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Eighty-six-year-old George Lasser was the superintendent of a building in the 87th Precinct until just recently. Unfortunately his tenure ended in the building’s basement with a sharp, heavy blade of an ax in his head…
There are no witnesses, no suspects, and no clues. The wife and son? They’re both a little off-kilter, but they have alibis. Just when Carella and Hawes are about to put the case on the shelf, the killer strikes again. Now the detectives are hot on the trail of a man crazy enough to murder with an ax.
One of the 87th Precinct series’ finest installments, Ax is a sharp, intense crime thriller that is classic Ed McBain. The New York Times hails it as “the best of today’s police stories—lively, inventive, convincing, suspenseful, and wholly satisfactory.”
There are no witnesses, no suspects, and no clues. The wife and son? They’re both a little off-kilter, but they have alibis. Just when Carella and Hawes are about to put the case on the shelf, the killer strikes again. Now the detectives are hot on the trail of a man crazy enough to murder with an ax.
One of the 87th Precinct series’ finest installments, Ax is a sharp, intense crime thriller that is classic Ed McBain. The New York Times hails it as “the best of today’s police stories—lively, inventive, convincing, suspenseful, and wholly satisfactory.”
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Ed McBain
690 books691 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 104 reviews
June 25, 2021
Who's the culprit when an 86-year-old man is found with an ax buried in his skull?
That's what the bulls of the 87 Precinct want to know, and you can bet they'll find out.
Turns out the old guy had his fingers in a lot of pies, some of them not quite legal. Was the murderer someone from his shady past, or his shady present, or even a member of his kinda creepy family?
This was a serviceable entry in the series - not bad, but not particularly memorable.
I had to chuckle every time the author mentioned the "bitterly cold" weather, and it turned out to be 40 degrees. Heck, around here 40 degrees in January is considered a breath of springtime!
I was also kind of annoyed we never found out if Carella discovered a rhyming word for April.
Sigh.
That's what the bulls of the 87 Precinct want to know, and you can bet they'll find out.
Turns out the old guy had his fingers in a lot of pies, some of them not quite legal. Was the murderer someone from his shady past, or his shady present, or even a member of his kinda creepy family?
This was a serviceable entry in the series - not bad, but not particularly memorable.
I had to chuckle every time the author mentioned the "bitterly cold" weather, and it turned out to be 40 degrees. Heck, around here 40 degrees in January is considered a breath of springtime!
I was also kind of annoyed we never found out if Carella discovered a rhyming word for April.
Sigh.
February 1, 2014
On a bitterly cold January afternoon, the detectives of the 87th precinct are called to the basement of an apartment building where the building super is Mr. George Lasser. Lasser is eighty-six years old and a veteran of the Spanish American War. Lasser managed to survive the encounter with the Spanish and a whole host of other difficulties that beset the planet between 1898 and 1963, when this story was written. But when someone plants an ax in the middle of his skull, it's pretty much lights out for George.
There's no evidence pointing at the killer and all of the early suspects have what appear to be iron-clad alibis. This means that Steve Carella, Cotton Hawes and the other bulls are going to have to put in a lot of time and use up a lot of shoe leather, trying to determine who might have had it in for the old man. The guy's wife is totally nuts; his son refuses to leave the house; his three old buddies from the war have nothing to offer, and so there's not a lot of help there.
But Carella is nothing of not persistent, and pushing his network of snitches and other acquaintances, he finally begins to tease out a picture of the victim that may lead to the killer, though maybe not before he or she strikes again.
This is another solid entry in the 87th Precinct series and follows the formula that McBain had worked out in the previous seventeen books. Nothing wrong with that--it's a pretty entertaining formula.
There's no evidence pointing at the killer and all of the early suspects have what appear to be iron-clad alibis. This means that Steve Carella, Cotton Hawes and the other bulls are going to have to put in a lot of time and use up a lot of shoe leather, trying to determine who might have had it in for the old man. The guy's wife is totally nuts; his son refuses to leave the house; his three old buddies from the war have nothing to offer, and so there's not a lot of help there.
