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Alice In Jeopardy
Since her husband Eddie's tragic death in a boating accident eight months ago, thirty-four-year-old Alice Glendenning has struggled to maintain a normal life for her two children, Ashley and Jamie. To help make ends meet while she waits for the insurance company to pay up, Alice takes a job as a real estate agent. The commissions have been nonexistent, but she does make a new friend, Charlie Hobbs, when she is sent in to try to buy his waterfront land for a developer.Things have been tough for Alice, but they quickly become a nightmare when Ashley and Jamie don't come home on the school bus one day, and Alice gets a phone call from a woman claiming to have her children. When the kidnapper calls again and asks for a ransom identical to the amount Alice is due from the insurance agency for Eddie's accident, Alice forgoes contacting the police and instead calls Charlie for help. But as all sorts of people scheme to get their hands on her money, Alice wonders whether anyone can be trusted in her fight for everything she holds dear.From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem. Ed McBain skillfully weaves together his elegant plot and compelling characters, once again.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
10 people are currently reading
235 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
August 5, 2016
McBain (Evan Hunter) is one of those rare authors who was either sublime, as in the majority of 87th Precinct novels, or horrid, as in the Matthew Hope series (some of them are crass and unreadable, in my opinion). I love McBain most of the time, because I stick to Carella and the boys of the 87th Precinct. I read this one years ago and it definitely fell into the latter category for me. For those who've read a lot of McBain, this one reads like "filler", as someone else mentioned, something McBain threw out there simply to meet an obligation to his publisher (McBain openly spoke of doing so on occasion). Not a good place to start if you've never read McBain. Try an 87th Precinct instead. All its interconnected stories and wonderfully non-PC observations make it the finest police procedural every penned.
February 27, 2024
McBain’s final book is not his best, but it’s still an entertaining thriller that hits the mark more than half the time.
May 22, 2018
We listened to this book on Audible. Narrated by Bernadette Dunn, who does an excellent job. At first it was a little slow going, and I wasn't that sympathetic to Alice, but as the novel moved on, my wife and I really enjoyed it. An Ed McBain stand alone novel, I actually wish that he had set another novel or two in this setting of Cape October, FL.
The story revolves around Alice, a woman who has had some hard luck (an understatement). Her husband drowned 10 months before the opening of the novel. A distracted driver runs into her and breaks her foot. She gets home to find that her children have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom, under threat of death. And that's just the beginning. A typical Ed McBain thriller, which is to say, very good.
The story revolves around Alice, a woman who has had some hard luck (an understatement). Her husband drowned 10 months before the opening of the novel. A distracted driver runs into her and breaks her foot. She gets home to find that her children have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom, under threat of death. And that's just the beginning. A typical Ed McBain thriller, which is to say, very good.
January 5, 2012
I was not familiar with Ed McBain's work until I was looking for a book to listen to on a long car trip. I picked up this audio book at the library. The repeated "He says" "she says" for conversations made it difficult to enjoy the book as you listen. Has McBain heard of saying "she answered" or "he asked," instead of using "says" repeatedly? It was really distracting.
Alice's husband Eddie died in a drowning accident eight months before this book begins. Alice has not yet received the $250,000 in life insurance she is owed because Eddie's body was never discovered so the insurance company is still investigating. Alice has two school-aged children to support so she takes a job selling real estate, although she has not sold anything yet. Her money is about to run out, when her two children are kidnapped one day after school. The kidnapper calls threatening to kill them if Alice does not pay $250,000 in ransom.
Of course, Alice is warned if she calls the police her children will be killed. Her housekeeper/baby-sitter is there when Alice gets the phone call. Alice refuses to call the police so the baby-sitter calls them instead.
Although this was supposed to be a mystery story, it wasn't difficult to figure out the ending fairly early in the book. The police come up with $250,000 in super bills, counterfeit money that looks real for Alice to pay the kidnappers. The plan is for the police to follow the person who picks up the ransom to where she delivers it and rescue the children. They are foiled by a garbage truck that blocks their view of the kidnapper's path.
After that days go by with no word from the kidnappers and neither Alice nor the police are making any effort to find them. The FBI gets involved, but they are just as inept as the police. Alice goes from being crazed that her children are missing to seeming to not care.
McBain goes into long discourses about topics that have nothing to do with the story. There is a long segment about contraception that I would have skipped if I had been reading the book on paper.
It is fairly obvious that this book is written by a man. He is really fixated on women's breasts. The only breast size he doesn't mention are Alice and her sister, two married women whose husbands don't love them and chase other women. For all of the other women in the book, he mentions their breasts in fairly coarse language every time he mentions them.
McBain has written quite a few books so I assume he has a following, but I would not be interested in reading or listening to another book by him.
The book was read by Bernadette Dunne who did an o.k. job in light of the fact that there were a lot of characters in the book, some male, some female, some White and some Black.
Alice's husband Eddie died in a drowning accident eight months before this book begins. Alice has not yet received the $250,000 in life insurance she is owed because Eddie's body was never discovered so the insurance company is still investigating. Alice has two school-aged children to support so she takes a job selling real estate, although she has not sold anything yet. Her money is about to run out, when her two children are kidnapped one day after school. The kidnapper calls threatening to kill them if Alice does not pay $250,000 in ransom.
Of course, Alice is warned if she calls the police her children will be killed. Her housekeeper/baby-sitter is there when Alice gets the phone call. Alice refuses to call the police so the baby-sitter calls them instead.
Although this was supposed to be a mystery story, it wasn't difficult to figure out the ending fairly early in the book. The police come up with $250,000 in super bills, counterfeit money that looks real for Alice to pay the kidnappers. The plan is for the police to follow the person who picks up the ransom to where she delivers it and rescue the children. They are foiled by a garbage truck that blocks their view of the kidnapper's path.
After that days go by with no word from the kidnappers and neither Alice nor the police are making any effort to find them. The FBI gets involved, but they are just as inept as the police. Alice goes from being crazed that her children are missing to seeming to not care.
McBain goes into long discourses about topics that have nothing to do with the story. There is a long segment about contraception that I would have skipped if I had been reading the book on paper.
It is fairly obvious that this book is written by a man. He is really fixated on women's breasts. The only breast size he doesn't mention are Alice and her sister, two married women whose husbands don't love them and chase other women. For all of the other women in the book, he mentions their breasts in fairly coarse language every time he mentions them.
McBain has written quite a few books so I assume he has a following, but I would not be interested in reading or listening to another book by him.
The book was read by Bernadette Dunne who did an o.k. job in light of the fact that there were a lot of characters in the book, some male, some female, some White and some Black.
March 6, 2010
"There's nothing like early retirement to make a man feel dead." I can attest to this quote from Ed McBain's excellent tale of a woman whose children are kidnapped. She is struggling to make a living as a real estate agent in Florida following the accidental death of her husband when he fell from a boat. In the meantime, her son was so traumatized by his father's death, he has become mute and Alice, on the cusp of making her first house sale with the prospect of a badly needed commission, is hit by a car and has her ankle broken. Could things possibly get worse? Well, they do as the kids are kidnapped and the cops in the small town seem reminiscent of the Keystone Kops not to mention jurisdictional fighting with the feds.
There are some marvelous set pieces. As they sit in the living room and Alice becomes more frustrated with the cops, a blond woman in a red mustang pulls into the driveway. It's Jennifer Redding, the woman who hit Alice the day before. She thanks Alice for not calling the police, they discuss whether it's better for Jennifer or Alice to report the accident, the kind of small talk at which McBain excels. Then Jennifer offers Alice a box of chocolate, "everybody likes chocolate, right?" and then in a marvelous scene hints that wouldn't it be nice if Alice offered her some pieces of candy from the box she was just given. Brings a smile to your face.
Not at all your usual McBain and the 87th Precinct.
There are some marvelous set pieces. As they sit in the living room and Alice becomes more frustrated with the cops, a blond woman in a red mustang pulls into the driveway. It's Jennifer Redding, the woman who hit Alice the day before. She thanks Alice for not calling the police, they discuss whether it's better for Jennifer or Alice to report the accident, the kind of small talk at which McBain excels. Then Jennifer offers Alice a box of chocolate, "everybody likes chocolate, right?" and then in a marvelous scene hints that wouldn't it be nice if Alice offered her some pieces of candy from the box she was just given. Brings a smile to your face.
