I'd never heard of Lawrence Block until I read one of his short stories, "The Merciful Angel of Death" in THE NEW MYSTERY anthology, edited by Jerome Charyn. I liked the story so much that I was thrilled to find he also wrote novels, which led to A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE and Matt Scudder. Since then I've read all of the Scudder mysteries and buy the newest one as soon as I hear about it.
So what's so good about Scudder? He's a great character for one thing. He's a recovering alcoholic, a detective without a license, a former cop who left his wife and kids. And he's got some of the seediest friends you'll ever meet. An albino pimp. Mick Ballou, a bar owner who kills people. A high-classed prostitute girlfriend. Then there's T.J., his street-smart partner with a facility for computers.
Scudder walks or takes the subway wherever he goes. He putters around, drinking coffee, going to AA meetings, donating money to the church (any church) when he gets paid for a case. He never seems to make any progress, but his perambulations give us a chance to see New York. Then he finds a tiny thread here, another there, and before we know he's cooking with gas.
In A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE Scudder takes on the Amanda Thurman murder case. After attending a small dinner party on Central Park West, Richard and Amanda Thurman return to their brownstone on West Fifty-second Street, only to be confronted by burglars who draw guns and herd them into their apartment. They steal his watch, wallet, and Amanda's jewelry, beat Richard, tie him up and tape his mouth; then they rape his wife in front of him. Richard manages to knock the phone off the table, free the tape from his mouth, and call 911. But his wife is dead. The dead woman's brother doesn't believe Richard's story and he hires Scudder to prove Thurman murdered his sister. Scudder's investigation takes us on a journey through New York's "snuff" film, sex-for-sale underworld.
Lawrence Block learned his craft writing for the pulp magazines, and you sure can tell. Who else can make a reformed alcoholic, and wife deserter into a likable character?

I started reading Lawrence Block a few years ago and I have grown to really appreciate his Matthew Scudder books. Block can write extremely readable prose, he can create believable (and interesting) characters, and he can tell a story. "A Dance at the Slaughterhouse" is the perfect example of this. This is a great book that captures the reader early an doesn't turn him loose until the end. Elaine, T.J., and Mick are wonderful supporting characters for Matthew Scudder, who is dogged yet resourceful in his starring role. Scudder is flawed but still highly skilled as a detective and the reader becomes attached to this character very quickly. If you haven't put Scudder/Block on your "must read" list, do so immediately.

Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series is one of the absolute best P.I. Fiction series out there. He is one of the few that can be compared with the great Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe. And "Dance at the Slaughterhouse" is one of the best and is certainly the most grusome entry in the entire series. Death has always been a preoccupation in the Scudder novels. In New York City, death seems to be Scudder's constant companion as he struggles to remain alcohol free and to keep his life on track. Here he begin two seemingly unconnected cases and follows their meandering leads until they start to connect in some brutally ugly ways. Scudder has come into possession of a genuine snuff film, and he can't get it out of his mind. Ultimately, he encounters a world of sex deviants and children who sell their bodies. Along the way, recurring characters such as gangster Mickey Ballou, call girl Elaine and ex-pimp Chance provide plenty of color.

Block's Scudder series is almost unique among P.I. fiction in that it is able to maintain its edge even as its hero goes through significant life changes. His continuing battle with the bottle provides an added tension that stays in the background like a predator ready to pounce. Overall, this is one of the best Scudder novels and a must read for P.I. fiction fans.

If there is any doubt that Lawrence Block is the most creative mystery writer of his generation, this book dispells it. A comprehensive work that encompasses nearly every published Block short story (over 70 of 'em!) it is a must have for mystery fans. The book includes seven Matthew Scudder stories, nine Martin Ehrengraf stories, three Bernie Rhodenbarr stories and the complete texts of the three previous Block short story volumes. As a bonus, there are five "new" Block stories, never before previously anthologized.

The stories run the gamut from hard-bitten to whodunnits? to even the occasional horror story. Block shows every bit as much mastery with his short works that he does with his novels. The diversity of his subjects and the bredth of his knowledge is simply breathtaking. The book also includes a short prologue by the author, explaining how the book is laid out and giving a little helpful background.

Overall, "The Collected Stories" is a fine tribute to a great writer.

From his title "The Grandmaster of Crime" as written on the cover, Lawrence Block has compiled a delightful mix of over 70 of his short stories. He's taken shorts from his series characters Bernie Rhodenbarr, Martin Ehrengraf, Keller, Chip Harrison, and the ever-lovable Matthew Scudder. He's also added in a handful of fairly new stories as well as stories that were turned into full-length features like "Sometimes They Bite", "Like A Lamb to Slaughter" and "Some Days You Get The Bear". This is a must have for true Block fans, who will enjoy reading every last story!

