Re Mark's question below:
> [*When the Sacred Ginmill Closes*]
> was, in my opinion,FANTASTIC, but
> the ending has a feeling that, if I didn't
know
> better
> I would have guessed Block was bringing the
Scudder
> books to a close. Does anyone know if Block had
that
> in mind when he wrote 'Sacred' or is it just
my
> impression?
The book immediately preceding *Ginmill*, *Eight Million Ways
to Die*, ends with Scudder finally coming to terms with his
alcoholism and entering recovery at an AA meeting. Block said
at the time that he felt there was nowhere else for the
series to go after that point.
However, he'd promised a Scudder short story to Bob Randisi
for the first PWA anthology, *The Eyes Have It*. He got
around the problem of writing about
"Scudder-in-12-Steps" by setting it prior to the events in
*Eight Million*. That piece, "By the Dawn's Early Light," was
possibly the best private eye short story of the last two
decades (no one can say *I'm* afraid of using superlatives).
It went on to win both an Edgar and a Shamus. Block was
pleased enough at the reception that he decided to expand
"Early Light" into a novel which eventually became *Ginmill*.
I personally feel that the short story version was superior
to the book-length version, but it's excellent in either
medium.
Anyway, having written *Ginmill*, Block became comfortable
enough with the character once more to try post-*Eight
Million* novels and stories, and that's how the subsequent
Scudder entries, with Matt in recovery but still working as
an unlicensed (and eventually as a licensed) PI, came to be
written, despite the fact that Block seemed to be bringing
things to a close.
JIM DOHERTY
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