But Carella is nothing of not persistent, and pushing his network of snitches and other acquaintances, he finally begins to tease out a picture of the victim that may lead to the killer, though maybe not before he or she strikes again.
This is another solid entry in the 87th Precinct series and follows the formula that McBain had worked out in the previous seventeen books. Nothing wrong with that--it's a pretty entertaining formula.
June 22, 2025
I know McBain cranked these out pretty quickly and they do have some repetition when he introduces characters, but jeez, are these fun little reads!
The mystery: an 86 year old janitor of a tenement is found killed by an ax in the basement of the tenement.
The weather: overcast, windy January; cold, but above freezing.
The detective leads: Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes.
The repartee: Good, especially among the suspects.
The oddities: The murdered man's family--his crazy, ancient wife and their agoraphobic son.
The motive: why would someone kill an old janitor brutally with an ax?
Repeated outside characters: Danny Gimp the informer and Sam Grossman, the police 'photo' man.
The denouement: surprising and wistful.
Overall, a solid installment in the series!!
The mystery: an 86 year old janitor of a tenement is found killed by an ax in the basement of the tenement.
The weather: overcast, windy January; cold, but above freezing.
The detective leads: Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes.
The repartee: Good, especially among the suspects.
The oddities: The murdered man's family--his crazy, ancient wife and their agoraphobic son.
The motive: why would someone kill an old janitor brutally with an ax?
Repeated outside characters: Danny Gimp the informer and Sam Grossman, the police 'photo' man.
The denouement: surprising and wistful.
Overall, a solid installment in the series!!
April 19, 2026
It is January and freezing cold when the body of George a janitor is found in the basement of the apartment building he works for in the 87th Precinct. He has been murdered with an axe and it was left in his head. He is 86 years old.
Carella investigates with Hawes and they find a few suspects. A Green Mile African American who chops firewood for the janitor, his mad wife and agoraphobic son, the janitor next door and several men who used the basement for crap games. The difficulty is determining the motive.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Shortly after Carella leaves the basement a corrupt policeman is murdered in the basement. Eventually the case is solved after a fight between the African Americans and the janitor next door who tried to kill him.
Bizarrely the murder is over a few dollars for chopping firewood. George took away customers from the other janitor and in a fit of rage he axed him to death.
Carella investigates with Hawes and they find a few suspects. A Green Mile African American who chops firewood for the janitor, his mad wife and agoraphobic son, the janitor next door and several men who used the basement for crap games. The difficulty is determining the motive.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Shortly after Carella leaves the basement a corrupt policeman is murdered in the basement. Eventually the case is solved after a fight between the African Americans and the janitor next door who tried to kill him.
Bizarrely the murder is over a few dollars for chopping firewood. George took away customers from the other janitor and in a fit of rage he axed him to death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2017
Ax by Ed McBain another edition in the 87th Precinct series. This one features Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes. Steve is the most experienced of the 87th detectives, well balanced and known as a “straight policeman”, taking no bribes and valuing his family life with Teddy and the twins. Cotton Hawes, is often caste as Steve’s partner and is usually chasing his latest “date”. Unusually, this book does not feature any other of the detectives.
The story is a straight forward police procedural. A murder has been committed of a downtown janitor in his 80’s. Steve and Cotton follow the clues, some are false leads and some progress the case. Inevitably something quite minor leads to the root of the case.
A fault, if there is one, is the short length of the book, little above a novella in my view. However there are some great descriptive text that increase the enjoyment “…that the right angle described by those cross streets neatly embraced an empty lot over which all the winds of January howled and screeched and ranted.” had me pulling up my coat collar as I waited on the street with Steve for Danny the Gimp, his informer, to arrive. Passages such as these do bring the stories to life.
As ever a great read.
The story is a straight forward police procedural. A murder has been committed of a downtown janitor in his 80’s. Steve and Cotton follow the clues, some are false leads and some progress the case. Inevitably something quite minor leads to the root of the case.