This book contains wonderful short mystery stories with great endings. Occasionally you can figure out the ending but in most cases they are a surprise. I really enjoyed the book.

as the other reviewer said, it's "Body Heat" with an additional plot twist. Whoa, mama! I can't say anymore than that--you have to read it for yourself. Fortunately, it's a fairly quick and easy read. Lawrence Block can make you smell the grimy city one minute and have you basking in luxury the next. If you like his other books, you'll like this one, too.

This book reminded me of the movie "Body Heat" where a black-widowish femme fatale lures an unsuspecting male into her web. Unlike that movie, however, this protagonist is just a little too sharp to be left holding the bag--not without a fight. That's the point this story really takes off, and the ending is a "gotcha." Enjoy. .

I read this collection of short stories right before a caribbean cruise, which may have added to my enjoyment significantly. However, I would recommend it highly to any lover of cruising or of murder mysteries. It provided a wide variety of authors and styles, all exceptionally enjoyable.

Through no deliberate intent, I've been reading the Matt Scudder series backwards. I started with A Long Line of Dead Men (#11) then went on the Even the Wicked (#12) and that's all well and good (I've done the same thing with his Burglar series, having read #'s 4, 5, 6, and 7 in that order), but then I dropped back to Eight Million Ways to Die (#5) because it was the only audiobook my library had.

Now I've come to #2, this book. It's very interesting to see Scudder's life in this way, because I already have insight into his future actions. In the later ones, Matt is a recovering alcoholic, in Eight Million, he begins his treatment after deciding to do something about it. However, in Midst, he doesn't yet seem to be aware that he even has a problem. Although he's never far from his next drink, when someone mentions the word "alcoholic," he rationalizes it away.

The mystery is never the reason to read Lawrence Block (even though I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate that because he works hard to create the mystery), it's the characters. And Scudder is not exception. I don't even remember what the mystery was in Eight Million Ways to Die, but it stand out as my favorite because of the way Block writes about Scudder's struggle with realization.

Matt Scudder is one of the most interesting characters in fiction, but I haven't read all his books because they are invariably dark and I have to be in the mood for them. But read them I will.

A note on the audiobook presentation: Alan Sklar's voice fits this material nicely. This is a wonderful addition to the Chivers Audio presentations of Block's works. The only one I liked more was Block's own reading of Eight Million Ways to Die.

When you're sitting in the dentist's waiting room or passing 20 minutes while your car's oil is changed, a novel seems like a hassle. Just when you start getting into the story, it's time to put your book away. That's where a short story comes in handy. Your commitment is to a few thousand words that take you from beginning to end in less than 30 minutes.

Once upon a time, many magazines published at least one short story per issue. A few - Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine - were dedicated to short mystery fiction from cover to cover. Alas, advertising space took precedence and few magazines today even consider the lowly short story, let alone a devious one. Now they're generally found tucked away in the pages of anthologies such as Opening Shots.

The beauty of this particular book is that not only are these shorts by known mystery and crime authors, but they are their first published short stories. Some land at the beginning of the writer's careers, such as David Black's "Laud," which later became the opening chapter of his first novel, Like Father. Others, such as Susan Isaacs's "Compliments of a Friend" came after a series of novels.

Editor Lawrence Block gives an excellent brief history on short fiction followed by 18 pieces plus one of his own. The stories are fun, provocative, twisted. All of this in 385 pages.

I sat down with the book and couldn't stop reading (kind of defeats the purpose of a short story, huh?) until I'd finished them all. Not one of them stunk and none of them left me feeling like I'd wasted my reading time. Block knows how to pick 'em. (As well he should. He is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and has taken the Edgar Allan Poe and Shamus Awards four times.)

Original publication dates range from 1952 to 2000. Styles vary widely, as one would expect. There are a couple with a tricky Hitchcock twist, two or three with a Stephen King ending, and one that features a cat as the detective. Because I haven't read most of these authors yet, I can't say whether or not the short stories are a fair representation of the authors' styles in longer works. I suspect the novels are nothing like the shorts. But I look at this as a way to pick new names for my library and the opportunity to get a taste of a certain writer before making a commitment to a full-length book

Who are these authors, you ask? In addition to those mentioned above, the contributors are Donald E. Westlake, David Morrell, Sara Paretsky, James Sallis, Simon Brett, Max Allan Collins, Loren D. Estelman, Peter Lovesy, Peter Robinson, Margaret Maron, Joan Hess, Susan Moody, Justin Scott, Minette Walters, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, and John Harvey.

