Small Town

As a long-time Block fan, initially I felt saddened that Scudder and other favorites would not be appearing in this volume. It did take a few chapters for me to be drawn into the novel, but once that happened I was hooked. The book presents a fascinating mystery: a serial killer dealing with a post 9/11 psychological meltdown resulting from a great personal loss. It also offers a coherent presentation of the "small-town" elements of NYC, where connectivity and also distance -- both physical and emotional -- is alive and well among the characters. And as usual, New York and Block's knowledge of it shines. Judging from other reviews here, the explicit sexuality was disturbing to some people and deemed excessive by others. I found those scenes relevant to the plot, within the limits of reality and supporting character development, adding appropriate tension and suspense to the story line. A great read, one of Block's best.

Superb book by the Master. Using the device first made famous by Shnitzler (a rondelay - character meets character who meets character, etc.), Block has created an amazing homage to New York post-9/11.The book is worth reading for its voices alone. Block has an astounding knack of altering his style and language for each character, making them real, idiosyncratic and fascinating.If you're only interested in a Matt Scudder thriller, pass this by. This book is literature. The murders and their resolution are just devices. The essence is the people, their internal conflicts, their sexual experimentation and discovery.One of the best books I've read in ages. And a wonderful surprise!

Although quite different than most of his standard fare, Small Town is a delicious thriller that mixes lurid sex with suspense to keep the reader turning the pages as quickly as possible. Nobody does dialogue better than Block, and that was on display here. Although the killer's motivation was a bit far fetched (almost as bad as something Dean Koontz would fathom), it doesn't detract from what is a truly enjoyable read.

With arresting voice and total command of his narrative, author Lawrence Block gives a dynamite reading to this saga of the city we love to read and hear about - New York. No other place evokes the visions of mystery and excitement that the Big Apple does, and Block does his beloved metropolis proud. A Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and four-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe and Shamus Awards this author well knows how to weave a spellbinder, and he peoples it with characters we expect to find in New York - high class, low class, the dregs, but always fascinating. Of course, there is a writer - John Blair Creighton who believes he's about to really make it. Toss in a former police commissioner with political ambitions, and mix with Susan Pomerance, a gorgeous (aren't they all?) art dealer. Add a dash of one defense attorney whose metier is murder trails, and a now clean addict who's trying to right wrongs. Mix all of these together, and you have one can't-stop-listening-to thriller.

The story begins with the murder of a female real estate agent who picked up a man in a bar and took him home. When she's discovered the next morning by her cleaning man, the police are quick to settle on John Blair Creighton, a largely unsuccessful mid-list writer, as the likely culprit. (The suspect's profession, not incidentally, allows the author an opportunity to deliciously skewer the venality of the publishing industry.) While true that he did meet her and apparently go home with her, Creighton certainly doesn't remember killing her. Of course, he was very drunk at the time and might have blacked out.Even with Creighton under arrest, however, the killings don't stop. Next to come is a brutal triple murder in a whorehouse, followed by the firebombing of a gay bar. Soon another suspect appears, a bland, ordinary insurance executive who lost everything that mattered to him on 9/11, including, it seems, his very soul.The 2001 terrorist attack on New York City forms an ever-present backdrop to the conjoined stories of Small Town. The many characters that populate it are still reeling from the loss, trying to make sense out of a world gone mad, always reminded by the stark hole in their beautiful skyline. Their pain, the city's pain, is an important of their lives still, and thus an important part of the plot.Block has written a masterpiece for his 52nd novel, a stunning work that draws on all his powers as a storyteller and chronicler of the darker side of the human psyche. Never before has he painted on such a broad canvas, and never before has he attempted to go so deep into the hearts and minds of so many different characters. Breaking out of the more traditional mystery mold was a gamble, but it has paid off in spades. Small Town is one of the finest books of Block's, or any, career.Reviewed by David Montgomery, Mystery Ink