim Thompson.
I've only read 3 of his Hardcase reprints. I LOVED them. To me, it was thrilling to read very well-written 60s pulp. 'Diet of Treacle' was a drugstore drug pulp, and so good.
I read 11 or 12 of the Scudder books and quit the series because of a personal complaint I had with Block's anti-Semitic word choice and his less than understanding response when I wrote him about it. Scudder is a fascinating character and the series is certainly hardboiled enough, and it was fun watching Scudder evolve but the series should have ended where it was supposed to with Eight Million Ways to Die.
If you're talking about this thread, I think you're blowing things way out of proportion.http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
I am, and like me, you're also entitled to your opinion.
Remy wrote: "I've only read 3 of his Hardcase reprints. I LOVED them. To me, it was thrilling to read very well-written 60s pulp. 'Diet of Treacle' was a drugstore drug pulp, and so good."Those might be good but i havent bothered because his best series steals alot of the time when i read Block. Will you read Scudder ?
David wrote: "I've read the first 3 in the Scudder series and I just finished Coward's Kiss (orig. Death Pulls a Doublecross). I must say that Coward's Kiss is probably my favourite of the four. It's plainly wri..."I havent even heard about that book before. Will intresting to see his early books and how they compare to Scudder.
David wrote: "Yeah, my plan is continue with the Scudder series, but I have three other Block novels that don't seem to fit in a series—You Could Call It Murder, Grifter's Game and Deadly Honeymoon. I also have ..."I have the first two Hitman books, first book in Burglar series. I ordered his Getting Off noir from Hard Case Crime. After 8 wonderful PI Scudder books i plan to try the other 3 series in Tanner,Heller,Burglar series and few stand alones.
I just fell for Block myself, after two great novels the collection of early works One Night Stands and Lost Weekends is my current short stories read and already I'm loving it, despite assertions from the author in the introduction that they're not that good.
Keller in DallasKeller. What a gent. A stamp collector who won't take up contracts on children. My kind of hit-man.
He began life on the page in a collection of killings that ran from one to another. Because of that, he's the perfect character for a standalone short.
You don't need prior knowledge to enjoy this one - Block provides enough back-story to keep a newcomer informed without alienating those familiar with the work.
Here, Keller is a new person. He has a new identity, new home-town, a family and a socially acceptable job. Unfortunately, his work is suffering from the recession, so when his ex-boss Dot (no longer in White Plains or having the same name) gets in touch about a job, it's difficult for him to turn it down. The icing on the cake is that he can combine the killing with a stamp-collectors' conference.
Keller's different in his approach on this one that I'm used to. A little rusty. Not prepared to do all the careful planning. He has Google (and maybe easy access to information has made us all a little complacent) to help him and something to lose.
Thankfully he's still agile in terms of improvising at the scene.
This job plays out unexpectedly. The twists and action keep the interest levels high.
It's a pleasure of a read. In some ways this read is a little bit like a classic car. There might be the odd splutter from the engine and a dent or two in the body-work, but it purrs and flows when it's on the open road. It's all you'd want from a hit-man story.
I had high expectations when I bought this and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
Super.
Has anyone seen the Wong Kar-Wai movie My Blueberry Nights? It was written by Lawrence Block.I've seen it before but just watched it again since finding out it was written by Block. I'm struggling to see much of his usual style in the writing and wondered how other fans felt about it.
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Algernon wrote: "I didn't check the writing credits after watching the movie. I remember liking the atmosphere, the lighting, but the pacing was off"Yeah I enjoyed all the typical Wong kar-Wai elements, I didn't like some other things, nothing to do with the script more to do with the performances.
It was just that only knowing his early work and Matt Scudder I didn't recognise anything that was LB in the movie.
I made big newbie mistake, im reading my first Burglar,Bernie book i thought i was reading the first book but it is the fourth book. I dont like starting after book 1 one in a series.
Tfitoby wrote: "Has anyone seen the Wong Kar-Wai movie My Blueberry Nights? It was written by Lawrence Block.I've seen it before but just watched it again since finding out it was written by Block. I'm strugglin..."
This is how I first heard of Block. I'm a huge Wong Kar-wai fan (2046!). Blueberry... wasn't the greatest of his movies, but I think working in a foreign language had a lot to do with that.
I think the first thing I read by Block was in
Stories: All-New Tales, Catch and Release.
Darren wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Has anyone seen the Wong Kar-Wai movie My Blueberry Nights? It was written by Lawrence Block.I've seen it before but just watched it again since finding out it was written by Bloc..."
"My Blueberry Nights" was terrible.
Tfitoby wrote: "Has anyone seen the Wong Kar-Wai movie My Blueberry Nights? It was written by Lawrence Block.I've seen it before but just watched it again since finding out it was written by Block. I'm strugglin..."
A writer is just alittle voice in filmmaking specially for a big director in Hollywood or in Hong Kong. The director is much more the one that decides the style. Read what Westlake,Leonard had to deal with when they were writing scripts for Hollywood.
