The Night and The Music (Matthew Scudder Mysteries Book 18)

This is the 18th and final book in the Matt Scudder series, a collection of 11 short stories and novellas written between 1977 and 2011, presented in order of publication. I resisted reading these stories until I had finished the novels; this volume served as my final trip through the 40-year series and lives of its characters.“Out the Window” and “A Candle for the Bag Lady” were written after the 3rd novel In the Midst of Death when Scudder was still drinking heavily. Both are excellent mysteries in line with the tone of the early books. However, the second story contains a bit of a spoiler for the 4th novel A Stab in the Dark. The motivation of the killer in “Bag Lady” was identical to the one in the novel.“By Dawn’s Early Light” – Won an Edgar Award. Later expanded and incorporated into the 6th novel When the Sacred Ginmill Closes.“Batman’s Helpers” – Explores the murky ethics of copyright trademark enforcement. From a strictly narrative standpoint, this story lacks punch, but interesting nonetheless. Occurs after the 7th novel Out on the Cutting Edge.“The Merciful Angel of Death” – A bleak look at New York’s response to the AIDS crisis and an exploration of the murky ethics of assisted suicide. Published the same year as the 11th novel The Devil Knows You’re Dead“The Night and the Music” – A contemplative vignette showcasing New York’s jazz scene in Greenwich Village. Occurs after the events of A Long Line of Dead Men.Looking for David – A particularly sad and hardboiled tale inspired by Michelangelo’s sculpture of David, with a jolt of an ending. Matt and Elaine spent their honeymoon in Europe; this story occurs during that trip.“Let's Get Lost” – In this prequel story, set before the first novel, Scudder helps some men cover-up a suspicious death and in the process arrives at the truth. This one is not so much noir or mystery as it is O’Henry-ish.“A Moment of Wrong Thinking” – Scudder recalls an unresolved case from early in his career and considers several possible scenarios. Occurs after Hope to Die.“Mick Ballou Looks at the Blank Screen” – This short-short is essentially just a fluff piece, but it fills in an important gap in Mick’s personal life between the end of All the Flowers Are Dying and the beginning of A Drop of the Hard Stuff.“One Last Night at Grogan's” –Matt, Elaine, and Mick Ballou reminisce for the final time at Grogan’s Open House. The final elegiac prose-poem for the series.

Lawrence Block is one of those authors I've been reading practically all my life. At least, the parts of it when I was grown and wanting my world to be bigger than that small town I grew up in.Unlicensed private eye and recovering alcoholic Matt Scudder is one of those formative blocks (yeah, insert pun) during the days when I was looking at the world and at characters in the detective field. Scudder is a flawed and damaged hero, a man who can never recover from what he's suffered through, but one who fights for redemption on a daily basis.Earlier this year, Block's latest Scudder novel, A Drop of the Hard Stuff, came out and took readers back to the early days in Scudder's life. I loved being there.The Night and the Music is a mixed bag, though. The anthology collects the various novellas published in the Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazines as well as other places. The last story in this collection hasn't even been printed before and is offered as a bookend to the series. Maybe. If so, I'm happy with it.Only a few of the stories are actual mysteries. Some of the others are vignettes and slices of Scudder's life that are entertaining, but not so much for a reader looking purely for a mystery read. I enjoyed them because it's Scudder, and I find all things Scudder interesting and insightful.The writing is lyrical and easy to get into, and Scudder is a great guide to New York City. It's kind of cool watching the city age and change as Scudder does the same in these pages. Almost an encapsulated New York City as well as history of the hero. And yet, so many things have changed in Scudder's life. Many writers tend to keep their heroes the same, and I'm all in favor of that as well - depending on the character, but I like a few that grow along with me. Scudder has done exactly that.The anthology offers a fantastic selection of Scudder and Block, but it reads like you've just sat down across from a favorite close friend and said, "Remember when..."

I first discovered Lawrence Block and Matt Scudder many years ago reading perhaps three or four volumes, but the advent of Kindle has made it easy to read entire collections of an author's works and one day, about seven or eight months ago I decided to revisit the Scudder series, reading them in order one to seventeen with number 18 a collection of shorts that filled in a few gaps, and finally, with the last two stories, putting the full stop at the end of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The five stars are for the series as a whole.

This book contains all the short stories of the "Matt Scudder" series by Lawrence Block.I recommend reading this volume last after you have read all the previous novels.Although the stories are set in different time lines throughout the series they are an easy read (one of which is actually a short version of one of the novels).What caps this book off is the final story "One Last Night At Grogan's" which if it is the final words written about Matt Scudder is a fitting finale.A great book to end a fantastic series of novels.

This was my last read, having gone through the whole series (even if I did start in middle, got hooked on that one book). It is very difficult to wind up a series as successful and readable as this but Lawrence Block has done it in style. Sad there are no more Scudder books - maybe I should try his other books but I don't want to be disappointed - Scudder is a hard act to follow.

Have loved all the Matt Scudder books and would buy any related books Mr Block writes about him. Both author and character are getting older, but hope a few more books will come my way. If you haven't read any of the series - start at the beginning and enjoy.

A must read for all fans of Block, Matt Scudder, hard-boiled fiction and New York. A total joy.