Not at all your usual McBain and the 87th Precinct.
August 25, 2022
I don't THINK this author meant this book to be a comedy, but I thoroughly enjoyed how much I laughed and giggled throughout the whole thing! Highly predictable - I'd be surprised if there was anyone out there who didn't guess the big twist about who the baddies were.
But aside from that, this author is one of those men who describe every female character in term of their 'assets' - and yet I have no idea of the inside leg measurement, bottom pertness or hair bounciness of any of the male characters.
He likes a tangent too - a serious case of kidnapping and ransom, a tense money drop - and the reader is treated to a quite detailed and graphic description of how a diaphragm is used and fitted! Or we get a ridiculously long flashback. Or suddenly start following one of the police/FBI agents on a task we already know is pointless.
But despite that, I did read to the end - mainly because I'd just got so far that I kind of had to find out what happened. And, rather predictably, there's a nice, neat happy ending with everything tied up, all the idiots made to look like idiots and the baddies all getting their comeuppance.
Don't really recommend, unless you too want a giggle, and wouldn't rush out to read more by the same author.
But aside from that, this author is one of those men who describe every female character in term of their 'assets' - and yet I have no idea of the inside leg measurement, bottom pertness or hair bounciness of any of the male characters.
He likes a tangent too - a serious case of kidnapping and ransom, a tense money drop - and the reader is treated to a quite detailed and graphic description of how a diaphragm is used and fitted! Or we get a ridiculously long flashback. Or suddenly start following one of the police/FBI agents on a task we already know is pointless.
But despite that, I did read to the end - mainly because I'd just got so far that I kind of had to find out what happened. And, rather predictably, there's a nice, neat happy ending with everything tied up, all the idiots made to look like idiots and the baddies all getting their comeuppance.
Don't really recommend, unless you too want a giggle, and wouldn't rush out to read more by the same author.
September 8, 2018
Good book. Definitely a page turner.
September 30, 2015
Ed McBain is widely regarded as one of the best mystery writers of the last half century. His 87th Precinct novels are classics. As a kid, he was one of the first authors I ever read. He truly is the Michael Connelly of his generation.
He started writing in the 50’s and continued writing until his death in 2005. Alice in Jeopardy was the next to last novel he wrote.
Alice in Jeopardy is a standalone and while it’s a typical McBain novel—which is a good thing—it just feels….well, off. In a strange way.
Although the story takes place present day, 2005, it truly feels like it was written back in the 50’s, 60’s or early 870’s. Several times I checked the copyright date to make sure it was not a 40 year-old novel.
Although it takes place in 2005, it truly has the feel of a 1966 novel. Not really a big deal, but just makes the story feel weird.
Two of the main characters are sisters named Alice and Carol. They are both in their 30’s. Now, how many of you know people in their 30’s named Alice and Carol. Those are ‘older’ sounding names.
Some of the police procedures also seem outdated and were not commonly used and practiced in 2005. The fact cops can just go in to a public restroom and dust for prints or search someone’s home without a warrant would never happen nowadays or in 2005. 1962, maybe? But not present day.
In another scene 2 detectives are putting a trace, a tap, on a phone line. Granted, by 2005, many people used cells and not landlines but still, what made it seem ‘old’ is that it took them all night to get the trace. The protagonist went to sleep with the detectives installing the trace and woke up the next morning to find they were still working on it.
In one scene, Alice and Carol need to look up the location of a city. Even in 2005, people would sign online and use Google Maps. Instead, Alice rummaged through her closet, pulled out a map and spread it across the kitchen table.
In another scene, two others need to find the location of a city and decide to buy a map in a gas station and then calculate the distance based on those grids of one inch equals fifty miles.
Lastly, toward the end of the novel, a detective is talking about having gotten a phone number through the phone company. She refers to the phone company as Ma Bell. Now, when was the last time you heard anyone refer to the phone company as Ma Bell. I’m sure if you’re under 35 you don’t even know what Ma Bell is.
If you read this book, just pretend it takes place not in 2005 but in 1965.
He started writing in the 50’s and continued writing until his death in 2005. Alice in Jeopardy was the next to last novel he wrote.
