What do you think?
Rate this book
87th Precinct #39
Poison
When one of your ex-boyfriends dies of poisoning, it is an unfortunate circumstance, possibly a suicide. When three go the same way, it is a disturbing pattern. The wealthy and beautiful Marilyn Hollis turns from a necessary interview to conclude a case to the prime suspect in a murder investigation. The problem is that Detective Hal Willis has broken a cardinal rule of detective work: he is Hollis’s newest beau.
Now living with her despite the objections of Detective Steve Carella, Willis continues to do his duty as he tracks her former flames in search of a jealous murderer. But as the investigation progresses, he begins to get the sinking feeling that the killer shares his bed.
Poison is Ed McBain in all his glory as his famed group of 87th Precinct detectives face off with a killer who lives and hides in their hearts.
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 161218179
Now living with her despite the objections of Detective Steve Carella, Willis continues to do his duty as he tracks her former flames in search of a jealous murderer. But as the investigation progresses, he begins to get the sinking feeling that the killer shares his bed.
Poison is Ed McBain in all his glory as his famed group of 87th Precinct detectives face off with a killer who lives and hides in their hearts.
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 161218179
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
99 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Ed McBain
715 books671 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
September 30, 2015
Marilyn Hollis is drop-dead gorgeous and financially independent, thanks, she says, to her wealthy father in Texas. When a man she is dating is poisoned to death, Detective Steve Carella and his associates from the 87th Precinct come calling on Ms. Hollis. She’s sorry to hear the news, but informs the detectives that the victim is only one of the men that she dates. She is very open-minded and free-spirited and expects the same sort of attitude on the part of her beaus.
As almost always happens early on in these books, the detectives are stumped. They prowl through the victim’s life but can’t find anyone who might have wished him harm. Then a second man in Marilyn Hollis’s life comes to an untimely end as does a third. Sensing a pattern here, the detectives hone in on Ms. Hollis and those around her, looking for the perpetrator.
Detective Hal Willis, in particular, hones in on the lovely Ms. Hollis and before long, in violation of what we hope would be department regulations and certainly in violation of common sense, Willis moves in with her, even though she’s a suspect in an ongoing investigation. Willis insists that Marilyn is an innocent victim in all of this and couldn’t possibly be guilty of anything. Steve Carella is not so sure, but Willis seems to be beyond reason in this matter.
This is another good entry in the 87th Precinct series and it’s fun to watch it all play out. Fans of the series will certainly want to look for it.
As almost always happens early on in these books, the detectives are stumped. They prowl through the victim’s life but can’t find anyone who might have wished him harm. Then a second man in Marilyn Hollis’s life comes to an untimely end as does a third. Sensing a pattern here, the detectives hone in on Ms. Hollis and those around her, looking for the perpetrator.
Detective Hal Willis, in particular, hones in on the lovely Ms. Hollis and before long, in violation of what we hope would be department regulations and certainly in violation of common sense, Willis moves in with her, even though she’s a suspect in an ongoing investigation. Willis insists that Marilyn is an innocent victim in all of this and couldn’t possibly be guilty of anything. Steve Carella is not so sure, but Willis seems to be beyond reason in this matter.
This is another good entry in the 87th Precinct series and it’s fun to watch it all play out. Fans of the series will certainly want to look for it.
November 14, 2025
★★★★
Poison was an engaging and thoughtful entry in the 87th Precinct series. Marilyn Hollis’s back story is handled with real depth and adds emotional weight, while the unusual method of the poisoning gives the investigation extra tension.
I found the ethical dilemmas compelling. Hal Willis moves in with Marilyn while she is a prime suspect, forcing him to navigate personal feelings and professional duty. Seeing an, until now, supporting member of the 87th Precinct cast promoted to lead in this instalment was a highlight, and getting his perspective makes his choices and inner conflicts feel immediate.
The book balances procedural detail with character and moral complexity. Not the strongest in the series, but a rewarding and entertaining read.
Poison was an engaging and thoughtful entry in the 87th Precinct series. Marilyn Hollis’s back story is handled with real depth and adds emotional weight, while the unusual method of the poisoning gives the investigation extra tension.
I found the ethical dilemmas compelling. Hal Willis moves in with Marilyn while she is a prime suspect, forcing him to navigate personal feelings and professional duty. Seeing an, until now, supporting member of the 87th Precinct cast promoted to lead in this instalment was a highlight, and getting his perspective makes his choices and inner conflicts feel immediate.
The book balances procedural detail with character and moral complexity. Not the strongest in the series, but a rewarding and entertaining read.
December 31, 2018
This one is a reread for me. I'd originally read it way back in 1988 in paperback, about a year after it was published. The novel focuses on Marilyn Hollis and her tortured relationship with one of the 87th Precinct detectives as the mystery of who is killing her friends unfolds. If you've read a lot of the 87th precinct novels you'll be familiar with the cast of cops here. Typically Detective Steve Carella takes center stage in working the case at hand. He's often paired with Bert Kling in the later novels. This one however takes a detour and brings Detective Hal Willis into the spotlight. Willis has been around for a number of 87th precinct novels, but typically given only a cameo appearance for squad room banter. POISON fleshes him out as he and Carella investigate the murder of a young executive. One of the earliest suspects is a woman of mystery named Marilyn Hollis. Soon Willis begins having a sexual relationship with Marilyn. This presents all kinds of problems for the investigation at hand. Especially when more of Marilyn's "friends" are murdered and each clue points to her. This is a good one. I will recommend not reading this one first if you haven't read any others in the series however.
December 19, 2020
A man is found dead, poisoned with pure nicotine. The cops of the 87 look through his phone log, and find the last call he made, to a mysterious woman. She claims the two were friends with benefits, and that she has many such friends. These friends are being murdered with the same modus operandi. Naturally, she is the prime suspect, but one of the cops falls for her.
Not bad. I think McBain quit smoking shortly before he wrote this.
Not bad. I think McBain quit smoking shortly before he wrote this.