Would I recommend this book?

If you like crime fiction, definitely.

If you're a mystery writer, absolutely. Writers in this genre should take a look at how these stories are put together and what makes them work. Several of the authors admitted in their introductions that a short story is much harder to write than a novel.

And by the way, if you like what you see in Opening Shots, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine published quite a few of these short stories. Both still feature short mystery fiction.

Out The Window is a great short Matt Scudder mystery told with precision by Bruce Weitz. Having devoured all the Matt Scudder print mysteries available and often passing them on to friends I was intrigued when I saw this Lawrence Block audiobook. I had never seen his work on tape and never seen this title in print; and I had a new vision-impaired friend that craved audiobooks. I bought it for her, but couldn't wait to listen to it myself. Weitz is the fine actor who played Mick Belker in Hill Street Blues, and I hadn't had any new Scudder since Everybody Dies. Bruce Weitz does an incredible job of telling Scudder's story of a murder investigation. He "is" Matt Scudder and he speaks to us in Matt's NY west-side ex-cop voice. He switches to other character's voices seamlessly and tells the tale fast and well. This Hell's kitchen murder mystery is early Scudder, the bourbon is flowing as fast as the story. Enjoy!

Every story in this book was good. I highly recommend it and I can hardly wait for the third entry to the deadly sins series. Speaking of Greed wasn't as gory as Speaking of Lust. Another must read by Lawrence Block: Hitman.

"Out on the Cutting Edge" follows the two best novels in the Matthew Scudder series, "8 Million Ways to Die" and "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes." It is also the first novel in which Scudder conducts a case (in this instance two cases) while not in an alcoholic stupor. We catch up with Scudder a few years after he joined AA. He has a sponser and has managed to recover control of his life. His day to day existence, meanwhile, hasn't changed much. He still lives in a residential hotel and still conducts cases off the books as "favors" for friends.

The two cases are interesting. One is for pay; a family wants to know the whereabouts of their missing daughter. One is personal; an AA companion apparently commits suicide just before he is ready to confess his sins to Scudder. Both take Scuder in some unlikely directions and the payoff is typically messy. Meanwhile, author Lawrence Block introduces one his most interesting side characters to the series, the Irish gangster Mickey Ballou. Overall, this is a solid Scudder novel that is not quite on par with the best of the series. But any Scudder novel makes for excellent reading.

Once again Lawrence Block has managed to blow me away with another fantastic Matt Scudder book. This one is about a guy who is looking for his daughter, who went off to New York to try and find fame. He hires Scudder to find his missing daughter, but the only problem is, there arent many leads. He searches and goes through all the motions and has stumbling blocks in his way, but manages to get around them. I wont tell you the rest, because I dont want to ruin the book for you, but I will just say this. THE ENDING WILL SHOCK YOU!!!!!

Matt Scudder is dealing with the day-in, day-out struggle to stay sober in the Big Apple. He has a case he doesn't have much hope of solving and he's got an AA acquaintance who wants Matt to sponsor him. Eddie Dunphy is a small-time crook, sober for a little over half a year. He has something he really wants to tell Matt, but before he gets a chance, he's found dead in his apartment--an apparent suicide.

It's an open and shut case, but Matt is obsessed with finding out whether or not Eddie died sober. Dead is dead, but if he stayed sober he won the war. Of course, he finds out Eddie was murdered and he also gets a lead on his original case just when he was ready to give up on it.

This book introduces a recurring character in the series: Mickey Ballou, known as the Butcher Boy. Mickey has a reputation. Folks believe he killed a man and carried the guy's head around in a bowling bag for a week, showing it off so people would know not to cross him.

The characters all grow and change over the course of the book. This is a terrific novel and a nice addition to the Scudder series.

I came across this book about 25 years ago. My roommate and I giggled and laughed and thought this was the funniest book ever written. Nothing else written by Lawrence Block that I have read even comes close to hinting at the warped, devlish sense of humour found in this book. If you can find it, buy it.

I read this book back in the mid-70's, as I made one of the greatest reading discoveries of my life. Simply put, it is funny and engaging, with some unexpected twists along the way. Definitely a good trip to go along on.

Great and weird book. Subterranean Press is bringing out a trade paperback version in the near future.