A fault, if there is one, is the short length of the book, little above a novella in my view. However there are some great descriptive text that increase the enjoyment “…that the right angle described by those cross streets neatly embraced an empty lot over which all the winds of January howled and screeched and ranted.” had me pulling up my coat collar as I waited on the street with Steve for Danny the Gimp, his informer, to arrive. Passages such as these do bring the stories to life.
As ever a great read.
November 7, 2015
Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes are out in a bitterly cold January trying to catch an Ax murderer. The two cops struggle to find any promising leads. Carella turns to his best snitch Danny Gimp which gives McBain a chance to firm up the background for one of the bit part players in Isola. McBain keeps it to the basics delivering up another good whodunnit.
May 6, 2019
A great police procedural. I liked this one better than many in this series. Plot keeps interest and you meet some interesting characters.
August 6, 2012
Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes are called to the scene of a gruesome murder where a building superintendent has killed, with an ax left stuck in his head. With their usual aplomb, these two try to find out whodunnit, looking at his crazy wife, agoraphobic son, the players from a small time card game, his war buddies, his "slow" helper at the apartment building who chops wood. McBain eventually reveals a key detail linking suspects, which turns out to be a ruse.
April 21, 2025
★★★
‘Ax’ isn’t the strongest in the 87th Precinct series, but it’s still a solid and enjoyable read. At just over 150 pages, it’s one of the shorter entries, which means the plot stays tight and moves along quickly. There’s not much room for side stories or character development, but the mystery is full of red herrings and kept me guessing right to the end.
One thing I really liked was the early scene with Carella and his twins. His family hasn’t featured much in the last few books, so it was nice to get a small glimpse of them again. It’s those quieter, everyday moments that help ground the series and give the characters some life beyond the job.
There are a few interesting side characters in this one too, though the book’s length doesn’t really allow them to be explored fully. It’s a bit of a shame, as there was definitely potential there.
As always, I enjoyed being back in the world of the 87th and in the city of Isola. It’s become so familiar now that it almost feels like revisiting a place I know – I can picture the streets and buildings clearly in my head. McBain’s writing keeps that world alive, and even when the story is more straightforward, it’s still a place I like spending time in.
‘Ax’ isn’t the strongest in the 87th Precinct series, but it’s still a solid and enjoyable read. At just over 150 pages, it’s one of the shorter entries, which means the plot stays tight and moves along quickly. There’s not much room for side stories or character development, but the mystery is full of red herrings and kept me guessing right to the end.
One thing I really liked was the early scene with Carella and his twins. His family hasn’t featured much in the last few books, so it was nice to get a small glimpse of them again. It’s those quieter, everyday moments that help ground the series and give the characters some life beyond the job.
There are a few interesting side characters in this one too, though the book’s length doesn’t really allow them to be explored fully. It’s a bit of a shame, as there was definitely potential there.
As always, I enjoyed being back in the world of the 87th and in the city of Isola. It’s become so familiar now that it almost feels like revisiting a place I know – I can picture the streets and buildings clearly in my head. McBain’s writing keeps that world alive, and even when the story is more straightforward, it’s still a place I like spending time in.
February 13, 2026
An old janitor is killed in an exceptionally gruesome way, in the cold basement of a tenement building in frigid January with an axe. Detectives Hawes and Carella catch the case and start to interview the folks in the building and the victim's family on a hunt for suspects.
Verdict: A classic whodunit murder mystery with some odd characters, some real twists and turns, some standard side investigations that don't pan out, and a surprise culprit I should have guessed.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
Verdict: A classic whodunit murder mystery with some odd characters, some real twists and turns, some standard side investigations that don't pan out, and a surprise culprit I should have guessed.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
September 1, 2024
An 86-year-old man is found in his cellar with an embedded axe. It's up to Carrella and Hawes to unravel what turns out to be a fairly straightforward murder mystery. A couple of neat red herrings and about as unadorned an 87th installment could possibly be. Axe didn't wow me but it has enough to enjoy over its brief length to recommend it to anyone already reading through the series.
September 9, 2026
“Ax” begins literally with an ax embedded in a man’s skull along with twenty or so other wounds, the head wound being the coup de grâce. Carella and Hawes caught this one, just in time to question the seven-year-old who found the corpse. The victim, George Lasser, is the building superintendent whose wife is mad as a hatter and grown son is an agoraphobic shut-in.