October 6, 2017
Hal Willis is the key detective in this story, for a change, getting into a complex relationship with a potential suspect
July 30, 2019
Another of the longer 87th Precinct novels, Poison features an extended, episodic story within a story. I like this a lot better than his longer novels that get their length by featuring two crime cases and by going back and forth between the cases every other chapter or so. The story within a story is back story for one of the characters and adds power to the one story the novel tells. The end is obscure and disappointing, but McBain just seems to get to the end and then ends it, right there. Also, the basic plot, in keeping with the obscure ending (by that, I mean that the reader has no way to guess who the bad guy is ahead of time), simply does not thoroughly explore the crime case in question. The characters are enjoyable, as usual. Another thing I have noticed is that as one moves through this McBain series, the sex gets more and more explicit and takes more page space. The profane language of the earlier books tails off a little, but the near-graphic sex takes up the slack.
April 2, 2022
Only one case that the detectives work on in this one but I found it a fascinating story. Lot's of psychological aspects of the 'criminal' mind are explored in here in a way that makes you wonder just how far things have to go before a crime may be described as justified. One of the detectives personal lives is effected here so I will be interested to see how that pans out in subsequent books.
October 5, 2019
I just moved and unpacked my well-tattered books, including the collection of the 87th Precinct novels. I used to like them, back in time when I started reading them. McBain's style seemed gritty but realistic and the plots very believable.
I still wonder why they never turned into a TV series... but maybe too many people have their own idea of what Carella and the other detectives look like. Anyway, in this "episode" the main character of the show is the usually neglected Hal Willis, the shortest detective of the 87th.
A series of guys, all good "friends" of a mysterious blonde are eliminated with poison (and stabbing). Main suspects are - obviously - the blonde Marilyn and her friends left alive (of which she has many).
The rich Marilyn seems not have any reason to terminate her friends, but the victims have only her in common... or do they? Detectives Carella and Willis investigate, and while on the job, Marilyn performs a quick seduction on Willis.
Clearly, Willis' judgment is totally clouded by sexual arousal and he starts shouting left and right that his Marilyn is as pure as - New York - snow.
The part that bothered me about this plot is the obvious conflict of interest. How is it possible that Willis was left to investigate the lady friend he was banging is beyond believable to me...
However, it turns out Marilyn ain't so pure but not in the way one could imagine. Also, prostitution seems definitely a way to make a lot of money fast, unless you end up in the southern hemisphere.
Not my 87th favourite, but still worth a shot.
I still wonder why they never turned into a TV series... but maybe too many people have their own idea of what Carella and the other detectives look like. Anyway, in this "episode" the main character of the show is the usually neglected Hal Willis, the shortest detective of the 87th.
A series of guys, all good "friends" of a mysterious blonde are eliminated with poison (and stabbing). Main suspects are - obviously - the blonde Marilyn and her friends left alive (of which she has many).
The rich Marilyn seems not have any reason to terminate her friends, but the victims have only her in common... or do they? Detectives Carella and Willis investigate, and while on the job, Marilyn performs a quick seduction on Willis.
Clearly, Willis' judgment is totally clouded by sexual arousal and he starts shouting left and right that his Marilyn is as pure as - New York - snow.
The part that bothered me about this plot is the obvious conflict of interest. How is it possible that Willis was left to investigate the lady friend he was banging is beyond believable to me...
However, it turns out Marilyn ain't so pure but not in the way one could imagine. Also, prostitution seems definitely a way to make a lot of money fast, unless you end up in the southern hemisphere.
Not my 87th favourite, but still worth a shot.
September 29, 2013
3.5 stars. A man is poisoned with tobacco and another is stabbed to death in another precinct. The only link is an apparent wealthy woman, who was seeing both of them. Then, Hal Willis falls in love with her and her sordid past is revealed to him bit by bit, as she is an obvious suspect, especially when a third drops dead shortly after she visits him to break it off. The 87th Street team solves the murder, leaving Hal in a quandary as to his strong feelings for her.
January 24, 2013
This was one of McBain's 87th Precinct novels. It seemed quite dated, published in 1987, but was a pretty good story. Not one of his best but worth a read.
February 27, 2016
It was refreshing to read a crime novel where the detectives didn't have cell phones or the internet.
August 9, 2020
Ed loves putting his detectives through the ringer. This time around it's Hal Willis who somehow ends up living with the prime suspect in a double homicide... and she turns out to be a former prostitute... and worse. What a mess. I actually worked out who the murderer was in this one for the first time in ages, but, as usual, there was enough procedural gubbins there to keep me interested. There was a nice scene where a detective is shadowing the suspect only to discover that she's going on a date with one of his colleagues, and that they meet up with two more police for a double date.
Thirty-nine books in to the series and they still entertain even as the racial and sexual politics remain troubling. I prefer my 87th novels to be a little more Carella-centric than this one, but this was an interesting change of focus with a weird little set piece inside a Mexican women's prison.
Thirty-nine books in to the series and they still entertain even as the racial and sexual politics remain troubling. I prefer my 87th novels to be a little more Carella-centric than this one, but this was an interesting change of focus with a weird little set piece inside a Mexican women's prison.
October 17, 2018
One of the most interesting of the 87th Precinct books by Ed McBain, which is rare because all of his books are interesting, the stories quirky and always a touch of humor. This one had less and perhaps its because of the storyline.
Dets. Hal Willis and Steve Carella are assigned the murder of a man killed by nicotine. With few obvious clues, they focus on the last call he made and the number kept on his answering machine, and they find out that its a woman named Marilyn Hollis. Through their interviews, they find that she dated and slept occasionally with the man, and others. And that one of the others is soon found stabbed to death.
She becomes one of the prime suspects but she also falls hard for Det. Willis, and he with her. The escalating relationship complicates the case and makes the investigation that much harder.
This is perhaps McBain at one of his best with a story that mixes murder, love and uncontrollable violent passions. As with his other writing McBain writes a gritty description of the town, its people and its crimes. This is very good reading.
Dets. Hal Willis and Steve Carella are assigned the murder of a man killed by nicotine. With few obvious clues, they focus on the last call he made and the number kept on his answering machine, and they find out that its a woman named Marilyn Hollis. Through their interviews, they find that she dated and slept occasionally with the man, and others. And that one of the others is soon found stabbed to death.
