Block was really taking Matt Scudder to some dark places in the early 90s, as if a psychotic killer hell bent on revenge and a couple of evil snuff film makers weren't enough hell for one man to face whilst trying with all his might to stay away from the hard stuff he's now faced with some joy killers who abduct and dissect women in broad daylight. Luckily he has a great group of friends and a growing sense of "home" in a light place to counteract the dark. But surely there's only so much of the banality of evil that men can commit upon each other that Scudder can witness before his will fails him?

I'd like to think this isn't one of those scenarios where we all keep reading waiting to see the head roll after the horrible accident, but the fear you have for Scudder and his friends, who are seemingly willing to go in to harms way to fight Matt's fight alongside him, is palpable from the opening paragraphs of these books. The more you care about a character the more the reader has riding on their success and there can be no greater series to demonstrate the truth of that statement as in the hands of Lawrence Block you can never be sure what hell he is going to run his protagonist through next.

Tombstones deviates slightly from the "standard" Scudder pattern, the way his private detective work evolves in to something else entirely as the case picks up pace makes it clear why somebody thought it would be a fantastic post-Taken vehicle for Liam Neeson but the magic of Block's writing is that he visits the edges of a different sub-genre without it feeling false to the world and characters that he's already created.

Gary watchers will be disappointed by the brevity of his work here but it's more than made up for by the growth of TJ in to a series character AND what I hope will be the first of many appearances for the Kong Brothers as Scudder struggles to come to grips with the exciting technological advances the 90s are bringing him.

Personally it doesn't reach the heights of Slaughterhouse or 8 Million Ways but it's another stellar instalment, another superb piece of work from the Grandmaster and another example of all that can be great in noir fiction.

Fun fact: my recent grim-dark glom through this series started when I caught the not-very-good Liam Neeson movie version of this book on cable one evening. Two things have stuck with me 1) I actually think Neeson was good casting for Scudder and 2) my lasting impression of the not very good movie was that "I'd probably like to read that." And here we are.

It was fun to note the similarities and differences between book and movie, and the story itself was pretty good although, holy cow, dark AF (I know I keep saying that with each new review I write for a Scudder book but it's like Block had a bet with his editor to outdo the grim of the previous books with each successive entry). I loved the inclusion of what is now dated technology but was gee-whiz-cool back in the early 1990s. The addition of the Kongs added some levity and Block, the old softie, gives readers a final scene with Elaine and Matt at the end that made my romance reader heart sing.

This is my second Scudder book and it's very good. I held off on watching the movie until I finished the book so I wouldn't have any preconceptions. This time Matt is after a couple seriously sadistic killers while walking a tightrope on his relationship with Elaine. What I like best about Scudder books is he isn't your typical tough detective. He's a thinker much more than a fighter. He works tenaciously on his cases and swims in the deep details. I also enjoyed his side characters, TJ and the Kongs. A big part of these books has been the AA meetings which get a little tedious when I just want more of the case he's working on.
I did watch the movie and it's just okay. They really miss out on the tenderness and vulnerability the book captures. Everyone is miscast, I'll never picture Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder. I think Gotham's Donal Logue would have been a great choice but I guess you need a star.

Scudder vs the Kidnappers
Review of the Telemachus Press LLC eBook (November 19, 2013) of the original William Morrow & Co. hardcover (1992).

“I know what you mean,” I said. “The thing is, it’s not something I have to be told. I’ve always been a stubborn son of a bitch. When I start something I have a hell of a time letting go of it. I think that’s the main way I solve things, to tell you the truth. I don’t do it by being brilliant. I just hang on like a bulldog until something shakes loose.”

The plot of the previous Scudder novel [b:A Dance At The Slaughterhouse|31476|A Dance At The Slaughterhouse (Matthew Scudder, #9)|Lawrence Block|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316037673l/31476._SY75_.jpg|1945245] (1991) was disturbing and this follow-up wasn't much lighter. A team of kidnappers (the number is uncertain at first) have kidnapped the wife of a drug dealer and are holding them for ransom. Whether the ransom is paid or not, the victim may not survive the ordeal. Through an acquaintance from his regular AA meetings, Scudder is brought in to try to hunt down the kidnappers. He gradually discovers that previous missing persons cases may have been the targets of the same criminals.

