''When the Sacred Ginmill Closes'' is a

Matthew Scudder Matthew (Matt) Scudder is a fictional character who appears in novels by American crime writer Lawrence Block. Fictional biography Scudder debuted in 1976's ''The Sins of the Fathers'' as an alcoholic ex-cop who had recently quit the NYPD and lef ...

novel, written by

Lawrence Block Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Ma ...

. Based on the short story "By the Dawn's Early Light", and published four years after ''Eight Million Ways to Die'', this novel resurrected Block's interest in the character and led to his writing 10 more titles in the series. The book's title derives from the

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Ma ...

song "Last Call".

Plot

This Matthew Scudder noir crime novel starts out much like the previous books in the series. Matt is still drinking heavily and solving crimes as an "unofficial" private detective in gritty New York. There are three separate mysteries that are intertwined, involving multiple dead bodies, stolen money and other complications. But the real story is Matt's drinking and how it affects his work.

Awards

Wins

* 1987 Falcon Award

Nominations

1987 Anthony award Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the con ...

, Best Novel * 1987

Shamus Award The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction ( P. I. = Private investigator) genre novels and short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one ...

, Best Novel

References

{{reflist American crime novels Novels by Lawrence Block