She becomes one of the prime suspects but she also falls hard for Det. Willis, and he with her. The escalating relationship complicates the case and makes the investigation that much harder.
This is perhaps McBain at one of his best with a story that mixes murder, love and uncontrollable violent passions. As with his other writing McBain writes a gritty description of the town, its people and its crimes. This is very good reading.
June 8, 2023
As a continuing fan of the 87th Precinct, I was happy to see Hal "Mighty-Mite" Willis get some face time (even if he makes some dubious choices and gets messy.)
Carella is the mainstay boy scout in this outing, sans family, and is partnered with Willis for yet another series of murders that feel as if McBain is scraping the bottom of the idea barrel for original deaths. I mean nicotine poisoning? distillation diagrams? yet multiple methods of killing by the same person (poison, stabbing, shooting)? Not the best criminal writing in this series, however, at #39 in the series... I get it.
Poison is the main method of introduction to Marilyn - Mary Anne- Hollis, and her melange of male "friends" that become the target of the murderer. She is the main suspect throughout the book. Her back story overtakes the plot through a full retelling of her history, and path to NYC, to Willis as they divulge their secrets to one another. Although I liked Willis getting involved and finding a partner, the rehashed drugs/prostitution/abuse story was bland, underwhelming, and distracted from the meager plot provided. And the plot was kinda dumb, if I am honest, with the resolution being force fed via a diagram that is supposed to be "routine and overlooked." Even the complete capitulation of the villain was just ho-hum and lackluster.
Arguably the best sequence in the series (humor-wise) is having the entire 87th on stakeout/surveillance duty, them seeing Willis accompanying the focus of the operation having dinner with Kling And Burke (also of the 87th). The internal confusion of what is really going on and who is watching whom strikes as pure 87th chicanery.
This book struck me as just presenting the rudimentary nature of police work as the story: too many potential witnesses/suspects, too few clues, under-staffed, over-worked and repetitive in nature.
Not the best 87th book, but if one makes it this far, keep going.
Thanks for reading.
Carella is the mainstay boy scout in this outing, sans family, and is partnered with Willis for yet another series of murders that feel as if McBain is scraping the bottom of the idea barrel for original deaths. I mean nicotine poisoning? distillation diagrams? yet multiple methods of killing by the same person (poison, stabbing, shooting)? Not the best criminal writing in this series, however, at #39 in the series... I get it.
Poison is the main method of introduction to Marilyn - Mary Anne- Hollis, and her melange of male "friends" that become the target of the murderer. She is the main suspect throughout the book. Her back story overtakes the plot through a full retelling of her history, and path to NYC, to Willis as they divulge their secrets to one another. Although I liked Willis getting involved and finding a partner, the rehashed drugs/prostitution/abuse story was bland, underwhelming, and distracted from the meager plot provided. And the plot was kinda dumb, if I am honest, with the resolution being force fed via a diagram that is supposed to be "routine and overlooked." Even the complete capitulation of the villain was just ho-hum and lackluster.
Arguably the best sequence in the series (humor-wise) is having the entire 87th on stakeout/surveillance duty, them seeing Willis accompanying the focus of the operation having dinner with Kling And Burke (also of the 87th). The internal confusion of what is really going on and who is watching whom strikes as pure 87th chicanery.
This book struck me as just presenting the rudimentary nature of police work as the story: too many potential witnesses/suspects, too few clues, under-staffed, over-worked and repetitive in nature.
Not the best 87th book, but if one makes it this far, keep going.
Thanks for reading.
July 2, 2012
A good story. Detective Hal Willis is the lead (cop) character in this book; he's been around for quite awhile, but usually plays second banana to Carella, Hawes, Meyer or Kling - or used as background filler. Nice he got his own story. Multiple murders stacking up and it looks more and more like the guilty party is Hal's new girlfriend. Her backstory gets more convoluted every time she tells it - she definitely still has secrets, but can Hal trust her? It's nice McBain has finally done more with Hal's character. It was well written as usual; I enjoyed it.
December 2, 2020
Back to the 87th for the 39th episode. Carella and Willis pick up the "squeal" after a body has been found in circumstances that suggest the victim was poisoned. True to form the detectives are on to the case right away and the trail leads to more murder victims. Willis falls in love and is shot at. A very good account of how the poison was made and then administered to the victims. The net quickly closes when the motive is found. All those regular followers expect from the 87th. An enjoyable quick read.
4 stars
4 stars
Read
July 5, 2016I love McBain's 87th Precinct series. Just love it.
April 1, 2020
McBain shows an uncanny knowledge of unique methods of murder in Poison (1987), an 87th Precinct novel. There’s an unlikely suspect hiding in plain sight the whole plot. It's a delicious police procedural with an unconventional murder, a great backstory, and a mischievous romance.
Poison gives leading roles to a civilian woman and Detective Hal Willis. Yet, it is the woman who gets top billing as she has a colorful past and is associated with a number of secondary and tertiary characters. She had a singular fascination for me. Not only for her attractive physical features, she made me feel for her and want to see her strengths override her weaknesses.
McBain continues in this book to be a spectacular world and character builder. People are whole and realistic judging by their ability to do good and make mistakes like anyone of us. In a few words, McBain encapsulates everything necessary to see their place in the story.
There’s an abrupt and actually refreshing change at the beginning of the last quarter of the book which turned out to be backstory. I first thought it was odd McBain telling us what we needed to know at this point in the book. Despite that, it made perfect sense and would have blown his cover if he’d told it earlier.
Notes
The 87th-Precinct is located in Isola, Italian for island. It’s a fictitious New York City. Very tongue in cheek, a character made a reference to NYC.
The narrator refers to hope as “the thing with feathers”. It’s the essential theme in this book.
This book showcases how far McBain was ahead of his time. Things happen in this book that read as fresh as a topical novel.
Poison gives leading roles to a civilian woman and Detective Hal Willis. Yet, it is the woman who gets top billing as she has a colorful past and is associated with a number of secondary and tertiary characters. She had a singular fascination for me. Not only for her attractive physical features, she made me feel for her and want to see her strengths override her weaknesses.
