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The Sins of the Fathers
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
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Summary
The hooker was young, pretty...and dead, butchered in a Greenwich Village apartment. The prime suspect, a minister's son, was also dead, the victim of a jailhouse suicide. The case is closed, as far as the NYPD is concerned. Now the murdered prostitute's father wants it opened again--that's where Matthew Scudder comes in. But this assignment carries the unmistakable stench of sleaze and perversion, luring Scudder into a sordid world of phony religion and murderous lust where children must die for their parents' most unspeakable sins.
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What listeners say about The Sins of the Fathers
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- Kevin Simpson
- 09-10-22
Spoilers - 1970s Procedural - Uncomfortably Aged
A look at my previous offerings will show that I tend to be generous in my book reviews. Not this time.
I have previously enjoyed reading about 7 or 8 Lawrence Block books in the 1980s - real books, before the digital age arrived. This one, featuring the private detective, Matt Scudder, is the first in a series - and the series gets better as it unfolds. I didn't remember reading this one, but decided to re-visit after seeing it on an Audible sale. I was hoping the audio experience would be equally enjoyable to reading the book.
What did I find? Well, I thought that the author still writes well, and the plot slowly accumulates detail and keeps the reader gently engaged. And, for what it's worth, the narration in the Audible production is pretty good.
However, this has not aged well from the moral perspective. It's about the murder of a prostitute. But it's also about her step-father, who responds physically to her "seductive" behaviour when she is young. (Yes, her behaviour is really described as 'seductive' - or at least characterised in this way by the main hero, Matt Scudder). The morally dubious subtext rumbles on - the prostitute serially dates older men, to compensate for her lost relationship with her biological father. (She is called a 'happy hooker' by her flatmate - apparently she is very choosy and only goes with the one's she likes). The final plot denouement is preposterous - as is the final judgement call made by Matt Scudder. The plot may have sneaked under the moral radar in the 70s. But now, post- #MeToo, we find uncomfortable and morally dubious discussions of childhood sexuality, homosexuality and people's reactions when encountering a dead body - (no, they don't tend to have sex with the corpse), and finally, detectives acting outside of the legal process in engineering the death of guilty suspects.
Nah! I can't recommend this book. It's dated - in a bad way.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 11-10-21
Excellent
Lawrence Block at his best and well read by Alan Sklar. I have read a good number of Matt Skudder novels before but this was this was the first time I’ve listen to one and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- thetruthshallsetyefree
- 09-10-23
Excellent
Wonderful atmospheric narration and a fine, captivating
story from Mr Block. I would highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- niXonproXenos
- 28-09-23
Good listen
I like Lawrence Block, and to have it read by Alan Sklar is a double win. Bourbon and trench coats, it has atmosphere and smokey night clubby substance.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Wac61
- 26-10-22
not for me !
The narration was so off putting, skipped to the end after a couple of chapters.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-09-22
A fine and unique piece of storytelling
Came back to this author after more than 30 years. I'd completely forgotten what a fine writer he is and this audio version is brilliantly told. A great example of the "hard-boiled" thriller.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 26-08-22
Slow & Predictable
I found the plot weak and identified the perpetrator less than half way through. I’m not a great sleuth, the information is in the summary and the title.
I found the almost monotone delivery reminiscent of WC Fields in places. I couldn’t get excited about a story that the reader wasn’t excited about. Increasing the speed helped.
I was a teenager in the 1970s and can remember the attitudes well, perhaps that’s why I found the long discussion passage with the clergyman so utterly boring.
Unlikely that I’ll read more in the series.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mr. J. R. Semple
- 14-03-21
Dark themes
First time with a Lawrence Block story.Suprised by the mixture of Poetry and Hard boiled storytelling.Not for the faint hearted, this is dark themed stuff.No concession to the romanticism often associated with the private eye genre.Even to the extent of making the central protagonist a non legal investigator who receives presents for work taken on. There is no black or white here but multi faceted shades of grey and boy are there a lot of Shades.Top drawer.
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1 person found this helpful
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- jonathan paul ridd
- 23-10-20
Atmospheric
Really enjoyed. I like Matthew Scudder and the seedy and colourful New York bar scene. Worked out who had done it midway through, though this did not distract from the my enjoyment of the book. Only criticism is the story seemed rushed in its conclusion.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Paul Parsons
- 25-06-23
Enjoyed it
A good story I did wonder where it was going at time but overall v entertaining
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