Great read!!! If you like Lawrence Block, then don't miss out on this elusive title.

. Tanner is back in the third of eight books in the series. This one is much better than the first two. Again Tanner leaves NYC to trek across Europe, sneak across boarders. This time the trip takes him from home to Yugoslavia north to Russia. Keeping in mind this adventure as wells as the two others takes place before the brake up of the Soviet Union and the problems and war with the breakup of Yugoslavia. Block's historical accounts are excellent and add to the excitement of the book. It's well paced and I look forward to the others in the series. At this point in time they are on backorder at amazon.com.

This is the best book I've ever read about overcoming writer's block. I want to recommend it to friends, but sadly it's out of print.

Please consider re-issuing it. It is too valuable to let slide into obscurity!

Even though mystery is not my favorite genre, I always make an exception for Lawrence Block novels, especially the Scudder novels. SACRED GINMILL is one of the best. Block's descriptions of the drinking life are so realistic, he even describes what the characters are drinking, with the kind of loving detail that only a real alcoholic could appreciate. This is a fantastic novel. Block's emphasis on character and shading brings Scudder and his world to life. The dialog is right on target, and I loved the ending. This book touched me in ways that few have. I can't recommend it enough.

Scudder, Lawrence Block's very New York detective, is faced with and solves several puzzles in his own backyard. Block delineates well the seedy New York bar scene that Scudder inhabits and portrays the residents with a realism that is startling. As usual thre are several plots going on at once, held together by the undoubted detective talents of the hero. The New York police train their men well for even after several years off the force Scudder knows how to put the pieces together. For followers of the series this book is set several years before "Eight Million Ways to Die" though published subsequently

.Matthew Scudder is Lawrence Block's remarkable private investigator. He's a former NYPD detective who left the force after an accident left a child dead in a crossfire. Because he is unlicensed you can't "hire" him. Instead he does you a favor by taking your case and solving the crime. In exchange for the favor the client returns the favor by giving him some cash. Scudder is an alcoholic. Rarely do you find him without a drink in has hand or at one of has favorite watering holes. "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" takes place in 1975 when a telephone call still costs a dime. In this exciting novel we find Scudder searching for Skip Devoe's tax records. Tommy Tillary's wife is dead and our hero has to find who killed her and clear Timmy. Tim Pat's after-hours place is robbed and Matt has to find out who committed that crime as well. There are several intertwined plots, which makes this Block novel suspenseful and exciting. An afterthought: Matthew Scudder is a realistic, likeable character. In the early books we find that after he left the NYPD he took up drinking and left his wife and two sons. From time to time she asks Scudder to send more money because "we need it." Scudder generally obliges. Although not living with his family Scudder is not distant from them. He speaks to his boys on the phone and brings them into the city for a ball game. For some reason that Scudder doesn't know finds himself visiting churches and leaving a donation, tithing, ten percent of money recently received from a client. Scudder says Catholic churches receive donations for than others because they are generally open at late hours. Although he's not a religious man he finds peace and solitude in the almost always empty sanctuary he visits.

This is the 4th book in the Matt Scudder series and is a very appropriately titled book, with Scudder investigating a stabbing murder that happened 9 years ago. He doesn't particularly look forward to the case but, with nothing better to do, he begins to sift through old ground in between cups of bourbon-laced coffee.

The Matt Scudder character is the important feature of this book as we follow his tortured journey around New York City chasing up clues in a long-dead case. He unearths clues and leads as a good detective should, but it's his battle with the bottle that proves the most fascinating story. He finally gets a good hard smack across the chops in this book which may help put him on the road to sobriety, at least, it scares him enough to consider he may need help.

This is another fine example of an outstanding modern hardboiled mystery, just part of an outstanding hardboiled series.

This is probably the best Matt Scudder book I've read yet. It takes us to a time when Scudder drank but never thought about his habit as something that was gradually controlling his life. He picks up a very interesting case, a particularly greusome murder that slipped through the cracks 9 years earlier and is only now receiving a true investigation. When the beautiful young girl turns out to be anything but an innocent victim, her father (Scudder's client) fires him and refuses to go on cooperating with the investigation. It's too late for Matt, though. He's onto something here, and he knows it. Scudder won't rest until he's solved the case, or at least finished himself off with a case of bourbon.