McBain continues in this book to be a spectacular world and character builder. People are whole and realistic judging by their ability to do good and make mistakes like anyone of us. In a few words, McBain encapsulates everything necessary to see their place in the story.
There’s an abrupt and actually refreshing change at the beginning of the last quarter of the book which turned out to be backstory. I first thought it was odd McBain telling us what we needed to know at this point in the book. Despite that, it made perfect sense and would have blown his cover if he’d told it earlier.
Notes
The 87th-Precinct is located in Isola, Italian for island. It’s a fictitious New York City. Very tongue in cheek, a character made a reference to NYC.
The narrator refers to hope as “the thing with feathers”. It’s the essential theme in this book.
This book showcases how far McBain was ahead of his time. Things happen in this book that read as fresh as a topical novel.
January 3, 2026
Amusant
April 1, 2017
just finished this one, april 1st, just before eight pee em. still light out. snow is melting. melting. had 260" this winter and maybe, maybe it is over with. still lot of ground cover yet. this is a great story. in this one, mcbain goes into a bit more detail in the life of one of the characters, not one of the main characters, one unique to this story, marilyn hollis, time in mexico in a nasty prison, time in argentina. haven't looked...but i've no doubt someone has read this and caught the fabled perp on page twenty, give or take. me? nope. as the end drew near, yeah, okay...
good read. check it out.
good read. check it out.
December 31, 2019
"'Twas brilliant when the slimy toads, set fire to Gimbel's underwear. Aunt Mimsy was in Borough Park, and the Nome rats ate her there."
I enjoyed this funny tribute to Lewis Carroll more than the police procedural aspects in Ed McBain's Poison, the 39th installment in the famous 87th Precinct series. The moderately interesting plot begins with Monoghan and Monroe, McBain's cliché Homicide detectives, looking at the dead body, lying "in his own vomit and shit." The 87th Precinct detectives, Steve Carella and Hal Willis, who caught this "squeal" are present too: they will be handling the investigation.
This is a Hal Willis novel, not a Carella novel, which is good news as Det. Carella has appeared way too many times in McBain's books. The other central character in the novel is Marilyn, who was the deceased man's girlfriend. In fact, the thread that focuses on the relationship between Det. Willis and Marilyn is, to me, the best thing about the novel. Unfortunately, 'best' does not mean 'very good.' I like the thread mainly because it does not conform to Mr. McBain's (Evan Hunter's) usual template of storytelling.
Another interesting component of the story is the non-exclusive nature of the relationship between Marilyn and the victim. Marilyn as a "woman with a past" is a cliché touch, but the author handles the trope in a little unusual way. The choice of the title poison is also uncommon.
Naturally, we have an awful lot of apparently authentic police procedure: to emphasize the realism the author even encloses copies of four weeks of the victim's weekly calendar (the reader would be OK without this material). The reader would also be better off without transparent "red herrings" in the later part of the plot: the author could have very well announced: "And now, dear reader, here's a red herring." The standup-comedy-style routine at the precinct reads stale and unfunny, as opposed to the story about the murder in a movie theater. Summing up, I would be hesitant to recommend this novel.
I am a little sad that my year 2019 in books ends with a whimper...
Two-and-a-quarter stars.
I enjoyed this funny tribute to Lewis Carroll more than the police procedural aspects in Ed McBain's Poison, the 39th installment in the famous 87th Precinct series. The moderately interesting plot begins with Monoghan and Monroe, McBain's cliché Homicide detectives, looking at the dead body, lying "in his own vomit and shit." The 87th Precinct detectives, Steve Carella and Hal Willis, who caught this "squeal" are present too: they will be handling the investigation.
This is a Hal Willis novel, not a Carella novel, which is good news as Det. Carella has appeared way too many times in McBain's books. The other central character in the novel is Marilyn, who was the deceased man's girlfriend. In fact, the thread that focuses on the relationship between Det. Willis and Marilyn is, to me, the best thing about the novel. Unfortunately, 'best' does not mean 'very good.' I like the thread mainly because it does not conform to Mr. McBain's (Evan Hunter's) usual template of storytelling.
Another interesting component of the story is the non-exclusive nature of the relationship between Marilyn and the victim. Marilyn as a "woman with a past" is a cliché touch, but the author handles the trope in a little unusual way. The choice of the title poison is also uncommon.
Naturally, we have an awful lot of apparently authentic police procedure: to emphasize the realism the author even encloses copies of four weeks of the victim's weekly calendar (the reader would be OK without this material). The reader would also be better off without transparent "red herrings" in the later part of the plot: the author could have very well announced: "And now, dear reader, here's a red herring." The standup-comedy-style routine at the precinct reads stale and unfunny, as opposed to the story about the murder in a movie theater. Summing up, I would be hesitant to recommend this novel.
I am a little sad that my year 2019 in books ends with a whimper...
Two-and-a-quarter stars.
February 12, 2019
This installment is a bit different from the typical 87th Precinct novel in a few aspects. Usually, unless the story involves the Deaf Man (aka L. Sordo, etc.), it’s rare that the murderer is more clever than Carella and the rest of the squad put together. But that is the case here. Additionally, Poison seems darker than most of McBain’s other works, particularly as he is revealing Marilyn Hollis’ past and the indignities she suffered. And lastly, when was the last time Detective 3rd grade Harold (Hal) Willis was featured prominently— even more so that Det. Steve Carella? Never, that’s when!
Okay, so what we have here is a very well constructed plot with enough obfuscation as to render this reader stumped over the killer’s identity. Well played. There are a few scenes that include several of the detectives from the ensemble, but by and large, this story really features Hal Willis, up close and personal like we’ve never seen before.
There is an intensity to this story that I found compelling. Reading McBain is almost always a pleasure that is over too quickly, but Poison was even more so. The only complaints I have concern the author’s habitual inclusion of “filler” such as detailing for us the application for a search warrant that Carella submits before a magistrate. I know this is part of McBain’s police procedural style, but sometimes it just seems as though he was shooting for x number of pages and needed a few easy ones to hit his quota.
Nevertheless, this is an outstanding representation of the 87th Precinct books and a must read for any fan of the series.