TJ, the street-smart kid from the previous book, returns here as Scudder's ally and plays a key role in tracing the kidnappers. A duo of computer and phone hackers aid in the hunt and there are some moments of comic relief as Scudder learns to cater to their fast junk food needs while they do their cyberstalking. The final confrontation takes quite a dark turn as in the previous case.


The front cover of the original 1992 William Morrow & Co. hardcover edition. Image sourced from Goodreads.

Trivia and Links

Promotional poster for the movie adaptation. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
A Walk Among the Tombstones was adapted into the same-titled film (2014) written and directed by Scott Frank and starring Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder. The plot of the film was quite faithful to the book, although it dropped several subplots (e.g. the phone hackers). The film also provided a shortened version of the Scudder backstory. You can watch the trailer for the film on YouTube here.

I read a considerable number of Lawrence Block books in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days. Probably 40 or so out of the 100+ that are available. That included all of the Matt Scudder books, several of the Bernie Rhodenbarrs, several of the Evan Tanners, several of the John Kellers, a dozen or so standalones and some of the memoirs. There were even a few of the earlier pulp novels which were originally published under pseudonyms. This re-read is a look back at some of those.

Lawrence Block (June 24, 1938 - ) considers himself retired these days, but still maintains an occasional newsletter with the latest issued in August 2024. He self-publishes some of his earlier works that have otherwise gone out of print, using his own LB Productions imprint.

I have loved all of the Matthew Scudder books, but this one is the best! Loved it!

You'll be okay going to bed at night

Interesting read but overall for your psycho thriller novels I found parts to be a little long winded. While I thought the story line was interesting and did keep me reading it wasn't as suspenseful as I would have hoped. Not sure I would want to spend the money to see the upcoming dramatization in the theaters, might wait for that one to come out on dvd. I am considering giving some of his other books a try.

Look, Lawrence Block is a national treasure. I think we can all agree on that. What continuously impresses me about his writing is how effortlessly he continues to make familiar territory deeper and consistently alive.

A Walk Among the Tombstones is a simple premise. One that's been done countless times in crime fiction. But Block creates characters here with weight and personalities and real dimension so that the reader feels, "While this may have happened a million times in stories, this time it's happening to me."

Block has a workman style to prose, yet it sticks in the mind and builds toward such an architecturally finished work that you're amazed at how fascinating the finishing product can be. Just ho-hum, a man placing the bricks of a story, nothing flashy, brick, brick, brick, and then, wow, you've got a beautifully built story with style, theme, structure, depth...I'm quite impressed with all of it (as if you couldn't tell).

Walk does for Scudder fans what the previous novels have done--continues to build on the legacy and cast of the previous stories in a way that gives history and extra emotion to the players and actions. Block has done a masterful number on our hero--showing a changed man that feels authentic, never too fast, never unearned. I find myself thinking Matthew Scudder is a guy I hope would like me so we could hang out and chat over a soda and the man's not even real. That's great work.

The pace of Walk is typical Block--brisk, dialogue-heavy, yet richer than most writers could do with an extra twenty thousand words. New readers to this series will be almost at home with quick reintroducions of past characters, of course the heft of that history won't ring as true. The individual story itself is tense, yet fun. I probably chuckled more in Walk than I have any of that previous Scudder books. A bit character from a previous novel thrust into a supporting role here was an excellent choice.

Recommended for all mystery/thriller readers and lovers of rich, character-driven story. Block fans who've managed to miss this one will love it.

This was decent brain candy, though a rather bitter candy. The characters were interesting, the storyline was sufficiently dynamic, and the writing was suitable for such a novel. All this to say, I liked it. Not sure what to expect from the film but I think I'll be giving that a try soon.

This book, however, is not for the faint of heart.

Reread in 2024.

This book will always be special for me in the series, perhaps because it was the first MS book I read in EN and forever got imprinted by Matthew's voice :D
During the reread the magic wanned a little - I guess all things being equal, I would prefer mystery over thriller - but meanwhile, the characterization and finess in handling sensitive scenes/topics had still been a pleasure to witness.