Lawrence Block – Mystery Writers of America Grand Master – Born June 24, 1938
A few weeks ago when we were visiting with Peter, Missy, and Zoe, Missy’s mom was looking for a movie to watch. She said to Peter, “We don’t want A Walk Among the Tombstones because it wasn’t very good.” I commented that the book was really good! She looked at me quizzically and said, “There’s a book?” Yeah, I said — by the great Lawrence Block.
Today is Block’s birthday — he was born in Buffalo, New York, on June 24, 1938. A Walk Among the Tombstones features one of the mystery genre’s best characters, Matt Scudder.
Block’s most famous creation, the ever-evolving Matthew Scudder, was introduced in 1976’s The Sins of the Fathers as an alcoholic ex-cop working as an unlicensed private investigator in Hell’s Kitchen. Originally published as paperbacks, the early novels are interchangeable; the second and third entries — In the Midst of Death (1976) and Time to Murder and Create (1977) — were written in the opposite order. 1982’s 8 Million Ways to Die (filmed in 1986 by Hal Ashby) broke from that trend, concluding with Scudder introducing himself at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
During the ’80s and early ’90s, I read many of the Matt Scudder books. Looking at the list now, I think A Walk Among the Tombstones was the last one I read. Hope to Die (#15, released in 2001) is on my TBR shelf — maybe it’s time to get back into the series! For reference, A Walk Among the Tombstones is book #10.
In addition to the Matt Scudder novels, Block wrote several other series. My favorite is the Bernie Rhodenbarr “Burglar” series, which features the lovable Bernie. There are eleven books in the series, and I’ve read many of them. The first book, Burglars Can’t Be Choosers, is also on my TBR pile — maybe I’ll flip a coin to decide what’s next.
His other series include Evan Tanner, Chip Harrison, and Keller. Block has also written under nine different pen names!
Awards
Edgar Awards
- 1978 – Best Paperback Original – Time to Murder and Create
- 1983 – Best Novel – Eight Million Ways to Die
- 1985 – Best Short Story – “By Dawn’s Early Light”
- 1991 – Best Short Story – “Answers to Soldier”
- 1992 – Best Novel – A Dance at the Slaughterhouse
- 1994 – Grand Master Award
- 1995 – Best Novel – A Long Line of Dead Men
- 1998 – Best Short Story – “Keller On the Spot”
- 1999 – Best Short Story – “Looking for David”
Shamus Awards
- 1982 – Best Novel – A Stab in the Dark
- 1983 – Best Novel – Eight Million Ways to Die
- 1985 – Best Short Story – “By the Dawn’s Early Light”
- 1987 – Best Novel – When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
- 1990 – Best Novel – Out on the Cutting Edge
- 1991 – Best Novel – A Ticket to the Boneyard
- 1992 – Best Novel – A Dance at the Slaughterhouse
- 1994 – Best Novel – The Devil Knows You’re Dead
- 2002 – Lifetime Achievement Award (“The Eye”)
- 2009 – Best Character Award (“The Hammer”) – Matt Scudder
Matthew Scudder Novels
| Title | Series/No. | Date Published | Date Read | Notes |
| The Sins of the Fathers | (Matthew Scudder #1) | 1976 | ||
| Time to Murder and Create | (Matthew Scudder, #2) | 1976 | 2024/10/02 | |
| In the Midst of Death (Matthew | (Matthew Scudder, #3) | 1977 | 2017/01/11 | |
| A Stab in the Dark | (Matthew Scudder #4) | 1981 | ||
| Eight Million Ways to Die | (Matthew Scudder #5) | 1982 | ||
| When the Sacred Ginmill Closes | (Matthew Scudder, #6) | 1986 | 1988/05/07 | |
| Out on the Cutting Edge | (Matthew Scudder #7) | 1989 | ||
| A Ticket to the Boneyard | (Matthew Scudder, #8) | 1990 | 1990/10/28 | |
| A Dance At The Slaughterhouse | (Matthew Scudder, #9) | 1991 | 1994/06/15 | |
| A Walk Among the Tombstones ) | (Matthew Scudder #10 | 1992 | ||
| The Devil Knows You’re Dead | (Matthew Scudder, #11) | 1993 | 2020/07/28 | |
| A Long Line of Dead Men | (Matthew Scudder, #12) | 1994 | ||
| Even the Wicked | (Matthew Scudder, #13) | 1997 | ||
| Everybody Dies | (Matthew Scudder, #14) | 1998 | ||
| Hope to Die | (Matthew Scudder, #15) | 2001 | ||
| All the Flowers are Dying | (Matthew Scudder, #16) | 2005 | ||
| A Drop of the Hard Stuff | (Matthew Scudder, #17) | 2011 |
Bernie Rhodenbarr Novels
| Title | ||||
| Burglars Can’t Be Choosers | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #1) | 1977 | 1998/05/05 | |
| The Burglar in the Closet | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #2) | 1978 | 1998/08/29 | |
| The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #3) | 1979 | 1999/09/12 | |
| The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #4) | 1980 | 1998/05/27 | |
| The Burglar who Painted Like Mondrian | (Bernie Rhodenbarr #5) | |||
| The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #6) | 1994 | 1997/09/27 | |
| The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #7) | 1995 | 1996/08/03 | |
| The Burglar in the Library | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #8) | 1997 | 1998/05/05 | |
| The Burglar in the Rye | (Bernie Rhodenbarr, #9) | 1998 | 1999/12/12 | |
| The Burglar on the Prowl | (Bernie Rhodenbarr #10) | 2005 | ||
| The Burglar Who Counted Spoon | s (Bernie Rhodenbarr #11) | 2014 | ||
| The Burglar in Short Orders | (Bernie Rodddenbarr #12) | 2020 | ||
| The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown | (Bernie Rhodenbarr #12) | 2022 |
Further Exploration
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