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87th Precinct #51
Money, Money, Money
It is Christmas in the city, but it isn't the giving season. A retired Gulf War pilot, a careless second-story man, a pair of angry Mexicans, and an equally shady pair of Secret Service agents are in town after a large stash of money, and no one is interested in sharing. The detectives at the 87th are already busy for the holidays. Steve Carella and Fat Ollie Weeks catch the squeal when the lions in the city zoo get an unauthorized feeding of a young woman's body. And then there's a trash can stuffed with a book salesman carrying a P-38 Walther and a wad of big bills.
The bad bills and the dead book salesman lead to the offices of a respected publisher, Wadsworth and Dodds. This is good news for Fat Ollie, because he's working on a police novel -- one written by a real cop -- and he's sure it's going to be a bestseller.
The bad bills and the dead book salesman lead to the offices of a respected publisher, Wadsworth and Dodds. This is good news for Fat Ollie, because he's working on a police novel -- one written by a real cop -- and he's sure it's going to be a bestseller.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
83 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Ed McBain
710 books669 followers"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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
June 21, 2021
Well, this is one of the last in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series, #51 of maybe 55? I won’t read anymore of these later ones, but check out a couple earlier ones one of you recommended in your review. As a socialist, I like the fact that almost all hard crime/noir has to do with money, so I like the title, and the basic vanilla premise about a range of characters all anxiously pursuing a stash of money, I suppose, but the plot here is scattered, a little too madcap for me: Mexican drug smuggling, counterfeit $100 bills, Arab terrorists, the Secret Service, and so on.
One somewhat memorable aspect of this story, I suppose, is that some killers put (the corpse of?) a woman in the lion’s cage at the zoo. (Yes, eaten, you think they will play badminton with er?!). I guess it is also amusing that the mildly offensive cop Ollie Weeks is getting piano lessons so he can play just five songs to impress his “friends,” and is writing a police novel (and of course a publisher gets connected to the case through a dead book salesman).
All of these McBain books have great dialogue, and there are amusing bits here, but this was clearly not one of his best books.
One somewhat memorable aspect of this story, I suppose, is that some killers put (the corpse of?) a woman in the lion’s cage at the zoo. (Yes, eaten, you think they will play badminton with er?!). I guess it is also amusing that the mildly offensive cop Ollie Weeks is getting piano lessons so he can play just five songs to impress his “friends,” and is writing a police novel (and of course a publisher gets connected to the case through a dead book salesman).
All of these McBain books have great dialogue, and there are amusing bits here, but this was clearly not one of his best books.
August 18, 2018
This book came out in September 2001, which is very interesting, considering it has a sub-plot about terrorists planning to bomb "Clarendon Hall" (i.e., Carnegie Hall). The rest of the plot is about cocaine and counterfeit hundred-dollar "super bills," and the publishing firm of Wadsworth and Dodds. Comic relief from "Fat Ollie" Weeks, who is always thinking about food, and always politically incorrect, and soap opera drama from Steve Carella and his relatives.
I listened to an unabridged 10 CD edition, but I think it could have been easily abridged to 5 CDs, considering how much repetition and padding it contains.
The performer (Garrick Hagon- I may be reviewing the wrong audiobook here) did some accents better than others, and some more consistently than others. His 'straight' voice was very straight indeed. We're talking Dudley Do-right straight. It was a creditable performance.
Knowing from the date that Ed McBain, the author of Blackboard Jungle, was forty-five years into his writing career, I may have inferred that this roundabout and leisurely book was the product of old age.
"Money, money, money" indeed. Which is not to say I didn't like it.
I listened to an unabridged 10 CD edition, but I think it could have been easily abridged to 5 CDs, considering how much repetition and padding it contains.
The performer (Garrick Hagon- I may be reviewing the wrong audiobook here) did some accents better than others, and some more consistently than others. His 'straight' voice was very straight indeed. We're talking Dudley Do-right straight. It was a creditable performance.
Knowing from the date that Ed McBain, the author of Blackboard Jungle, was forty-five years into his writing career, I may have inferred that this roundabout and leisurely book was the product of old age.
"Money, money, money" indeed. Which is not to say I didn't like it.