In a bit of a juxtaposition, we switch right from the crazy hell of the ax-murdered custodian and his addle-brained family to Carella’s family where his twins, Mark and April, have suddenly grown to be five-year-olds.
Most of the novel though is Detectives Carella and Hawes doggedly pursuing anything from the victim’s life that might be a clue and we learn that everyone’s life can seem interesting from fighting in the Spanish-American War to running a craps game, but nothing really looks like a motive for murder.
This is a somewhat calmer, less frenetic entry in the series.
In a bit of a juxtaposition, we switch right from the crazy hell of the ax-murdered custodian and his addle-brained family to Carella’s family where his twins, Mark and April, have suddenly grown to be five-year-olds.
Most of the novel though is Detectives Carella and Hawes doggedly pursuing anything from the victim’s life that might be a clue and we learn that everyone’s life can seem interesting from fighting in the Spanish-American War to running a craps game, but nothing really looks like a motive for murder.
This is a somewhat calmer, less frenetic entry in the series.
January 3, 2019
Ax is the 17th installment in the 87th Precinct series, and a solid police procedural. Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes are the detectives who catch a case in which a building superintendent has been murdered with an ax.
Ed McBain writes with skill and ease, rendering dialogue so well that you feel like you’re there, listening, rather than reading. As is the case with any 87th precinct novel, the weather figures prominently, almost as another character, and you feel the cold, the heat, humidity, and the wind. While reading the book, I couldn’t help but feel chilled.
The story largely revolves around the search for a probable suspect and motive. The victim appears to have survived many difficulties and had no apparent enemies. Much of the story focuses on conversations and interviews with potential suspects provided by the informant, Danny the gimp, along with the deceased’s schizophrenic wife and phobic son.
As usual, McBain provides a few twists and turns before the final reveal. It’s an entertaining story, a solid entry in the series, and I would encourage anyone who is a fan to include it in his or her reading.
Ed McBain writes with skill and ease, rendering dialogue so well that you feel like you’re there, listening, rather than reading. As is the case with any 87th precinct novel, the weather figures prominently, almost as another character, and you feel the cold, the heat, humidity, and the wind. While reading the book, I couldn’t help but feel chilled.
The story largely revolves around the search for a probable suspect and motive. The victim appears to have survived many difficulties and had no apparent enemies. Much of the story focuses on conversations and interviews with potential suspects provided by the informant, Danny the gimp, along with the deceased’s schizophrenic wife and phobic son.
As usual, McBain provides a few twists and turns before the final reveal. It’s an entertaining story, a solid entry in the series, and I would encourage anyone who is a fan to include it in his or her reading.
October 4, 2026
This was another pick up on kindle for a long day of driving. Not my favorite 87th precinct offering. The murder victim was a pretty interesitng character, but the hold book was just one big red herring really, and it was just Carella and Hawes in this one... I definitely like it better when we see the whole crew doing stuff.
There was a fun bit with Carella at home with his kids, that was probably my favorite scene.
There was a fun bit with Carella at home with his kids, that was probably my favorite scene.
December 9, 2018
Very much an old style guy's book filled with sexism, racism, and lewd references. Not a story I recommend. I did read it because Steven King refers to him as one of his inspirations and I did see that connection in this story. Not worth reading this though to see that.
December 29, 2025
I read the estonian translation. The plot of the story was predictable and cliché. The transltion, however.. I've started collecting the books translated by the same translator. They are so bad that they are amazing.
August 5, 2018
A tenement building janitor is found dead in the basement, an ax buried in his head. The detectives of the 87th investigate and find a convoluted mess of suspects and motives.
In the end things turned out to be very different from the path the author had been leading the reader along. Not sure if I liked the way this book ended up but it was certainly different to what I had been expecting.
In the end things turned out to be very different from the path the author had been leading the reader along. Not sure if I liked the way this book ended up but it was certainly different to what I had been expecting.
