What do you think?
Rate this book
Matthew Hope #8
The House that Jack Built
The morning after Jonathan Parrish’s fortieth birthday party, the guest of honor is found lying dead in a pool of his own blood. Police arrive at the scene to find his older brother, Ralph, covered in red and clutching the murder weapon.
From behind bars, Ralph insists he didn’t do it. He claims he heard a scream from the other room, saw a man dressed in black running away, and rushed to pull the fatal blade from Jonathan’s chest. But his explanations don’t sway the Florida police, especially when several witnesses saw the brothers arguing about Jonathan’s homosexual lifestyle the night before.
But attorney Matthew Hope believes Ralph—call it instinct, call it a hunch, Matt’s law partner, Frank Summerville, calls it Matt’s “code.” But with Frank too distraught over his crumbling marriage to pitch in this time, Matthew enlists private eye Warren Chambers to help prove Ralph’s innocence. And with few clues to go by, the duo will have to dig through a world of closet cases, secret trysts, and a community on edge to capture the real killer.
From behind bars, Ralph insists he didn’t do it. He claims he heard a scream from the other room, saw a man dressed in black running away, and rushed to pull the fatal blade from Jonathan’s chest. But his explanations don’t sway the Florida police, especially when several witnesses saw the brothers arguing about Jonathan’s homosexual lifestyle the night before.
But attorney Matthew Hope believes Ralph—call it instinct, call it a hunch, Matt’s law partner, Frank Summerville, calls it Matt’s “code.” But with Frank too distraught over his crumbling marriage to pitch in this time, Matthew enlists private eye Warren Chambers to help prove Ralph’s innocence. And with few clues to go by, the duo will have to dig through a world of closet cases, secret trysts, and a community on edge to capture the real killer.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Ed McBain
675 books679 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 37 reviews
April 26, 2020
Lawyer Matthew Hope of Calusa, Fla., stars again as an amateur sleuth searching for evidence to exonerate a client. This time the accused is a visitor from the Midwest, Ralph Parrish, charged with murdering his gay brother, Jonathan, after a wild party at a Florida beach house. Although unhappy over Jonathan's debauchery and sexual orientation, Ralph loved his brother, and Hope believes in his client's innocence. Setting out on a serpentine path, the lawyer comes into the presence of people with secrets he can't pry loose: a priest at the church near Jonathan's house, a pair of married homosexuals, Arthur Hurley and Bill Walker, and their traveling companion, young, pregnant Helen Abbott. At the last turn in the road, Hope meets elderly Sophie Brechtmann and her daughter, Elise, owners of the famous Brechtmann Brewery, where the investigator learns how to make beer
March 22, 2019
Although Matthew Hope is a lawyer these are not really legal thrillers - this is a decent murder mystery
April 10, 2023
Quarant’anni e una bella riunione di amici per festeggiarli. Tutti gay, tranne il fratello del festeggiato, che assiste impotente ad un mondo che non è il suo e che deplora.
La festa finisce, gli amici sono andati via, il festeggiato è a terra, un coltello nel petto, mentre una figura nera si allontana attraverso la spiaggia su cui affaccia la stanza dove si trova il cadavere.
Il fratello del morto, che scopre il corpo, è chiaramente il primo e unico sospettato e finisce in manette.
Ma Matthew Hope, avvocato, non ci sta. Crede all’innocenza dell’uomo, ne assume la difesa ed inizia ad indagare con il suo amico investigatore Warren.
Ciò che scopre lo porterà lontano, a vent’anni prima, ad una storia in cui l’amore disilluso ha un ruolo importante, ma il punto di forza è soprattutto la difesa del buon nome della famiglia, l’onore, la dignità.
Segreti sì, scandali no.
Una storia triste, squallida, che ha risvolti nel presente ancora più tristi.
La narrazione avanza a fasi alterne, ora lenta ora più serrata, le vicende dei protagonisti si intrecciano a quelle personali e di altri personaggi della serie; il finale vede una bella ripresa ed una spiegazione esauriente. Che lascia però molto amaro in bocca.