September 21, 2014
2.75 stars. IMHO, while this book had its moments, invariably revolving around Fat Ollie Weeks, who saves Steve Carella's life not once, but twice, the plot was very far fetched. The basic plot revolved around some seemingly unrelated murders and thefts, involved Mexican drug smuggling and counterfeit $100 bills. The conspiracy part of the plot, the Arab terrorists, and involvement of the Secret Service was a real stretch although the sensational murder by ice pick and lion eating was pretty clever. Also, there was little involvement by the rest of the 87th Precinct.
April 14, 2016
In one of those odd twists of fate, this book was first published on September 6, 2001, and one of the threads in the book involves a terrorist plot against a target in Isola, which is the author's thinly veiled stand-in for New York City. Five days later, McBain was out touring in support of the book and in the wake of the terrorists' attacks of that day, he was forced to abandon the tour, rent a car and drive back home to NYC.
The book opens with a former combat pilot who flew missions in the Gulf War named Cassandra Jean Ridley. Cassandra is now making a series of secret flights back and forth across the Mexican border, serving as a courier between drug buyers and sellers. It's a very lucrative endeavor, and after completing her last mission, Cassandra moves east to the Big City, with a profit of $210,000.
The book really gets rolling when a burglar breaks into Cassandra's apartment and steals a couple of her newly-purchased fur coats along with $8500 that she was keeping in a shoe box. Cassandra calls the cops and reports the theft of the coats, but she then discovers that the burglar has accidentally left what amounts to a calling card behind. She tracks the guy down herself and recovers her coats and most of her money at gunpoint, but not before the burglar has spent one of her hundred dollar bills in a bar. In fairly short order, the Secret Service also shows up at the burglar's door, suggesting that the hundred dollar bill he spent might have been counterfeit.
Not long after, bodies are dropping left and right and detectives Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer are attempting to sort things out. Then to further complicate matters, someone wanders naked into the zoo and gets eaten by a pack of lions. One of the lions is inconsiderate enough to drag one of the victim's legs across the imaginary line that divides the 87th Precinct from the 88th, and that, in turn, much to Carella's consternation, allows detective Fat Ollie Weeks from the 88th to horn in on the investigation.
McBain has created an especially good cast of characters for this novel and some of the action takes place in a publishing firm. Fat Ollie, who is now taking piano lessons, decides that in addition to being a world-class pianist, he could also be a best-selling author. McBain has a great deal of fun with the idea, and indeed, the next book in the series is Fat Ollie's Book. And, in the middle of it all, there's the above-mentioned attack that terrorists are planning against the city.
All in all, it's another very good addition to the series and a book that will appeal, not only to fans of the series, but also to lots of readers who have not yet discovered the 87th Precinct.
The book opens with a former combat pilot who flew missions in the Gulf War named Cassandra Jean Ridley. Cassandra is now making a series of secret flights back and forth across the Mexican border, serving as a courier between drug buyers and sellers. It's a very lucrative endeavor, and after completing her last mission, Cassandra moves east to the Big City, with a profit of $210,000.
The book really gets rolling when a burglar breaks into Cassandra's apartment and steals a couple of her newly-purchased fur coats along with $8500 that she was keeping in a shoe box. Cassandra calls the cops and reports the theft of the coats, but she then discovers that the burglar has accidentally left what amounts to a calling card behind. She tracks the guy down herself and recovers her coats and most of her money at gunpoint, but not before the burglar has spent one of her hundred dollar bills in a bar. In fairly short order, the Secret Service also shows up at the burglar's door, suggesting that the hundred dollar bill he spent might have been counterfeit.
Not long after, bodies are dropping left and right and detectives Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer are attempting to sort things out. Then to further complicate matters, someone wanders naked into the zoo and gets eaten by a pack of lions. One of the lions is inconsiderate enough to drag one of the victim's legs across the imaginary line that divides the 87th Precinct from the 88th, and that, in turn, much to Carella's consternation, allows detective Fat Ollie Weeks from the 88th to horn in on the investigation.
McBain has created an especially good cast of characters for this novel and some of the action takes place in a publishing firm. Fat Ollie, who is now taking piano lessons, decides that in addition to being a world-class pianist, he could also be a best-selling author. McBain has a great deal of fun with the idea, and indeed, the next book in the series is Fat Ollie's Book. And, in the middle of it all, there's the above-mentioned attack that terrorists are planning against the city.
All in all, it's another very good addition to the series and a book that will appeal, not only to fans of the series, but also to lots of readers who have not yet discovered the 87th Precinct.
December 7, 2016
Book on CD read by Ron McLarty
This is book # 51 (!) in the 87th Precinct series of police procedurals, set in a fictious large city “back East,” and featuring the detectives of the 87th Precinct. In this novel seemingly unconnected murder victims are ultimately tied together in a conspiracy involving drug-dealing and counterfeiting.
This is the first book by McBain that I’ve read, and it will not be the last! Fast-paced, intricate plotting and colorful characters make for a quick and enjoyable read, despite the high body count. It may be Christmas but the criminals are busy, and so are the police.
I loved that Detective Ollie Weeks is taking piano lessons, and wants to write a novel. And that Steve Carella is nearly eaten by a lion! I was interested from page one to the very end.
Ron McLarty does a great job reading the audio book. I particularly liked his voices for “Fat Ollie” and Will Struthers (burglar and hero).
This is book # 51 (!) in the 87th Precinct series of police procedurals, set in a fictious large city “back East,” and featuring the detectives of the 87th Precinct. In this novel seemingly unconnected murder victims are ultimately tied together in a conspiracy involving drug-dealing and counterfeiting.
This is the first book by McBain that I’ve read, and it will not be the last! Fast-paced, intricate plotting and colorful characters make for a quick and enjoyable read, despite the high body count. It may be Christmas but the criminals are busy, and so are the police.
I loved that Detective Ollie Weeks is taking piano lessons, and wants to write a novel. And that Steve Carella is nearly eaten by a lion! I was interested from page one to the very end.
Ron McLarty does a great job reading the audio book. I particularly liked his voices for “Fat Ollie” and Will Struthers (burglar and hero).
March 7, 2021
I think this is the longest beginning of an 87th Precinct book where none of the detectives appear, not till page 41 (Cotton shows up very briefly on page 21)!
The story has a little bit of everything - drugs, burglary, counterfeit money, the Secret Service, terrorists, and a book publisher! And a woman gets eaten by lions! And Fat Ollie Weeks, who has a reprehensible personality, and beliefs that are totally opposite of mine, but I find that I really like when he's in these stories!
This is one of the best 87th Precinct books I've read to date, which is crazy considering it is the 51st of the series! Quite an achievement by the author! Now, on to the next!
The story has a little bit of everything - drugs, burglary, counterfeit money, the Secret Service, terrorists, and a book publisher! And a woman gets eaten by lions! And Fat Ollie Weeks, who has a reprehensible personality, and beliefs that are totally opposite of mine, but I find that I really like when he's in these stories!
This is one of the best 87th Precinct books I've read to date, which is crazy considering it is the 51st of the series! Quite an achievement by the author! Now, on to the next!
September 13, 2018
Published in 2001, just before 9/11, this complex plot is mainly about drugs and counterfeit money, but also the use of counterfeit dollars to fund a terrorist attack. Carella and Fat Ollie from the 88th are main detectives in following the complexities of the chain of drug dealers.
August 21, 2019
A shorter one, the kind the McBain does best. A little too much plot for such a short work, though. Sometimes, you can see the wheels of the plot moving too fast and too obviously. Still, it is enjoyable.
January 21, 2024
On the final few novels of my read of this long series.
A quite complex story with a string if interconnected characters and incidents involving drugs, millions in real money and even more millions in conterfeit money. Once the plot truly unravels there are links to a much bigger plot and conspiracy that was very popular at the time this was written. I will be interested to see if there is any follow up to this in later books.
'Fat' Ollie Weeks plays a prominent part in this book and his character is very much a love/hate relationship with the reader. He's a great cop, but pretty offensive as a human being.
A quite complex story with a string if interconnected characters and incidents involving drugs, millions in real money and even more millions in conterfeit money. Once the plot truly unravels there are links to a much bigger plot and conspiracy that was very popular at the time this was written. I will be interested to see if there is any follow up to this in later books.
'Fat' Ollie Weeks plays a prominent part in this book and his character is very much a love/hate relationship with the reader. He's a great cop, but pretty offensive as a human being.
January 11, 2024
Moja prva McBainova knizka vobec, bol som zvedavy a cita sa to fajn a je to dokonca aj vtipne, akurat ten slovensky preklad je v dialogoch galerky rovnako ubohy, ako legendarny slovensky dabing: "Vieš, čo myslím, brat. Ten poondiaty spôsob, akým rozprávame my, čierni drogoví díleri, keď na nám mieria búchačkami tí mizerní poliši, čo nás chcú odbachnúť, brat. Pánabeka!"
Tak nabuduce snad v cestine, alebo sa odvazim skusit precitat v povodnom zneni?
Tak nabuduce snad v cestine, alebo sa odvazim skusit precitat v povodnom zneni?
January 3, 2025
The late 87th Precinct novels are, in my experience, a lot darker and naatier than the early ones. Partly it's that drug based criminalisation simply was about changing police work into something highly combative with ordinary citizens; partly I'd think it's that the author became older and more cynical.
This one may be one of the most cynical, centring on a huge drug trafficking operation, which we get a larger and larger overview of as the mystery progresses. By the end of the book we are deep in the sort of territory that is Elmore Leonard's bread and butter although still grounded in the hearts of Isola's cops.
But the most significant part of this book is an act of terror by Islamists that is almost a side plot, but which namechecks Osama Bin Laden a year before the 11th September attacks: this book was written in 2000 and published on the 6th September 2001. It is almost completely prescient except that McBain has decided Bin Laden will concentrate on small but random-seeming acts of terror, with slightly different sorts of targets.
Overall this is a great and a dark novel in the series.
This one may be one of the most cynical, centring on a huge drug trafficking operation, which we get a larger and larger overview of as the mystery progresses. By the end of the book we are deep in the sort of territory that is Elmore Leonard's bread and butter although still grounded in the hearts of Isola's cops.
But the most significant part of this book is an act of terror by Islamists that is almost a side plot, but which namechecks Osama Bin Laden a year before the 11th September attacks: this book was written in 2000 and published on the 6th September 2001. It is almost completely prescient except that McBain has decided Bin Laden will concentrate on small but random-seeming acts of terror, with slightly different sorts of targets.
Overall this is a great and a dark novel in the series.
July 26, 2012
This book is average for McBain. It is definitely a good story that also shows the characters getting older and questioning many things. The is especially true of Detective Carella. It just didn't flow like many of the earlier 87th Precinct novels.
January 28, 2013
The writing and dialog is excellent. However, the story was predictable and a bit convoluted.
March 12, 2021
Živé a dynamické, možná proto, že to zase nesleduje jen policajty (a Ollieho Weekse, který se učí hrát na piáno), ale i obchodníky s drogami, kteří si mezi sebou vyřizují účty. Což je obvykle mnohem zajímavější než policajti. A do toho se tu začínají objevovat i teroristé. I McBain podlehl módní vlně a pár vousáčů v turbanech vyrazilo zabíjet do velkoměsta. Ale je to tady spíš jen taková chuťovka, na které příběh zase tak nestojí.
Plus je tady jeden velký klad. Gang zlosynů se tady maskuje jako… prosím fanfáry… knižní vydavatelství. A jsou to vážně frajeři. Sice mě trochu zamrzelo, že někdo proflákl, čím si většina nás vydavatelů opravdu vydělává (vážně jste si mysleli, že se sci-fi a komiksem dá uživit?), ale zase aspoň máme respekt.
A navíc jeden z velkých kladů McBainovy starosvětskosti je to, že knihy končí v okamžiku, kdy končí příběh. Žádné dovysvětlování, žádné emoční dojezdy, žádné „a pak bylo ještě tohle“. Ne, pachatel je dopaden, pak ještě tak dvě stránky o tom, že jde Carella domů – a šlus.
Možná bych to měl s články o knihách dělat stejně.
Plus je tady jeden velký klad. Gang zlosynů se tady maskuje jako… prosím fanfáry… knižní vydavatelství. A jsou to vážně frajeři. Sice mě trochu zamrzelo, že někdo proflákl, čím si většina nás vydavatelů opravdu vydělává (vážně jste si mysleli, že se sci-fi a komiksem dá uživit?), ale zase aspoň máme respekt.
A navíc jeden z velkých kladů McBainovy starosvětskosti je to, že knihy končí v okamžiku, kdy končí příběh. Žádné dovysvětlování, žádné emoční dojezdy, žádné „a pak bylo ještě tohle“. Ne, pachatel je dopaden, pak ještě tak dvě stránky o tom, že jde Carella domů – a šlus.
Možná bych to měl s články o knihách dělat stejně.
October 4, 2021
One of McBain's finest from his late period, this was excellent. A complex narrative, tightly told, with great characters and dialogue, even the politics seemed better, I was only put off by the terrorist elements to the story, and they weren't enough to really dent my enjoyment.
Carella goes to some dark places in this one, too (which also manages to make up for my main disappointment with the previous book), and that's done pretty well.
