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Book Review of A Dance at the Slaughterhouse: A Matthew Scudder Crime Novel (Matthew Scudder Mysteries, Book 9)

maggieminnich avatar reviewed on + 400 more book reviews


Lawrence Block's books tend to focus on the story's characters rather than the crime itself and the solving and/or psychological aspects of the perpetrator(s) and crime(s), so if you like crime novels that focus more on the drama and character interaction, then this one will be right up your alley.

I, personally, favor more action, more description/details of the crime itself, and how the hero(s) solves the crime (known better as âpolice proceduralsâ), so I was somewhat disappointed in this book. It did have potential, so I kept reading, hoping it would become more detailed. I also felt that it jumped around some, and/or skipped parts, and left me saying, âWait, WTF?â and then going back to reread again to see if I had missed something, which I usually didn't and found myself left hanging out to dry, wondering how we skipped ahead to such-and-such part. However, I believe if one enjoys the character interaction more than the solving of the crime, you won't be disappointed.