Okay, so what we have here is a very well constructed plot with enough obfuscation as to render this reader stumped over the killer’s identity. Well played. There are a few scenes that include several of the detectives from the ensemble, but by and large, this story really features Hal Willis, up close and personal like we’ve never seen before.
There is an intensity to this story that I found compelling. Reading McBain is almost always a pleasure that is over too quickly, but Poison was even more so. The only complaints I have concern the author’s habitual inclusion of “filler” such as detailing for us the application for a search warrant that Carella submits before a magistrate. I know this is part of McBain’s police procedural style, but sometimes it just seems as though he was shooting for x number of pages and needed a few easy ones to hit his quota.
Nevertheless, this is an outstanding representation of the 87th Precinct books and a must read for any fan of the series.
September 11, 2022
“Guy was poisoned with nicotine.”
This is a strange one in that one of the investigating detectives, Hal Willis, hooks up with, and then moves in with, one of the main suspects! Within 3 weeks of the first murder! It just didn’t seem likely. And then, there was way too much back story about the suspect. Heck, a whole chapter is included about her time in Mexico! And honestly, I didn’t care about it at all. I also felt that there was way too much written about the nicotine poison, especially the distillery process. The chemical science of it all was all over my head, and really slowed down the pace of the story.
Overall, this was probably the least favorite book of mine in this series.
This is a strange one in that one of the investigating detectives, Hal Willis, hooks up with, and then moves in with, one of the main suspects! Within 3 weeks of the first murder! It just didn’t seem likely. And then, there was way too much back story about the suspect. Heck, a whole chapter is included about her time in Mexico! And honestly, I didn’t care about it at all. I also felt that there was way too much written about the nicotine poison, especially the distillery process. The chemical science of it all was all over my head, and really slowed down the pace of the story.
Overall, this was probably the least favorite book of mine in this series.
August 29, 2016
Consistency
87th Precinct novels are consistently excellent, the more of them you read, the more you'll like them. The characters are real people, with complete lives and personalities, including problems and faults. The plots are complete. As real and complex as the characters who commit the crimes and the police who solve them.
87th Precinct novels are consistently excellent, the more of them you read, the more you'll like them. The characters are real people, with complete lives and personalities, including problems and faults. The plots are complete. As real and complex as the characters who commit the crimes and the police who solve them.
March 18, 2015
One of the two detectives investigating the murders of a woman's lovers falls for her. Murdered by nicotine, knife, nicotine in liquor
December 15, 2014
Good intricate plot, leaving Willis with a big problem at the end. (No spoilers!)
May 15, 2025
I enjoyed this one very much. It's interesting in lots of ways, and odd in several more. In some ways, Ed McBain has written the whole book round the character of Marilyn Hollis, the blonde who is indirectly tangled up with several murders. I can't write this review without spoilers so ...
!!SPOILER ALERT!!
Marilyn Hollis is one of the few McBain heroines whose breasts don't even get a mention on her first appearance. She is "somewhere in her mid-to-late twenties [ ... ] some five feet eight inches tall, with long blonde hair, angry blue eyes, and a complexion as flawlessly pale as a dipper of milk. She was wearing a bulky blue man's cardigan sweater over blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Pale horse, pale rider, Willis thought, pale good looks."
Marilyn Hollis is about to be smitten with Detective Hal Willis and he with her, so their names strike me as weirdly similar Hollis/Willis. Willis has never had the main role in the series before, so this is his chance to star. The Hollis/Willis relationship is absolutely True Love, no question. The reader must believe this. Otherwise the main theme can't work fully.
Because everything here hinges on the moral issue of a violent act that might be regarded as justifiable. Not just justifiable to the perpetrator, of course. A nice little 'aside' crime three quarters of the way through makes that clear. A woman is shot in a movie theatre and the only relevance of the extended interview with the killer is to entertain the reader with the idea that a person might be completely convinced of the reasonableness of an unreasonable act. In this case, the woman meets her Nemesis because she keeps talking during the movie.
The killer tells the police all about it. His narrative concludes like this:
"I turned around and said, 'Madam, if you want to talk, why don't you stay home and watch television?' She said, 'I thought I told you to mind your own business.' I said, 'This is my business. I paid for this seat.' She said, 'Then sit in it and shut up.' That was when I shot her. [ ... ]
My only regret is that I waited too long [ ... ] I should have shot her sooner. Then I could have enjoyed the movie."
Meanwhile, Willis is troubled by the old memory of the time he shot dead a twelve-year old boy. The boy was also a killer. But he was a kid. A kid. And Willis is still losing sleep about it. Not because he regrets the act, but because he relished it.
It turns out that his new girlfriend, Marilyn Hollis is also a killer, though she is not the murderer the detectives are in process of investigating. Her violence occurred long before the novel began. In order to demonstrate how it might indeed have been justified, there are long sections of Marilyn Hollis backstory.
Thus we experience with Marilyn several years of violent sexual exploitation, some of it inside a particularly brutal Mexican prison, some at the hands of a coldly wealthy pimp. At one point she has a termination and the abortionist removes not only the foetus but her womb. Her experience is so horrific that I found it impossible to believe -- not that it happened, but that she survived it as a determined, capable, articulate young woman, ready to fight back at every available opportunity. In real life I am certain she would be traumatised and broken, or dead as a result of infection.
Quite apart from that, can a woman who has been the victim of extended sexual violence and brutality (at the hands of so many men we lose count) really leap joyously into bed with Willis, marking her ecstatic orgasms with a scream. (I could see The Deaf Man shaking his head at yet another "screamer".)
When Willis finally hears the full story of Marilyn's past, and particularly the way in which she escaped the pimp (who did not live to tell the tale), he is left with a moral quandary. That's where the book ends. Brilliantly.
There is some first-class dialogue in this book, beautifully spare and effective. McBain has come a long way since the first few novels in the series where verbal exchanges were spattered with repetitive adverbs. In those days, people even said things "evenly". Not any more. I'll leave you with an example. This is Carella, Willis and Marilyn. At this stage nothing has developed between Willis and the woman.
_____________________
"Carella closed his notebook.