Carella goes to some dark places in this one, too (which also manages to make up for my main disappointment with the previous book), and that's done pretty well.
February 19, 2011
Dreadful beyond imagination. At around page 100 - when the author uses a four letter 'word' to describe one of the minor 'background' female characters, I was determined to quit the book - but this title was chosen by the adult mystery book discussion group at my public library, so I felt bound to complete this waste of trees. Not only was the story 'stock', it seemed the author was determined to add as many murders as possible, in one story. It combined the huge flaws of idiotic behaviour by otherwise 'successful' criminals (both those working alone, and those working as part of a syndicate of criminals) with the huge flaws of idiotic 'police procedure', and even more idiotic 'bending' of 'police procedure', by the involved 'successful' detectives. It then added some absurd attempts at humour, giving "Fat Ollie Weeks' 'idiosyncratic' characteristics beyond the pale. ("I'm having trouble with the first few notes of 'Night and Day'", Ollie complains to his piano instructor. "But .... but .... they're the same three notes!! 'Bang, bang, bang, the same three notes from just one key on the keyboard!!", she replies, trying to suppress the urge to kill Det. Weeks, right there on her piano bench. (This is not exact, but is the gist of about five pages of story and dialog, in this sad excuse for a mystery. It's clear the author was trying to create a sort of 'MONK' like oblivion, in his character 'Ollie Weeks'.) This is, admittedly, the only '87th Precinct' book I've read - and it's my understanding that this title is not the first in the series - so perhaps when the author first created this fictitious precinct, he was more enthused, and thus the earlier 'episodes' gave cause for readers to continue. But this particular 'mystery' didn't provide any of the elements I require, in a 'good read'. Save your money, money, money, and your time, as well!!
March 11, 2016
Pages filled with Ed McBain's dialogue are like Lay's Potato Chips-- betcha can't read just one!
McBain has written a twisting, turning plot that follows the money... And the interconnected lives of a diverse set of crooks and cops. We gain more insight into fat Ollie Weeks-- his bigotry and his surprising flashes of competence as a cop-- a character one can love to hate.
We enjoy Detective Carella's grudgingly revealing himself and his fears-- making him that much more of a favorite character in this series.
So all in all, this book races along, carrying the reader in a pleasurable ride. Yes, there's a lot of profanity contained in the dialogue-- but it never seems gratuitous; rather it seems real and natural to the characters. A great read.
McBain has written a twisting, turning plot that follows the money... And the interconnected lives of a diverse set of crooks and cops. We gain more insight into fat Ollie Weeks-- his bigotry and his surprising flashes of competence as a cop-- a character one can love to hate.
We enjoy Detective Carella's grudgingly revealing himself and his fears-- making him that much more of a favorite character in this series.
So all in all, this book races along, carrying the reader in a pleasurable ride. Yes, there's a lot of profanity contained in the dialogue-- but it never seems gratuitous; rather it seems real and natural to the characters. A great read.
November 7, 2017
Between Christmas and New Year's, Carella and Fat Ollie investigate murders, drugs, and terrorism all connected with over $200K in counterfeit money. A small book publishing company is a front for international drug smuggling and counterfeiting; a hit squad of beautiful women almost kills Carella but Fat Ollie saves him. Sub plot about Carella's family concerned that he is changing for the worst is not interesting. Not one of McBain's better 87th mysteries. To see McBain at his best read Lullaby (1989), Vespers (1989) and Nocturne (1997). His best works combine intricate plots with rich characters, sinister criminals, all with a comedic touch. His later works (from 2000 and beyond) are of lesser quality.
May 8, 2017
Ed McBain is the leader when it comes to writing police crime thrillers! When I read a 87th precinct novel I know I’m going to get the real deal. Ed McBain writes from the hip and he takes no prisoners and he doesn’t concern himself with being politically correct. None of the detectives are portrayed as superhuman. They are racists, have personal problems, have mental health issues and come from backgrounds not unlike the readers.
The detectives at the 87th are looking for the killers of a young woman who was drugged then place in the lion’s den at the zoo. To solve the case, the detectives must tie the murder to a bookseller. Garrick Hagon’s storytelling will hold you captive.
The detectives at the 87th are looking for the killers of a young woman who was drugged then place in the lion’s den at the zoo. To solve the case, the detectives must tie the murder to a bookseller. Garrick Hagon’s storytelling will hold you captive.