January 9, 2020
I am sure that true life crime solving is like this at times, but as far as entertainment value, McBain took a bit of step backwards in this one.
August 19, 2020
Another solid 87th precinct novel. Ax is humorous and filled with colorful characters. A good read if you’re into the older kind of cop stories.
April 1, 2018
Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes take the front seat in this murder mystery surrounding a dead janitor of a tenement building. The detection takes the story back as far as 1937 to the earlier deeds of the victim and the suspected killers. It involves the victim's schizo wife, recluse son, a blackmailing accountant, illegal crap games, and a neighborhood of people who won't speak to the cops. It has what I believe the first use of profanity in the series, but is otherwise a standard rather than exceptional entry.
June 19, 2021
A very quick read but a solid crime mystery. A tale about an old man, a super of a slum building, being killed by an ax. In fact the killer left the ax in the old man's skull. Has really good red herrings and the ending comes up out of nowhere really, but it has a good story with good characters.
Highly recommended, it doesn't waste your time since it is such a quick read and it keeps you guessing about the conclusion.
Highly recommended, it doesn't waste your time since it is such a quick read and it keeps you guessing about the conclusion.
March 1, 2022
A very graphic and gruesome beginning. A man is found murdered with an ax buried in his skull. Hence the title. And the opening nastiness. “To tell the truth, it was all pretty goddamn gory.”
A good story, with a quick pace and interesting characters! Carella and Hawes are the main detectives in this one, and they meet a lot of dead ends, no pun intended!
By the way, what does rhyme with April?
A good story, with a quick pace and interesting characters! Carella and Hawes are the main detectives in this one, and they meet a lot of dead ends, no pun intended!
By the way, what does rhyme with April?
December 15, 2023
When I first retired I had a lot more reading time on my hands. Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels were my first choice, but I relied on what I found in the Book of the Month selections. They were full-length novels. When McBain first started writing them, they were more in the pulp fiction realm.
In other words I hadn’t read AX. I think I would have remembered the title. Also the two detectives in this one are Cotton Hawes and Steve Carella. Meyer Meyer was Carella’s partner in most of those that I read.
Anyway, the title comes from a murder case Carella and Hawes were sent to investigate. An apartment complex superintendent (janitor) named George Lasser is murdered in the basement with an ax protruding from his brain.
Carella and Hawes initially talk to Sam Whitson, a black wood cutter who chopped wood for Lasser’s side hostel. A number of people in the building had fire places and Lasser sold them wood. Sam Whitson chopped it for him. They quickly eliminated Whitson who didn’t appear to have a motive. They were so close, but they were more interested in the crap games that Lasser hosted in the basement. That didn’t seem to go anywhere either since they were played for chump change. Carella and Hawes focused on a couple of somewhat shady characters, one of whom had once lost three thousand dollars gambling. But his wonderful boss paid off his debt for him.
Next they checked out Lasser’s work area where there were several cans full of nuts and bolts. But one of them was empty and clean. They had just found a solution to the crime if only they had found the little notebook and the small amount of money associated with it.
Even then they would have been surprised that was a motive for murder. You could call this short novel a police procedural as the cops move from one small clue to another, only to arrive finally at an unsuspected source. Yes, most of McBain’s short novels have a surprise ending.
In other words I hadn’t read AX. I think I would have remembered the title. Also the two detectives in this one are Cotton Hawes and Steve Carella. Meyer Meyer was Carella’s partner in most of those that I read.
Anyway, the title comes from a murder case Carella and Hawes were sent to investigate. An apartment complex superintendent (janitor) named George Lasser is murdered in the basement with an ax protruding from his brain.
Carella and Hawes initially talk to Sam Whitson, a black wood cutter who chopped wood for Lasser’s side hostel. A number of people in the building had fire places and Lasser sold them wood. Sam Whitson chopped it for him. They quickly eliminated Whitson who didn’t appear to have a motive. They were so close, but they were more interested in the crap games that Lasser hosted in the basement. That didn’t seem to go anywhere either since they were played for chump change. Carella and Hawes focused on a couple of somewhat shady characters, one of whom had once lost three thousand dollars gambling. But his wonderful boss paid off his debt for him.
