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Transgressions #1, 4, 6
Transgressions
New York Times bestsellers Ed McBain, Walter Mosely, and Donald Westlake each provided a brand-new, never-before-published tale for this unique collection of stories edited by bestselling author and mystery legend Ed McBain.
"Merely Hate" by Ed McBain: When a string of Muslim cabdrivers are killed, and the evidence points to another ethnic group, the detectives of the 87th Precinct must hunt down a killer before the city explodes in violence.
"Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large: Walking the Line" by Walter Mosley: Felix Orlean is a New York City journalism student who needs a job to cover his rent. An ad in the paper leads him to Archibald Lawless, and a descent into a shadow world where no one and nothing is as it first seems.
"Walking Around Money" by Donald E. Westlake: The master of the comic mystery is back with an all-new novella featuring hapless crook John Dortmunder, who gets involved in a crime that supposedly no one will ever know happened. Naturally, when something it too good to be true, it usually is, and Dortmunder is going to get to the bottom of this caper before he's left holding the bag.
"Merely Hate" by Ed McBain: When a string of Muslim cabdrivers are killed, and the evidence points to another ethnic group, the detectives of the 87th Precinct must hunt down a killer before the city explodes in violence.
"Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large: Walking the Line" by Walter Mosley: Felix Orlean is a New York City journalism student who needs a job to cover his rent. An ad in the paper leads him to Archibald Lawless, and a descent into a shadow world where no one and nothing is as it first seems.
"Walking Around Money" by Donald E. Westlake: The master of the comic mystery is back with an all-new novella featuring hapless crook John Dortmunder, who gets involved in a crime that supposedly no one will ever know happened. Naturally, when something it too good to be true, it usually is, and Dortmunder is going to get to the bottom of this caper before he's left holding the bag.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 3, 2006
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 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 3, 2020
Only read the McBain - one of the last things he wrote before he passed in 2005.
McBain edited the 4 pb volumes in this series, again just before he passed. He got 10 writers to submit novellas for the series. Some other writers were busy, or not interested. Volumes go 3 stories (all women), 3, 2 and 2. Or buy all 10 as a kindle book at $8 - nice deal.
Post 9/11, Jews and Arabs/Muslims in the unnamed city that is so like NY. Fast paced, use of images (Star of David) that is one of his signature moves, but which must drive publishers/printers nuts! Detail of crime investigation procedure - what the whole 87th Precinct series is about. A lot of the usual characters, including Carella (who never seemed to age), some social/political commentary - and humor.
Fun, fast read! Not that much shorter than some of his "novels". Helps to have read "Cop Killer", so you know Carella and a couple other characters. Otherwise, you can pretty much just read this on its own.
Looking forward to reading some of the other novellas in this series.
McBain edited the 4 pb volumes in this series, again just before he passed. He got 10 writers to submit novellas for the series. Some other writers were busy, or not interested. Volumes go 3 stories (all women), 3, 2 and 2. Or buy all 10 as a kindle book at $8 - nice deal.
Post 9/11, Jews and Arabs/Muslims in the unnamed city that is so like NY. Fast paced, use of images (Star of David) that is one of his signature moves, but which must drive publishers/printers nuts! Detail of crime investigation procedure - what the whole 87th Precinct series is about. A lot of the usual characters, including Carella (who never seemed to age), some social/political commentary - and humor.
Fun, fast read! Not that much shorter than some of his "novels". Helps to have read "Cop Killer", so you know Carella and a couple other characters. Otherwise, you can pretty much just read this on its own.
Looking forward to reading some of the other novellas in this series.
January 27, 2020
Tohle byl vážně rafinovaný nápad. Tvůrci série Transgressions (ve které má prsty sám Ed McBain) dali dohromady deset novel a z těch pak složili knižní sérii, kdy v každé knize jsou tak dvě až tři novely. Pokud počítáte, že jim to mohlo hodit tak čtyři knihy, jste pěkně vedle. Vyšlo jich kolem čtrnácti. Ano, víc než je samotný počet novel. Jak je to možné? Prostě se stvořilo hodně různých kombinací, aby si každý přišel na své. Chcete v jedné knize McBaina s Oatesovou a Deaverem? Nebo spíš Kingem a Blockem? Račte si vybrat.
A já si vybral.