I can't agree that Blueberry Nights was terrible, it didn't work as a typical Wong Kar Wai movie and it didn't really work as a Lawrence Block script but for me at least it has a certain quality that I respond to, it's kind of mesmerising I suppose.
Darren wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Has anyone seen the Wong Kar-Wai movie My Blueberry Nights? It was written by Lawrence Block.I've seen it before but just watched it again since finding out it was written by Bloc..."
Yeah the selection of Norah Jones, Jude Law and Natalie Portman was a strange one that could only be made by somebody whose first language isn't English.
Was coming to Block after the movie a surprise for you? His novels that I've read so far haven't even come close to comparing content wise.
Haven't read Catch and Release but it sounds even darker than usual Block.
I had heard there was a new movie in the works but didn't realize this adventure was that far along in the process. An excerpt from Lawrence Block's most recent newsletter (dated today - Feb. 27, 2013) regarding a new Matt Scudder movie: "A Walk Among the Tombstones is set to begin filming in New York sometime next month. Scott Frank, who wrote the screen adaptation, will direct, and Liam Neeson will play Matthew Scudder. The casting seems to have been completed, with Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Ruth Wilson (Anna Karenina), and Boyd Holbrook (Hatfields & McCoys) among the players.
I haven't read the script, and think I'd rather wait and see the film with fresh eyes. Scott Frank's adaptations of two Elmore Leonard novels, Out of Sight and Get Shorty, set the standard of book-to-film screenwriting, and The Lookout, which he wrote and directed, is an unassuming noir masterpiece. So I'm not worried... I could see why Scott picked it. It's the tenth book in the Scudder series, and one of the stronger ones."
Very interested to see this one when it comes out. I wouldn't have immediately thought of Liam Neeson as the person to play Matthew Scudder but he's not a bad choice, particularly since the story is one of the later ones and would feature a Scudder who is a little older.
By the way, Mr. Block is also making the Kindle Select short story Keller's Therapy available for free download at Amazon for "the next few days".
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B...
I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear which ones everyone ranks as their favourites.
Mike wrote: "I had heard there was a new movie in the works but didn't realize this adventure was that far along in the process. An excerpt from Lawrence Block's most recent newsletter (dated today - Feb. 27, ..."I have to agree with Block, Scott Frank is a great choice for this project. Hopefully we'll get the Scudder movie we deserve.
Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear which ones everyone ranks as th..."I am reading through them much like you Stephen, I think Bobbi is too actually, I'm up to book 6, not sure if I'll get through them all this year though. Mostly I am trying to savour the series instead of devouring them like I want to.
Tfitoby wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear which ones ever..."Stephen: I'm reading about 10 different series, taking them one by one, faster through more than others.
Up next is #4, A Stab in the Dark. Can't wait to finish the depressing but great book I'm reading now, so I can begin a 'fun ride' with Scudder. Love the guy.
Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear which ones everyone ranks as th..."I've read most of them over the years, with the exception of A Long Line of Dead Men (#12), Even The Wicked (#13), A Drop of The Hard Stuff (#17) and the short story anthology The Night and The Music.
Last year I managed to get a deal on the entire collection and I have begun rereading them all in order, so far I am up to When The Sacred Ginmill Closes (#6).
It's been years since I've read some of them but my favorites from memory are the middle ones:
When the Sacred Ginmill Closes(#6)
Out on the Cutting Edge(#7)
A Ticket to the Boneyard(#8)
A Dance At The Slaughterhouse(#9)
A Walk Among the Tombstones(#10)
The Devil Knows You're Dead(#11)
Everybody Dies(#14)
My least favorite of those I've read was All The Flowers are Dying (#16).
I've always felt like the first four were almost a different series than the later ones with Eight Million Ways to Die being a kind of dividing line or bridge between the two. Had the series stopped after Eight Million Ways to Die (as Block originally intended) it would have been a good hard-boiled series but it's the later books IMO that makes the series truly something special and better than the average hard-boiled series.
Mike wrote: "I had heard there was a new movie in the works but didn't realize this adventure was that far along in the process. An excerpt from Lawrence Block's most recent newsletter (dated today - Feb. 27, ..."I have been burned too often by crime book adapatation, i will expect nothing from this unless it becomes hailed,acclaimed with the book fans, the critics.
This screenplay writer might be good but none of his films capture Elmore Leonard style like Jackie Brown,Justified did. Lookout might be good but his are not the best Leonard films imo.
Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear which ones everyone ranks as th..."Me too! I'm only on #5 because I'm trying to draw them out. I could easily read them one after another. I'd say right now my favorite is #3, Time to Murder and Create.
Mike wrote: "Last year I managed to get a deal on the entire collection and I have begun rereading them all in order, so far I am up to When The Sacred Ginmill Closes (#6)."Wow! Did you find that at a local used bookstore?
Cathy wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear..."
10 series - that's ambitious, I'm sticking to 4 or 5!
10 series - that's ambitious, I'm sticking to 4 or 5!
Col wrote: "Cathy wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Inte..."I'm an idiot for series, obviously. Forgive me
If i had as much cash as i had for books last year. I would buy and read 10 Scudder books!No one else who is afraid of catching up too fast to the latest or last book? I took a pause after book 8. Not read Scudder in almost two years now.
