When the Sacred Ginmill Closes Audiobook By Lawrence Block cover art

When the Sacred Ginmill Closes

A Matt Scudder Mystery

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When the Sacred Ginmill Closes

By: Lawrence Block
Narrated by: Mark Hammer
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When ex-cop Matt Scudder thought back on the summer of '75, two faces emerged from behind the smoky haze of a half dozen boozy saloons that made up his beat: Skip Devoe and Tommy Tillary - two bar flies he wouldn't have given a second thought to in the bright light of day. Yet they and their troubles were the reason that moved him a little farther out of the bleary-eyed mess that had become his life.©1986 Lawrence Block (P)1991 Recorded Books Mystery Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic reviews

"Chilling." ( Washington Post)
Complex Plot • Rich Atmosphere • Perfect Fit • Believable Characters • Detailed Setting • Satisfying Resolution

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I got kind of board with all of the bar talk and drinking. What kept me going was the narrator, Mark Hammer was perfect for the salty drinker bar voice.
I did like ending and was glad I didn't stop listening.

glad I stuck with it

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I love Block's books and enjoy Matt Scudder mysteries generally. However, this book disappointed because mostly there is a lot of meandering and conversations and talk about drinking with little or no relation to the mysteries. It picks up in the last 1/4 of the book, when developments occur that reveal, at least to Matt's satisfaction, whodunit. His behavior is novel with some nice twists at the end. I didn't find Matt's drinking buddies very intriguing and probably would have been satisfied had this been a short story.

Little action, lots of characters, boozing heavily

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It’s a great story and i loved the book when I read it some years back. But god almighty who decided that a man with a severe head cold, allergies and a recently broken nose should be the reader.
“So I went over to armstrongs, psshhh, snort.”
Finally got to be too much. Can’t remember the ending but I think I still have the book around so I’ll read it.
Were they trying for gritty or hard boiled with the reader? More like fingernails on a chalkboard. Just awful! Ruined a really good book.

Great story. Terrible reader

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I love Alan Sklar but Mark Hammer knocked this out of the park. The story, the narration the whole thing is terrific!

The best one of all

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I love this guy, and his degenerate NY cronies are brought to life with a weary honesty by Mark Hammer. I will look for more reads narrated by him.

Best Scudder yet

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