Lawrence Block took his Scudder books to a new level in "Stab in the Dark". The first three books were good enough to keep me reading, but they were not anything special. In the other books the only thing that kept me interested was Block's style and Scudder's character. The mysteries were never that interesting. This book however has a wonderful plot and has a wonderful supporting cast. Everything about this book surpassed the previous entries. While Scudder, himself, has always been a good character this entry allows the reader to probe inside his mind a little more. Hopefully this was Block's stepping stone and the rest of the series is on par with this one. It is a must read for any P.I. lover.

This is L. Block's best book about Matthew Scudder, bar none. The characters are vivid, settings place you right in the action, the dialogue believable, and Scudder's descent into addiction - dead on. Block could have rested on his laurels (deservedly so) after this book, but thank goodness, he's still writing. Of course, it helps if you started reading the series from the very beginning, and you understand the life Scudder's been living, and how he's been fooling himself. Hard to believe he's not real.

"Eight Million Ways to Die" is a classic piece of hardboiled detective fiction that represents a turning point in the life of its hero, Matthew Scudder. Early on in the narrative, Scudder is told frankly by a young doctor after a two-day alcohol blackout, "if you drink, you'll die." Scared by the warning, Scudder takes a case he doesn't want in a despearte attempt to distract him from alcohol. His struggles with the bottle come across very real and are harrowing to behold. The case is a good one as well with Scudder attempting to track the manaical killer of a hooker who was trying to leave the life. Death is an ever constant theme, with the book's title being a riff on the old literary saying "there are eight million stories in the naked city."

This book is everything great private detective fiction should be; dark, cynical, violent and lonely. Frankly, I like Scudder better during this period than later on after he sobers up. If you agree, you'll love this book.

This is the book that really set the standard for the Scudder series. It's the fifth Scudder adventure and it opens with Matt just out of the hospital after a major drinking binge. He is hired by a prostitute who wants out of the business, so he tracks down her pimp, Chance. No problem, Chance says. She can get out, but she could have saved herself some money and skipped the middleman.

Everything looks great, but then the prostitute is murdered. Scudder, of course, assumes that Chance is the killer, so he calls in a tip to the police. Next thing you know, Chance is out and he's looking for Matt.

This book is the first to really show Matt's struggle with alcohol. He starts attending AA meetings, but still doesn't see himself as an alcoholic.

Normally, by the fifth book, a series begins to run out of steam. With Matt Scudder, though, the series is just beginning to find its legs.

The mystery is fair play, but if you figure out how it all ties together before Matt, you're a more astute reader than I am. All of the characters are well-drawn and fully realized. Block is a true master and this is a masterpiece!

I liked Lawrence Block's "A Ticket to the Boneyard" right off. This was my first Matthew Scudder novel to read, and I found the character very easy to associate with. Not that you'd have to be an alcoholic bum, because I am not, but his humble, desperate situations make him a great character immediately. I liked him, and found him to be very interesting. Of course the plot itself was a nice piece of work, with its twists and sudden turns, and the uncanny amount of realism in the story really brings it all together as a truly great read. It's written with a slightly amateurish style of grammatical structure, which merely adds to the authenticity of the book, but I thought that some of the words that came from Matt and Elaine's mouths were a little advanced for an ex-cop and a prostitute. Either way, the book was great and I will certainly pick up more Scudder novels to read in the future!

.Matthew Scudder is Lawrence Block's remarkable private investigator. He's a former NYPD detective who left the force after an accident left a child dead in a crossfire. Because he is unlicensed you can't "hire" him. Instead he does you a favor by taking your case and solving the crime. In exchange for the favor the client returns the favor by giving him some cash. Scudder is a recovering alcoholic who attends AA meetings throughout the book. In earlier Scudder novels Matt is almost always without a drink in his hands. I have read most of the Scudder series to date and fond "A Ticket to the Boneyard," the best. I could not put it down. Reading it took priority of everything else I had to do or should have done. Scudder is reacquainted with James Leo Motley sent to prison a dozen years earlier. Motley vowed to get even and kill Scudder and all his women. Although Scudder is divorced the only woman in his life is Elaine, a call girl. This doesn't stop Scudder as friends, acquaintances; the psychotic killer eliminates people he doesn't know. If you read only one Lawrence Block/Scudder novel, "A Ticket to the Boneyard," should be that novel. An afterthought: Matthew Scudder is a realistic, likeable character. In the early books we find that after he left the NYPD he took up drinking and left his wife and two sons. From time to time she asks Scudder to send more money because "we need it." Scudder generally obliges. Although not living with his family Scudder is not distant from them. He speaks to his boys on the phone and brings them into the city for a ball game. For some reason that Scudder doesn't know finds himself visiting churches and leaving a donation, tithing, ten percent of money recently received from a client. Scudder says Catholic churches receive donations for than others because they are generally open at late hours. Although he's not a religious man he finds peace and solitude in the almost always empty sanctuary he visits.

I was mildly entertained by Lawrence Block's "Even the Wicked." "A Walk Among the Tombstones" was gritty enough to get me to try my third Matthew Scudder: "A Ticket to the Boneyard."

Now I am hooked, and will read the entire series.

Scudder is an ex-NYPD cop...a flawed, complex, likeable, pragmatic character. Now an unlicensed PI, he investigates for his friends.

The plot in "Boneyard" roars along from page one with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way. Not predictable. The villain is one of the most realistic, despicable and depraved I have run across.

Great hard-edged writing that leaps off the pages.

I am making Lawrence Block a priority.

I did not chose this book, it was required for a writer's workshop. When I sit down to read a detective novel I expect it to be about detecting. In The Devil Knows Your're Dead I was not the least bit interested in the personal issues / problems of the main character of this novel. The murder happens on page 17 of 316 and there is absolutely zero progress on solving the crime until about 231 pages into it. The intervening pages are mired in musings about alcoholism, transexuals, the morality of suicide, yada, yada, yada. B-o-r-i-n-g. I guess there is a market for this type of mystery (...) but give me Christie, Stout or Sayers and I'm happy. You can keep Block all to yourself.

The Devil Knows You're Dead is a very well written book that held my interest throughout -- however, I have been a big fan of this series from the beginning. Mystery fans who are looking for lots of action and suspense may want to skip this book. Relative to several of the other books in this series, there is considerably less physical violence and more --much more-- of a concentration on the emotional havoc and angst that Matthew Scudder is experiencing as he makes his way through his topsy-turvy world. The cases Scudder is working on in The Devil Knows You're Dead are interesting but they are not exciting and action-based. So, if this is what you're looking for in a mystery you probably should choose another book. If you enjoy great character development, interesting and likable secondary characers, vivid and accurate descriptions of the Hell's Kitchen/Clinton section of NYC, then treat yourself to this very good book. Keep in mind it's not the best book in this series but it's one I think you'll enjoy. However, I would strongly recommend that if you haven't read any of the books in this series, you first read at least one or two of the earlier books (e.g., When The Scared Ginmill Closes, A Ticket To The Boneyard, A Dance At The Slaughterhouse, A Walk Among The Tombstones, etc.) before reading The Devil Knows You're Dead. These books will familiarize you what the world of Matthew Scudder has been like. This book serves pretty much as a vehicle to further evolve the main character of Matthew Scudder and to let you know where he's moving to in his life.

Captivating story .. this one will keep you burning the midnight oil and turning those pages. Lots of Mick Ballou in this one .. personally, I love Mick. If you enjoy his character, this will definitely be a book you shouldn't miss. This falls about 2/3 of the way in the Scudder series to date. I couldn't put this one down from the second I started it.

