Time to Murder and Create

Two things I'm thinking. One is that Matt Scudder is a son-of-a-bitch.

Don't take my word for it, he gets called that (and other things) enough times. He's not a knight in shining armor, though he is a hero. Tarnished, dirty, mean and nasty, and honest enough to own up to all the above.

A friend who is also a blackmailer of criminals and a not-so-decent human being is murdered by one of his victims. But he knew it was coming and, in preparation, he gifted Matt with all the blackmail evidence for his three victims, and a large chunk of money. And he knew Matt was the kind of guy who can turn a blind eye to almost any crime... except murder. Especially when the murder victim was a friend (however slim) and asked him to solve it.

The other show more thing I'm thinking is that these novels read like you're experiencing Scudder's life and these murders and attempts on his life (count them off, as they occur) are just events that happen, along the way.

But mostly, I'm just thinking that Matt Scudder is a son-of-a-bitch and it's cool that I enjoy his company... (though I probably wouldn't want to have a drink with him). show less

Second edition of Matthew Scudder's saga, and I'm looking forward to the next.

(Oh, who am I kidding? I've already started the next one, but had to stop and do the review for this so I can give it the thought it deserves).

Scudder's daily meander between bourbon and coffee is interrupted when Spinner, one of his ex-stoolies, comes to him with a request. Hold on to an envelope; if Spinner dies, open it and take whatever action Scudder thinks is right. If nothing happens to Spinner, no fair eyeballing the contents. Needless to say, something happens to Spinner, the envelope is opened and Scudder finds himself contacting the unsavory victims of Spinner's blackmail in an effort to solve his murder.

Block's skill at characterization continues show more to shine. Scudder's actions, while somewhat considered, still have unintended and unfortunate consequences, much like his shooting the bystander in the robbery. Good intentions, half-baked implementation and disastrous consequences. I liked that Block was willing to throw his lead into such difficult situations, but equally unwilling to let him wallow there. Even as Scudder flirts with an alcoholic haze, he finds himself unable to abandon responsibility. I can see why this would be an Edgar nominee; the level of moral ambiguity and compassion for the characters is impressive.

Trina is fast becoming one of my favorite guest characters, with her sympathetic ear and her sassy humor. Here she checks out a visitor for Scudder and her description makes a strange kind of sense:

"You know who he looks like? The Marlboro man."
"From the commercials? Didn't they use more than one guy?"
"Sure. He looks like all of them. You know, high rawhide boots and a wide-brimmed hat and smelling of horseshit, and the tattoo on his hand. He's not wearing boots or a hat, and he doesn't have the tattoo, but it's the same image. Don't ask me if he smells of horseshit. I didn't get close enough to tell."

Block's writing so clearly captures an image that there are spots that I find myself re-reading for sheer pleasure. He had the best description of a cigarette after a long hiatus that almost lured me into picking one up:

"I brought a pack of cigarettes out of the machine and smoke three of them with my coffee. They were the first I'd had in almost two months, and I couldn't have gotten a better hit if I'd punched them right into a vein. They made me dizzy but in a nice way."
That's right, kids--cigarettes used to be sold in vending machine. But don't worry; there was a sign on them that said it was illegal to sell or buy them if you were under 18, so it was perfectly safe).

For me, the one downside was the mystery itself. Scudder thinks he's fingered the killer, and it is such an illogical assumption that one can almost see the flick of a red tail in the pages. Still, the twists and big reveal are satisfactory, if for no other reason than Scudder's unique resolution skills.

Three and a half stars, rounding up because Trina made me laugh and Block made me remember a cigarette from ten years ago. show less

Jake the Spinner is a two-time loser that Scudder has had occasional dealings with. This time, Spinner is wearing a new suit that set him back some and he is nervous about getting hit by a bus. He asks Scudder to hold an envelope full of blackmail material on several different individuals only to be opened in the event of Spinner’s untimely demise, paying Scudder a fee. Shortly thereafter, Spinner is found floating in the East River and, after verifying the identity of the body, Scudder sets out to figure out who the murderer is by going after the three individuals who Spinner had on the hook. Posing as a new blackmailer, Scudder meets with one after another of these individuals, trying to figure out who offed Spinner. It’s not show more really about the fee for Scudder. It’s more about the fact that no one else seems to give a damn about Spinner and no one else is going to look real hard at who killed him.

“Time to Murder and Create” was the third Scudder novel published, but Block considers it the second chronologically in the series. No matter. It stands alone as a solid novel of intrigue in the streets of New York. In fact, reading it, one might even wonder if it were originally intended not to be part of the Scudder series, but as a standalone novel of some other Block-created detective.

