Three Blind Mice

by Ed McBain

When three immigrants are found dead in a grisly tableau, a Florida attorney defends the man who insists he’s innocent…though he’s thrilled to see the trio slaughtered.

Publisher's Summary

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Murder Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Detective

293 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1990

About the author

"Ed McBain" is one of the pen names of American author and screenwriter Salvatore Albert Lombino (1926-2005), who legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952.

While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.

He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This his ninth appearance, the Calusa, Fla., lawyer takes on a ``hopeless case,'' defending Stephen Leeds, arrested for murder. The victims were three Vietnamese tried but found not guilty of raping Leeds's wife, Jessie. Every bit of evidence ties the crimes to Leeds, who had publicly sworn to avenge his wife's abuse, but Hope believes in his client and works diligently to free him. The dangerous search for clues to the killer absorbs the lawyer--and the reader. Small discoveries become significant when Hope piles them into a mountain of evidence

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entirely solid and entertaining mystery from McBain. It’s gripping throughout and the solution is both unexpected and credible.

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, okay, okay. I'll change it to four stars only because I round up and yeah, it's a 3 1/2 star book.

Not, in my estimation as good as some of its preceding Matthew Hope adventures, but pretty good mystery.

And no, as usual, I didn't get the whodunit until the end when it was revealed. So what else is new? One reason I love mysteries is because I like to solve them before the end which, of course, I never do.

Not many more to go in this Ed McBain series; there are 13 total and I'll be reading number 10 next, Mary, Mary. All of the 13 in the Hope series are titles of nursery rhymes or fairy tales which I think is quite clever.

Almost as clever as the Travis McGee series named for colors i.e. Darker Than Amber. Oh...my...Travis...here I go swooning again in a quick review for Matthew Hope. For shame. No, I have no shame when it comes to Travis.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one. I like the Matthew Hope novels quite a bit. This one involves a triple homicide early in the book, three men who had been accused and then acquitted of a violent rape. I was surprised by the villain, so that's a good thing. As with many of the Hope novels, the ending seemed to come a bit easily, but I didn't mind just because I enjoy the overall stories and the characters a lot.

[Katherine]

Everyone has a series, either about cops, lawyers or the medical profession. This is my series. I love these books.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic McBain = fabulous book. Loved it. Wish he was still with us and writing more novels.

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three Vietnamese immigrants have been acquitted of rape, but McBain makes it reasonably clear at least early on that they were guilty. When the three men are murdered in a manner most nasty, few in the Florida community that is the setting for this book are saddened by the deaths.

But the husband of the woman whom the three raped loudly insisted in the final moments of their trial that he would kill them. Naturally, when they are murdered, he is the first and only suspect.

Defense attorney Matthew Hope is convinced of the man’s innocence, and he sets out to prove that someone else killed the immigrants. But before he can succeed, an aging Vietnamese immigrant will be murdered because of what he knows about the case. It is a case that will be fraught with misunderstandings, many of them cultural and linguistic in nature.

I’m rapidly souring on McBain’s writing. This book includes a good bit of stuff that is juvenile and superfluous. McBain describes one character’s fantasies about where he would like to lick another character. It didn’t enhance much the knowledge you really needed to solve this, and I can’t figure out why a guy with McBain’s obvious talent felt the need to include that stuff in his book. I was fascinated to learn things I never knew about the Vietnamese alphabet; but I had to wade through a good bit of silliness to get there.

[Lenora Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a hard core mystery buff, this may not be your book, but if you're like me, and pick one up now and again, and are looking more for a novel of escape and, well, brain candy, this is a lot of fun. As fun as murder and wrongly accused suspects can be ;-)

Ed McBain is probably better known for his 87th Precinct novels than his Matthew Hope series. Matthew Hope is a partner in a law firm in Calusa, FL, located on the "other west coast" – the west coast of Florida, not far from where I used to live. And maybe that's one reason I really enjoyed the book; it was a bit like going home and visiting old friends, though I never knew any of those folks.

We have our requisite murders, the wrong person arrested, the district attorney who wants a fast settlement of the trial for political reasons, and a dogged attorney who wants the right person arrested and justice found. Yes, this is McBain, perhaps not at his best, but still writing page-turners. Romance, murder, tangled webs—a great bed-time mystery that is fun, but will not give you nightmares when you turn out the light. I'm looking forward to reading other Matthew Hope books.

[Julia Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast pace -- good character development. It kept me guessing until the last page! Very good read!

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Vietnamese men are brutally murdered after being acquitted of raping a white woman. McBain takes us on an exciting journey unraveling the truth as attorney Matthew Hope prepares his defense of the rape victim's husband who is accused of the murder. This book was an interesting, enjoyable read. It has some good twists but at times is quite predictable. This is the first Ed McBain book I've read after and I'm glad I finally decided to give him a try. I like his easy flowing style. I predict that this won't be the last Ed McBain book I read.

[Kriti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. The cover drew me in. (My book cover had three Mice hanging by their tail over a knife, very creepy). My expectations were completely blown over. This book was gripping and clever. Not one moment that I wanted to rush. It was murder mystery and one of the best I have read.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a 87th precinct novel so I wasn't sure since most of my Ed McBain books I have read were. But I was so wrong. This was a good book. Good character development, good plot, and he got me again. Loved the book.

[Philip Dampier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the main man.

[Del · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery!