Simpatica l’introduzione dei capitoli con i versi di una filastrocca che fanno da traccia al capitolo stesso.
🇺🇸 LdM: USA/Florida
🌎 LdM - Sfida 2023: USA
P.S.: Letto nell’edizione “I classici del Giallo Mondadori”, volume oro, n. 1225 del 30.07.2009, pag. 248 (il volume è presente su GR, ma non ha né copertina, né numero di pagine).
La festa finisce, gli amici sono andati via, il festeggiato è a terra, un coltello nel petto, mentre una figura nera si allontana attraverso la spiaggia su cui affaccia la stanza dove si trova il cadavere.
Il fratello del morto, che scopre il corpo, è chiaramente il primo e unico sospettato e finisce in manette.
Ma Matthew Hope, avvocato, non ci sta. Crede all’innocenza dell’uomo, ne assume la difesa ed inizia ad indagare con il suo amico investigatore Warren.
Ciò che scopre lo porterà lontano, a vent’anni prima, ad una storia in cui l’amore disilluso ha un ruolo importante, ma il punto di forza è soprattutto la difesa del buon nome della famiglia, l’onore, la dignità.
Segreti sì, scandali no.
Una storia triste, squallida, che ha risvolti nel presente ancora più tristi.
La narrazione avanza a fasi alterne, ora lenta ora più serrata, le vicende dei protagonisti si intrecciano a quelle personali e di altri personaggi della serie; il finale vede una bella ripresa ed una spiegazione esauriente. Che lascia però molto amaro in bocca.
Simpatica l’introduzione dei capitoli con i versi di una filastrocca che fanno da traccia al capitolo stesso.
🇺🇸 LdM: USA/Florida
🌎 LdM - Sfida 2023: USA
P.S.: Letto nell’edizione “I classici del Giallo Mondadori”, volume oro, n. 1225 del 30.07.2009, pag. 248 (il volume è presente su GR, ma non ha né copertina, né numero di pagine).
April 12, 2017
finished this one this evening, 6:40 in the pee em, 4/12/17. great story. 4.5 stars. i really liked it. short of amazing. 12 reviews now. hi ho hippity hop. easter's on its way. toots kiley is...what, introduced? in this story. warren chambers, matthews's regular private eye is tailing leona summerville, frank's wife...who's been doing the dirty deed with a doctor. and that's a spoiler. anyway, he's "made" by leona, so they need to bring in another to tail leona. some gay men in this one. the previous story, some gay women. gays and lesbians. i wonder now how they would read these from mcbain. don't know if mcbain ever got behind the boys scouts of america...reason enough for some to disavow anyone who does. and so it goes. anyway, curious. wonder what their take on it would be. good, bad, otherwise?
i didn't and don't now get the marriage by the priest of the two guys, red and black. doesn't seem to bear any relationship to the story. maybe i should down-grade to three point five? decisions decisions. anyway, i've been enjoying these stories from mcbain, lately, library copies...i think the local has one more (i've got another on hand) on the shelf. they might have had one for the kindle and i already read that one. checked out this other yesterday, hadn't been checked out since 1996. heh! art buchwald. where have you gone, art buchwald, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you. woo woo woo.
everyone is intent on a speak bitterness campaign. you'd think we'd grow tired of it already. art? art? art!!!!!!!!!
that is all. good read.
i didn't and don't now get the marriage by the priest of the two guys, red and black. doesn't seem to bear any relationship to the story. maybe i should down-grade to three point five? decisions decisions. anyway, i've been enjoying these stories from mcbain, lately, library copies...i think the local has one more (i've got another on hand) on the shelf. they might have had one for the kindle and i already read that one. checked out this other yesterday, hadn't been checked out since 1996. heh! art buchwald. where have you gone, art buchwald, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you. woo woo woo.
everyone is intent on a speak bitterness campaign. you'd think we'd grow tired of it already. art? art? art!!!!!!!!!
that is all. good read.
