“Lawrence Block is a master of crime fiction; the Matthew Scudder novels are among the finest detective novels penned in this century.”

—Jonathan Kellerman

“Block has never been in better form . . . His decidedly dark sense of humor has never been more in focus.”

—The New York Times

“An intelligent detective story that plays fair with the reader, and yet will keep you guessing until the very end.”

—Rochester Post-Bulletin

“A superior storyteller . . . Block has an awareness of the pain and pleasure of living. It is a gift that not all authors have.”

—San Antonio Express-News

“Superb . . . Block writes better than all of them . . . He gets better and better all the time.”

—The Village Voice

“Matthew Scudder has evolved into the perfect noir hero.”

—Entertainment Weekly

“There is really only one writer of mystery and detective fiction who comes close to replacing the irreplaceable John D. MacDonald, and only one detective who comes close to replacing the irreplaceable Travis McGee. The writer is Lawrence Block and the detective is Matt Scudder.”

—Stephen King