Samozřejmě, základní pro mě byl Donald E. Westlake: Walking Around Money - další Dortmunderova fuška. Má udělat loupež, o které nikdo nesmí vědět, že proběhla. Jenže chlápek, co mu tu práci dohodil, není zrovna braný jako kapacita, takže je třeba dát si bacha. Tohle je asi nejlepší věc ve sborníku. Jednak je tu zajímavá zápletka... a jednak potěší, že tu nejsou Dortmunder s Kelpem za idioty, ale naopak to stojí na tom, že si dovedou poradit.
Walter Mosley: Walking the Line je naopak nejslabší kousek knihy. A to jsem se celkem těšil. Jednak moc černošských autorů kriminálek není - a navíc jeho povídková knížka Proti přesile byla hodně zajímavá. I když jiná, než člověk čekal. Spíš než kriminálky to byl popis postupného šplhání právě propuštěného trestance ze dna. Povídky neměly pointu, stály spíš na atmosféře, ale překvapivě se mi líbily. Tady není ani poitna, ani atmosféra. Přišlo mi, jako by s Mosley chtěl zkusit napsat něco jako Chesterton. Stvořil Archibalda Lawlesse, profesionálního anarchistu - a s ním se hrdina noří do bizarního světa. Jenže ten svět není zase tak divný a to, co dělá, není zase tak zajímavé.
A po nejslabším a nejdelším příběhu knihy je tu McBain a jeho 87 revír: Merely Hate. Vraždy muslimských řidičů rozpoutávají vášně. Zvláště, když je na autě nakreslena modrým sprejem židovská hvězda. Je to krátký, úderný, zajímavý. Pro mě o to zajímavější, že jsem v postupném čtení McBaina někde v šedesátých letech... a tohle je rok 2005. Při tom srovnání je vidět, jak série hodně potemněla, jak svět ve starých příbězích byl vlastně docela hezké místo k životu a čím blíž současnosti začíná McBainova Isola připomínat spíš Gotham.
Čili, ve výsledku, dva příběhy ze třech. To není špatné skóre.
A já si vybral.
Samozřejmě, základní pro mě byl Donald E. Westlake: Walking Around Money - další Dortmunderova fuška. Má udělat loupež, o které nikdo nesmí vědět, že proběhla. Jenže chlápek, co mu tu práci dohodil, není zrovna braný jako kapacita, takže je třeba dát si bacha. Tohle je asi nejlepší věc ve sborníku. Jednak je tu zajímavá zápletka... a jednak potěší, že tu nejsou Dortmunder s Kelpem za idioty, ale naopak to stojí na tom, že si dovedou poradit.
Walter Mosley: Walking the Line je naopak nejslabší kousek knihy. A to jsem se celkem těšil. Jednak moc černošských autorů kriminálek není - a navíc jeho povídková knížka Proti přesile byla hodně zajímavá. I když jiná, než člověk čekal. Spíš než kriminálky to byl popis postupného šplhání právě propuštěného trestance ze dna. Povídky neměly pointu, stály spíš na atmosféře, ale překvapivě se mi líbily. Tady není ani poitna, ani atmosféra. Přišlo mi, jako by s Mosley chtěl zkusit napsat něco jako Chesterton. Stvořil Archibalda Lawlesse, profesionálního anarchistu - a s ním se hrdina noří do bizarního světa. Jenže ten svět není zase tak divný a to, co dělá, není zase tak zajímavé.
A po nejslabším a nejdelším příběhu knihy je tu McBain a jeho 87 revír: Merely Hate. Vraždy muslimských řidičů rozpoutávají vášně. Zvláště, když je na autě nakreslena modrým sprejem židovská hvězda. Je to krátký, úderný, zajímavý. Pro mě o to zajímavější, že jsem v postupném čtení McBaina někde v šedesátých letech... a tohle je rok 2005. Při tom srovnání je vidět, jak série hodně potemněla, jak svět ve starých příbězích byl vlastně docela hezké místo k životu a čím blíž současnosti začíná McBainova Isola připomínat spíš Gotham.
Čili, ve výsledku, dva příběhy ze třech. To není špatné skóre.
September 6, 2020
Transgressions included the work of three well known authors, published in the collection in reverse alphabetical order: Donald Westlake, Walter Mosley, and Ed McBain. The three novellas featured all had to have some relation to crime, mystery or suspense, and all three fit the bill.
The first by Westlake was entitled "Walking Around Money" and I have to admit it was not an easy tale to read. In my opinion it felt flat, although it did have a humorous ending that was well done. The story dealt with a collection of crooks who weren't comfortable working together, a possible romantic affair, and a grand swindle which seemed to be well planned, but had so many loopholes the cheese was obvious.