Alice in Jeopardy is a standalone and while it’s a typical McBain novel—which is a good thing—it just feels….well, off. In a strange way.
Although the story takes place present day, 2005, it truly feels like it was written back in the 50’s, 60’s or early 870’s. Several times I checked the copyright date to make sure it was not a 40 year-old novel.
Although it takes place in 2005, it truly has the feel of a 1966 novel. Not really a big deal, but just makes the story feel weird.
Two of the main characters are sisters named Alice and Carol. They are both in their 30’s. Now, how many of you know people in their 30’s named Alice and Carol. Those are ‘older’ sounding names.
Some of the police procedures also seem outdated and were not commonly used and practiced in 2005. The fact cops can just go in to a public restroom and dust for prints or search someone’s home without a warrant would never happen nowadays or in 2005. 1962, maybe? But not present day.
In another scene 2 detectives are putting a trace, a tap, on a phone line. Granted, by 2005, many people used cells and not landlines but still, what made it seem ‘old’ is that it took them all night to get the trace. The protagonist went to sleep with the detectives installing the trace and woke up the next morning to find they were still working on it.
In one scene, Alice and Carol need to look up the location of a city. Even in 2005, people would sign online and use Google Maps. Instead, Alice rummaged through her closet, pulled out a map and spread it across the kitchen table.
In another scene, two others need to find the location of a city and decide to buy a map in a gas station and then calculate the distance based on those grids of one inch equals fifty miles.
Lastly, toward the end of the novel, a detective is talking about having gotten a phone number through the phone company. She refers to the phone company as Ma Bell. Now, when was the last time you heard anyone refer to the phone company as Ma Bell. I’m sure if you’re under 35 you don’t even know what Ma Bell is.
If you read this book, just pretend it takes place not in 2005 but in 1965.
July 30, 2018
Being a McBain fan, I was thrilled to find this book at work, on the free-exchange shelf. Even more so when I discoveed it was the penultimate book McBain wrote. I sort of lost touch with his novels after having read (and not liked) his last Matthew Hope book, and I was intrigued by the idea of a stand-alone story.
Unfortunately, the setting reminded me of Hope, which was a bad sign. Alice is a young widow, living with two kids in sticky humid Florida. She’s going through tough times - her husband having died only a few months previously - but things are just getting worse, with a car accident and her kids being kidnapped.
Enter a truckload of characters and the story loses focus. Alice is too mousy and stereotypical to be a heroine, the Cops (all four of them, two locals plus two FBI) are supposed to be a bunch of incompetent idiots, the Criminals are somehow smarter but flawed. We are already counting seven people (plus a family friend and Alice’s sister) but more secondary figures enter the scene (the Housekeeper; the Brother-in-Law; the Ditzy Blonde; the Bookies etc..)
Half way though I pretty much figured out the whole plot, but I kept reading to see how McBain wanted to wrap it up. Turns out, he decided to add a couple of irrelevant chapters about Brother-in-law/Ditzy Blonde and another couple about Alice’s romance and bad luck with family planning before closing the story somehow brusquely.
This sub-standard novel, with its weird pace and plotting marks a slightly sad end of McBain caree. However, I still love the dialogues and most of his characters’descriptions, although I would not recommend this as a first reading to someone who does not know the author at his 87th Precint best.
Unfortunately, the setting reminded me of Hope, which was a bad sign. Alice is a young widow, living with two kids in sticky humid Florida. She’s going through tough times - her husband having died only a few months previously - but things are just getting worse, with a car accident and her kids being kidnapped.
Enter a truckload of characters and the story loses focus. Alice is too mousy and stereotypical to be a heroine, the Cops (all four of them, two locals plus two FBI) are supposed to be a bunch of incompetent idiots, the Criminals are somehow smarter but flawed. We are already counting seven people (plus a family friend and Alice’s sister) but more secondary figures enter the scene (the Housekeeper; the Brother-in-Law; the Ditzy Blonde; the Bookies etc..)
Half way though I pretty much figured out the whole plot, but I kept reading to see how McBain wanted to wrap it up. Turns out, he decided to add a couple of irrelevant chapters about Brother-in-law/Ditzy Blonde and another couple about Alice’s romance and bad luck with family planning before closing the story somehow brusquely.