[Alonzo Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Hope, Southwest Florida’s answer to Perry Mason, has another innocent client to save. This time, it’s a rich farmer who is accused of murdering the three Vietnamese refugees who escaped conviction for raping his wife. In the meantime, various characters cast their male gazes on good looking women (some of whom don’t mind the attention), our hero’s tennis game improves, and it rains every hot and humid afternoon. Can our hero get his client freed? Or will the pretty new DA win her first big case?

This seems to be typical series entry, where the character’s lusts and loves get as much attention as the crime plot and we get paragraphs dripping with humid atmosphere. There is something sour about the way McBain portrays the feelings men have for women. (The phrase “objectification of women” comes to mind). The mystery itself and the way it is unraveled is pretty good. The dated 90s atmosphere may mean this isn’t for everyone.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A grotesque murder scene in the Chinatown district of Calusa, Florida starts "Three Blind Mice" (1990) and private eye slash lawyer Matthew Hope is hired by the accused murderer to defend him. The accused had good reasons for wanting the three Asian men killed, them having been arrested but not convicted for assaulting his wife, and a lot of coincidental evidence points to him as the killer, but he convinces Hope he is not the one.

Hope and his pals get around quite a lot with the ladies and that seems to be about half the book, descriptive exploits, some related to the mystery and a lot of rape content that goes too far. I solved the mystery early (you will, too) so it wasn't very surprising or interesting. Also, the narrative sections from the killer's perspective don't actually fit for the guy that we find out is the killer.

Verdict: A simple murder mystery made more complicated by narrative disconnects.

Jeff's Rating: 1 / 5 (Bad)
movie rating if made into a movie: R

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked it up hoping for an interesting police procedural; disappointed for the following reasons:

1. The book is gross and creepy in its descriptions of female characters. Women are described mainly in terms of their anatomy. The central female character is a rape victim, and there is a detailed description of this rape that, in this context, made me suspect that the author described it at length for reasons of titillation.

2. The book deals with grave topics - murder, racism, rape - but it has a strangely jocular and light tone that contrasted poorly with these issues.

3. I found it unbelievable that Matthew Hope, the completely forgettable protagonist of this series, would take on Leed's unwinnable case, especially since Hope proclaims to everyone he meets that he only defends the innocent

4. The book is deeply repetitive. How many times do we need to be told we're in Calusa, Florida?

Overall, disappointing and dated. I will be avoiding this author in the future.

[Amanda Werstuik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. I say "actually" because of the excessive use of slurs and the persistent descriptions of woman's legs and breasts. Written in the 1990's though, there was some pretty progressive content in this book, regarding my above gripes, that I think is worth exploring. It's interesting to see how social issues were conceptualized then versus now. The writing style was fantastic. The dialogue was near perfect. He wrote it in a way that felt natural. For example, they interrupt one another, there was a good flow to conversations, character's each had a unique voice. I thought the mystery and the big reveal was surprising and well done. Overall, I had a lot of fun with it. Not my all time favorite, but definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a good detective novel. Trigger warnings for SA.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun mystery to read! I often have trouble understanding mysteries, but this one I could easily follow. I liked the discussion of the relationships of various Americans & Vietnamese citizens in the book.

[Edmundo Munguia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had heard about Ed McBain from a Ken Bruen novel and decided to read one of his novels. I will highly recommend the crime procedure angle the author adheres to. I won’t spoil the story but it will entertain and enlighten about some events around the Vietnam War period.

[Mike Orta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun detective yarn with an interesting cast of characters.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had saw the movie and missed the last part, and I never knew who done it, so I had to read the book, and I enjoyed it too, read it in 2 hours

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Third in a row in the "Matthew Hope" series. Not compelling me to continue in the series. This one is about a farmer accused of murder. Vietnamese are involved.

[Warren Granfor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about three murdered Vietnamese men in Florida.

[Cindy Grossi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for pool reading. About what I expected for this genre written when it was.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 ⭐
Quick, fast paced read.

[wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this was the first mcbain story i read. picked up a used hardcover over at the book worm...book world...whatever, over by the d-q...

simple straight-forward story telling, nothing fancy, nothing sweet and smarmy...

"the old man was standing by the sidewalk railing some ten feet from the street lamp, looking out over the boats in their marina slips. on one of the boats, someone was playing a ukulele. the instrument sounded tinny on the night, something from another time and place, like the old man himself. there were lights on many of the boats. the lights reflected in the black water. there were soft voices on the night. the ukulele kept plinking its notes onto the sticky night air. the old man stood listening in seeming fascination, his head bent. then, at last, he turned away from the railing and began moving away from the lamppost..."

action, dialogue, scenes/settings, the action unfolds. i'm trying to remember if there is/was some sort of twist ending...sometimes those are okay, sometimes not....but i don't recall. a good read.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with other murder mysteries in Ed McBain's Matthew Hope series, Attorney Hope has committed to representing a client who seems to be the murderer with no hope of acquittal. In this particular case, Stephen Leeds is accused of murdering the three men who raped his wife. The murderer was seen wearing a rain coat and hat exactly like Mr. Leeds'. His wallet was found at the scene of the crime. Both his wife's distinctive car and his power boat were seen in questionable circumstances surrounding the crime.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just happened to choose this book at a thrift store. Never heard of the author. Am I ever glad I chose it!!!! This might have been my first, but it certainly won't be my last. Actually I got two more yesterday at the library. I think I'm on to something good!!!!

[Tommyb]

Fiction