When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder Mysteries Book 6)

This book opens with a bang. Literally. Matthew Scudder is sitting with some buddies in early July when a large explosion shatters the conversational tranquility that is enveloping the place and before peace is returned in full, the bar is held up and a small fortune is taken. Eventually (three chapters in) Matt agrees to take the job of finding out whodunit, and the whydunit, but before he makes much progress, the wife of a friend of a friend is killed and once more the task of finding the killer falls in the lap of our hero.Some books contain a chapter or a phrase that is so extraordinary and so beautiful that it lifts the work above the realm of the ordinary and into the space or territory of the mythical. When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes is like this. Chapter twelve opens in a drab, samey manner (just like its preceding sibling chapters) with our man Scud drinking his way through the three simultaneous mysteries he is attempting to solve. After ensuring one of his clients gets home safely after a hard and depressing night on the booze, he leaves his own apartment at some insane hour and finds himself drinking bourbon at Armstrong's. Conversation with the owner takes precedence over drinking and before Scudder knows it, he is (we are) experiencing and learning about the heart-breakingly beautiful paralytic dancers from Dave Van Ronk's mournful jazz masterpiece, "When the sacred Gin Mill closes". I won't infringe copyright by quoting the text here but rest assured this section of the book is worth the cost of admission alone.Back in the real world, days after the first listen, Scudder is helping his buddies solve a minor problem of extortion, and the song is still playing on his mind. Just like mine. And yours, too, when you read it. But this book is about more than Dave Van Ronk and his music. It is about friendship, and booze, and keeping your promises. And it is also about Ireland, and family, and home, and tradition.But most importantly, it is about truth, and how beauty can be found in the most unlikely and unexpected of places. So hang in there. Just like Matt does.

If you are reading the Matt Scudder stories in order this one will seem out of place. However by the end you will see that it is a look back to the days when Scudder was drinking heavily. There are three threads in this story of which two are connected to each other. The third thread is a separate story, but characters of all three play a role in the whole story. Scudder has to help a fellow drinker prove his innocence in the murder of his wife. The other two deal with a robbery of an after hours bad and theft of a set of ledgers from another bar. As Scudder works these cases we see the man as he slowly see his life change before his own eyes. I had to ask myself as I read this story are there truly heroes and villains or are we just victims of ourselves. By the end of this story I still wonder. This story is really not just a good whodunit, but it is one that can make you think about life. So dear reader take a walk into a man's last life and to d the demons he bears and enjoy.

I first read the Lawrence Block novel A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES prior to seeing the movie. Movies made from well written novels tend to be letdowns. While the movie did have its bright spots, it has to be extremely difficult to condense such an intriguing story into a 114 minute motion picture.This particular episode in the Matthew Scudder series takes place in New York City in 1975. Matt Scudder is a former Special Forces hero, an ex NYC cop, and a current and committed drinker who does favors for friends in exchange for money. Even though he and his friends spend most days and nights drinking heavily, none of them considers themselves to be alcoholics. All of them profess to be able to stop drinking at the drop of a hat, but somehow that never seems to happen. They just sort of stumble around together in sort of a "groundhog day", chasing their next drink and not much else.Unfortunately (and surprisingly) a few of his friends get themselves into difficult situations, and Matt finds himself collecting three different paychecks while looking for answers. He is the type of (unlicensed) private eye who walks in circles and gathers countless bits of information until he hits that "Eureka" moment where everything falls together. Sometimes the smallest piece of information.....Matt has his hands full with these cases and not everyone is who they seem to be. The problem is figuring out who is responsible for each crime and then extracting retribution without involving the local coppers. Not surprisingly, the Irish have their own way of balancing the scales. Innovative, tricky and effective.

It's actually pretty good writing but I get tired of reading about the same old world-weary, sad back story detective/cop. It's hackneyed and unnecessary. The book does a good job of bringing alive the New York scenes and the personalities but the protagonist is just a drudge. Is there a detective out there that is well adjusted and competent? I'm still looking.

I'll have to be careful that the review doesn't say more about me than the author or book or Whatever!!First off, I'm a Patti Labelle fan with "Stir It Up", so nothing phases me. (I'll fall out with Lawre..nah...rry Block, so long as I don't with Madame Labelle.)So, gettin' it from the wrong end of the sequence- to tax my brains- well I not goin' to do: but it was a good novel: but a bit Ingmar Bergman, for a long while. And serious drinkin'. And maybe It was all a forerunner to Typical Lonely Guy- The humour at the end was great.

I very much enjoyed this Book. It takes a different format to the series up to now as it is told mainly as a flashback to to before Scudders Sobriety.I got a sense of bleakness and waste from this book that I found quite deep and actually emotionally effecting.Overall I think it is better to have read the other books before this one, but I do heartily recommend it!

This novel is part of a series featuring the author's recurring character 'Matt Scudder'. It vividly portrays the 70's, and the culture of a group of alcoholics.

An excellent book - more about character than plot/mystery. The whole story is character driven, and gives a real feel of New York then, the bars and the drinking. Completely believable and not at all over the top. What a shame I cannot go and have a quiet drink in Armstrongs with Matt Scudder.

Good read