Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: One of the best mystery novels of the past fifty years.

This is easily one of the best mystery novels of the last fifty years, and Lawrence Block is one of the best mystery writers working today. Scratch that--one of the best writers, period. Block does a great job of putting us IN New York, and letting us live right next to Matt Scudder as he fights both a murderer and his own alcoholism. Beginning writers should read everything Block has written. It has as much instructional value as entertainment value. A great book