Next they checked out Lasser’s work area where there were several cans full of nuts and bolts. But one of them was empty and clean. They had just found a solution to the crime if only they had found the little notebook and the small amount of money associated with it.
Even then they would have been surprised that was a motive for murder. You could call this short novel a police procedural as the cops move from one small clue to another, only to arrive finally at an unsuspected source. Yes, most of McBain’s short novels have a surprise ending.
March 31, 2020
McBain a jeho 87. revír ve svém (podle mě) vrcholném stádiu. Sekera přináší jednoduchý případ odehrávající se na ploše jednoho domu, i se solidní gradací a postupným odhalováním a dokonce i s nějakými emocemi. Zajímavý je i sám zločin. Umlátit někoho sekerou, prosím, to má i u nás tradici. Ale umlátit chlápka, kterému je už přes osmdesát a který se jen v baráku stará o dřevo na podpal? To už je tak trochu zbytečné, ne? Přesto se to stalo a policisté to musí vypátrat. A čím víc se v tom hrabou, tím podivnější věci vyplouvají na povrch. A tím výraznější postavy se objevují. Začíná to invazí maminek s dětmi, pokračuje šílenou rodinou, zkorumpovaným policistou, bývalými (ale zase ne tak moc bývalými) zločinci… McBain si tu hodně vyhrál s rázovitými postavami, které už nabývají hrabalovských kvalit.
V Sekeře je vidět, že se autor našel a už tu jen piluje věci, které jsou pro jeho styl typické (a které pak převzala komplet celá popkultura). Především dlouhé dialogy na bizarní témata: Tady policisté rozebírají kvality filmu Kobylky a provádí fundované srovnání s podobně laděným filmem jménem Mravenci. Taky začíná přihazovat drobné brutalitky kolem, aby vytvořil atmosféru nelítostného města.
Na kvalitě českého vydání má obrovskou zásluhu i překladatel Jan Zábrana, který se tady vážně urval ze řetězu. Zdá se mi, že ho to bavilo a že se rozhodl nacpat do knih co nejvíc slangu, nejvíc hovorových výrazů. I díky tomu působí kniha i přes umlácení sekerou hrozně pestře a i brutální scény jsou popisované s až rozjívenou radostí, jako taková zábavná hospodská vyprávěnka.
V Sekeře je vidět, že se autor našel a už tu jen piluje věci, které jsou pro jeho styl typické (a které pak převzala komplet celá popkultura). Především dlouhé dialogy na bizarní témata: Tady policisté rozebírají kvality filmu Kobylky a provádí fundované srovnání s podobně laděným filmem jménem Mravenci. Taky začíná přihazovat drobné brutalitky kolem, aby vytvořil atmosféru nelítostného města.
Na kvalitě českého vydání má obrovskou zásluhu i překladatel Jan Zábrana, který se tady vážně urval ze řetězu. Zdá se mi, že ho to bavilo a že se rozhodl nacpat do knih co nejvíc slangu, nejvíc hovorových výrazů. I díky tomu působí kniha i přes umlácení sekerou hrozně pestře a i brutální scény jsou popisované s až rozjívenou radostí, jako taková zábavná hospodská vyprávěnka.
May 23, 2022
I get the sense after reading Ax and He who Hesitates, that McBain is trying to be a prosaic writer and not a crime fiction story teller. Nearly every book in the series gives an eloquent personified version of NYC/Isola, in spite of being a mystery series. McBain works tirelessly to imbue these qualities to a town that doesn't need, nor warrant, them.
The mystery in Ax has more threads than a bed sheet, yet is utterly so simplistic as to be nearly unbelievable. This story is more a character study of people and their maladies, proclivities, and peculiarities, than a police procedural. More to the point, even Danny Gimp Nelson gets a back story, amid a wash of exposition of his criminal history and trial, and the meaning of a snitch.
