Order WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES here
(also reviewed)
Order THE SINS OF THE FATHERS here
Order TIME TO MURDER AND CREATE here
Order IN THE MIDST OF DEATH here
Order A STAB IN THE DARK here
Order EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE here
Order THE CRIMES OF OUR LIVES here
Order THE GIRL WITH THE DEEP BLUE EYES here
Among the many great dilemmas afflicting the creative person, this one is - I believe - one of the most difficult to reconcile : you have to know when to end a story in order not to have it wear out its welcome, but you begin with the end in mind, you're going to write every character according to that one last scene and undermine your entire story. I don't think there are any right or wrong answers to that quandary for series, you just try to maintain a balance between these two extremes for as long as you can. Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder had a formidable run and if there are any lessons to be learned from volume 6 WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES is that certain characters just know when to come back in style.
The events of WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES happen before the events of the first novel in the series THE SINS OF THE FATHERS. It's one of the factors that make it so original because Matthew Scudder was a rather different man then. He hadn't retreated into that monastic, self-flagellating lifestyle that was a part of the first 5 novels' charm. In WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES, Scudder is hanging out with all sorts of lowlives until their peaceful damnation comes to a screeching halt after Morrissey's - a bar Scudder and his drinking friends spend a lot of time in - gets robbed by masked men one night. Morrissey's is not exactly the kind of bar you CAN rob if you want to live a long and healthy life.
WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES was so different from the first 5 novels in the series, it's both extremely refreshing and difficult to compare to the others. There is no young dove to save, in that one, no tragic murder to solve, Scudder is hanging with the wrong crowd and different shady characters are asking him for some of the favors that made Scudder famous both in his book and to us readers. It gave great perspective on why he isolates himself and has such overbearing trust issues in the other novels. WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES is not as elegiac and melancholic as the other Scudder novels, but it is definitely much bleaker and if you're familiar with the character, you'll find that it heightens the aura of loneliness and alienation around him.
This was my favorite Matthew Scudder novel alongside the fourth volume in the series A STAB IN THE DARK. While the latter stood out because of its strong character cast, its intricate mystery and the narrative decision of having Scudder fight his alcoholism, WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES stands out because of its unpredictability and its bleakness. Lawrence Block reaffirms in this novel that he is a master storyteller, keeping us glued to the page while wondering what exactly the plot of the book is. It's not that it isn't clear, but it keeps changing and morphing at you turn the pages. As a mystery enthusiast, there isn't anything that pleases me more than a novel that challenges my expectations like that.
Matthew Scudder proves to be one of the most durable detective characters in contemporary literature. He manages to remain interesting from novel to novel and unfolds new traits of his complex, troubled and yet endearing personality with every book. WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES was an audacious bet, one that shakes the very foundation of Lawrence Block's character, but that proves that he's able to manage to keep a character fresh and unpredictable just like he can do with a single novel. I thought I had a good handle on who Matthew Scudder was so far, but I have no idea where the series is going after WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES and it's why I'll keep reading Scudder to eagerly.
This was my favorite Matthew Scudder novel alongside the fourth volume in the series A STAB IN THE DARK. While the latter stood out because of its strong character cast, its intricate mystery and the narrative decision of having Scudder fight his alcoholism, WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES stands out because of its unpredictability and its bleakness. Lawrence Block reaffirms in this novel that he is a master storyteller, keeping us glued to the page while wondering what exactly the plot of the book is. It's not that it isn't clear, but it keeps changing and morphing at you turn the pages. As a mystery enthusiast, there isn't anything that pleases me more than a novel that challenges my expectations like that.
Matthew Scudder proves to be one of the most durable detective characters in contemporary literature. He manages to remain interesting from novel to novel and unfolds new traits of his complex, troubled and yet endearing personality with every book. WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES was an audacious bet, one that shakes the very foundation of Lawrence Block's character, but that proves that he's able to manage to keep a character fresh and unpredictable just like he can do with a single novel. I thought I had a good handle on who Matthew Scudder was so far, but I have no idea where the series is going after WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES and it's why I'll keep reading Scudder to eagerly.