The Night and the Music: The Matthew Scudder Stories Audiobook

Quotes

• “The Night and the Music is a collection of all the short stories about Matthew Scudder. Within there is a history of the detective many have followed over the years. The stories explore Scudder as well as other well-known characters and frame the entire life of the famous detective from his time on the force to what looks like retirement. The stories also all have a strong sense of place, as the author celebrates the good and bad of New York…In total, the stories could serve as either a companion to the books, if you’ve read them, or an introduction to the characters if you have not…Also included in the book is a touching introduction from Brian Koppleman where he discusses the impact the books had on him as a young man and what the characters mean to him now. It also includes a revealing author’s note that shines as a story of its own. This is a marvelous collection for fans of Scudder and for those who have never read those riveting books.”

  — CrimeFictionLover.com 

• “The majority of these shorts are reprints, but “Mick Ballou Looks at the Blank Screen” and “One Last Night at Grogan’s” are new to this volume and bring Scudder’s story up-to-date. Block mixes traditional procedural whodunits with more contemplative and anecdotal character-driven pieces. In the newer writings, Scudder is older, wiser, married (again), off the booze, and looking at life through more experienced eyes. Couched within the action are commentaries about the then looming AIDS crisis and the lingering problem of the homeless in New York, so there’s a conscience at work. Verdict:  A quicker, more enjoyable read you won’t find. Veteran Scudder fans will rejoice at sharing his adventures again. May Block—and Scudder—never retire.”

  — Library Journal

• “After twenty-five years in the business, Matt Scudder still strolls New York’s mean streets as if he had personally laid the cobblestones.”

  — New York Times Book Review, praise for the series

• “One of the very best writers now working the beat. Block has done something new and remarkable with the private-eye novel.”

  — Wall Street Journal, praise for the author

• “When Lawrence Block is in his Matt Scudder mode, crime fiction can sidle up so close to literature that often there’s no degree of difference.”

  — Philadelphia Inquirer, praise for the series

• “One of the most complex and compelling heroes in modern fiction. Thrillers don't get better than this.”

  — Publishers Weekly, praise for the series