This sub-standard novel, with its weird pace and plotting marks a slightly sad end of McBain caree. However, I still love the dialogues and most of his characters’descriptions, although I would not recommend this as a first reading to someone who does not know the author at his 87th Precint best.
August 12, 2015
Thriller - Alice Glendenning is struggling to make a life for herself and her two children since the drowning death of her husband. Then her children are kidnapped and the ransom demanded is the life insurance on her husband that hasn't been paid yet. Cops, FBI, and many others get involved in this caper.
July 16, 2023
Halfway through, I thought finally a McBain novel that’s really good. But icky gratuitous sex, terrible racist tropes, unnecessary backstory and his usual ineptitude unraveled in the second half which was stupid beyond words.
August 19, 2018
McBain is usually great. This was not- very predictable, lots of filler that served no real purpose, and unsympathetic characters.
November 28, 2024
'There is nothing like early retirement to make a person feel dead.'
After 35 years of teaching, I finally stepped away from the profession at the end of October. It's an odd feeling and I'm still coming to terms with new routines and all of the empty space, but I suspect all will be well.
Which means I'm now full-time writer. How amazing. I have a couple of novellas, written in collaboration that I've very excited about, on the back burner, and I'm about to crack on with a caper that should be fun to put together.
As for the teaching, it was a lifetime and trying to distill anything worthwhile in terms of reflection is nigh on impossible. Though I won't miss the stress, I miss the children and my colleagues. What I can say is that I may not have been the best at what I did, but I did my best with the skills I had and always put the families first. I've never exploited anyone or tried to profit from others and that feels good.
But it's going to take some time, which explains the quote from the book at the head of this review.
Alice In Jeopardy is a whole lot of fun. As it was published in 2005, it's among McBain's last books and if it was his final effort, it's a hell of a way for him to sign out.
In terms of my 87th Precinct reads, I've only just reached the 1980s, so this has a much more contemporary feel to it. It reminded me a little of Linwood Barclay, extreme events happening to unassuming people, the jeopardy constantly being ramped up.
Alice has two children. Together, they're putting the pieces of their life back together following the death of their husband/father.
While working hard trying to sell property in order to pay the bills, Alice gets a call from an unknown lady telling her that her children have been kidnapped and that the only way she'll see them again is if she pays up the $250K ransom.
Under instruction not to call the police, Alice contacts a loyal friend, but things are complicated when the childminder does her job and informs the law.
What follows is an action-packed web of intrigue.
The cops set up a wire tap. The feds are sniffing close. Alice's brother-in-law considers muscling in and finding an angle that will allow him to cut a wedge from the ransom cake. There's a car accident and a broken ankle to deal with, the invasion of the press and the unwelcome attention of a widower who seems to want to help.
All in all, the pot is so full that stirring it any more would end in disaster for all involved.
I loved it. Even though I nailed some of the key points a while before revelation, it didn't matter one bit. The compexity of it all meant I never stopped striving to get to the next chapter and the denouement.
In the circumstances, the dedication feels touching:
'I'm sorry, but she's the love of my life, you know. So this, too, is dedicated to my wife, Dragica.'
The full 10 out of 10.
After 35 years of teaching, I finally stepped away from the profession at the end of October. It's an odd feeling and I'm still coming to terms with new routines and all of the empty space, but I suspect all will be well.
Which means I'm now full-time writer. How amazing. I have a couple of novellas, written in collaboration that I've very excited about, on the back burner, and I'm about to crack on with a caper that should be fun to put together.
As for the teaching, it was a lifetime and trying to distill anything worthwhile in terms of reflection is nigh on impossible. Though I won't miss the stress, I miss the children and my colleagues. What I can say is that I may not have been the best at what I did, but I did my best with the skills I had and always put the families first. I've never exploited anyone or tried to profit from others and that feels good.
But it's going to take some time, which explains the quote from the book at the head of this review.
Alice In Jeopardy is a whole lot of fun. As it was published in 2005, it's among McBain's last books and if it was his final effort, it's a hell of a way for him to sign out.
In terms of my 87th Precinct reads, I've only just reached the 1980s, so this has a much more contemporary feel to it. It reminded me a little of Linwood Barclay, extreme events happening to unassuming people, the jeopardy constantly being ramped up.
