Page count - I don't really know; I read it as an e-book and the page count depends on the font size chosen.
This is the first Matthew Scutter novel; a series that is wildly popular with mystery fans.
Scutter is an ex-cop turned "private eye." He is not a licensed PI but does "favours" for people for money. By not being a legitimate investigator he is not restricted by the laws and regulations of that profession. Even though he solves mysteries he is not doing it for the justice system (at least not in this book) but to help his client.
Scutter left the police department after a truly unfortunate accident. He is an alcoholic; although he was never drunk he was never without a drink.
The novel was set in present day 1975 back when New York was a scary, dirty and dangerous place. The sense of place was vivid in my imagination. The story itself moved at a quick pace and was completely engrossing. I tore through the book in a very short time.
A young woman is brutally murdered by her roommate. She was estranged from her father and it is he who hires Scutter to discover what her life was like from when he lost contact to the time of her death. This proved to be an interesting angle since he was not hired to solve the murder; the cops already had the man who was covered in her blood.
As Scutter learns about her life, he keeps bumping against the crime itself, which does not quite fit together neatly.
It's no wonder I like Block so much; his writing flows like water over a smooth rock - it is effortless to read. I just love it.
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| Lawrence Block |