Of the eight Bernie Rhodenbarr novels published as of the end of 1997, THE BURGLAR WHO PAINTED LIKE MONDRIAN is by far the best...and, ironically, it is also one of the the few Lawrence Block novels that, as of the same date, was out of print. MONDRIAN carries on the "Burglar Who" tradition of burying Bernie up to his neck in trouble and letting the reader watch as he resourcefully digs himself out. This time, the plot involves genuine and forged Mondrian paintings, a kidnapped cat, an impregnable building which Bernie repeatedly breaks into, plus a dozen other elements; and somehow it all comes together perfectly. Like a Mozart concerto, like a Fred Astaire dance routine, this book hits all the right notes, maintains its balance and rhythm, and leaves the reader wanting more. It won't be out of print forever. When it returns, buy several copies: this is one you'll want to give to your friends.

Antiquarian book dealer Berni Rhodenbarr feels pretty good about his current job, appraising New York millionaire Gordon Onderdon's personal collection. While checking the library, Bernie, being a thief, cannot help casing the rest of the house in case he decides to abscond with something.

Bernie's close friend Carolyn Kaiser informs Bernie that someone has abducted her cat. For ransom, they want the Piet Mondrian painting hanging in a museum where it is virtually impossible to steal anything. Bernie, knowing that Gordon has a fake on his wall, returns to the wealthy man's home to steal the painting. Instead, he finds a corpse and no painting. Of course, the police turn to Bernie as the prime suspect. Now he has to rescue the feline and prove his own innocence.

This is a reprint of a classy Bernie Rhodenbarr novel, which may be the best of this highly regarded series. Bernie and friends remain interesting and fun, while New York City comes to life in a way rarely seen in a novel. The crisp story line keeps reader attention throughout the book. Bottom line is the entire eight-novel collection is worth reading because no one does Manhattan any better than Lawrence Block does with these incredible tales.

Harriet Klausner

Review by Nina Coombs Pykare, author of DEATH COMES FOR DESDEMONA. As always Bernie Rohdenbarr gets himself mixed up in a murder. And as always Larry Block gives us a fascinating world where the burglar is 'the good guy' and an 'honest cop' limits his take. This time it's a kidnapped cat and a painting by Mondrian that push the plot. I love the way Block drops little allusions to literature. He makes me laugh. A great read.

Lawrence Block is one of our most talented mystery authors. In the Bernie Rhodenbarr series he explores how an ordinary, but intelligent, "honest" person might go about pursuing a life of crime as a fastidious and talented burglar who isn't proud of what he does, doesn't like to hang out with criminals, and really gets a big thrill out of breaking and entering . . . and removing valuables. As you can see, there's a sitcom set-up to provide lots of humor. But the humor works well in part because Mr. Block is able to put the reader in the Bernie's shoes while he breaks, enters and steals . . . and evades the long arm of the law. To balance the "honest" burglar is an array of "dishonest" and equally easy-money loving cops. As a result, you're in a funny moral never-never land while your stomach tightens and your arm muscles twitch as tension builds. To make matters even more topsy-turvy, Bernie at some point in every story turns into an investigator who must figure out "who-dun-it" for some crime that he personally didn't do. It's almost like one of those "mystery at home" games where the victim comes back as the police investigator, playing two roles. Very nice!

So much for explaining the concept of the series. The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza is the fourth book in the series. I strongly suggest that you begin the series by reading Burglars Can't Be Choosers and follow it up with The Burglar in the Closet and The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. Each story in the series adds information and characters in a way that will reduce your pleasure of the others if read out of order. Although, I originally read them out of order and liked them well enough. I'm rereading them now in order, and like it much better this way. The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian comes next in the series.

Bernie's friend, Carolyn Kaiser, the dog groomer at the Poodle Factory has a hot tip for him. Wealthy dog-owners, Herbert and Wanda Colcannon will be out of town breeding Astrid, their Bouvier des Flandres guard dog, who normally keeps burglars away from their possessions, which includes Herbert's famous coin collection . . . and which Bernie is already impressed by. Carolyn discovered a taste for breaking and entering while "borrowing" a Polaroid camera in The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, and now she's a full-fledged partner who insists on joining Bernie in the burglary.