The second by Mosley, "Walking the Line", featured a self proclaimed anarchist who seemed to have endless contacts, hidey holes and money. It dealt with a journalism student, Felix Orlean, who is hired mainly as an assistant gofer, and his duties seem trivial - go find people and talk to them, sort some papers, and write some notes. And transcribe the boss's notes. It has good parts, such as the time poor Felix spends chained to a bench by some not very professional cops, where he is insulted and threatened by the other men chained up with him. Altogether though it was a story about anarchists, stolen merchandise, and an unknown killer who threatens all those mentioned by the boss. It was a decent story but like the first, fell a little short.
The third by McBain built on and from his long running 87th Precinct series (which many police procedurals can point to as inspiration). I enjoyed the typical fast story pace and the well written dialogue and descriptions. The story itself stepped a little outside the norm for McBain's 87th Precinct, with most of the victims and the primary players being from the Middle East, with of course a few murders thrown in along with a real "why" puzzle.
Overall, I would say that I was disappointed in the first, okay with the second, and very much in enjoyment of the third. Because the stories flowed fairly well and came mostly to solid conclusions, even with my disappointment in the type of stories presented, the volume rated just short of four stars.
The first by Westlake was entitled "Walking Around Money" and I have to admit it was not an easy tale to read. In my opinion it felt flat, although it did have a humorous ending that was well done. The story dealt with a collection of crooks who weren't comfortable working together, a possible romantic affair, and a grand swindle which seemed to be well planned, but had so many loopholes the cheese was obvious.
The second by Mosley, "Walking the Line", featured a self proclaimed anarchist who seemed to have endless contacts, hidey holes and money. It dealt with a journalism student, Felix Orlean, who is hired mainly as an assistant gofer, and his duties seem trivial - go find people and talk to them, sort some papers, and write some notes. And transcribe the boss's notes. It has good parts, such as the time poor Felix spends chained to a bench by some not very professional cops, where he is insulted and threatened by the other men chained up with him. Altogether though it was a story about anarchists, stolen merchandise, and an unknown killer who threatens all those mentioned by the boss. It was a decent story but like the first, fell a little short.
The third by McBain built on and from his long running 87th Precinct series (which many police procedurals can point to as inspiration). I enjoyed the typical fast story pace and the well written dialogue and descriptions. The story itself stepped a little outside the norm for McBain's 87th Precinct, with most of the victims and the primary players being from the Middle East, with of course a few murders thrown in along with a real "why" puzzle.
Overall, I would say that I was disappointed in the first, okay with the second, and very much in enjoyment of the third. Because the stories flowed fairly well and came mostly to solid conclusions, even with my disappointment in the type of stories presented, the volume rated just short of four stars.
August 3, 2026
Mystery/thrillers can be great or unpleasant. This book by three of the best known was, like the different styles, a mix. My fave is by Donald Westlake. The Dortmunder novella not only follows a heist, the twist at the end is wonderful. The other stories interested me less.
The Moseley tale was as much a fantasy as a thriller. I've read nearly all his novels, so I expected something good. This story of wacky and dangerous scenes in short-novel form, was too far from reality for me. The protagonist, Orlean, seemed like an innocent "Alice in Paranoidland."
The McBain novella (long by the standard) was a "police procedural" with enuf violence to turn me off. So often, writers of the genre use the jargon of cops and the laconic style (cold, just a job) of the old Dragnet TV series. In truth, the coldness and killing don't add to the mystery. The whodunit aspect is lost in the "realism." Only three police badge stars on this one. Westlake is best.
The Moseley tale was as much a fantasy as a thriller. I've read nearly all his novels, so I expected something good. This story of wacky and dangerous scenes in short-novel form, was too far from reality for me. The protagonist, Orlean, seemed like an innocent "Alice in Paranoidland."
The McBain novella (long by the standard) was a "police procedural" with enuf violence to turn me off. So often, writers of the genre use the jargon of cops and the laconic style (cold, just a job) of the old Dragnet TV series. In truth, the coldness and killing don't add to the mystery. The whodunit aspect is lost in the "realism." Only three police badge stars on this one. Westlake is best.