April 17, 2020
Another fairly entertaining story in the Matthew Hope series, which has Ed McBain's trademark touches all over it. Specifically, he's a master of dialogue that sounds natural, believable, and fluid. It's more like you're there, listening in on the conversation, than simply reading a transcript thereof.
The story is a good one, with enough complexity and cover-ups to keep this reader interested. Perhaps what kept this book from four stars, however, was the "padding," which is, unfortunately, another of McBain's stylistic trademarks. Each chapter begins with a continuation of his parody of a children's verse, each building on the last verse listed in the previous chapter. In fact, McBain devotes the last page and a half or so to recreating the entire poem, with all the verses that build upon one another-- a sort of word ladder. Needless, and more distracting than interesting.
Matthew Hope, on the other hand, continues to be an interesting character; a lawyer with a conscience, fairly high set of moral/ethical standards, and a loyal friend. Along with this very pleasant character is Detective Bloom who, unfortunately, figures very little in this particular episode. Bloom is a great character and I enjoy his contributions to this series.
On the whole, it proves to be an enjoyable read, thanks in no small part to McBain just being, well, Ed McBain. Not every 87th Precinct book was great, but taken on the whole, almost always worth the time. I'd place this series below that one, of course, but since I'm not going anyplace soon (shelter in place, anyone?), this taste of McBain will do. 3.5 stars, rounded down for padding.
The story is a good one, with enough complexity and cover-ups to keep this reader interested. Perhaps what kept this book from four stars, however, was the "padding," which is, unfortunately, another of McBain's stylistic trademarks. Each chapter begins with a continuation of his parody of a children's verse, each building on the last verse listed in the previous chapter. In fact, McBain devotes the last page and a half or so to recreating the entire poem, with all the verses that build upon one another-- a sort of word ladder. Needless, and more distracting than interesting.
Matthew Hope, on the other hand, continues to be an interesting character; a lawyer with a conscience, fairly high set of moral/ethical standards, and a loyal friend. Along with this very pleasant character is Detective Bloom who, unfortunately, figures very little in this particular episode. Bloom is a great character and I enjoy his contributions to this series.
On the whole, it proves to be an enjoyable read, thanks in no small part to McBain just being, well, Ed McBain. Not every 87th Precinct book was great, but taken on the whole, almost always worth the time. I'd place this series below that one, of course, but since I'm not going anyplace soon (shelter in place, anyone?), this taste of McBain will do. 3.5 stars, rounded down for padding.
October 27, 2020
There's a death after a party for gay men, and the victim's brother is the primary suspect. Matthew Hope and his investigator, Warren Chamber are hired to get the guy off.
Every chapter is headed with a couplet from the verse The House That Jack built.
On the whole, it felt anachronistic.
Every chapter is headed with a couplet from the verse The House That Jack built.
On the whole, it felt anachronistic.
June 10, 2015
I have loved Ed McBain's books, but this one didn't live up to his others. A man is accused of killing his gay brother, but the twists and turns (and what did the lawyer's partner's wife's love affair have to do with it? nothing) made it difficult to bother following to the end.
April 25, 2026
Attorney Matthew Hope returns for another adventure. This time Matthew is defending Ralph Parrish, a corn farmer from Indiana. Ralph flies down to Calusa, Florida to attend his younger brother Jonathan's 40th birthday party in late January. Though Ralph bought Jon a beach house on Whisper Key and knows about Jon being gay, seeing all of his brother's party guests at the house drives Ralph into a rage. The Parrish brothers get into a violent altercation, and Ralph leaves the Friday night bash before it even starts.
On Saturday morning, Jon is found stabbed to death on his kitchen floor. A French chef's knife is embedded in his chest. Unfortunately, Ralph is charged with the murder, and it looks like a slam-dunk case for the prosecution. Matthew Hope is assigned to defend the elder Parrish. But things don't look well for the defense from the word go.
First of all, Ralph claims to have pulled the knife from Jon's chest in order to "relieve his suffering". He also claims that a mysterious figure dressed in black ran away from the scene of the crime. Ralph thinks that person either killed his younger brother or witnessed the murder. And it's his word against the State of Florida.
