A Time to Scatter Stones

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

Thanks to Subterranean Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Lawrence Block keeps threatening to retire so it’s always great to see something new; really anything new is a great treat (even if an old pseudonymous book). It’s even better when it’s something that’s about Matthew Scudder, my and many fans favorite Lawrence Block character. This novella is another excellent and enjoyable contribution to the series.

Scudder is enjoying his retirement when his wife Elaine returns from her latest Tarts meeting with something that she thinks needs Scudder’s help. (Elaine is a former prostitute and Tarts is a sort of Alcoholic Anonymous for prostitutes.) Ellen, a young prostitute, is trying to get out of the business but she’s having difficulty making one of her customers give her up. He’s become more possessive and views himself now as her only customer. This man, only known to her as Paul, makes her nervous with his recent threats and she’s forced to give in to her old life to avoid possible physical abuse. She’s hoping Scudder will find a way to convince this man to stop bothering her. Scudder enlists the help of his old friend Ray Galindez to sketch a picture of Paul from Ellen’s memory. Scudder’s hoping the picture will allow him to find out who Paul really is and to find out more about the man to convince him to stay away from Ellen.

This novella has the typical excellent writing of Block, although the story meanders into reminiscing at times somewhat like an older person that Scudder now is. I certainly enjoyed these look backs as would any long-time fan but someone new to the series (and why would you start here), may not enjoy it as much. Reading this novella, makes me reminisce myself into maybe going back to read some of the excellent books in this series.

Fans of Lawrence Block and his Matthew Scudder series will enjoy this nostalgic novella. The character of Matthew Scudder, along with the city of New York City, has grown and changed over time since the first Scudder novel published in 1976.. If you have never read the series, I suggest you start at the beginning and then you will get full enjoyment of this last case. Personally, my dad introduced me to this author and we read him together since the 80's. My dad passed away this year so this novella was a bittersweet read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, Subterranean Press, and the indomitable author Lawrence Block for this advanced review copy. I will be buying my own copy in January when it is published.

Did you ever go to visit a long time friend or relative; just drop in one day on your way through to somewhere else? That is what this reader experienced while reading A Time To Scatter Stones by Lawrence Block. This is a Matthew Scudder novella. Scudder the once NY City cop, then private investigator is now more the latter, though extremely retired with his Elaine.

The plot surrounds a friend of Elaine's from a support group, who like her is a former hooker. The woman is stalked by a former John and asks Elaine, and Matthew for help. During this story, Scudder reflects on old cases, how his relationship with his girlfriend developed, all the while bringing the current case and relationship to satisfying conclusions.

The author does a wonderful job of weaving in mentions from the past into the present without appearing like an infomercial for former works. The reading, the plot, and the characters all made this one a very satisfying read. This book will be enjoyed by fans of the author, and Matthew Scudder. Even people new to the character will receive enough insight to the character and no doubt want more!