'We may need to reach you at work,' he said. 'Is there a number you can let us ...?'
'I'm unemployed,' she said.
Willis thought his face registered blank, but she must have caught something on it.
'It's not what you're thinking,' she said at once.
'What am I thinking?' he said.
'You're thinking expensive, well-furnished town-house, you're thinking she's got a sugar daddy. You're wrong. I've got a real daddy, and he's an oilman in Texas, and he doesn't want his only daughter starving in the big bad city.'
'I see.'
'Well, we're sorry to have taken so much of your time,' Carella said. 'You've been very helpful though, and we ... '
'How?' she asked, and showed them the door.
Outside, the air was cold and the wind was sharp."
!!SPOILER ALERT!!
Marilyn Hollis is one of the few McBain heroines whose breasts don't even get a mention on her first appearance. She is "somewhere in her mid-to-late twenties [ ... ] some five feet eight inches tall, with long blonde hair, angry blue eyes, and a complexion as flawlessly pale as a dipper of milk. She was wearing a bulky blue man's cardigan sweater over blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Pale horse, pale rider, Willis thought, pale good looks."
Marilyn Hollis is about to be smitten with Detective Hal Willis and he with her, so their names strike me as weirdly similar Hollis/Willis. Willis has never had the main role in the series before, so this is his chance to star. The Hollis/Willis relationship is absolutely True Love, no question. The reader must believe this. Otherwise the main theme can't work fully.
Because everything here hinges on the moral issue of a violent act that might be regarded as justifiable. Not just justifiable to the perpetrator, of course. A nice little 'aside' crime three quarters of the way through makes that clear. A woman is shot in a movie theatre and the only relevance of the extended interview with the killer is to entertain the reader with the idea that a person might be completely convinced of the reasonableness of an unreasonable act. In this case, the woman meets her Nemesis because she keeps talking during the movie.
The killer tells the police all about it. His narrative concludes like this:
"I turned around and said, 'Madam, if you want to talk, why don't you stay home and watch television?' She said, 'I thought I told you to mind your own business.' I said, 'This is my business. I paid for this seat.' She said, 'Then sit in it and shut up.' That was when I shot her. [ ... ]
My only regret is that I waited too long [ ... ] I should have shot her sooner. Then I could have enjoyed the movie."
Meanwhile, Willis is troubled by the old memory of the time he shot dead a twelve-year old boy. The boy was also a killer. But he was a kid. A kid. And Willis is still losing sleep about it. Not because he regrets the act, but because he relished it.
It turns out that his new girlfriend, Marilyn Hollis is also a killer, though she is not the murderer the detectives are in process of investigating. Her violence occurred long before the novel began. In order to demonstrate how it might indeed have been justified, there are long sections of Marilyn Hollis backstory.
Thus we experience with Marilyn several years of violent sexual exploitation, some of it inside a particularly brutal Mexican prison, some at the hands of a coldly wealthy pimp. At one point she has a termination and the abortionist removes not only the foetus but her womb. Her experience is so horrific that I found it impossible to believe -- not that it happened, but that she survived it as a determined, capable, articulate young woman, ready to fight back at every available opportunity. In real life I am certain she would be traumatised and broken, or dead as a result of infection.
Quite apart from that, can a woman who has been the victim of extended sexual violence and brutality (at the hands of so many men we lose count) really leap joyously into bed with Willis, marking her ecstatic orgasms with a scream. (I could see The Deaf Man shaking his head at yet another "screamer".)
When Willis finally hears the full story of Marilyn's past, and particularly the way in which she escaped the pimp (who did not live to tell the tale), he is left with a moral quandary. That's where the book ends. Brilliantly.
There is some first-class dialogue in this book, beautifully spare and effective. McBain has come a long way since the first few novels in the series where verbal exchanges were spattered with repetitive adverbs. In those days, people even said things "evenly". Not any more. I'll leave you with an example. This is Carella, Willis and Marilyn. At this stage nothing has developed between Willis and the woman.
_____________________
"Carella closed his notebook.
'We may need to reach you at work,' he said. 'Is there a number you can let us ...?'
'I'm unemployed,' she said.
Willis thought his face registered blank, but she must have caught something on it.
'It's not what you're thinking,' she said at once.
'What am I thinking?' he said.
'You're thinking expensive, well-furnished town-house, you're thinking she's got a sugar daddy. You're wrong. I've got a real daddy, and he's an oilman in Texas, and he doesn't want his only daughter starving in the big bad city.'
'I see.'
'Well, we're sorry to have taken so much of your time,' Carella said. 'You've been very helpful though, and we ... '
'How?' she asked, and showed them the door.
Outside, the air was cold and the wind was sharp."
November 30, 2021
— E cam mizerie pe-aici, făcu Monoghan.
— Şi cam pute, adăugă Monroe.
Cei doi detectivi de la Criminalistică examinară atent cadavrul de pe covor, apoi îl ocoliră pe Hal Willis, care, cu mâinile în şolduri, se uita şi el la trupul mortului. Nu era greu să te învârţi în jurul lui Willis, aşa mic cum era. Monoghan şi Monroe, doi zdrahoni de talia unor mastodonţi, se gândeau că nu le-ar cădea deloc bine să facă echipă cu un detectiv atât de mărunt de statură, cum era Willis – un avorton subţirel şi vânos, care cu greu ar fi îndeplinit vechiul barem de 1,70 m înălţime, deşi în zilele noastre puteai fi slab cât un mosor şi nimeni să nu se mire. În oraşul ăsta erau poliţişti care încăpeau în buzunarul pentru ceas!
Monoghan şi Monroe purtau amândoi costume cu vestă, închise la culoare. Aveau pardesie şi pălării tot de culoare închisă. Feţele le erau îmbujorate din cauza frigului tăios de afară; martie încă nu se terminase… Amândoi îşi ţineau batistele la nas din cauza duhorii de materii fecale şi de vomismente din apartament. Era greu să faci un pas înăuntru fără să calci într-o grămadă de vomă sau de rahat. De fapt, era greu să te abţii să nu vomiţi şi tu. Monoghan şi Monroe nu agreau deloc astfel de cazuri împuţite. Ei preferau situaţiile demodate de înjunghiere sau împuşcare. Locul duhnea şi a fum de trabuc. Toate scrumierele fuseseră umplute cu mucuri, probabil că victima fuma ca o locomotivă.