Yet Matthew's friend Detective Morris Bloom isn't buying into the farmer's plea. Bloom thinks of how stupid Ralph was to pull the knife out of Jon's chest. Jon's blood is found on his brother's clothes and Ralph's fingerprints are on the knife's handle. It looks like Ralph could be facing the electric chair if Matthew Hope can't prove his innocence.
Also, Matthew is also faced with two other issues. One: his law partner Frank Summerville thinks his wife Leona is having an affair. (Matthew's ex-wife Susan also suspects that Leona is having a fling which she mentioned to Matthew around the holiday season when they were briefly dating again.) Frank wants Matthew to have their law firm's private investigator Warren Chambers look into it despite Matthew's objections. When Warren (who is black) gets caught by Leona, he hires another P.I. named Toots Kiley to help him.
Secondly, there MAY be a mysterious "man in black" after all--and it isn't Johnny Cash. This so-called man in black has been spotted watching Jonathan Parrish's beach house. Using the license plates of the blue Honda Civic he's driving, Warren finds out that mystery man is Arthur Nelson Hurley. Hurley has a criminal record, and he and his friend Billy Walker were recently released from prison. The two of them, along with Hurley's pregnant girlfriend Helen Abbott, are trying to locate some photos of Helen and her mother that Jonathan took almost two decades earlier.
Hurley, Helen and Billy are all working on a scheme to extort one million dollars from a wealthy widow and her daughter who now run Brechtmann Brewing in Calusa. (The company has eight breweries in eight other states. Just before Christmas, the Brechtmanns' former chauffeur and Helen's father Charles Abbott tried to blackmail the widowed Sophie Brechtmann out of a million dollars. While Charles received $500,000 almost twenty years earlier, this time around he gets viciously beaten for his troubles and sent to the hospital with several broken bones.)
Between investigating Leona's extramartial affair and finding out the history of Brechtmann Brewing, Warren and Toots know they've got their hands full. While Matthew Hope helps on the side with Brechtmann's company and looking into Arthur Hurley and crew, he finds out that all the roads lead back to one person: Jonathan Parrish.
Morrie Bloom tells Matt early on that he'd dealt with this "cocksure" middle-aged man a few months prior to his death. Over the years, Jonathan may have played one too many hands with his older brother and others along the path. This time though, Jon may have paid with his life. And Matthew Hope needs to find out who and why.
AFTERWORD:
The first seven Matthew Hope mysteries featured fairy tales in their titles. Ed McBain now switches to nursery rhymes. "The House That Jack Built" is a cumulative tale (also called a chain tale). In McBain's edition, there are eleven chapters though at the beginning of each one, the sequence to the chain tales is done in reverse order. This way McBain introduces his readers to each of the characters in the first nine chapters--i.e. "This is the farmer that sowed the corn that kept the cock that crowed in the morn..." (Ralph Parrish the Indiana corn farmer).
The last two chapters, however, discuss the "malt" and "The House That Jack Built" which is the first of nine breweries founded by Jacob (Jack) Brechtmann in 1901. Ed McBain usually numbered the chapters in his books. This time around it great that he acquaints us with one of Jack's stanzas and having his readers "meet" its nine players--outside of the Calusa Police and the Summerville and Hope law firm. At the end of the mystery, McBain gives us all eleven stanzas in order. (Note: In some versions, there's a twelfth and final line that starts: "This is the horse and the hound and the horn that belonged to the farmer sowing his corn...")
As for being a cumulative--or chain--tale, it is nothing new whether as a song or in the literary world. Songs include "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". Books containing these tales are "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" and Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham". Ed McBain's version of "The House That Jack Built" is a cumulative tale which sets off a serious chain reaction to all those involved. This Matthew Hope novel is worth a read or two and filled with suspense until the final chapter. Don't miss this mystery!
Rating for "The House That Jack Built": ****-1/2
On Saturday morning, Jon is found stabbed to death on his kitchen floor. A French chef's knife is embedded in his chest. Unfortunately, Ralph is charged with the murder, and it looks like a slam-dunk case for the prosecution. Matthew Hope is assigned to defend the elder Parrish. But things don't look well for the defense from the word go.