Alice has two children. Together, they're putting the pieces of their life back together following the death of their husband/father.
While working hard trying to sell property in order to pay the bills, Alice gets a call from an unknown lady telling her that her children have been kidnapped and that the only way she'll see them again is if she pays up the $250K ransom.
Under instruction not to call the police, Alice contacts a loyal friend, but things are complicated when the childminder does her job and informs the law.
What follows is an action-packed web of intrigue.
The cops set up a wire tap. The feds are sniffing close. Alice's brother-in-law considers muscling in and finding an angle that will allow him to cut a wedge from the ransom cake. There's a car accident and a broken ankle to deal with, the invasion of the press and the unwelcome attention of a widower who seems to want to help.
All in all, the pot is so full that stirring it any more would end in disaster for all involved.
I loved it. Even though I nailed some of the key points a while before revelation, it didn't matter one bit. The compexity of it all meant I never stopped striving to get to the next chapter and the denouement.
In the circumstances, the dedication feels touching:
'I'm sorry, but she's the love of my life, you know. So this, too, is dedicated to my wife, Dragica.'
The full 10 out of 10.
July 31, 2024
It is May in Florida and a widow, Alice Glendenning, is struggling to become a realtor and make ends meet when her two children are suddenly kidnapped. Alice receives a ranson call demanding $250,000 or her children will be killed. Alice is petrified because the kidnappers have also threatened to kill the children if the police are called. Alice is instructed not to bring the police into the matter but her housekeeper knows better and gets the police and the FBI involved. The only thing that can be determined from witnesses is that the children were picked up by a blond woman. But then, a black woman enters the scene. The police begin looking for a rented blue Impala and these two women.
I never read crime novels anymore but this one was on my shelf and, yes, I read it in one day. I admit to figuring out most of the plot early on but it was still interesting and enjoyable. I knew I knew the author but had forgotten that he had written The Blackboard Jungle way back when. He was also the screenwriter for Hitchock’s Birds movie. I like this book because it was not gory nor overly complex. There is one pretty explicit sex scene which was really unnecessary to the story but that I prefer that over gore.
I never read crime novels anymore but this one was on my shelf and, yes, I read it in one day. I admit to figuring out most of the plot early on but it was still interesting and enjoyable. I knew I knew the author but had forgotten that he had written The Blackboard Jungle way back when. He was also the screenwriter for Hitchock’s Birds movie. I like this book because it was not gory nor overly complex. There is one pretty explicit sex scene which was really unnecessary to the story but that I prefer that over gore.
January 5, 2019
My first Ed McBain-penned book and I award it 4 stars.
Initially I was going to award it three stars as from the blurb alone I guessed the outcome. There is nothing wrong with the blurb. I just think because I can be a voracious reader (though not always one who leaves a review), I try and predict the ending. And obviously I'm not saying I guessed every little thing in the story, only the person behind the kidnapping and one of the reasons why.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book (that's where the fourth star comes in). The story kept my interest throughout, the pacing was great. The decision to use present-tense was a brilliant one to add to the immediacy of the events in the book.
SPOILER ALERT - Eddie is a complete bastard, and I'm glad he survived the shooting at the end to face the music.
Initially I was going to award it three stars as from the blurb alone I guessed the outcome. There is nothing wrong with the blurb. I just think because I can be a voracious reader (though not always one who leaves a review), I try and predict the ending. And obviously I'm not saying I guessed every little thing in the story, only the person behind the kidnapping and one of the reasons why.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book (that's where the fourth star comes in). The story kept my interest throughout, the pacing was great. The decision to use present-tense was a brilliant one to add to the immediacy of the events in the book.
SPOILER ALERT - Eddie is a complete bastard, and I'm glad he survived the shooting at the end to face the music.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2020
This may be my first Ed McBain book, and to be perfectly honest, I was anticipating a scripted, basic format who-dun-it, but the reason for my 5/5 stars is that I really liked it. Not that it was the best literary tome (like that Stace?) of all time, but I liked that it had a LOT of "moving parts" that kept you guessing which one would end up being the correct culprit. And even though it had serious crime conditions, it had a humorous undertone that I really loved, and at this time, made me smile.