If you have not read any of the Scudder novels before, you are in for a treat. Block has been writing this series for forty years and these novels, although dark and mean at times, are filled with complex characterizations and plot developments. Although there are action sequences, most Scudder stories are detail-work of Scudder slowly bit by bit putting together the pieces of a puzzle. Scudder was a former NYPD Officer, who, while aiming at a pair of robbers, has a bullet go stray and lodge into the skull of a young girl. Despite being cleared of the shooting and given a commendation, he quit the force. In fact, he quit his wife and kids and holed up in a Hell’s Kitchen hotel, drowning himself in bottle after bottle of bourbon. He does favors for people, investigating things and such, but does not have a regular job or a regular life. He’s drifting on his own in a despairing world where he can’t seem to find salvation.

This particular Scudder novel is unusual in that Scudder does not really have a client – just a favor for a guy who was found floating in the East River. It is, nevertheless, a terrific novel and well worth reading. show less

Matt Scudder has been entrusted with an envelope following the death of blackmailer, Jacob “Spinner” Jablon. The contents of said envelope you ask? Oh, nothing crazy, just evidence that could ruin the lives of three New Yorkers. Basically, Spinner has posthumously asked Scudder to find out who killed him. The only catch is that one of the 3 that Spinner had wrapped around his finger intends to silence Scudder just like they silenced Spinner. It all comes down to if Matt’s mind can work fast enough to survive and deduce who killed Jablon.

I was hoping for something just as strong as The Sins of the Fathers and boy, oh boy, did I ever get what I wanted. Not only did Block add a bit of dry humour to Scudder and his encounters with the show more above mentioned 3 (a particularly hilarious line upon meeting Beverly Ethridge for the first time), he had my mind thrown all over the place as I consistently thought I had it all figured out.

Scudder is just such an awesome character. As I said in an earlier review, my love of “gray” anti-hero type characters has a great deal to do with why I love this series so much. I hate one dimensional good guys. Scudder has a past that he is constantly struggling with; the accidental death of a 7 year old girl when she inadvertently stumbled into a crime.

He says that he usually donates to the Catholic Church due to the fact that they’re always open, that they seem to work the hardest. I think he identifies with their strong association with personal grief and guilt. He has no problem with causing mental anguish to those involved in solving a case but when an unjustified killing takes place, his whole mind seems to shut down and if he’s not turning to booze, he’s sitting on a wooden bench inside a church.

Maybe I’m just looking too deep into the character but this is where I found my mind wandering when I put the book down.

Nevertheless, I have ridiculously high hopes for the rest of this series. As many have pointed out, apparently it only gets better from here on in; something that I’m extremely happy with. show less

I recently reread this, the second in the Matthew Scudder series. Matt is living a relatively aimless life in a hotel in Manhattan, having abandoned career and family after his bullet killed an innocent bystander in a bar robbery. He is approached by a former informer who is prospering as a blackmailer, but fears one of his victims is trying to kill him. When he turns up dead Matt sets out to discover the killer by posing as a blackmailer himself. His judgement clouded by drinking, he reaches some incorrect conclusions and is ready to wrap up the case prematurely. While not the best in the series it contains solid material and introduces the reader to Scudder's habit of drinking steadily to dull his everyday life, then heavily when more show more guilt assaults him. show less

I really love finding a new series of detective novels. The first two Scudder books were great page-turners. The plots are probably going to get convoluted down the line, but the main character is good enough to carry the story through and I love vintage NYC.

An early Scudder (apparently the second) when he was still off the wagon. Matt agrees to hold an envelope for"Spinner," a con so-named because of his habit of constantly spinning silver dollars on the table while talking to you. Spinner turns up dead and following the instructions left by Spinner, Matt opens the envelope to discover blackmail details on three otherwise upstanding citizens. Spinner's instructions are for Matt to find out who killed him, deal with that individual, and to leave the other two off the blackmail hook. Matt's only way to discover the identity of the killer is to set himself up as Spinner's successor, i.e. painting a big fat bullseye on his back. Needless to say things don;t quite work out as planned and Matt show more is forced to dispense his own brand of justice -- in this case one I heartily approve of.

A lot of rumination on the consequences of small actions. We never know what the outcome will be of any myriad of small decisions, e.g., what if we had left home 5 minutes earlier; would we have avoided the accident, that kind of thing. Really excellent example of Block's talent. Perfect for a short flight. show less