First of all, Ralph claims to have pulled the knife from Jon's chest in order to "relieve his suffering". He also claims that a mysterious figure dressed in black ran away from the scene of the crime. Ralph thinks that person either killed his younger brother or witnessed the murder. And it's his word against the State of Florida.
Yet Matthew's friend Detective Morris Bloom isn't buying into the farmer's plea. Bloom thinks of how stupid Ralph was to pull the knife out of Jon's chest. Jon's blood is found on his brother's clothes and Ralph's fingerprints are on the knife's handle. It looks like Ralph could be facing the electric chair if Matthew Hope can't prove his innocence.
Also, Matthew is also faced with two other issues. One: his law partner Frank Summerville thinks his wife Leona is having an affair. (Matthew's ex-wife Susan also suspects that Leona is having a fling which she mentioned to Matthew around the holiday season when they were briefly dating again.) Frank wants Matthew to have their law firm's private investigator Warren Chambers look into it despite Matthew's objections. When Warren (who is black) gets caught by Leona, he hires another P.I. named Toots Kiley to help him.
Secondly, there MAY be a mysterious "man in black" after all--and it isn't Johnny Cash. This so-called man in black has been spotted watching Jonathan Parrish's beach house. Using the license plates of the blue Honda Civic he's driving, Warren finds out that mystery man is Arthur Nelson Hurley. Hurley has a criminal record, and he and his friend Billy Walker were recently released from prison. The two of them, along with Hurley's pregnant girlfriend Helen Abbott, are trying to locate some photos of Helen and her mother that Jonathan took almost two decades earlier.
Hurley, Helen and Billy are all working on a scheme to extort one million dollars from a wealthy widow and her daughter who now run Brechtmann Brewing in Calusa. (The company has eight breweries in eight other states. Just before Christmas, the Brechtmanns' former chauffeur and Helen's father Charles Abbott tried to blackmail the widowed Sophie Brechtmann out of a million dollars. While Charles received $500,000 almost twenty years earlier, this time around he gets viciously beaten for his troubles and sent to the hospital with several broken bones.)
Between investigating Leona's extramartial affair and finding out the history of Brechtmann Brewing, Warren and Toots know they've got their hands full. While Matthew Hope helps on the side with Brechtmann's company and looking into Arthur Hurley and crew, he finds out that all the roads lead back to one person: Jonathan Parrish.
Morrie Bloom tells Matt early on that he'd dealt with this "cocksure" middle-aged man a few months prior to his death. Over the years, Jonathan may have played one too many hands with his older brother and others along the path. This time though, Jon may have paid with his life. And Matthew Hope needs to find out who and why.
AFTERWORD:
The first seven Matthew Hope mysteries featured fairy tales in their titles. Ed McBain now switches to nursery rhymes. "The House That Jack Built" is a cumulative tale (also called a chain tale). In McBain's edition, there are eleven chapters though at the beginning of each one, the sequence to the chain tales is done in reverse order. This way McBain introduces his readers to each of the characters in the first nine chapters--i.e. "This is the farmer that sowed the corn that kept the cock that crowed in the morn..." (Ralph Parrish the Indiana corn farmer).
The last two chapters, however, discuss the "malt" and "The House That Jack Built" which is the first of nine breweries founded by Jacob (Jack) Brechtmann in 1901. Ed McBain usually numbered the chapters in his books. This time around it great that he acquaints us with one of Jack's stanzas and having his readers "meet" its nine players--outside of the Calusa Police and the Summerville and Hope law firm. At the end of the mystery, McBain gives us all eleven stanzas in order. (Note: In some versions, there's a twelfth and final line that starts: "This is the horse and the hound and the horn that belonged to the farmer sowing his corn...")
As for being a cumulative--or chain--tale, it is nothing new whether as a song or in the literary world. Songs include "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". Books containing these tales are "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" and Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham". Ed McBain's version of "The House That Jack Built" is a cumulative tale which sets off a serious chain reaction to all those involved. This Matthew Hope novel is worth a read or two and filled with suspense until the final chapter. Don't miss this mystery!