Apparently there are a slew of his cop/crime books, but one that came up that caught my interest was "Blackboard Jungle" written under a different name, Evan Hunter. This guy had a LOT of names, as Evan nor Ed was his real name, or at least, the one he was born with. Can't wait for more of his stuff!
Apparently there are a slew of his cop/crime books, but one that came up that caught my interest was "Blackboard Jungle" written under a different name, Evan Hunter. This guy had a LOT of names, as Evan nor Ed was his real name, or at least, the one he was born with. Can't wait for more of his stuff!
May 12, 2025
Back in the 20th century, when this author of crime and mystery works was truly hot, I shunned him, and his ilk. Way too many novels - one, two, somertimes three written a year. Surely quality could not be topnotch. Over the years, this shunning softened as I realized, for some, there was a real talent involved if one wanted, 1) easy, slip-sliding reading experience, 2) crafty plotting and expertly skteched characters, 3) an ease of absorption between other novels that requested more brain space. So, here I found myself before this book, and it did all of the above, for that, I thank the author (this novel was his penultimate publication - his skills remained, ahem, topnotch to the end).
(Little known fact: for a while he was an executive editor for the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, working with authors such as Poul Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke, and P.G. Wodehouse.)
(Little known fact: for a while he was an executive editor for the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, working with authors such as Poul Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke, and P.G. Wodehouse.)
June 27, 2018
What a stinker. Having read a fair number of McBains in the past, thought this would be great to meet my 'book with Alice in the title' for this year's book challenge at my local library. Clearly McBain had a contract for a book due or needed some cash because this read like someone's poor first novel. Shallow, improbable, rushed situations with moronic dialogue and ridiculous conclusions. All I could take was about 25 pages to say awful!! I don't know how to rate a book without saying 'read' so had to fudge that part.
June 20, 2018
I enjoy the writings of Mr McBain. His novels of the 87th precinct flow wonderfully and have great character development. This novel, set in Florida, abandons the big apple. Since there are no recurring characters, it was a bit of a let down, but the writing was still good. It was a quick read and I am ready to move on.
July 20, 2022
If this had been written as a comedy of errors, it would have been excellent. What happens when two kids are kidnapped and everything goes wrong, no one can keep it to themselves, etc. But it's not written like a comedy, so...I don't know how I feel. Was it good? I don't know. It was enjoyable, it had original moments, but...it wasn't great. Something was off.
July 28, 2022
McBain's wrote a lot of cop stories but on P. 66 he says: promotions to 'detective often depend on brawn rather than over brain." That id such BS. Uniform cops do the heavy lifting, writing for a detective takes brains. The rest of this story has the stupidist cops and FBI and criminals. What a mess. Read my crime novels.
February 23, 2019
My 64th book by Ed McBain, my Most Read Author (just saying, after Goodread deleted the function with no notice)
A great convoluted kidnapping plot set in Florida with multiple players milling around Alice as her kids are snatched
A great convoluted kidnapping plot set in Florida with multiple players milling around Alice as her kids are snatched
April 21, 2019
I thought I figured out the twist early on, and that hindered my enjoyment of the book somewhat. It is formulaic, in that it's a typical McBain/Hunter delivery (think Tarantino, the way he structures his films -- that pronounced), but still a very enjoyable read.
February 6, 2018
Audio book.
November 25, 2018
Bello, incalzante, sorprendente e coinvolgente, ben scritto, si legge bene. Personaggi non piatti né banali. Per amanti di gialli in stile narrativo al passo coi tempi.
January 6, 2019
3.5 stars
It was slightly predictable towards the end but made for an enjoyable read nonetheless :)
Felt good reading a good old mystery after a long time!
It was slightly predictable towards the end but made for an enjoyable read nonetheless :)
Felt good reading a good old mystery after a long time!
January 18, 2020
October 2013
August 18, 2020
Just an average book....I did not think the dialogue was done very well.
May 31, 2021
Almost a slapstick mystery, full of odd characters who trip over themselves and each other. Light and engrossing in between more serious reads.
June 26, 2021
Kidnapping,gambling and extortion make a confusing story about a widow and her 2 little children. Unexpected twists and turns take U on a trip across old Florida.
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