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A review by saareman
Out on the Cutting Edge by Lawrence Block
4.0
Sober Scudder
Review of the LB Productions eBook (September 26, 2020) of the original William Morrow & Co. hardcover (1989).
Book #7 in the Matthew Scudder series has the recovering alcoholic ex-cop/now unofficial private detective regularly going to AA meetings and talking things over with his sponsor. The future books will continue in this pattern with the occasional flashback to the drinking days. Between meetings he still takes on investigative cases as a "favour" for which he accepts payments for expenses and such.
Front cover of the original 1989 William Morrow & Co. hardcover edition. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Out on the Cutting Edge has Scudder searching for a missing daughter who had come to NYC with the hope of becoming an actress. The P.I. interviews residents at the apartment building where she lived and starts to build a trail, but then a potential witness dies mysteriously. Scudder starts a relationship with the building's landlord, but she may be hiding secrets which will be dangerous to uncover.
In what seems a precarious pattern for the now sober detective, Scudder regularly visits various bars and nightclubs while only drinking coffee or soft drinks. This is also the novel where Scudder first becomes aware of the rather dangerous bar-owner Mick Ballou who, aside from his legitimate fronts, is a hardened criminal with ongoing heists and schemes. Ballou plays a regular role in the future novels where the criminal becomes a friend and confidante of the ex-cop. The current case comes to a rather shocking conclusion when Scudder reveals all at the end.
Trivia and Links
I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the John Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms. This re-read is a look back at some of those.
Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in August 2024. He self-publishes some of his earlier works that have otherwise gone out of print, using his own LB Productions imprint such as this current eBook edition for Out on the Cutting Edge.
Review of the LB Productions eBook (September 26, 2020) of the original William Morrow & Co. hardcover (1989).
Some people’s stories are inspirational enough for cable television. They’ll tell you how they were down and out in East St. Louis and now they’re president of IBM with rising expectations. I don’t have that kind of story to tell. I still live in the same place and do the same thing for a living. The difference is I used to drink and now I don’t, and that’s about as inspirational as I get.
Book #7 in the Matthew Scudder series has the recovering alcoholic ex-cop/now unofficial private detective regularly going to AA meetings and talking things over with his sponsor. The future books will continue in this pattern with the occasional flashback to the drinking days. Between meetings he still takes on investigative cases as a "favour" for which he accepts payments for expenses and such.
Front cover of the original 1989 William Morrow & Co. hardcover edition. Image sourced from Goodreads.
Out on the Cutting Edge has Scudder searching for a missing daughter who had come to NYC with the hope of becoming an actress. The P.I. interviews residents at the apartment building where she lived and starts to build a trail, but then a potential witness dies mysteriously. Scudder starts a relationship with the building's landlord, but she may be hiding secrets which will be dangerous to uncover.
In what seems a precarious pattern for the now sober detective, Scudder regularly visits various bars and nightclubs while only drinking coffee or soft drinks. This is also the novel where Scudder first becomes aware of the rather dangerous bar-owner Mick Ballou who, aside from his legitimate fronts, is a hardened criminal with ongoing heists and schemes. Ballou plays a regular role in the future novels where the criminal becomes a friend and confidante of the ex-cop. The current case comes to a rather shocking conclusion when Scudder reveals all at the end.
My friend Skip Devoe had said of Ballou that, if he had ten brothers and they all stood around in a circle, you’d think you were at Stonehenge. Ballou had that megalithic quality, and he had too an air of wild menace just held in check.
Trivia and Links
I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the John Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms. This re-read is a look back at some of those.
Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in August 2024. He self-publishes some of his earlier works that have otherwise gone out of print, using his own LB Productions imprint such as this current eBook edition for Out on the Cutting Edge.