Rating for "The House That Jack Built": ****-1/2
August 1, 2018
La casa que construyó Jack es una entretenida novela, dentro del género policial tradicional, que publicó Ed McBain en 1989.
Ambientada en una imaginaria ciudad de Florida, Estados Unidos, como otros libros de la serie, está protagonizada por Mathew Hope, abogado devenido en investigador privado, y su título hace referencia a una canción infantil.
La trama es simple. Un hombre es acusado de un brutal asesinato, y todas las evidencias parecen así confirmarlo, pero Hope, su abogado, cree en su inocencia, y , con su equipo de investigadores sale a la búsqueda de otra persona, - vestida de negro- , vista por el acusado en los alrededores de la escena del crimen.
Como es natural en este tipo de novelas, la investigación se complica con otra muerte y cuando se ve involucrada una poderosa familia.
Paralelamente, al protagonista se le presenta otra investigación difícil: su socio le pide que averigüe si su esposa le es infiel.
Así, alternando una y otra historia, vamos siguiendo un relato llevadero, y aunque el final es previsible y algunos personajes estén algo estereotipados, nos encontramos con una buena opción de lectura.
https://sobrevolandolecturas.blogspot...
Ambientada en una imaginaria ciudad de Florida, Estados Unidos, como otros libros de la serie, está protagonizada por Mathew Hope, abogado devenido en investigador privado, y su título hace referencia a una canción infantil.
La trama es simple. Un hombre es acusado de un brutal asesinato, y todas las evidencias parecen así confirmarlo, pero Hope, su abogado, cree en su inocencia, y , con su equipo de investigadores sale a la búsqueda de otra persona, - vestida de negro- , vista por el acusado en los alrededores de la escena del crimen.
Como es natural en este tipo de novelas, la investigación se complica con otra muerte y cuando se ve involucrada una poderosa familia.
Paralelamente, al protagonista se le presenta otra investigación difícil: su socio le pide que averigüe si su esposa le es infiel.
Así, alternando una y otra historia, vamos siguiendo un relato llevadero, y aunque el final es previsible y algunos personajes estén algo estereotipados, nos encontramos con una buena opción de lectura.
https://sobrevolandolecturas.blogspot...
August 2, 2025
When I read a McBain book I'm immediately tempted to read another which explains my reading The House that Jack Built right after Killer's Choice. I gave them both 4 stars but really 3.5 for different reasons. In this one, I liked a lot of the book which has Hope trying to find his client innocent of his brother's murder. The book reads a bit dated on the depictions of gay men but I don't think McBain is placing any judgements. I actually think he's ahead of his time in that he has a bit on why should gay couples should be allowed to marry. Actually, that's the one part of the book I didn't understand, what was the reasoning behind an early scene of 2 non-gay characters pretending to have a gay marriage? The plot is a who done it with a plot B to discover if Hope's partner's wife is having an affair. Overall, it's a very entertaining read and wraps up nicely. The one annoying part of the book was the use of the poem in the chapters and the end of the book. Hope actually says "the house that jack built" at one point so why not just keep keep it at that?
March 15, 2025
This is my first exposure to Ed McBain. As such, I fail so see how the Matthew Hope series could have lasted for 13 editions. Matthew himself is a rather lackluster personality. There were much more interesting characters such as private detectives Warren and Toots Kiley. Toots, a former coke addict, is much more inventive and willing to take risks. Published in 1988, the writing is far from politically correct by today’s standards, with liberal use of pejoratives for gays and the use of the “N” word.
Without prior exposure, it took me a while to understand the characters and the plot. But once there, the narrative was riveting. The primary plot is about an Indiana farmer who is accused of killing his gay brother. There is also a secondary arc where Hope’s law partner, Frank, believes that his wife, Leona, is having an affair. McBain skillfully interweaves both plots for exciting conclusions.
