Description:

A gripping Matt Scudder novel from the author of A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES. Nine long years have passed since the killer last struck. Nine years since eight helpless young women were hideously slaughtered by an ice-pick wielding maniac. Now hard-drinking ex-cop and unlicensed investigator Matt Scudder has been hired to bring the murderer to justice at last. Relentlessly, Scudder follows an aging trail of blood towards a psychopath either long gone, long dead or very patiently awaiting the chance to kill again. **

Review

Lawrence Block is a master...The Matthew Scudder novels are among the finest detective books penned in this century. -- "Jonathan Kellerman"

Among the virtues of the book is its complete lack of sentimentality. The author is a deft surgeon, spare and economical, with no wasted motion, sure and precise in his technique. -- "New York Times"

This is a Scudder mystery, and listeners will enjoy his relentless investigation into the brutal nine-year-old murder of a pregnant woman. The novel is early in the Scudder series, by the way, and an important stepping-stone on his way to sobriety. -- "AudioFile"

The more interesting aspect of the work is Scudder's alcoholism. Not yet bottomed out, he engages in morning eye-openers and all-day benders...Though his lover enters Alcoholics Anonymous at the end of the work, Scudder continues his heavy drinking. William Roberts's reading of the story is quite good. A required purchase for all detective story collections. -- "Library Journal"

About the Author

Lawrence Block is a four-time winner of the Edgar Award and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He has also won four Shamus Awards, and was the first recipient of the Nero Wolfe Award. He is the author of over 40 books, many of which feature the characters Bernie Rhodenbarr, Matthew Scudder, Chip Harrison, and Evan Tanner. He lives in New York City with his wife Lynne.