I'm lucky - my library has most of the Scudder series so wont have to buy many - am having to read a couple as large print versions though. Am reading them in between other books so savouring them slowly but am pretty addicted now especially as the series has evolved quite a bit now that Scudder is off the booze and Ballou has been introduced as a character - definitely worth reading the whole series in order rather than cherry picking the best known ones as well.
Ctgt wrote: "Mike wrote: "Last year I managed to get a deal on the entire collection and I have begun rereading them all in order, so far I am up to When The Sacred Ginmill Closes (#6)."Wow! Did you find that at a local used bookstore?"
I bought them on eBay. Got a really great deal from someone who had recently shut down a used book store and was cleaning out the inventory - got the entire Matthew Scudder collection some paperbacks, some hardbacks and a few multiple copies - they also threw in a half dozen extra titles as a bonus. I was really lucky!
Apart from Scudder, Bernie and Keller.......anyone read either of his other series books - Chip Harrison or Tanner?
I have an omnibus edirtion of the Harrisons untouched, but none of the others.
I have an omnibus edirtion of the Harrisons untouched, but none of the others.
I don't mind the odd bit of humour, I'll probably need to try the first Tanner and see how I get on.
Late notice, I know, but Lawrence Block will be on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight! According to his newsletter he will be discussing his most recent Keller book HIT ME as well as the Mathew Scudder movie. Here was what he had to say about the movie in his newsletter:
"Speaking of A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, the picture is shooting even as we speak. You probably already know that Liam Neeson is starring as Matthew Scudder. Other cast members include Ruth Wilson (of Luther) and Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey). I visited the set a week or so ago and watched them filming a scene in The Flame, with Liam and Astro (who plays TJ) sharing a booth and conversating.
It's early days, but I have to say I have very good feelings about this film. The casting is perfect, and writer/director Scott Frank seems determined to do right by the story and characters. They've been shooting all over the five boroughs—a brownstone in Clinton Hill, a church in Bushwick, a house up in Whitestone—and the footage I've seen so far has the look and feel of a Scudder story. And I'm told there'll even be a Hitchcockean cameo for myself. Footage destined for the cutting room floor, I suspect, but we'll see..."
He's also having one of his Wednesday giveaways tomorrow:
"Starting at 3am Eastern time on this Wednesday, the Matthew Scudder novelette "A Candle for the Bag Lady" is free on Kindle. The deal runs for three days only, but during that time it's yours at no charge."
Saw in LB's latest email update that he said that the Scudder series was 18 books which confused me so I tweeted him about it and got this back:"Glad you asked! 17 novels plus The Night and the Music."
See from posts earlier in this discussion that The Night and the Music is a book of Scudder short stories. Does it follow on from the novels so is it best read last ?
Stephen wrote: "Saw in LB's latest email update that he said that the Scudder series was 18 books which confused me so I tweeted him about it and got this back:"Glad you asked! 17 novels plus The Night and the Mu..."
Keep in mind that all the short stories were written at different times throughout the years, so it would probably be better to wait as there will be minor spoilers that pertain to the ongoing series as you go. Plus at least one short story (The Dawn's Early Light) was later used as the basis for a full length novel (When the Sacred Ginmill Closes).
Having said that, if you can't wait then it won't necessarily "ruin" anything for you since a lot of the Scudder series is more about how he gets to where he's going than the ongoing case/mystery he happens to be working on.
Stephen wrote: "Saw in LB's latest email update that he said that the Scudder series was 18 books which confused me so I tweeted him about it and got this back:"Glad you asked! 17 novels plus The Night and the Mu..."
Besides being prolific, besides being such a fine writer, LB appreciates his loyal fans of his characters and his writing. He's very close and in touch with us which I think is great!
Just received the latest Lawrence Block Newsletter and he's giving away a couple of free short stories on Kindle for the next 4-days (Mr. Block always encourages his fans to share info from his newsletters with others who might be interested). A Matthew Scudder short story called The Merciful Angel of Death:
http://www.amazon.com/Merciful-Angel-...
If Can't Stand The Heat (The Kit Tolliver Stories) is free for the next 4 days.
http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Stand-Toll...
Mike wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I'm aiming to read all of the Scudder series this year - currently on book 7 of 17 - anyone else read them all or working their way through them ? Interested to hear which ones ever..."I'm up to Number 14, "Everybody Dies" now and am finding that one to be one of the best (possibly my no.2 after "A Ticket to the Boneyard") - very appropriate title as well...
Everybody Dies has one of my favorite endings in the series.
16 short stories, some with both those characters makes that books the easiest preorder for me. I look forward to read Matt and Bernie in short story format. Have read only their novels.
I havent really bought many HCC books in recent years only Block Getting Off last year and now this heh.
Pulp Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (other topics)Time to Murder and Create (other topics)
A Dance At The Slaughterhouse (other topics)
A Ticket to the Boneyard (other topics)
A Walk Among the Tombstones (other topics)
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