Make no mistake, the bulls of the 87th are the conduit for the delivery of lies, misdirects, and fodder that make up the bulk of this story. They endure the cold January weather to stake out clues, interview suspects?, and search for the culprit of the main murder. Carella and Hawes are in routine form throughout, with a glimpse of Teddy and the kids to add to the family aspect.
Yet, after each step in the investigation, it just feels that no matter how lively, colorful and vibrant Isola is supposed to be, it is still filled with disgusting, degenerate, and greedy people that are better left under the rock from which they were found.
This is one of the lesser 87th mysteries for me.
Not a bad story, but don't pick it up for the mystery.
Thanks for reading.
The mystery in Ax has more threads than a bed sheet, yet is utterly so simplistic as to be nearly unbelievable. This story is more a character study of people and their maladies, proclivities, and peculiarities, than a police procedural. More to the point, even Danny Gimp Nelson gets a back story, amid a wash of exposition of his criminal history and trial, and the meaning of a snitch.
Make no mistake, the bulls of the 87th are the conduit for the delivery of lies, misdirects, and fodder that make up the bulk of this story. They endure the cold January weather to stake out clues, interview suspects?, and search for the culprit of the main murder. Carella and Hawes are in routine form throughout, with a glimpse of Teddy and the kids to add to the family aspect.
Yet, after each step in the investigation, it just feels that no matter how lively, colorful and vibrant Isola is supposed to be, it is still filled with disgusting, degenerate, and greedy people that are better left under the rock from which they were found.
This is one of the lesser 87th mysteries for me.
Not a bad story, but don't pick it up for the mystery.
Thanks for reading.
May 18, 2026
This is the 18th book in the series and by this point, McBain has the formula down cold. The murder (a rather brutal ax killing) occurs on the first page. Two of the 87th detectives (in this case, Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes) investigate.
That investigation is a good one. The victim is an 86-year-old manager of a cheap apartment building. Persons of interest include the man's schizophrenic wife and agoraphobic adult son; the small group of Spanish-American War veterans the victim belonged to; players in a small-time craps game that was held in the apartment building; and a dishonest beat cop. The eventual solution comes as a very effective twist.
There's also a great scene in which Hawes is describing the movie he saw the night before. It's called "Locusts" and the plot he describes is that of Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds" with insects instead of birds menacing mankind. This is funny because "The Birds" had been released the year before "Ax" was published and McBain had written the screenplay under his real name of Evan Hunter.
"Ax" is a great example of what the 87th Precinct series did best--telling a solid police procedural filled with unique, memorable characters.
That investigation is a good one. The victim is an 86-year-old manager of a cheap apartment building. Persons of interest include the man's schizophrenic wife and agoraphobic adult son; the small group of Spanish-American War veterans the victim belonged to; players in a small-time craps game that was held in the apartment building; and a dishonest beat cop. The eventual solution comes as a very effective twist.
There's also a great scene in which Hawes is describing the movie he saw the night before. It's called "Locusts" and the plot he describes is that of Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds" with insects instead of birds menacing mankind. This is funny because "The Birds" had been released the year before "Ax" was published and McBain had written the screenplay under his real name of Evan Hunter.
"Ax" is a great example of what the 87th Precinct series did best--telling a solid police procedural filled with unique, memorable characters.
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March 14, 2023Entries in McBain's 87th Precinct series flows like perfect episodes of Law and Order: all Jerry Orbach and no Michael Moriarty. Fast-paced, non-stop police proceduralism, with lots of dead ends and digressions to keep the reader on their toes and turning pages. I especially enjoy McBain's liberal (if not leftist) asides that pepper the plot, microhistory/sociology diatribes on US imperialism or some such that do not didactically politicize but instead contextualize the story in the myriad sordidness of the American experience. The solution to the mystery ain't worth jack but McBain foregrounds a possible authorial deficiency into a statement on crime's frequent pointlessness (this said all at the cusp of the 1960s crimewave). At the end, the sheer absurdity of it all lingers like pulp Dostoyevsky. The 87th Precinct is fiction, in a fictionalized New York City stand-in. But McBain's perspective is as real as yesterday's breakfast.
