Book Review: A TIME TO SCATTER STONES by Lawrence Block

A TIME TO SCATTER STONES: A Matthew Scudder Novella by Lawrence Block  (Subterranean Press, January 2019)  Hardcover, 160 pages.  ISBN # 1596068930 / 9781596068933.  

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

Matthew Scudder tries to help a sex worker who wants out of the business, but remains ensnared by an abusive client.

 

My review on the Goodreads website . . . .

 

     I’ve been reading more and more crime fiction over the last ten years, so I have no excuse for not having read a single thing by Lawrence Block before this short novella. I've certainly heard favorable things about his works, and even have a few novels I snagged at book sales, etc. over the years. Yet, I've never picked up one until now. I actually came across this novella at my local library, and made a snap decision that, because of the shorter length, this would be a great starting point to get acquainted with the writing of Lawrence Block.

 

     I'm glad I did and I enjoyed the book, although I finished with the impression that A Time To Scatter Stones doesn't really represent the greatness of Block that he's renowned for. Rather than discourage me, it makes me want to pick up some of those novels I'm holding and explore further. 

 

     These are the things that I really like about this story, featuring long-time Block character Matthew Scudder, now retired from detective work as well as the police force:

 

1. Block lets Schudder age in real time, just like Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin do with their landmark characters. 

 

2. Conversation leads the plot - - lots of discussion throughout, and nothing happens without a preliminary conversation. The dialogue is engaging, realistic, and amusing. Old retired couple manages to retain their sense of humor and sharp wit. 

3. Block doesn't try to make his character a super-man. Scudder is retired, his knees ache and he can't walk a beat like he used to, and he's not that active (except for one critical scene, and even then he's restrained). He solves the case with brains, not brawn. 

 

4. Block takes a situation that would probably be an interesting secondary story-line in a novel, and brings it front and center making it the main conflict of the novella. But doing so, he draws attention to something that I'd never even considered - - could prostitutes have the same issues leaving the business as alcoholics do in keeping away from the bottle? And are their support groups to help them make the transition. The answers are yes and yes. 

 

5. I've got a soft spot for stories of vigilante justice -- when it's appropriate and a better resolution to traditional methods. (To tell more would spoil the story for you. Just know that I'm not advocating brutality or murder here. Read the story and you'll understand that better.)