BOOKS BY LAWRENCE BLOCK

They’ve been coming at you relentlessly since 1961. Here’s a rundown on the complete works, with the titles of each series listed in chronological order, along with info on what’s in print and what’s not.

THE MATTHEW SCUDDER NOVELS

In the early books, he’s an angst-ridden hard-drinking ex-cop and unlicensed private eye. In later books he’s sober. He’s 35+ years older than when I first started writing about him, and he’s gone through changes, even as you and I. Remember what Eubie Blake said on his 100th birthday? "If I’d had any idea I was gonna last this long I’d have taken better care of myself."

1

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS. First in the series. A Dell paperback original (1976), with a hardcover first edition from Dark Harvest (1992).  Matt’s investigating the murder of Wendy Hanniford, a Village free spirit, apparently by her roommate, Richie Vanderpoel.

2

TIME TO MURDER AND CREATE. The second book, although it was actually published after In the Midst of Death. A Dell paperback original (1977) and shortlisted for the Edgar award that year for best paperback mystery. A hardcover first edition was published by Dark Harvest in 1993.  Matt’s client is Spinner Jablon, a blackmailer.

3

IN THE MIDST OF DEATH. A Dell paperback original (1976). A hardcover first edition was published by G&G Books in 1995. Matt’s client is a crooked cop now cooperating with investigators. Bad career move.

4

A STAB IN THE DARK. First published in hardcover by Arbor House in 1981, and nominated for the Shamus award. A case from the dim past, and a killer with an icepick.

5

EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE. Arbor House, 1982. The book where Scudder has to come to terms with his drinking, and the basis (sort of) for a not-very-good film with excellent performances by Jeff Bridges and Andy Garcia. Winner of the Shamus award as best novel, and shortlisted for the Edgar.

6

WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES. Arbor House, 1986. This is a prequel, with Scudder in the mid-eighties recollecting events that took place a decade earlier. A Shamus award nominee, and winner of the Japanese Maltese Falcon award. It's a favorite of a lot of readers, and I frequently suggest it as a starting point for readers new to the series.

7

OUT ON THE CUTTING EDGE. William Morrow, 1989. This is the one in which Scudder meets Mick Ballou.

8

A TICKET TO THE BONEYARD. William Morrow, 1990. A killer comes back, with a vengeance. And Matt hooks up with Elaine again, after all those years. Winner of the Japanese Maltese Falcon award.

9

A DANCE AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE. William Morrow, 1991. Winner of the Edgar award as best novel of the year. The book that introduces TJ.

10

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES. William Morrow, 1992.   Two of nature’s noblemen kidnap a drug dealer’s wife and return her in freezer-wrapped portions. Matt’s assisted by TJ and the Kongs.

11

THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD. William Morrow, 1993. Winner of the Shamus award for best novel. Matt meets Lisa Holtzmann, who becomes more than a client.

12

A LONG LINE OF DEAD MEN. William Morrow, 1994. Shortlisted for the Edgar award. The story of a Last Man’s Club whose members are dying at an unseemly rate.

13

EVEN THE WICKED. William Morrow, 1997. (Note to collectors: the Orion edition (UK) was published in the fall of 1996, and is sought by some as the true first edition; the press run was small, and the book's pricey.) The title's from Willa Cather: "Even the wicked get worse than they deserve."

14

EVERYBODY DIES. William Morrow, 1998. People have asked whether the title's descriptive or philosophical. Why can't it be both?

15

HOPE TO DIE. William Morrow, 2001.  A nasty home invasion leads to the deaths of an Upper West Side couple.

16

ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING. William Morrow, 2005. A man on death row is executed while a psychologist watches from the gallery with more than avid interest. Matt Scudder and Elaine are caught up in the search for a vicious killer.         17 A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF Matthew Scudder’s seventeenth adventure, and his first return to print since All the Flowers are Dying in 2006.  The story itself is a trip into the past, set chronologically between Eight Million Ways to Die and Out on the Cutting Edge.  It’s 1982, and Matt’s in his first year of sobriety, and in touch again with Jack Ellery, a boyhood friend from the Bronx.  And, as you might expect, Stuff Happens.

The Scudder links are all to Amazon, where the linked titles are available as eBooks or paperbacks. When there’s no link, that means the book’s out of print. We may have it in LB’s Bookstore; if not, you can probably find it from a dealer in used books. We expect the out-of-print titles will be eVailable soon, and as soon as they are we’ll add fresh links on this page and at the About LB’s Fiction page of my blogsite.