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Book Reviews & Giveaway: A Drop of the Hard Stuff

Author: Lawrence Block
Terse, compact, and hard hitting prose packs the punch in “A Drop of the Hard Stuff.”  Lawrence Block is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, with countless other kudos and awards.  He’s earned it.  This novel competes with none in his genre.

Throw in perfect timing, and relentless characterization, and there you have it.  Block knows what he’s doing, and does it better than anyone.  No rushing, no pushing, just seamless entry between dialogue, prose and drama.  Masterful.
Ex-cop Matthew Scudder has climbed out of the bottle with the help of AA.  He’s got a good sponsor, Jim Faber, who keeps him on the first step – getting through just one day at a time, hitting as many meetings as he can every day, and not picking up a drink.  Matthew is getting close to his one year of sobriety.  At a meeting, he runs into Jack Ellery, a childhood acquaintance.  Ellery’s sponsor, Greg Stillman, is what AA members call a Step Nazi.  Stillman demands complete and utter devotion to the AA’s twelve steps, and Jack is working on two years sobriety, and he is on the 8th step: making amends to those he has hurt with his actions when he drank, unless making amends would hurt them or others.  And since Jack was a criminal in his drinking life, he’s got a lot of amends to make.  When Jack is found dead, Stillman contacts Matt and offers him one thousand dollars to check the five names on Jack’s 8th step list to make sure they are not the killers.  Greg feels responsible for Jack’s death, and wants to ensure that none of the names are the one that killed Jack.  Matthew is only to clear the five people, Greg states, not find the killer.  That is out of both of their hands.
As Matt goes through the list, he realizes that all five are innocent of murder. And that leaves him finished with the job for which Greg paid him.  And then bodies start appearing, dead bodies, all joined at the hip with Jack’s death.  Greg’s body is one of them.  Matt walks into his room one night and finds it has been burglarized.  On his desk sits a full glass of Makers Mark, with the open bottle sitting next to it.  Jack freaks out, and calls Jim, his sponsor.  Matt knows his life too is now in danger.
Intricate and tantalizing, Block draws us in to the daily structure of an alcoholic finding sobriety.  And then he twists us around as Matt must not only stay sober, but fight for his life.  As Matt hunts the clues, the killer hunts him.  This novel devours its subject and flaunts Block’s talent and acuity both as a novelist and a writer.  We are there with Matthew, feeling the odors of alcohol, the hunger of addiction, and the valor of one man’s courage and intelligence.  A compelling and intelligent novel that wound itself around my finger like twine.  Lawrence Block truly is masterful.
A Drop of the Hard Stuff (Matthew Scudder)  is available at bookstores all around the country.
Ratings are based on a 5-star scale

Overall: 5

Review by Broad “A” – Ava

We received a copy of this title for our book review. All opinions are our own.

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