A Walk Among the Tombstones (Matthew Scudder Mysteries Book 10)

The tenth installment in the Matthew Scudder series, Lawrence Block takes a peek inside the mind of a very calculating killer. The story starts with the kidnapping and eventual ransom of the wife of a heroin trafficker, Keenan Khoury. The kidnappers had obviously done their homework as Khoury was not going to involve the police. He does however call his brother Peter. After a series of calls to phone booths, presumably to determine no others were involved, the kidnappers set up the exchange. The ransom is paid and Keenan receives his wife back in several pieces. Unable to leave matters as they now stood, Keenan takes the advice of his brother and calls Matthew Scudder, who Peter remembers from one of his AA meetings.Scudder, an ex-cop, has very little evidence to work with. Pounding the pavement near the scene of the kidnapping, Scudder is able to discern a rough number of criminals involved as well as a basic description of the vehicle used. Receiving help from his girlfriend Elaine, a young street urchin known only as TJ, and TJ's computer hacker friends the Kong's, Matthew is able to piece together the sequence of events leading to the death of Keenan Khoury's wife. Scudder also relies on his police training and gut instincts to determine this is not the first time the killers have struck. When another girl is kidnapped, Scudder is ready and sets up the exchange in - you guessed it - a graveyard.I thought the detective work done by Scudder, especially considering the little he had to go on, was quite spectacular. Although most of the people he talked to and leads he followed up bore no fruit, I imagine that's the way it truly is in detective work. But he was persistent and eventually pieced enough together to find the killers. After that, he left it up to Keenan Khoury to exact justice, or at least his brand of it.As I said earlier, this is the tenth in the Matthew Scudder line of books, however it is the first that I have read. I have found in previous series that reading the books in order lend more to each story, especially in the line of character progression. There were also many questions I had that were not answered in this book but were probably addressed in previous installments, such as: why did Scudder leave the police force? Did it have something to do with his drinking problem? How long had he been sober? What happened to make him want to get sober? How did he survive when he only worked occasionally?One thing I did not like was all the talk about AA and the goings on at the meetings. I understand he was a recovering alcoholic, but sometimes he went to 3 meetings a day. I guess I don't understand AA enough, but I always thought that a person only went to a meeting when they were afraid they might start drinking again, and I never got the impression that Matthew was ever close to that. I understand it is an important part of his character, but I felt way too much time was spent on the subject. Overall, a very good detective novel and it makes me want to go back and read the previous installments.

I became aware of this book when our local theater recently showed a trailer for this film due to be released on September 19, starring Liam Neeson and produced by Danny DeVito and Universal Pictures. Why would anyone produce a motion picture now from a book written in 1992, twenty-two years after it was written? It started to make sense when I learned that Lawrence Block has earned ten writing prizes including three Edgar Awards and three Shamus Awards. Pretty heavy duty for any writer. The Matthew Scudder series was begun by Mr. Block in 1976 and spans seventeen novels through 2011.But again, why this particular book? What is so unique about another book about serial killers chasing young women in New York City? What has drawn notable actors and producers to this novel? It is simply Mr. Block's writing; his interesting characters, unusual plot, and descriptive language. He engages you from the beginning and takes you on a gritty and fantastic journey that is anything but pretty. Be prepared for graphic sex and violence, 'defrocked' detectives, good-hearted prostitutes, drug dealers, alcoholism, mental illness, and the seedier parts of NYC. Lawrence is an "old school" writer, similar to George Pelecanos. He describes his locations so well that you can picture them in your head.Matthew Scudder is the imperfect (alcoholic) private detective employed to solve an apparently unique kidnapping and murder. He uses the very few clues available to him but slowly discovers what he needs to know through perseverance and ingenuity. Clever guy this Matthew, clever but completely believable. They say that the definition of management is "getting things done through other people" and Matthew provides a tutorial on this concept. He knows his own weaknesses--including alcohol.Now I know why Universal Pictures is producing this movie. The only surprising thing is how long it took to get someone's attention. Now that he has mine, I will be ordering other books in the series. You should start with this one and let Lawrence Block impress you too.NOTE 10/05/14: I saw the movie and was frankly disappointed on how the book was adapted to the screen. This is just another case of an intricately and carefully crafted story being cut to the bone and then having new situations added that allow the audience to catch up with the thought process so delightfully and thoroughly presented in the book. The novel is superior enough to the movie to recommend that even after seeing the movie, readers should grab a copy of the original book and prepare to be well entertained again--and get a much better look at what Lawrence Block was able to accomplish writing this novel. You will see what I mean.

This one is a bit of a slow burner but builds fantastically. I not a huge reader but this one kept me going into the wee small hours.

I saw the film and didn't like it much.However, it said in the credits that it was based on a book.I got the book and it was much better than the film. The characters were good, especially the old detective. Even his street-boy assistant was convincing, which wasn't the case in the film. The bits about Alcoholics Anonymous were much better in the book - no preaching.

This is the first Lawrence Block book I have read & I have to say that it kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end & because of this it will not be my last.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a gripping edge of your seat thriller that has a steady burn to it, without being over paced.If you love Lee Child or Ian Rankin then you have found a writer in Lawrence Block that is right alongside them in terms of quality and storytelling.

Block sustains a really high quality of writing: even when Matt Scudder becomes a little bit of a pain about AA, the story, the interweaving of events and characters, and the high standard of writing, are maintained. I love Lawrence Block's books. There are only a very few like this, and he and Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) are the best currently with us (ie. not in happier hunting grounds), in my opinion.

Thank god for Matt Scudder...I was beginning to think I would never pick up a decent read again!First one I've read of the series, only because of the film coming out, and I was not disappointed. Great storyline, great characters and well written.Will probably invest in his other books now.