A Drop of the Hard Stuff

In this seventeenth Matt Scudder mystery, Block takes listeners back two decades as he recounts Scudder's investigation of the murder of an old friend. At that time, Scudder has left the NYPD with a major alcohol problem and runs into an old buddy at an AA meeting. When his childhood friend is shot to death, Scudder is determined to find his killer. Scudder searches his friend's "make amends" list for suspects but comes up empty-handed. Tom Stechschulte's narration is superb as he weaves the unique characters and numerous suspects. His voices are so varied, you'd swear there's a cast of dozens. But it's just Stechschulte--doing it all himself. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine