First published 1997
Matt Scudder walks the streets of Hell's Kitchen in 1976, carrying his detective shield and a growing thirst that threatens to destroy him. The unlicensed private investigator takes cases the police won't touch, working for cash payments in dim bars and shadowy doorways. His marriage has crumbled. His police career ended in disgrace. Now alcohol provides his only reliable companion as he navigates the dangerous underbelly of Manhattan. Scudder finds himself drawn into a web of violence and corruption that forces him to examine his own demons. The bottle that once numbed his pain now amplifies every mistake, every regret, every moment of moral compromise. As bodies pile up and his investigation deepens, Scudder must choose between the familiar comfort of his addiction and the uncertain path toward redemption. Block strips away the glamour of detective work to reveal a man drowning in his own choices, fighting for survival in a city that offers little mercy to the broken.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, addiction, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: redemption, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Period: 1976
192 pages · Paperback · Phoenix / Orion
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, depression, substance-abuse