A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block
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Title: A Drop of the Hard Stuff (Matthew Scudder)
Author: Lawrence Block
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery
Lawrence Block goes back to his popular Matthew Scudder series by bringing us to Matt’s early days. We’re back to the time when Matt’s recently left the NYPD, attends AA meetings, and is in his 11th month of sobriety. He’s doing odd jobs to make ends meet, and he links up with childhood friend Jack Ellery, who’s also trying to stay on the wagon – and to turn away from his life of crime. As part of his AA program, Ellery is determined to find all the people he’s wronged. That doesn’t work out too well for Ellery since it gets him murdered. Matt kicks off his own investigation by looking into Ellery’s AA list, pounding the pavements, talking to contacts, and generally asking difficult questions as doors are slammed in his face, and the body count rises. It’s not only Matt’s life that’s at risk during the investigation however, but also his hard-earned sobriety.