September 10, 2008
Set in the 87th precinct, this book includes Ollie Weeks of the 88th, always an also ran, Ollie wants to write a novel. This novel will play a role in other installments of this series. Typical McBain styling. If you like to check in on the life and times of the 87th precinct characters, here is you chance.
August 12, 2012
All McBain is good, no question, but I have to admit, this isn't one of my favorites. I wasn't completely sold on the ending -- I wanted a little more resolution to the conspiracy nature of the plot. Other than that, though, some great moments with Carella and Fat Ollie Weeks (particularly his piano lesson), and I enjoyed watching the plot's moving parts all click together.
January 5, 2008
Good ol' 87th Precinct -- how I love it. I read this over the kids' "Winter Break" and it satified my desire for a fast, entertaining read. Ed McBain is a great plotter and I like the easy familiarity I've developed with his characters. I'm even starting to enjoy Fat Ollie.
May 11, 2010
Another 87 precince story. There is conflict, there is greed, and there is money, money, money. This is a good and quick read and enjoyable.
J. Robert Ewbank, author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
J. Robert Ewbank, author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
February 17, 2016
Excellent book. Involved plot that kept me guessing, great characters. Carella's personal issues were solved a bit too glibly at the end, but hey, this is Crime, not Psychological Thriller.
September 16, 2016
Ed McBain is just SO good! Today I'm in the need for distraction, so I'm about to begin another of his books.
August 1, 2025
It's good, I enjoyed the read, I liked the central idea and the way everything finally bound together. I would give it 3.5 stars, not four, for choice. But GoodReads doesn't allow for that.
It started really well. I was disappointed when the female pilot, Cass Ridley, came to an end of the road quite so quickly, because I liked her. I liked her character. But she risked turning into another Marilyn Hollis if he'd let her live. I'm not sure it was ever explained why her body was dumped among the lions in the zoo. It could have been a way to conceal her death, but I don't see why those who killed her would have been that bothered, or how they got her body there and into the lions' enclosure. Still it led to a very nice incident where Steve was nearly eaten by a lion, with a delightful humorous twist on the fact that all this happens very close to Christmas:
"The access door to the work area was at the far end of the cage. Between that door and the lion were four zookeepers, three veterinarians, two animal behaviorists, two curators, an assistant director, a director, three detectives, and a partridge in a pear tree.
One of the detectives was Steve Carella.
The lion went directly for him.
Maybe it was his smile.
But Carella wasn't smiling."
Later, McBain goes into a mode of very short sections, not even chapters, switching from one to the next in rapid succession. I didn't get completely lost, but several times I had to stop and think hard about the connections.
Fat Ollie is the real hero. After all, he shoots the lion.
It started really well. I was disappointed when the female pilot, Cass Ridley, came to an end of the road quite so quickly, because I liked her. I liked her character. But she risked turning into another Marilyn Hollis if he'd let her live. I'm not sure it was ever explained why her body was dumped among the lions in the zoo. It could have been a way to conceal her death, but I don't see why those who killed her would have been that bothered, or how they got her body there and into the lions' enclosure. Still it led to a very nice incident where Steve was nearly eaten by a lion, with a delightful humorous twist on the fact that all this happens very close to Christmas:
"The access door to the work area was at the far end of the cage. Between that door and the lion were four zookeepers, three veterinarians, two animal behaviorists, two curators, an assistant director, a director, three detectives, and a partridge in a pear tree.
One of the detectives was Steve Carella.
The lion went directly for him.
Maybe it was his smile.
But Carella wasn't smiling."
Later, McBain goes into a mode of very short sections, not even chapters, switching from one to the next in rapid succession. I didn't get completely lost, but several times I had to stop and think hard about the connections.
Fat Ollie is the real hero. After all, he shoots the lion.
February 17, 2020
This is my first 87th Precinct Mysteries that I read. There were some funny scenes and some pretty sad ones.
It is Christmas in the city, but it isn't the giving season. A retired Gulf War pilot, a careless second-story man, a pair of angry Mexicans, and an equally shady pair of Secret Service agents are in town after a large stash of money, and no one is interested in sharing.
The detectives at the 87th are already busy for the holidays. Steve Carella and Fat Ollie Weeks catch the squeal when the lions in the city zoo get an unauthorized feeding of a young woman's body. And then there's a trash can stuffed with a book salesman carrying a P-38 Walther and a wad of big bills.