Without prior exposure, it took me a while to understand the characters and the plot. But once there, the narrative was riveting. The primary plot is about an Indiana farmer who is accused of killing his gay brother. There is also a secondary arc where Hope’s law partner, Frank, believes that his wife, Leona, is having an affair. McBain skillfully interweaves both plots for exciting conclusions.
December 27, 2020
The book title, chapter titles, and much of the contents allude to the famous 18th century English nursery rhyme, cited already in books (e.g., Coleridge, Dickens) and films (e.g., Lars von Trier). Ed McBain (my father's favorite crime novelist) writes about Ralph Parrish, Indiana farmer, and responsible older brother who is upset by his reckless brother's wild and gay lifestyle in Florida. Ralph is accused of his shocking murder and the evidence points to his guilt. Attorney, Matthew Hope must work with a few fleeting but crucial clues to prove Ralph's innocence. It soon brings him in conflict with the great brew house that Jacob ("Jac") Brechtmann had built. As the plot thickens, much drama ensues! The complete nursery rhyme is included in the last two pages.
January 16, 2023
I've been a fan of McBain's 87th precinct series for year, this is the first time I've read anything in the Matthew Hope series. Like the 87th Precinct this a lawyer procedural book. It follows attorney Matthew Hope in Calusa, Florida. In this case, Matthew has taken on the case of a man accused of his gay brother's murder. He's convinced the man is innocent.
It's interesting to see how just with basic investigation techniques, cases twist and wind and end up at a different destination than you were thinking. Once things get moving here, it's a fast-paced and quick reacing.
It's interesting to see how just with basic investigation techniques, cases twist and wind and end up at a different destination than you were thinking. Once things get moving here, it's a fast-paced and quick reacing.
July 18, 2017
Witty, funny and bitter-sweet, this novel is tour de force. A gay man is killed at home and his farmer brother is arrested for murder. But the brother seems innocent. He is good-natured and hard-working man. Did he really commit a crime? This riddle is very attractive. I could not help turning pages. Matthew is a loveable guy. He deeply understand hearts' of people. You can enjoy the twist of this story. A true muderer is whom you can never guess.
April 25, 2022
I like the layers of plot complexity but reading this story in 2022 makes me very happy that the 80's are long gone! The treatment of women and sexuality is repulsive. I don't remember it as being that bad but I'm not a man so I wouldn't have been thinking this way. And hindsight provides a different lens.
April 2, 2018
Really enjoyed this book. Some O like better than others
Really enjoyed reading this book.This is most definitely one of my favorite Matthew Hope books. Suspenseful and thrilling.I would recommend this book.
Really enjoyed reading this book.This is most definitely one of my favorite Matthew Hope books. Suspenseful and thrilling.I would recommend this book.
May 25, 2020
An old rhyme...
Did you ever wonder if that house was sturdy? Matthew Hope gets involved in that determination and in the process tells, or lives, a very interesting story. When you read this you will find yourself wondering what happened to the time.
Did you ever wonder if that house was sturdy? Matthew Hope gets involved in that determination and in the process tells, or lives, a very interesting story. When you read this you will find yourself wondering what happened to the time.
December 1, 2018
Solid McBain. 3 and 1/2 stars.
November 14, 2020
#8 in the Matthew Hope series. The gay discrimination theme would be handled differently today but was probably pretty woke at the time.
July 8, 2022
4/10 - The writing style on this one was similar to Elmore Leonard, but it didn't grab me the way Leonard's usually do. It was ok overall.
November 17, 2024
One of the best Matthew Hope yarns, full of interesting twists, well written
January 8, 2025
Too many ominous sentence fragments, or small sentences given their own paragraph. Dated, too, in its depiction of the gay characters.
February 2, 2025
Matthew Hope must try to figure out who killed a gay man. He is sure it is not the man’s brother, who has been arrested. It turns out that the story goes way back to a brewer’s daughter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2025
a very fun whoddunit that ramps up in the final stretch, but the really annoying misoginy and homophobia creeped me out and turned me off
May 1, 2025
L'ho abbandonato
November 5, 2014
Il settimo episodio della saga che ha per protagonista Matthew Hope, un avvocato della Grande Mela che ha scelto di trasferirsi a esercitare al sole della Florida, è uno di quei libri che ha subito un tradimento significativo già nella traduzione del titolo.