June 28, 2019
The eighteenth installment of the 87th Precinct, AX is a straight-forward whodunit focusing on Carella and Cotton as they try to figure out why anyone would want to take an ax to an elderly janitor. Plenty of hostile interviews, dead ends, and much to Carella's chagrin, mothers. McBain's attention to the struggles and pitfalls of methodical police work is one of his strong points, and Ax is a perfect example of this.
An interesting angle to this story is how investigating the murder of an individual can dredge up all kinds of past secrets, whether or not they eventually have anything to do with the crime, and how this can complicate an already difficult investigation.
Danny the Gimp plays a role in this investigation (But why is he afraid of revolving doors?), and Carella appears to have finally disembarked from the emotional roller-coaster he was on for the last few novels.
An interesting angle to this story is how investigating the murder of an individual can dredge up all kinds of past secrets, whether or not they eventually have anything to do with the crime, and how this can complicate an already difficult investigation.
Danny the Gimp plays a role in this investigation (But why is he afraid of revolving doors?), and Carella appears to have finally disembarked from the emotional roller-coaster he was on for the last few novels.
February 5, 2025
This is really a 3.5 star volume in the 87th precinct series. I haven't yet come across one that wasn't readable and enjoyable in various ways, but some ways this one caters to the ordinariness of the main characters, and the pleasure of reading is at least partly centred on how murder happens for petty reasons among ordinary people.
But the way the plot is developed and the guilty party finally uncovered -- well, that's nicely done. There's a mystery but it's soluble. And the process of getting there is gradual but compelling, if not edge-of-seat stuff. I wish I could work out exactly why and how McBain is so very readable. I think it is partly his genuine interest in people, and the way that he convinces you they're real each time. Like people you might know. It's a murder that happens among your neighbours. Or people who could just as well be your neighbours.
But the way the plot is developed and the guilty party finally uncovered -- well, that's nicely done. There's a mystery but it's soluble. And the process of getting there is gradual but compelling, if not edge-of-seat stuff. I wish I could work out exactly why and how McBain is so very readable. I think it is partly his genuine interest in people, and the way that he convinces you they're real each time. Like people you might know. It's a murder that happens among your neighbours. Or people who could just as well be your neighbours.
February 18, 2024
No jo, v cestine podstatne lepsie:
"Tam zabili chlápka, kterýmu byly sto dva roky. Zrovna měl narozeniny."
"To si děláš srandu."
"Ne-fakt. Odbáchli ho z revolveru zrovna v momentě, kdy krájel dort, co k těm narozeninám dostal. Skácel se rovnou na tu cukrářskou pejchu, sto tři svíčky na tom dortu stály, jedna se dáva navíc, to je takovej zvyk, jako aby se oslavenec dožil příštích narozenin. A na fleku bylo po něm."
"Kdo to udělal?" zeptal se Hawes.
"Jeho matka," řekl Forbes.
Na okamžik se rozhostilo ticho a pak Hawes řekl: "Já měl dojem, žes říkal, že tomu chlápkovi byly sto dva roky."
"Správně," řekl Forbes.
"Tak jak stará teda byla jeho matka?"
"Tý bylo sto osmnáct. Musela se vdávat v šestnácti."
:-)
"Tam zabili chlápka, kterýmu byly sto dva roky. Zrovna měl narozeniny."
"To si děláš srandu."
"Ne-fakt. Odbáchli ho z revolveru zrovna v momentě, kdy krájel dort, co k těm narozeninám dostal. Skácel se rovnou na tu cukrářskou pejchu, sto tři svíčky na tom dortu stály, jedna se dáva navíc, to je takovej zvyk, jako aby se oslavenec dožil příštích narozenin. A na fleku bylo po něm."
"Kdo to udělal?" zeptal se Hawes.
"Jeho matka," řekl Forbes.
Na okamžik se rozhostilo ticho a pak Hawes řekl: "Já měl dojem, žes říkal, že tomu chlápkovi byly sto dva roky."
"Správně," řekl Forbes.
"Tak jak stará teda byla jeho matka?"
"Tý bylo sto osmnáct. Musela se vdávat v šestnácti."
:-)
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