Cadavrul zăcea întins pe spate, alături de pat, afundat în propria-i mizerie formată din vărsat şi rahat. N-avea pe el decât chiloţii. Receptorul telefonului fusese scos din furcă. „Probabil c-a încercat să sune pe cineva când a mierlit-o”, îşi spuse Monroe. Sau poate că, în cădere, dărâmase receptorul. Ochii lui albaştri erau larg deschişi, pupilele dilatate. Avea o paloare pronunţată. Asistentul medicului legist îngenunchease lângă el, palpându-i mâinile pentru a-i simţi temperatura trupului. Omul nu părea mai fericit decât ceilalţi din încăpere. Poate era chiar nefericit, fiindcă stătea cel mai aproape de cadavru şi de excrementele urât mirositoare pe care acesta le eliminase. Doi tehnicieni de la Secţia Foto erau ocupaţi să fotografieze scena crimei. Monoghan şi Monroe, cu graţia unor balerini, se retraseră câţiva paşi. Încă mai ţineau batistele la nas.
— Ultima oară când am văzut o mizerie ca asta, zise Monoghan, a fost atunci când o babă a căzut în cada de baie şi a murit acolo de foame. Toată cada era plină de rahat, băieţii de la urgenţe au fost nevoiţi s-o scoată cu lopata…
— Un caz dezgustător, zise Monroe..
Asistentul medicului nu spuse nimic. Se gândea că şi cazul de faţă era dezgustător. Se întreba de ce oare nu rămăsese el să-şi practice meseria la Sands Spit. Frank O’Neill, medic… Vedea şi-acum, cu ochii minţii, plăcuţa cu numele şi casa albă din spatele ei. În loc de asta, iată-l aici. Luni, dis-de-dimineaţă şi cu un mort zăcând în propriile-i excremente…
— Tu ce crezi? întrebă Willis.
— Otrăvire? se miră O’Neill, dând din umeri.
— Sau poate atac de cord, adăugă Monroe.
— Ne-au târât până aici cu noaptea-n cap pentru că un tip oarecare a avut un atac de cord, mârâi Monoghan.
— Nu-i vorba de aşa ceva, spuse O’Neill.
— Şi cam pute, adăugă Monroe.
Cei doi detectivi de la Criminalistică examinară atent cadavrul de pe covor, apoi îl ocoliră pe Hal Willis, care, cu mâinile în şolduri, se uita şi el la trupul mortului. Nu era greu să te învârţi în jurul lui Willis, aşa mic cum era. Monoghan şi Monroe, doi zdrahoni de talia unor mastodonţi, se gândeau că nu le-ar cădea deloc bine să facă echipă cu un detectiv atât de mărunt de statură, cum era Willis – un avorton subţirel şi vânos, care cu greu ar fi îndeplinit vechiul barem de 1,70 m înălţime, deşi în zilele noastre puteai fi slab cât un mosor şi nimeni să nu se mire. În oraşul ăsta erau poliţişti care încăpeau în buzunarul pentru ceas!
Monoghan şi Monroe purtau amândoi costume cu vestă, închise la culoare. Aveau pardesie şi pălării tot de culoare închisă. Feţele le erau îmbujorate din cauza frigului tăios de afară; martie încă nu se terminase… Amândoi îşi ţineau batistele la nas din cauza duhorii de materii fecale şi de vomismente din apartament. Era greu să faci un pas înăuntru fără să calci într-o grămadă de vomă sau de rahat. De fapt, era greu să te abţii să nu vomiţi şi tu. Monoghan şi Monroe nu agreau deloc astfel de cazuri împuţite. Ei preferau situaţiile demodate de înjunghiere sau împuşcare. Locul duhnea şi a fum de trabuc. Toate scrumierele fuseseră umplute cu mucuri, probabil că victima fuma ca o locomotivă.
Cadavrul zăcea întins pe spate, alături de pat, afundat în propria-i mizerie formată din vărsat şi rahat. N-avea pe el decât chiloţii. Receptorul telefonului fusese scos din furcă. „Probabil c-a încercat să sune pe cineva când a mierlit-o”, îşi spuse Monroe. Sau poate că, în cădere, dărâmase receptorul. Ochii lui albaştri erau larg deschişi, pupilele dilatate. Avea o paloare pronunţată. Asistentul medicului legist îngenunchease lângă el, palpându-i mâinile pentru a-i simţi temperatura trupului. Omul nu părea mai fericit decât ceilalţi din încăpere. Poate era chiar nefericit, fiindcă stătea cel mai aproape de cadavru şi de excrementele urât mirositoare pe care acesta le eliminase. Doi tehnicieni de la Secţia Foto erau ocupaţi să fotografieze scena crimei. Monoghan şi Monroe, cu graţia unor balerini, se retraseră câţiva paşi. Încă mai ţineau batistele la nas.
— Ultima oară când am văzut o mizerie ca asta, zise Monoghan, a fost atunci când o babă a căzut în cada de baie şi a murit acolo de foame. Toată cada era plină de rahat, băieţii de la urgenţe au fost nevoiţi s-o scoată cu lopata…
— Un caz dezgustător, zise Monroe..
Asistentul medicului nu spuse nimic. Se gândea că şi cazul de faţă era dezgustător. Se întreba de ce oare nu rămăsese el să-şi practice meseria la Sands Spit. Frank O’Neill, medic… Vedea şi-acum, cu ochii minţii, plăcuţa cu numele şi casa albă din spatele ei. În loc de asta, iată-l aici. Luni, dis-de-dimineaţă şi cu un mort zăcând în propriile-i excremente…
— Tu ce crezi? întrebă Willis.
— Otrăvire? se miră O’Neill, dând din umeri.
— Sau poate atac de cord, adăugă Monroe.
— Ne-au târât până aici cu noaptea-n cap pentru că un tip oarecare a avut un atac de cord, mârâi Monoghan.