Quickly inside the Colcannon's West 18th Street brownstone, they find the place a mess. "Burglars," Bernie announces. But the first burglars mainly made a mess . . . and couldn't open the safe. But Bernie does and finds some jewelry, a Piaget watch, and a nickel. The main coin collection must be safe in a bank vault elsewhere. Carolyn's more pleased with the Chagall lithograph that she takes for her apartment. So far, so good.

They retire to visit Bernie's charming fence, Abel Crowe, who had survived being an inmate at Dachau. Bernie knows that Abel is more likely to be generous if he's in a good mood, so Bernie brings Abel a little gift, a 1707 English edition of Spinoza's Ethics, bound in blue calf. Everything goes smoothly until Abel examines the nickel. "Gross Gott!" he exclaims. Bernie has brought him one of five known specimens of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel that the mint denies ever having made. It's worth a fortune. Abel offers a small sum in cash now . . . or to split the proceeds from a more leisurely sale. Bernie and Carolyn agree to wait on their money, and leave happily.

By the next morning, everything has gone bad. Unless Bernie finds out what really happened, he's scheduled to be the fly in the soup.

I didn't enjoy the mystery to be solved nearly as much in this one as in The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. In fact, this is my least favorite of the books that Mr. Block wrote in the series. I was disturbed by who Mr. Block selected to be his victims, and found all of the coin collecting details to be not nearly as interesting as the bibliophile content of The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling. Although I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that you skip this one, I suspect that you will be disappointed compared to other books in the series even though the humor and dialogue are wonderfully strong and engaging. But stick with it, the books get much better from here in the series.

This book's theme is being careful about whom you trust. Take nothing for granted . . . including loyalty!

Donald Mitchell...

Used book store owner Bernie Rhodenbarr is not only tired of losing money at his Greenwich Village establishment, he is inanely bored. Bernie knows that it is time to spice up his life with some excitement by employing his better skill, stealing, this time rare coins. Bernie's marks are the opulent Hank and Wanda Colcannon, who he learns from his friend Carolyn are leaving town.

When Bernie arrives at the Colcannon place, he quickly realizes that a peer has already been there. Still, Bernie finds a few interesting items, including a 1913 V-nickel, which he takes to his fence Abel Crowe to appraise. Abel values the rare coin at $500K and willingly accepts it because Bernie is a pal who gives him philosophy books. However, everything falls apart by the next day when the cops come to accuse Bernie of murdering Wanda and Abel, and stealing the rare coin, which has been re-heisted. Bernie knows he has been set up and only he, with the help of Spinoza, can clear his name of the murder charges.

THE BURGLAR WHO STUDIED SPINOZA is a reprint of the fourth novel in the Rhodenbarr series which is now up to eight. Even after a dozen years (think Reagan), the story line remains remarkably refreshing as it highlights Bernie's best (and worst) traits and showcases the City at its most intriguing and frustrating self. Lawrence Block may have been at the top of his game with this wisecracking, absolutely fun tale about a professional thief turned sleuth who seems to spend a lot of time clearing his name from a couple of murder raps.

Harriet Klausner

Bernie Rhodenbarr is at it again in Lawrence Block's fourth "The Burglar Who..." series. In this fast paced novel "The Burglar who Studied Spinoza," Bernie has to turn sleuth once again to prove he is not guilty of anything worse than entering someone else's apartment with his trusty burglar tools and taking valuables easy to carry away and fence them for a quick turn over. This story involves a very rare coin, a 1913 Liberty V nickel. Our favorite reoccurring characters, Carolyn Kaiser who runs a dog grooming parlor, and Ray Kirschmann the best cop money can buy also make play their roles as they have in previous "Burglar Who book..." Lawrence Block does an excellent job telling of burglaries, murder and mayhem. As with other books in this series he does it with a great sense of humor. That's what makes these stories of a burglar who also owns an antiquarian bookshop in New York Greenwich Village fun to read. They are light reading, just right for a cold winter's night in front of a fireplace or a bright summer afternoon at poolside. I'm a true Bernie Rhodenbarr fan and look forward to reading the next on my to read list, "The Burglar who Pained Like Mondrian." When I do a review will surly be posted here.