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A review by saareman
The Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block
4.0
Hardboiled Block
Review of the LB Productions eBook (September 9, 2020) of the original Dell paperback (1976).
The Sins of the Fathers introduces Lawrence Block's longest running series character, the former NYPD detective Matthew Scudder. Scudder quit the force and abandoned his family after a shooting incident where an innocent girl was killed by a ricochet bullet. He lives a downbeat life in a Hell's Kitchen hotel making the rounds of the neighbourhood bars and churches while doing the occasional "favour" in exchange for monetary "gifts."
He does not have an actual private detective licence. He tithes 10% of his income to church poor boxes, sends money home to his ex-wife and sons and drinks quite a lot of liquor and coffee. Several books into the series he quits drinking and regular attendance at AA meetings becomes a central focus of the plots.
The books are set in a noir world where the innocents suffer and the guilty often escape justice. Scudder's own methods are not quite legal and certainly the early novels are set in the world of the Serpico era of NYPD bribery and corruption. Scudder gets many of his "cases" through referrals from his former NYPD colleagues, for which he pays them the price of a "hat", code for a $25 bribe (worth $138.17 in 2024 current market value).
Front cover of the original 1976 Dell paperback edition. Image sourced from Biblio.
In The Sins of the Fathers, Scudder agrees to investigate the death of a young woman who was apparently killed by her housemate, who hanged himself while in police custody shortly afterwards. His client is the woman's stepfather who feels the guilt of the loss of the daughter who abandoned a Utica home and college to live a carefree life in New York City. Scudder's search uncovers the hidden lives of two young people who were scarred by their earlier experiences. It also raises a suspicion that the actual murderer was never brought to justice.
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 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 will be the beginning of a further 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. This current eBook edition of The Sins of the Fathers is one of those.
Review of the LB Productions eBook (September 9, 2020) of the original Dell paperback (1976).
He sat for a few minutes in silence. I took out my flask and had another drink. Drinking was against his religion. Well, murder was against mine.
The Sins of the Fathers introduces Lawrence Block's longest running series character, the former NYPD detective Matthew Scudder. Scudder quit the force and abandoned his family after a shooting incident where an innocent girl was killed by a ricochet bullet. He lives a downbeat life in a Hell's Kitchen hotel making the rounds of the neighbourhood bars and churches while doing the occasional "favour" in exchange for monetary "gifts."
He does not have an actual private detective licence. He tithes 10% of his income to church poor boxes, sends money home to his ex-wife and sons and drinks quite a lot of liquor and coffee. Several books into the series he quits drinking and regular attendance at AA meetings becomes a central focus of the plots.
The books are set in a noir world where the innocents suffer and the guilty often escape justice. Scudder's own methods are not quite legal and certainly the early novels are set in the world of the Serpico era of NYPD bribery and corruption. Scudder gets many of his "cases" through referrals from his former NYPD colleagues, for which he pays them the price of a "hat", code for a $25 bribe (worth $138.17 in 2024 current market value).
Front cover of the original 1976 Dell paperback edition. Image sourced from Biblio.
In The Sins of the Fathers, Scudder agrees to investigate the death of a young woman who was apparently killed by her housemate, who hanged himself while in police custody shortly afterwards. His client is the woman's stepfather who feels the guilt of the loss of the daughter who abandoned a Utica home and college to live a carefree life in New York City. Scudder's search uncovers the hidden lives of two young people who were scarred by their earlier experiences. It also raises a suspicion that the actual murderer was never brought to justice.
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 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 will be the beginning of a further 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. This current eBook edition of The Sins of the Fathers is one of those.