August 24, 2017
This volume of Transgressions featured the work of three Masters: Donald Westlake, Walter Mosley, and Ed McBain. Of the three novellas featured here I liked Mosley's the least. Mosley is a writing genius but give me an Easy Rawlins mystery any day-I found the "mastermind" featured here to be a little much. Westlake's story made me think I really need to track down more of his stuff and this is the first time I've ever felt that way-I've read some Westlake in the past but not enough to call myself a fan. I found myself really enjoying this "comedic" crime story. This was also my first encounter with Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series and I enjoyed the fast pace and excellent prose. So all in all this volume was a little uneven, but it still rated a solid four stars.
June 29, 2025
The Donald Westlake story almost was like a rejected sequel for “The Apple Dumpling Gang,” or some other Disney live action flick from the 60’s or 70’s. The Walter Mosley story was sort of weird (an aspiring journalism student becomes an aide to some sort of anarchist in NYC).
However, Ed McBain’s tale of the 87th precinct’s tracking of a serial killer was worth the price of admission. The detective squad seeks the perpetrator of an alleged “hate crime” in (McBain’s) NYC, only to discover a chilling surprise.
However, Ed McBain’s tale of the 87th precinct’s tracking of a serial killer was worth the price of admission. The detective squad seeks the perpetrator of an alleged “hate crime” in (McBain’s) NYC, only to discover a chilling surprise.
August 15, 2022
Only read the McBain. 5 stars for one of his final 87th Precinct tales.
February 16, 2023
The first two stories were boring. The third was okay
July 18, 2026
I managed to finish it, but I can't see myself reading it again.
August 5, 2014
This book has three stories, novelettes perhaps, one each by Ed McBain, Walter Mosley, and Donald E. Westlake. Sounds fun! The down side of this book is that it only counts as a single book on my reading list. 'Twould have been much nicer to be able to get three books checked off for the year. Oh well, it was all still fun. Also, I learned by reading the introduction that the items are now called novellas. Apparently, the term novelette is so yesterday, or something. A short story is something like 10,000 words, a novella more like 40,000 words and a novel 60,000 words or more.
Walking Around Money by Donald E. Westlake
Dortmunder and his buddy, Andy are recruited to help in a heist. They're not sure if the guy hiring them can be trusted or not. So they're careful. It's a can't miss scheme to abscond with oodles of foreign currency that cannot be traced from a printing plant up state. A pretty fun caper it would seem, but can their associate be trusted? As I've always found in the past, Dortmunder is a fun character who is always involved in interesting, and quirky, capers.
Walking the Line by Walter Mosley
An African American young man, Felix Orlean, takes a job as a "scribe" for an anarchist, Archibald Lawless. Somehow they get enmeshed in a jewel heist. Some of the other parties in the heist end up murdered. It's all kind of weird and surreal. I'm not sure I understood this story very well. I think Mosley is over my meager head, or something.
Merely Hate by Ed McBain
Basically a standard police procedural, which is an Ed McBain staple. This time, muslim cabbies are being murdered in their cabs with blue stars of David spray painted on the windshields. As one might expect, this creates racial tensions between the Muslim and Jewish communities of New York City. The 87th precinct investigates and eventually gets it all worked out, all the while entertaining us with their day-to-day repartee.
Walking Around Money by Donald E. Westlake
Dortmunder and his buddy, Andy are recruited to help in a heist. They're not sure if the guy hiring them can be trusted or not. So they're careful. It's a can't miss scheme to abscond with oodles of foreign currency that cannot be traced from a printing plant up state. A pretty fun caper it would seem, but can their associate be trusted? As I've always found in the past, Dortmunder is a fun character who is always involved in interesting, and quirky, capers.
Walking the Line by Walter Mosley
An African American young man, Felix Orlean, takes a job as a "scribe" for an anarchist, Archibald Lawless. Somehow they get enmeshed in a jewel heist. Some of the other parties in the heist end up murdered. It's all kind of weird and surreal. I'm not sure I understood this story very well. I think Mosley is over my meager head, or something.
Merely Hate by Ed McBain
Basically a standard police procedural, which is an Ed McBain staple. This time, muslim cabbies are being murdered in their cabs with blue stars of David spray painted on the windshields. As one might expect, this creates racial tensions between the Muslim and Jewish communities of New York City. The 87th precinct investigates and eventually gets it all worked out, all the while entertaining us with their day-to-day repartee.
November 1, 2013
A nice collection of novellas, a form that, as McBain points out, is sadly neglected.
The Westlake entry was a good Dortmunder story, which is to say, a comic heist piece. I like those, and I like the style, so that was fun.
