Book Review: THE SINS OF THE FATHERS by Lawrence Block

 

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS  by Lawrence Block  (Dark Harvest edition July 1992, first published 1976)  Hardcover, 179 pages.  ISBN # 0931165662 / 9780913165669  Matthew Scudder series #1

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

The pretty young prostitute is dead. Her alleged murderer—a minister's son—hanged himself in his jail cell. The case is closed. But the dead girl's father has come to Matthew Scudder for answers, sending the unlicensed private investigator in search of terrible truths about a life that was lived and lost in a sordid world of perversion and pleasures.

 

My review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

     This book is magnificent. I never imagined that I could become absorbed in a novel so spare of physical action (aside from when the main character seeks out an unlucky mugger to release his tensions and provide a resolution of sorts). Matthew Scudder solves his case through research and conversations. 

 

     Thanks to Goodreads friend James Thane, who recommended this book and series to me. I just created some new shelves, as I will certainly be adding to them. 

 

     This particular edition includes a humorous and lengthy (what else?) introduction by Stephen King that still manages to get to the point of what makes Scudder so interesting: "These early novels -- paint a hellishly accurate portrait of the flawed and addictive mind careering madly along a set of rusty rails towards the inevitable dead end, and the care with which Block teases Scudder's central problem from the deep background to the extreme foreground, where it swallows almost everything, is extraordinary."

 

     Scudder is an alcoholic, although it is downplayed somewhat in this first book. He doesn't give it serious acknowledgment. But readers learn all the details, not through his words or the comments of others, but through his actions. It's almost impossible to not draw that conclusion. (I'm not a heavy drinker at all, but that coffee spiked with bourbon has me intrigued. May have to sample that.)

 

     This ability to show, not tell, is what enhanced my enjoyment of this novel. Plus, Block remarkably does this without physical action or movements. Readers learn so much through just the simple way that Scudder asks questions and the words he uses to respond to others. Not many writers can pull that off. Block is definitely one to study. He doesn't mince words, doesn't use more than is necessary, and keeps it short and sweet while creating maximum impact. 

 

     Like the best first-person narratives in detective fiction (Raymond Chandler's works being my favorite), Block uses Scudder to paint a vivid portrait of both New York City circa 1970's as well as some of its' (often less than savory) inhabitants. Scudder is extremely judgmental, but you can't disagree with his assessments. He does have a charitable streak, a fondness for the less-privileged and empathy for prostitutes, plus an extreme sense of fairness. A great character.

 

     Once in awhile, Block allows his narrator to employ some descriptive language and there are some real classics here. Especially in the first chapter, which is how I was hooked on this book after a few pages. 

 

     In describing Cale Hanniford, the father whose daughter has been brutally murdered, who wants Scudder to reopen the case: "His features were sharply chiseled -- a hawk-bill nose, a full mouth, a craggy jawline -- but the full effect of his face was as a blank stone tablet waiting for someone to scratch commandments on it."

 

     On his fondness for churches (but not so much organized religion) and his habit of tithing ten percent of his earnings back to them: "The Catholics get more of my money that anybody else. Not because I'm partial to them, but because they put in longer hours. Most of the Protestants close up shop during the week."

 

     There are more, but I'd rather leave it for new readers to discover on their own rather than share them here. 

     Early in the novel, I had an inkling who the guilty were and who was innocent, but even that failed to diminish the impact of the story. There's a certain satisfaction in discovering how the detective pulls the tiny tidbits of information together to connect the dots and inform his decisions. 

 

     This is worth multiple readings, just to try and figure out how Block makes it seem so easy. I borrowed this edition from the public library and may have to purchase one for myself.