— Nu-i vorba de aşa ceva, spuse O’Neill.
March 13, 2025
My latest outing with the 87th Precinct was Poison. It's an excellent tale on the whole, with perhaps one big flaw that I could have lived without.
Carella and Hal Willis land a case with a poison victim where suicide seems highly unlikely. They're drawn to the last number that he called and eventually get through, finding a really interesting woman was the subject the victim was attempting to contact. Her name is Marilyn and she has a lot of casual partners, each of whom find her absolutely adorable.
All the detectives have is the names of her lovers and they set about tracking them down . In the meantime, another of the lovers is killed, which creates a whirlpool of intrigue.
It's great to get a story told where Willis is the lead character and, the way things pan out, it's difficult not to enjoy spending time with him. As he spends time with Marilyn, he gets sucked in by her special qualities in a way that so many have done before. It's not long before he's totally hooked, which is problematic given that she's a significant suspect in the murder cases. The joy for the reader is that it's not clear what her involvement is until the final revelation.
Marilyn is also a fabulous character. As is increasingly clear with the evolution of the series, the sensual and sexual are at the forefront. On the whole, that's pretty cool, though I did feel it created the flaw mentioned earlier. As we find out about her, there's a significant chunk of plot dedicated to her back story. It's interesting and tragic, yet I struggled to stay with the book at that point because I was so engrossed in the detective work and the awkwardness of Willis's position. The subject matter here was difficult and the interruption to my enjoyment was, frankly, irritating. That complaint aside, the rest of the piece is terrific and is wonderfully put together. I have no idea how McBain managed to churn out such beauties without diluting the content or becoming dull- the 87th Precinct novels are an amazing creation and my respect for them simply grows as I get through them.
A nice aside for Columbo fans, there's a link here to Uneasy Lies The Crown which I'm sure many will appreciate (if that's a spoiler for you, congrats on being such a Columbo fan and I apologise in advance).
Carella and Hal Willis land a case with a poison victim where suicide seems highly unlikely. They're drawn to the last number that he called and eventually get through, finding a really interesting woman was the subject the victim was attempting to contact. Her name is Marilyn and she has a lot of casual partners, each of whom find her absolutely adorable.
All the detectives have is the names of her lovers and they set about tracking them down . In the meantime, another of the lovers is killed, which creates a whirlpool of intrigue.
It's great to get a story told where Willis is the lead character and, the way things pan out, it's difficult not to enjoy spending time with him. As he spends time with Marilyn, he gets sucked in by her special qualities in a way that so many have done before. It's not long before he's totally hooked, which is problematic given that she's a significant suspect in the murder cases. The joy for the reader is that it's not clear what her involvement is until the final revelation.
Marilyn is also a fabulous character. As is increasingly clear with the evolution of the series, the sensual and sexual are at the forefront. On the whole, that's pretty cool, though I did feel it created the flaw mentioned earlier. As we find out about her, there's a significant chunk of plot dedicated to her back story. It's interesting and tragic, yet I struggled to stay with the book at that point because I was so engrossed in the detective work and the awkwardness of Willis's position. The subject matter here was difficult and the interruption to my enjoyment was, frankly, irritating. That complaint aside, the rest of the piece is terrific and is wonderfully put together. I have no idea how McBain managed to churn out such beauties without diluting the content or becoming dull- the 87th Precinct novels are an amazing creation and my respect for them simply grows as I get through them.
A nice aside for Columbo fans, there's a link here to Uneasy Lies The Crown which I'm sure many will appreciate (if that's a spoiler for you, congrats on being such a Columbo fan and I apologise in advance).
December 12, 2020
Solidní díl, který na mně dýchnul koncem osmdesátých let a zrodem erotických thrillerů. Někdo začíná zabíjet přítelkyně ženy s tajemnou minulostí. Že by zhrzený milenec? Nebo ona sama? A aby to bylo ještě komplikovanější, tak se do ní zamiluje jeden z policistů.
Je fakt, že popsat osudovou přitažlivost je v románu docela fuška, zvláště když se osudovost obvykle projevuje tím, že je ta osudová žena nesnesitelná, náladová a afektovaná. Prostě typ, od které by normální člověk za střízliva utíkal co nejrychleji... a v opilosti taky, jen trochu pomaleji a více komíhavě.
Ale budiž. Musím zase uznat, že díky tomu dává McBainovi román možnost podívat se na trochu jiná místa než obvykle a v určitých okamžicích pořádně přitvrdit.
Knihu jsem četl poprvé... tady aspoň jsem si to myslel, než jsem narazil na jednu scénu. A její brilanci vypovídá to, že i když jsem základní příběh knihy zcela zapomněl, vypadl mi pachatel i postavy, tak tuhle scénu (která navíc s dějem absolutně nesouvisí) jsem z hlavy nedostal. A myslím, že ani nikdo z ostatních lidí, co Jed četli. Ano jedná se o scénu se zastřelenou paní v kině. Je to scéna, která evidentně šla autorovi přímo z duše. A většině čtenářů také.
Je fakt, že popsat osudovou přitažlivost je v románu docela fuška, zvláště když se osudovost obvykle projevuje tím, že je ta osudová žena nesnesitelná, náladová a afektovaná. Prostě typ, od které by normální člověk za střízliva utíkal co nejrychleji... a v opilosti taky, jen trochu pomaleji a více komíhavě.
Ale budiž. Musím zase uznat, že díky tomu dává McBainovi román možnost podívat se na trochu jiná místa než obvykle a v určitých okamžicích pořádně přitvrdit.
Knihu jsem četl poprvé... tady aspoň jsem si to myslel, než jsem narazil na jednu scénu. A její brilanci vypovídá to, že i když jsem základní příběh knihy zcela zapomněl, vypadl mi pachatel i postavy, tak tuhle scénu (která navíc s dějem absolutně nesouvisí) jsem z hlavy nedostal. A myslím, že ani nikdo z ostatních lidí, co Jed četli. Ano jedná se o scénu se zastřelenou paní v kině. Je to scéna, která evidentně šla autorovi přímo z duše. A většině čtenářů také.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews