A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block

Matthew Scudder is back.  And he's sober...


Mulholland Books is publishing this book this month and sent me a copy for review (thank you).  Check with your local bookstore for a copy.


Mr. Block always writes about characters that need some work.  They all have some sort of problem - just like we all do.  He makes his characters human, they have their failings, and many times they aren't even sure what they want.  These aren't fairy tales with happy endings, these are stories about life.  There is a lot of ugly in the world and he has some of that in his stories.  He writes about the "mean streets" and the men and women who travel them.


Matt Scudder has been around for a long time.  I've been reading about him for years.  A few year's back I quit.  I didn't like what the character had become.  But this novel reminds me that people (and characters) can change.  Mr. Scudder is now a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and trying to overcome his long addiction to alcohol.  Since it pretty well ruined his life along the way, he has few friends at this point in life.  But he does have associates/friends from AA.  And when one of them gets killed, another AA member asks him to investigate.  Of course, there are a lot secrets held by those who were alcoholics in the past...


I had no idea where Mr. Block's storyline was going or who the killer was.  He had me hooked.  And it was a very good read.  You won't be bored.


Why not get a copy and see for yourself?


If you'd like my ARC of this book, leave a comment here on my blog and then email me at info @ bookfaerie.com (take the spaces out) with your name AND address and why you'd like to read it.  I'll pick a winner in about a week.


Happy reading!