I hadn't read either Mosley or McBain himself before, so those were useful as introductions to their styles. The Mosley story was about a young man caught up in intrigue, led by a shadowy man he both admired and feared. I wouldn't call it especially realistic, but it was entertaining. I'd read more of him.
The McBain entry was probably the weakest, though it wasn't bad. It was an entry in his 87th Precinct series, which had never seemed particularly appealing to me, and now I think I was right (not bad, just not for me). So, again, it was useful, though perhaps not in the way the editor/author intended.
The Westlake entry was a good Dortmunder story, which is to say, a comic heist piece. I like those, and I like the style, so that was fun.
I hadn't read either Mosley or McBain himself before, so those were useful as introductions to their styles. The Mosley story was about a young man caught up in intrigue, led by a shadowy man he both admired and feared. I wouldn't call it especially realistic, but it was entertaining. I'd read more of him.
The McBain entry was probably the weakest, though it wasn't bad. It was an entry in his 87th Precinct series, which had never seemed particularly appealing to me, and now I think I was right (not bad, just not for me). So, again, it was useful, though perhaps not in the way the editor/author intended.
August 4, 2011
Walking past the freebox at work, a bedraggled copy of this book caught my eye; more precisely, the magic words "Donald E. Westlake" seized my attention, and it was the work of a moment for me to scoop it out from amongst all the other dejected and rejected volumes, and take it home with me.
Unfortunately, the action is set upstate, away from where the Dortmunder gang function at their star-crossed best. Also, the gang in this case are only Dortmunder and Kelp. Still, there are the usual moments of hilarity, even if the pacing of the novella form in no way suits Westlake's style.
I doubt that I'll bother with the other two stories here, although the Mosley story seems kind of interesting, from the few pages I read.
Unfortunately, the action is set upstate, away from where the Dortmunder gang function at their star-crossed best. Also, the gang in this case are only Dortmunder and Kelp. Still, there are the usual moments of hilarity, even if the pacing of the novella form in no way suits Westlake's style.
I doubt that I'll bother with the other two stories here, although the Mosley story seems kind of interesting, from the few pages I read.
October 21, 2012
This paperback has 3 of the novellas from the longer anthology, Transgressions. This is a pretty diverse set of stories, which really have nothing to do with one another. The Westlake is a Dortmunder story about stealing newly printed money from a New York printer who prints foreign currency. It's fun, but without all the tappings of a Dortmunder story, so it's ultimately forgettable. In the Mosely story a journalism student is hired by an 'anarchist' who has some pretty strange dealings in a shadow world of power behind power. The Hunter story is a procedural around some apparently Jewish murders of Muslim cab drivers. Only the Mosley story is really engaging, and it could have used some more work.
January 4, 2015
This book contains three novellas: "Walking Around Money" by Donald E. Westlake, "Walking the Line" by Walter Mosley, and "Merely Hate" by Ed McBain. They're about as different as could be. Westlake's John Dortmunder is a serious crook who always gets involved in capers that turn into comedies. This one is not quite as hilarious as the novels, but it's still good for a few chuckles. Mosley's Felix Orleans, a journalism student, becomes involved with anarchist Archibald Lawless and is thrust into a shadowy world of intrigue that he could never have imagined. McBain's 87th precinct is a pure hard-boiled police story in the best (or worst) tradition. There's something for everyone here, and all three authors are among the best.
January 2, 2012
This collection of novellas and short stories edited by Ed McBain is a goodread. The stories written were viewed in different perspectives. Donald Westlake's Walking Around Money is viewed from a crook's point of view. Walter Mosley's Walking The Line is viewed from an innocent man caught in the middle of chaos point of view. Ed McBain's Merely Hate is a police procedural that looks at every angle on a crime that was committed.
December 24, 2014
"Merely Hate" by Ed McBain is one of the last things he wrote about the 87th Precinct, and was good as expected. "Walking Around Money" by Donald Westlake is a very enjoyable comic mystery. I didn't like "Walking the Line" by Walter Mosley nearly as much as the other two, finding it rather strange and without enough of a payoff.
December 19, 2008
A novella is, as the intro to this collection indicates, an odd duck. Longer than a short story, but without the in-depth detail of a novel. Fortunately, these three crime stories are all by masters of the genre and breeze along.
Read
April 14, 2008Mystery,Anthology
January 25, 2016
All three novellas in this volume are a delight to read. I can't wait to read the other volumes.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews