The Devil Knows You're Dead

In his eleventh adventure, Matthew Scudder again confronts the darkness. From the "It takes the steady hand of a cool pro like Lawrence Block to monitor the erratic pulsebeat of New York City. Scudder is burdened by a load of personal baggage. But when this droll, streetwise sleuth quits staring out the window at the rain and starts prowling his neighborhood haunts in Hell's Kitchen, he is just about the best there is. "Is that your whole job," a bemused observer wants to know, "talking to people and listening to what they say? And watching their faces while they say it?" It's a bit trickier than that, actually. But Mr. Block has the offhand grace to make it look easy, with his sharply focused vignettes of the human transactions that go down in the city and with his quick life-studies of the transvestite hookers, teen-age hustlers and insulated professionals who share this hard turf and call it home."—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review"There's a new trend afoot in the series mystery. Mickey Spillane, Nero Wolfe, Sherlock Holmes, and their investigating cohorts seldom changed from book to book. Part of their appeal, in fact, was their consistency. Contemporary series authors, however, such as Bill Pronzini, Robert P. Parker, Joseph Hansen, and Lawrence Block, have taken the series character a step further, allowing growth and change to occur to the hard-boiled hero just as they do to ordinary mortals. Block's recovering alcoholic Matt Scudder is a perfect example. Once isolated by guilt, angst, and booze, Scudder was the quintessential loner. Now, as his never-ending recovery continues, his world has begun to expand. He has a true friend in Mick Ballou, a sidekick in street urchin T. J., and a lover in former hooker Elaine. Hired by the brother of a mentally handicapped vet accused of the murder of attorney Glenn Holtzmann, Scudder finds that the victim was both less and more than he appeared to be. Much to his surprise--because he loves Elaine--Scudder becomes involved with Holtzmann's widow. The resolution of the case is a logical surprise that will leave readers contemplating an indifferent universe. Though Scudder's world is as bleak as it's ever been, he's letting a little sun shine through. It's nice to see a friend happy."—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist"Block has never been better."—New York Daily News"Eminently readable...a moody page-turner." —Chicago Sun-Times