The bad bills and the dead book salesman lead to the offices of a respected publisher, Wadsworth and Dodds. This is good news for Fat Ollie, because he's working on a police novel -- one written by a real cop -- and he's sure it's going to be a bestseller.
It is Christmas in the city, but it isn't the giving season. A retired Gulf War pilot, a careless second-story man, a pair of angry Mexicans, and an equally shady pair of Secret Service agents are in town after a large stash of money, and no one is interested in sharing.
The detectives at the 87th are already busy for the holidays. Steve Carella and Fat Ollie Weeks catch the squeal when the lions in the city zoo get an unauthorized feeding of a young woman's body. And then there's a trash can stuffed with a book salesman carrying a P-38 Walther and a wad of big bills.
The bad bills and the dead book salesman lead to the offices of a respected publisher, Wadsworth and Dodds. This is good news for Fat Ollie, because he's working on a police novel -- one written by a real cop -- and he's sure it's going to be a bestseller.
October 12, 2021
I recently spent too much money at our library’s book sale, and among my purchases were several of Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct books. I always enjoyed them, but it’s been years since I picked one up, and I wasnt sure if I’d still be a fan.
So I arrived at Chapter 2, and read one of the great first sentences in fiction. It read, “ Detective Steve Carella wished that one of the lions hadnt dragged the victim’s left leg into the 88th Precinct.” Whoa. Try to tell me THAT doesnt suck you in.
From there on, it was the usual exquisite workmanship of McBain, a/k/a Evan Hunter. His complex plots always come together, aided by the usual great characters. (In passing, I’m not sure how well Fat Ollie Weekes aged. But then he was always a racist, misogynistic, homophobic buffoon, so there’s that)
This is the incredible 51st book in this series, and it was a wonderful reunion with a long-absent friend.
So I arrived at Chapter 2, and read one of the great first sentences in fiction. It read, “ Detective Steve Carella wished that one of the lions hadnt dragged the victim’s left leg into the 88th Precinct.” Whoa. Try to tell me THAT doesnt suck you in.
From there on, it was the usual exquisite workmanship of McBain, a/k/a Evan Hunter. His complex plots always come together, aided by the usual great characters. (In passing, I’m not sure how well Fat Ollie Weekes aged. But then he was always a racist, misogynistic, homophobic buffoon, so there’s that)
This is the incredible 51st book in this series, and it was a wonderful reunion with a long-absent friend.
November 28, 2016
This novel opens with drug smuggling over the US/Mexico border. A nude woman is found torn to pieces in the lion den at the zoo which straddles the 87th and 88th precincts. A burglar is approached by the Secret Service for passing a counterfeit 100 dollar bill. A sales rep for a small publishing firm is found stuffed in a garbage can with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. A blonde picks up a drug dealer in a bar, and she and another female in a limo convince him to pay monies owed at the point of an AK-47. Terrorists are planning a bombing at Clarendon Hall during a violin concert. Fat Ollie Weeks saves Steve Carella’s life…twice.
What ties all these disparate plots points together? Money, money, money!
Another of the best of the 87th Precinct novels. For all of the dark content, this is one of the funniest books in the series.
What ties all these disparate plots points together? Money, money, money!
Another of the best of the 87th Precinct novels. For all of the dark content, this is one of the funniest books in the series.
August 23, 2025
You pretty much know what to expect from an Ed McBain, and when you're looking for a crime novel to read on holiday that's a good thing. I picked this one only because it was one of the few I could get delivered in time before setting off.
The writing is, typically, a small notch up from really bad, but the yarn-spinning is functional and fun.
If you wanted to take it seriously enough to criticise its implied worldview in various respects, it would really not be difficult. But a better option there would be to not read it, if you prefer your narratives to endorse your own ways of thinking. McBain does in fact play - entirely unconvincing - lip service to semi-enlightened attitudes, but it would almost be better if he hadn't bothered.
It's mediocre trash, but (fairly) entertaining mediocre trash.
The writing is, typically, a small notch up from really bad, but the yarn-spinning is functional and fun.
If you wanted to take it seriously enough to criticise its implied worldview in various respects, it would really not be difficult. But a better option there would be to not read it, if you prefer your narratives to endorse your own ways of thinking. McBain does in fact play - entirely unconvincing - lip service to semi-enlightened attitudes, but it would almost be better if he hadn't bothered.
It's mediocre trash, but (fairly) entertaining mediocre trash.
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