Quello originale, infatti, The House That Jack Built, letteralmente significa La casa che Jack costruì, e cita il primo verso di una nursery rhyme che assomiglia in qualche modo all'italiana Alla fiera dell'est.
Non capisco del tutto la scelta di renderlo con il ben più banale Un'ombra sulla spiaggia, ma tant'è. A maggior ragione perché all'interno del libro i capitoli prendono il titolo dai versi della filastrocca, creando una specie di trama parallela e grottesca che ricalca i fatti criminali in cui Hope cerca di districarsi.
La serie che ha come protagonista l'avvocato fuggito da Manhattan nel caldo di Calusa è più distesa e meno forte rispetto a quella dell'"87mo distretto" con cui, precorrendo nei tempi i vari filoni di serie televisive ambientate nei distretti di polizia, Ed McBain ha raggiunto la notorietà.
Effettivamente per un autore italoamericano ambientare una serie di libri gialli a New York dev'essere stato più semplice, l'ambiente risulta più naturale e sicuramente la scelta del realismo 'procedurale', che tende cioè a riprodurre in maniera fedele le tecniche investigative del NYPD, è stata del tutto azzeccata.
Continua su:
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
Quello originale, infatti, The House That Jack Built, letteralmente significa La casa che Jack costruì, e cita il primo verso di una nursery rhyme che assomiglia in qualche modo all'italiana Alla fiera dell'est.
Non capisco del tutto la scelta di renderlo con il ben più banale Un'ombra sulla spiaggia, ma tant'è. A maggior ragione perché all'interno del libro i capitoli prendono il titolo dai versi della filastrocca, creando una specie di trama parallela e grottesca che ricalca i fatti criminali in cui Hope cerca di districarsi.
La serie che ha come protagonista l'avvocato fuggito da Manhattan nel caldo di Calusa è più distesa e meno forte rispetto a quella dell'"87mo distretto" con cui, precorrendo nei tempi i vari filoni di serie televisive ambientate nei distretti di polizia, Ed McBain ha raggiunto la notorietà.
Effettivamente per un autore italoamericano ambientare una serie di libri gialli a New York dev'essere stato più semplice, l'ambiente risulta più naturale e sicuramente la scelta del realismo 'procedurale', che tende cioè a riprodurre in maniera fedele le tecniche investigative del NYPD, è stata del tutto azzeccata.
Continua su:
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
December 2, 2013
Ed McBain didn't half churn them out and this book will by no means change how you look at the world. What it is, is a solid mystery with an initially intriguing plot that carries the reader nicely to the end. Descriptively it is fairly plain, the characters are reasonable (but few will live on in your memories) and the story-lines, although start well, are comfortably solvable well, well before the books conclusion.
It did a job, but not much more.
It did a job, but not much more.
January 30, 2016
Matthew Hope is again representing an accused murderer that everyone else thinks committed the crime, no question about it. Jonathan Parrish, a gay photographer is found dead in his kitchen after a wild party at his home. His brother, Ralph Parrish, the accused murderer was found with his clothes covered in Jonathan's blood and the murder weapon was covered with Ralph's fingerprints. Looks like a tough case for sure.
May 10, 2010
A gay man is killed and suspicion falls on his straight brother. Matthew Hope believes the man is innocent but has only a tale about a figure in black running away from the murder scene to go on. There's quite a few twists, and some very interesting characters in this one. All in all, quite enjoyable and enough to convince me to read more Hope novels.
June 3, 2023
You have to remember that this book was written in 1988. This definitely is not a pc book as it stands here in 2023. There are a few sections that are cringe worthy and you wonder about Mr. McBain and what he might have been thinking. The book itself is a solid whodunnit with a lot of interesting characters and the usual McBain intersecting stories and snappy dialogue.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews