Book Review: A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block

Title: A Drop of the Hard Stuff
Author: Lawrence Block
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: May 12, 2011
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN: 9978-0316127332
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

From the Publisher:

Grandmaster Lawrence Block brings his greatest character, Matthew Scudder, back into action in his most personal case. Matthew Scudder is finally on the straight and narrow when he runs into “High-Low” Jack Ellery, a childhood friend from the Bronx. In Scudder, Jack sees the moral man he might have become. In Jack, Scudder sees the hard-won sobriety he hopes to achieve.

Then Ellery, following to the letter the dictates of Alcoholics Anonymous’ infamous twelve steps, is shot down while attempting to atone for past sins, and Scudder is drawn into a murder investigation that threatens to upset his path toward recovery–and get him killed in the process.

Exploring themes of loss, nostalgia, and redemption, for Lawrence Block, A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF circles back to how it all began, reestablishing why the Matthew Scudder series is widely regarded as one of the pinnacles of American detective fiction.

My Review:

As a reader it is always thrilling to come across a new author, in this instance the author is not new to writing, rather I am new to his works.  A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block is admittedly the first Matthew Scudder book that I have read, and I will soon be back-reading the previous 16 in the series, however readers new to the series need not worry because this book can read as a stand alone and as an added bonus is a flashback to the 1980s.  So what makes A Drop of the Hard Stuff so marvelous that I want to back-read the previous books in the series when so many mystery/thriller books exist?  The writing is as close to perfect as I have read, this is not said lightly as I am quite a fan of the mystery/suspense/thriller genres.  Block crafts an intricate and multilayered story, which kept me rapidly turning the pages while his characters are wonderfully flawed, multi-dimensional, and entirely believable.  A Drop of the Hard Stuff offers up enough twists, turns, and dead ends to keep all mystery/thriller fans intrigued and reading long into the night.  It is embarrassing to admit I had not read any Lawrence Block books before, but now he has another fan and I am eager to get my hands on his other books, beginning with the first Matthew Scudder book, The Sins of the Fathers.  I highly recommend A Drop of the Hard Stuff to every reader who enjoys an exceptionally written thriller.

About the Author:

Lawrence Block is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, has won multiple Edgar and Shamus awards and countless international prizes.  The author of more than 50 books, he lives in New York City.

To learn more about author Lawrence Block and his books, please visit his website.

I received a complimentary ARC of A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block from Mulholland Books to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Be Sociable, Share!

•