Block, Lawrence – ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING

[LJ Roberts]

ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING (Private Investigator-New York-Cont) – Ex
Block, Lawrence – 16^th novel in series
William Morrow, 2005 – Hardcover

Matt Scudder has been hired to investigate a woman's suspicious lover. In the meantime, there is a man on death row awaiting execution for murdering three boys. He has been befriended by a "psychologist" who clearly knows more about the murders than he does. And, when a friend of Elaine Scudder is brutally murdered, the threads are slowly tied together and head toward the Scudders.

I had been disappointed in the last Scudder book. Well, not this one! Block creates a dual level of emotions. While Scudder seems to have taken on a fairly routine, non-threatening case, you know there is another level much more threatening and suspenseful. I did like that Scudder realizes he's not as young or quick, now that he's in his 60's, and that all my favorite characters were there. I will warn that there are some descriptions of graphic violence. My thanks to Mr. Block for an excellent read.