• Out on the Cutting Edge

  • A Matthew Scudder Crime Novel, Book 7
  • By: Lawrence Block
  • Narrated by: Dan Butler
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (376 ratings)

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Out on the Cutting Edge  By  cover art

Out on the Cutting Edge

By: Lawrence Block
Narrated by: Dan Butler
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Publisher's summary

This is a city that seduces dreamers - then eats their dreams.

Matthew Scudder understands the futility of his search for a longtime missing Midwestern innocent who wanted to be an actress in the vast meat-grinder called New York City. But her frantic father heard that Scudder is the best, and now the ex-cop turned private investigator is scouring the hell called Hell's Kitchen looking for anything that might resemble a lead. And in this neighborhood of the lost, he's finding love - and death - in the worst possible places.

©1989 Lawrence Block (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

What listeners say about Out on the Cutting Edge

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    4 out of 5 stars

A great thriller

I believe Lawrence Block “at his best” is among the three top thriller writers of the past 20 (30?) years. A great writer, but also very inconsistent: he reaches his best in the Matt Scudder books where the affinity with the main character, the need to deliver complex and consistently new plots, the familiar New York ambiance (where Scudder stories are taking place) truly inspire him and contribute to deliver excellent results. While the Rodenbarr’s series are pleasant, but lightweight, the Keller books were surprising and stunning at first, but get repetitive and almost boring as new episodes come out, Matt Scudder continue to grip the reader with wit, dark dramas and the finely described characters and the environment of New York.
Scudder is following two cases at once: one involving a girl, a would-be
actress, who has been missing for several months. The second is more personal and involves the dead of an AA friend. In both the situations the police has given up and the leads few and scants. Suddenly both cases fortuitously intertwine and …..

By the way, Dan Butler is superb !

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9 people found this helpful

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Moving Scudder-- surprisingly strong ending

I had low expectations coming in, because this audiobook's rating wasn't super high. But I left it very satisfied. It's a pretty good story with surprising nuance. Dan Butler as narrator is a mixed bag. He is a bad choice to voice Matt Scudder, through no fault of his own but just because his voice doesn't match what Scudder fans have come to expect.
However, he is so good at at least one other character that on balance it comes off pretty well. It's hard for those of us spoiled by Alan Sklar, whose voice and manner fit Scudder so well. I wish that he had done all of these books. But Butler earns his keep in the end. I for one would love to spend an evening with his version of The Butcher. Recommended.

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4 people found this helpful

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Another good mystery.

I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to the next. I wasn't able to guess the ending, and that's not a bad thing.

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  • Overall
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One of the best….

I’ve probably not read/ listened to all of the Mathew Skutter books, but the twist in this one is one I never seen coming! Great book for sure!

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We’ll written Mystery

If you like Lawerence Block, this is his best - in my opinion. Up until this very early Block novel, I’d only listen if Joe Barrett narrated, but this one was so well written that I hung in. To my surprise, Dan Butler was easily as good as Joe, yet in a different way. Great early Block novel. 1989!

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Best in the series

I have read maybe a dozen books and short stories in the Matthew Scudder series and this ranks as the best. The story was great and the narration very good. This series has had many narrators some good some not. This seemed like a good fit for the legendary detective. The Scudder series can be read in or out of order. If someone was looking to dip their feet into the series for the first time, this is the book I would recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Gumshoe 90’s

I haven’t read or listened to any other of the stories in this series, but it’s a stand alone story and a good one. New York is painted in noir tones against a background of small time criminals seeking their own fortunes, the narration is great and the dialog is good, pacing and story are highly engaging. If you like crime fiction with a street edge this is great choice.

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My favorite so far

I'm going to listen to this again. The characters touched my heart. And the Narration was very good.

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An amazing story by Block.

Finally a narration that does justice to the character of Matthew Scudder and the incredible writing of Block. Every book just gets better.

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Very Good Mystery

I enjoyed the tempo of the story and the main character. I picked it because it is a detective mystery and that Dan Butler did the performance. He's great. one thing I didn't like was the confession part be ause I prefer the detective to find the clues to solve the crime. The ending was surprising.

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