As a fan of both Lawrence Block and the Matthew Scudder mysteries, I loved this book! The audio narrator did a fantastic job with Scudder's voice, and it was nice to hear the bit narrated by Block as well. Block clearly had a lot of fun writing this, and I learned so much more about Scudder. (Tidbit: Scudder says that though he was described as a bull headed Taurus in some of the books, he's actually a Virgo). Absolutely no one writes crime like Lawrence Block. So I've loved his detective stories for years. But this was a very fun taste of a different type of in-depth, chatty, autobiographical look at the character of Scudder. Highly recommended, whether you've read other Scudder books or not, but especially if you have enjoyed Block's previous work.

The name Lawrence Block rang a loud bell in my head so I requested this from Netgalley. I wasn't until after that I realised I've not read any of the Matthew Scudder books. Not a disaster though because this book is interesting, fun and clever.

Block gives us Matthew Scudder's autobiography so we hear the voice of the character commenting occasionally on Block's treatment of his working/personal life. He's not totally complimentary and you get the sense that Mr Block had a lot of fun with this novel.

We get a no holds barred look at the life of a New York policeman, his often unconventional way of policing and his honesty regarding friends, family, job and his failings as a human being, police officer, husband and father. Scudder is not beyond bending or breaking the law or having a wonky moral compass but he comes across essentially as a good man.

I really enjoyed this book. The narrators, (including Block as himself), Peter Berkrot as Scudder and Romy Nordlinger as Elaine were perfect - a little rough around the edges but clear as day (I loathe mumbling). So I've now downloaded a few Scudder books to see if I can spot the differences that Scudder points out.

Recommended for fans of Block, Scudder or anyone who enjoys a well told tale of New York policemen before the rules got tougher to bend.

A new kind of read for me. It wasn’t bad, it was well written, it just wasn’t my type of read. There was some parts that sparked my interest.

Thanks to Dreamscape Publishing and NetGalley for another awesome audio ARC “The Autobiography of Matthew Scudder” by Lawrence Block. The Matt Scudder series of books have been wonderful for anyone looking for classic P. I. novels with the style of Robert Parker, Raymond Chandler, or Mickey Spillane. This book told from Matt’s point of view as he is writing his life story including mentioning the series of books telling of his adventures makes for an entertaining and enjoyable read. I truly enjoyed it and look forward to rereading some of my favorite Matt Scudder stories with a fresh perspective.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this audio.

I am a huge fan of Lawrence Block. I think I have read every Matthew Scudder book he has written. They are wonderfully written, engaging, and both humorous and scary -meaning they have the requisite number of fear factors. So I was delighted with the concept of Mr. Scudder writing his own autobiography.
There are three narrators: Lawrence Block; Peter Berkrot; Romy Nordlinger. I wish I knew who did what. The last thing I want to do is insult Lawrence Block in any way. But, I guess, as a writer, he knows he can't please all the people all the time.
I must have a voice for Scudder in my head all these many years. The Scudder narrator wasn't the voice. As the audiobook went along, I found it harder and harder to listen to the voice. I think it must have been Block because there was a sad, soulful, regret maybe reminiscing about the story. Since Block and Scudder are the same age, it would make sense that Block did the narration. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to write the biography of someone you've lived with for 50 years and are still learning about.

That said, the story was a revelation. He had his many adventures, highlights and lowlifes. He was fantastically imperfect which is one of the reasons he is such a wonderful detective/man in the Scudder books. Does this wrap up the Scudder story? No more Scudder detective stories? His autobiography, to me, is wildly inventive yet believable. I wish I had read the book and not listened to it.

I saw one of the reviews said that she wished she had read the Scudder books. I agree. Those of us that have been reading Lawrence Block for the past 30-50 years are going to feel a much deeper connection to his story and if this is his swan song, a real sense of grief.

If you've never read any of the books, it probably doesn't matter if you read or listen to the book. But, if like me, you've read them all and have a Scudder voice in your head, you may want to read the book. For the same reason, I am unable to watch Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. He just isn't. So take this piece of advice in the spirit it's meant. Happy reading.

I think I would have liked this book better if I had read any of the books that were about the detective. This was an interesting concept for a book because as a reader I always want to know more about the main characters - who they are and how they got to be the people they are.

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I love the Matthew Scudder series. This book was such a wonderful story and a pleasure to listen to. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this incredible audiobook