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87th Precinct #55
Fiddlers
This installment in the 87th Precinct series finds the detectives stumped by a serial killer who doesn't fit the profile. A blind violinist taking a smoke break, a cosmetics sales rep cooking an omelet in her own kitchen, a college professor trudging home from class, a priest contemplating retirement in the rectory garden, an old woman out walking her dog—these are the seemingly random targets shot twice in the face. But most serial killers don't use guns. Most serial killers don't strike five times in two weeks. And most serial killers' prey share something more than being over fifty years of age. Now it falls to Detective Steve Carella and his colleagues in the 87th Precinct to find out what-or whom-the victims had in common before another body is found.
With trademark wit and sizzling dialogue, McBain unravels a mystery and examines the dreams we chase in the darkening hours before the fiddlers have fled.
With trademark wit and sizzling dialogue, McBain unravels a mystery and examines the dreams we chase in the darkening hours before the fiddlers have fled.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
186 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
Ed McBain
716 books672 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 157 reviews
July 21, 2016
This is the fifty-fifth and last installment in Ed McBain's epic series featuring the detectives of the 87th Precinct. Set in the fictional city of Isola, which is closely modeled after New York City, the series began in 1956 with Cop Hater and would run for for forty-nine years to the publication of Fiddlers in 2005.
The series focused on a group of detectives who investigated a variety of crimes, but the stories almost inevitably involved homicide--often several of them within the same novel. McBain originally intended to rotate characters through the precinct, just as would occur in real life, but early on, when he attempted to kill off the person who had been the lead detective in the first couple of books, his publisher thankfully threw a fit and refused to allow him to do so. As a result the cast of characters remained pretty well fixed through the years, and it was always fun to pick up one of these books and meet a lot of old friends again.
Through the years, the world of the police detective changed in significant ways, or at least the tools of the job did. Early on, the detectives of the 87th relied on pencils and paper records, and they were lucky to lift the occasional finger print from a crime scene or to find a bullet that ballistics could attempt to match. Tracking down records and information took forever, and they were always in search of the nearest pay phone or police call box. By the end of the series, of course, computers and cell phones were common; detectives could easily tap into federal databases, and crime scene forensics had made dramatic advances, particularly with the introduction of DNA gathering and testing. The rights of the accused had also advanced significantly with the introduction of the Miranda warning.
But while the technology might have advanced dramatically, the detectives of the squad remained fairly static. Over the course of nearly fifty years, the characters aged only about five. The lead character, Detective Steve Carella, was in his middle thirties when the series began and he had just turned forty when it ended. And for all the technological advances that the passing of time had brought, legwork, dogged persistence and intuition remained the detectives' principal tools.
It's a great cast and, while there were a few books that didn't quite measure up to the standards of the series generally, most of them were very good and some of them were downright excellent. McBain wrote with a wry sense of humor and with a clear attachment to the characters and to the city he had created. Through a very long career, he wrote a boatload of other novels and stories, but the 87th Precinct series was clearly his crowning achievement and millions of crime fiction fans have cherished these books. And even though some of these books are now over forty years old, they stand the test of time very well. While they might be dated, they're not "dated;" they're just as readable today as the were when they first appeared.
But, to invoke one of the oldest of all cliches, all good things must come to an end, and thus we arrive at Fiddlers. The book opens with the murder of a blind violinist who steps out for a cigarette break and takes two bullets in the face. The case falls to Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer of the 87th, but there are precious few clues and no witnesses. Everyone insists that the victim was beloved and that no one had any reason to kill him.
Then, before the detectives can make any progress at all on the killing, a cosmetics saleswoman is also shot twice in the face with the same Glock pistol that was used to murder the violinist. Nothing appears to link the victims to each other or to any of the other poor souls who will fall to the "Glock Killer" over the space of the next two weeks. The only thing the victims have in common is that they were all over fifty years old. The press, the mayor and the police brass are naturally in a state of panic and demand an immediate solution to the case, but it's going to take a lot of shoe leather and more than a little luck if the detectives of the 87th Precinct are going to bag their last killer and bring him to justice.
This completes my assignment of reading and reviewing all of the fifty-five books in this series. It's really been a lot of fun reading many of them for the first time and re-reading ones that I first enjoyed years ago, and I doubt that it will be all that long before I'm picking one of them off the shelf again. Four stars for Fiddlers and an enthusiastic five stars for one of the best and most enduring crime fiction series of all.
The series focused on a group of detectives who investigated a variety of crimes, but the stories almost inevitably involved homicide--often several of them within the same novel. McBain originally intended to rotate characters through the precinct, just as would occur in real life, but early on, when he attempted to kill off the person who had been the lead detective in the first couple of books, his publisher thankfully threw a fit and refused to allow him to do so. As a result the cast of characters remained pretty well fixed through the years, and it was always fun to pick up one of these books and meet a lot of old friends again.
Through the years, the world of the police detective changed in significant ways, or at least the tools of the job did. Early on, the detectives of the 87th relied on pencils and paper records, and they were lucky to lift the occasional finger print from a crime scene or to find a bullet that ballistics could attempt to match. Tracking down records and information took forever, and they were always in search of the nearest pay phone or police call box. By the end of the series, of course, computers and cell phones were common; detectives could easily tap into federal databases, and crime scene forensics had made dramatic advances, particularly with the introduction of DNA gathering and testing. The rights of the accused had also advanced significantly with the introduction of the Miranda warning.
But while the technology might have advanced dramatically, the detectives of the squad remained fairly static. Over the course of nearly fifty years, the characters aged only about five. The lead character, Detective Steve Carella, was in his middle thirties when the series began and he had just turned forty when it ended. And for all the technological advances that the passing of time had brought, legwork, dogged persistence and intuition remained the detectives' principal tools.
It's a great cast and, while there were a few books that didn't quite measure up to the standards of the series generally, most of them were very good and some of them were downright excellent. McBain wrote with a wry sense of humor and with a clear attachment to the characters and to the city he had created. Through a very long career, he wrote a boatload of other novels and stories, but the 87th Precinct series was clearly his crowning achievement and millions of crime fiction fans have cherished these books. And even though some of these books are now over forty years old, they stand the test of time very well. While they might be dated, they're not "dated;" they're just as readable today as the were when they first appeared.
But, to invoke one of the oldest of all cliches, all good things must come to an end, and thus we arrive at Fiddlers. The book opens with the murder of a blind violinist who steps out for a cigarette break and takes two bullets in the face. The case falls to Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer of the 87th, but there are precious few clues and no witnesses. Everyone insists that the victim was beloved and that no one had any reason to kill him.
Then, before the detectives can make any progress at all on the killing, a cosmetics saleswoman is also shot twice in the face with the same Glock pistol that was used to murder the violinist. Nothing appears to link the victims to each other or to any of the other poor souls who will fall to the "Glock Killer" over the space of the next two weeks. The only thing the victims have in common is that they were all over fifty years old. The press, the mayor and the police brass are naturally in a state of panic and demand an immediate solution to the case, but it's going to take a lot of shoe leather and more than a little luck if the detectives of the 87th Precinct are going to bag their last killer and bring him to justice.
This completes my assignment of reading and reviewing all of the fifty-five books in this series. It's really been a lot of fun reading many of them for the first time and re-reading ones that I first enjoyed years ago, and I doubt that it will be all that long before I'm picking one of them off the shelf again. Four stars for Fiddlers and an enthusiastic five stars for one of the best and most enduring crime fiction series of all.
September 6, 2011
I had always heard that Ed McBain could craft a good story; FIDDLERS was my introduction to his style. To be honest, when I first started reading this book, I was unsure about it. There seemed to be too many things going on, too many characters.
The initial plot, a serial (I would say mass murderer) killer is offing older people, seemingly all unrelated. This was a fascinating plot-line. The twists and turns, dead-ends, and mcguffins kept me turning pages. But the subplots, in my opinion, were weak. There's the story of a white cop and a black woman and thier wayward relationship; there's the story of a cop's daughter who's starting to bum around with the wrong crowd, indulging in the wacky-tabaccy; and there's the younger cop who is falling for an older woman, a woman who seems to be the only person in the world that truly understands who he is. Like a I said, weak.
However, even with these weak subplots, the writing alone kept the story fresh. McBain is truly a narrative wizard. Add the fact that this novel is the 55th installment to the 87th Precinct series--a series that is lauded to have original stories and captivating characters--and one can't help but be impressed at the mere longevity of McBain's world.
When the story does come together, nothing seems fabricated or added-on. Every scene was needed. I can appreciate that.
I have a few more of the 87th Preceinct novels on my shelves, and I'll be sure to read them soon...just maybe not as soon as I planned.
(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for the police proceduaral enthusiast)
The initial plot, a serial (I would say mass murderer) killer is offing older people, seemingly all unrelated. This was a fascinating plot-line. The twists and turns, dead-ends, and mcguffins kept me turning pages. But the subplots, in my opinion, were weak. There's the story of a white cop and a black woman and thier wayward relationship; there's the story of a cop's daughter who's starting to bum around with the wrong crowd, indulging in the wacky-tabaccy; and there's the younger cop who is falling for an older woman, a woman who seems to be the only person in the world that truly understands who he is. Like a I said, weak.
However, even with these weak subplots, the writing alone kept the story fresh. McBain is truly a narrative wizard. Add the fact that this novel is the 55th installment to the 87th Precinct series--a series that is lauded to have original stories and captivating characters--and one can't help but be impressed at the mere longevity of McBain's world.
When the story does come together, nothing seems fabricated or added-on. Every scene was needed. I can appreciate that.
I have a few more of the 87th Preceinct novels on my shelves, and I'll be sure to read them soon...just maybe not as soon as I planned.
(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for the police proceduaral enthusiast)
March 2, 2010
I finished this very last entry in McBain's 87th Precinct series with a strange sense of melancholy. For the past couple of years I've worked my way through most of the 55 titles in more or less chronological order, and the knowledge that after this there would be no further developments of his rich and motley cast was kind of sad. This one is a quintessential McBain yarn, starting from the multiple themes that derive from the title. The entire detective squad of the 87th becomes involved in a multiple homicide, the first of which is the killing of a blind violinist. There are all sorts of fiddlers and fiddling as the plot grows and deepens in complexity. There are familial, romantic and just plain hormonal relationships among the varied characters. McBain seems to have decided to show everybody in their best light-- even the obnoxious ones like Andy Parker and Fat Ollie Weeks seem softer-edged and on the verge of discovering redemptive traits, though Bert Kling remains a hard-luck lover right to the end. There's no sense of finality here. One could almost believe McBain hoped his characters would live on, continue to grow and have further adventures. (Personally I don't know how I'd feel about that. Salvatore Lombino, aka Evan Hunter, aka Ed McBain, was one of a kind). There is also a certain feeling of playing his characters and plot by the numbers. Maybe it was a good time for the boys of the 87th to go out at the top of their game.
April 1, 2009
Ed McBain does a great job on the "87th Precinct" mysteries. They are quick reads and when I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for, I read McBain. This was one of his better stories, published 2005, which is the year he died so I guess it was his last 87th Precinct. McBain usually has 2 or 3 cases going on at the same time but in "Fiddlers" there is just the one; someone is shooting, seemingly random, people twice in the face. A priest, a college professor, a cosmetic saleswoman and, in the end, they are all connected.
August 4, 2010
An excellent one to go out on. I'd put off reading the last 87th precinct book for a long time, because I was so sad there would be no more, but it's a great ending. We get to see all the regulars, there's a crime solved by dogged police work, and at the end they are moving forward ... I really enjoyed this.
January 26, 2016
FIDDLERS
I am so sorry this is the end of the 87th Precinct. I have enjoyed all the books and glad Steve made it till the end! Glad Mr. McBain changed the ending of the first book. Wish he had been given time to write more. RIP MR. MCBAIN! Only one of you!
I am so sorry this is the end of the 87th Precinct. I have enjoyed all the books and glad Steve made it till the end! Glad Mr. McBain changed the ending of the first book. Wish he had been given time to write more. RIP MR. MCBAIN! Only one of you!
October 3, 2019
Somebody is shooting people who don't seem to have a lot in common. Meanwhile, Carella's daughter seems to be running wild, Kling's girlfriend has left him, and Ollie seems to have got himself a girlfriend.
Entertaining, but without the power of some of earlier books.
Entertaining, but without the power of some of earlier books.
June 30, 2024
When I read 'Cop Hater' back in 2015 I had no idea how many books were in the 87th Precinct series and certainly had no intention of reading all of them. As it turned out, there was a 99cents kindle deal on many of these books shortly after and then they kept appearing in front of me at bargain book stores. After enjoying the first few I made the commitment to read them all in order. Now, 9 years later, I'm finally finished.
This series is best likened to episodes of a TV cop show. Each episode (book) has a different story but is set against the same background with the same main characters. Not all of the characters are featured in each book and over the years there are some slight changes in the 'cast'. There are also snippets of the characters private lives that gradually evolve throughout the series.
If your a fan of easy, and quick, to read police procedurals the this is probably a series that you should look into. They were written between 1956 and 2005 so it's interesting to watch how technology evolved and the police adapted to them. There is some odd time things going on here as the characters do not age 50 years throughout the series, maybe only 20 or 30.
These characters became close friends over the years and I'm sad that their journey is now over. McBain never closed the series, and I am not sure if he ever intended to. The last book closes the open cases but leaves a few open ends regarding the main characters personal live. We will never know where McBain intended them to go.
This series is best likened to episodes of a TV cop show. Each episode (book) has a different story but is set against the same background with the same main characters. Not all of the characters are featured in each book and over the years there are some slight changes in the 'cast'. There are also snippets of the characters private lives that gradually evolve throughout the series.
If your a fan of easy, and quick, to read police procedurals the this is probably a series that you should look into. They were written between 1956 and 2005 so it's interesting to watch how technology evolved and the police adapted to them. There is some odd time things going on here as the characters do not age 50 years throughout the series, maybe only 20 or 30.
These characters became close friends over the years and I'm sad that their journey is now over. McBain never closed the series, and I am not sure if he ever intended to. The last book closes the open cases but leaves a few open ends regarding the main characters personal live. We will never know where McBain intended them to go.
August 16, 2025
The last book in a 55-volume series! I did it.
A pretty good mystery (although this is not how McBain would have liked to end his series. Too many loose ends). I enjoyed the book.
A pretty good mystery (although this is not how McBain would have liked to end his series. Too many loose ends). I enjoyed the book.
April 23, 2019
This, the last entry in McBain's 87th Precinct series, is an outstanding representation of the literary skills the author wielded over the nearly 50 years of writing such novels. His ability to bring his fictional city, Isola, to life, and to imbue the detectives in the 87, along with those from Homicide and of course, "Fat Ollie" Weeks, with unforgettable characteristics, flaws, & strengths were second to none. One might even argue that this series serves as a benchmark for mystery & police procedurals against which others in the genre must be measured.
I found the plot of Fiddlers interesting and the pace compelling. McBain is a master storyteller, and his shifting the reader between the various detectives' tasks and lives as they hunt for what is being dubbed the "Glock Killer" (the same Glock handgun is used in each murder) is so natural that the reader feels as though he/she is there, watching events unfold in real time.
But perhaps the best aspect of the story is the personal lives of the men who have occupied the 87th Precinct all these years. Steve Carella, married with twins who are now teens, and still in love with his beautiful wife, Teddy remains a centerpiece of almost every one of these novels. He and Teddy must struggle with some teen troubles in this story, and McBain seems to nail that pretty well. Burt Kling continues to desire a lasting relationship but, alas, seems to screw things up one way or another. "Fat Ollie" Weeks, usually bigoted and obnoxious to the nth degree, appears more human and, dare I say, inching his way toward respectability and perhaps, even a lasting romance. Even the bad guy has a romantic experience that humanizes him and his girlfriend, and almost makes the reader hope for their mutual redemption. I could go on about each of the wonderful characters that inhabit the environs of Isola, and I'm only glad that I've still a few other entries in the series that await me (yeah, I know, this is the last one, but I began this series out of order and darned if I'll change that now).
A wonderful exit for McBain and his characters, and a solid 4.5 stars from me.
I found the plot of Fiddlers interesting and the pace compelling. McBain is a master storyteller, and his shifting the reader between the various detectives' tasks and lives as they hunt for what is being dubbed the "Glock Killer" (the same Glock handgun is used in each murder) is so natural that the reader feels as though he/she is there, watching events unfold in real time.
But perhaps the best aspect of the story is the personal lives of the men who have occupied the 87th Precinct all these years. Steve Carella, married with twins who are now teens, and still in love with his beautiful wife, Teddy remains a centerpiece of almost every one of these novels. He and Teddy must struggle with some teen troubles in this story, and McBain seems to nail that pretty well. Burt Kling continues to desire a lasting relationship but, alas, seems to screw things up one way or another. "Fat Ollie" Weeks, usually bigoted and obnoxious to the nth degree, appears more human and, dare I say, inching his way toward respectability and perhaps, even a lasting romance. Even the bad guy has a romantic experience that humanizes him and his girlfriend, and almost makes the reader hope for their mutual redemption. I could go on about each of the wonderful characters that inhabit the environs of Isola, and I'm only glad that I've still a few other entries in the series that await me (yeah, I know, this is the last one, but I began this series out of order and darned if I'll change that now).
A wonderful exit for McBain and his characters, and a solid 4.5 stars from me.
July 20, 2016
I had nearly forgotten this book; I began keeping track on Goodreads in 2012, a significant gap between the end of McBain's wonderful series and the start of my Goodreads membership. This title was as usual expertly conceived and written. I loved almost all of the series; some of the very earliest didn't have staying power, since the way that most people refer to gay people, people of color, etc. has evolved significantly. Of course, McBain also had his obnoxious bad-cop character, but Carella, his main protagonist, is much easier to bond with once we get past "Fuzz".
I miss this writer like crazy. For those that like Otto Penzler, his editor, and short stories, I'd refer you to Otto Penzler's big book of Christmas stories. He found an excellent, little-seen short story of McBain's that had only appeared once, in a magazine, quite some time back.
I miss this writer like crazy. For those that like Otto Penzler, his editor, and short stories, I'd refer you to Otto Penzler's big book of Christmas stories. He found an excellent, little-seen short story of McBain's that had only appeared once, in a magazine, quite some time back.
April 29, 2011
It feels a little weird after 4 1/2 years of reading all 55 books in this series that spans 6 decades to get to the last page of the last book. The fat unapologetic asshole bigot finds happiness and the uptight pretty boy finds out he's actually an unwilling unmatchable bigot. And after 54 books of rooting for the good guys, you sort of feel for the bad guy as well.
October 10, 2019
#55 and final book in the great 87th Precinct series, as a series of murders from the same gun requires the whole team plus Fat Ollie from the 86th. #72 Ed McBain book for me and a few more to go. great writer.
July 14, 2020
This last installment in the long-running saga of the detectives of the 87th precinct in the fictional town of Isola has a series of seemingly unrelated murders, a rebellious teen, and a randy detective, all with tales that intertwine and in some cases feed off each other, but not completely.
We see Carella, the lead, taking charge as he does, but allowing the other detectives to investigate on their own, until they come to a conclusion and a resolution. On the other hand, we see the same Carella trying to be a Dad and a Son as he deals with his teen twins, and tries to become better involved with his stepfather.
The purpose behind the killings took shape behind the scenes in McBain's normal pattern, with little bits of the reasoning leaking out to tell us the damage done by several people to someone who would later try to enact revenge.
Overall a great last visit to the 87th!
Note: on rereading this, a few things caught my attention that I didn't notice the first time. One was a woman mentions she was old enough to have gone to Woodstock. I did the math. But McBain, true to his style, had calculated the age so it could be. I did like that it flows better with a more easy reading style than some of the "bitten off" sentences that populated his early works.
We see Carella, the lead, taking charge as he does, but allowing the other detectives to investigate on their own, until they come to a conclusion and a resolution. On the other hand, we see the same Carella trying to be a Dad and a Son as he deals with his teen twins, and tries to become better involved with his stepfather.
The purpose behind the killings took shape behind the scenes in McBain's normal pattern, with little bits of the reasoning leaking out to tell us the damage done by several people to someone who would later try to enact revenge.
Overall a great last visit to the 87th!
Note: on rereading this, a few things caught my attention that I didn't notice the first time. One was a woman mentions she was old enough to have gone to Woodstock. I did the math. But McBain, true to his style, had calculated the age so it could be. I did like that it flows better with a more easy reading style than some of the "bitten off" sentences that populated his early works.
December 26, 2013
The 55th and final book in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. I've now read them all and feel a little bereft - "what do you mean there aren't any more"? It appears that Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter) passed away (cancer) before the book was published as the author info refers to him in past tense and lists 1926-2005. So, I guess I'll have to let him off the hook for ending the series. In my opinion, it's a great police/mystery series - obviously some books are better than others, but I didn't not like any of them. This story was particularly good as every few days, what seemed like random people would be killed - two shots to the face, most of the people in their 50's-70's in age. Whatever grudge this killer had against these people goes way back and the victims appear to be totally unrelated. Once all is revealed, it all makes sense. Highly recommend the whole series and this book in particular. Luckily for me, McBain wrote other non-87th Precinct books both under this name and under Evan Hunter. So, all is not lost.
November 21, 2010
This was the last Ed McBain novel before his death from cancer in 2005. It has been unfavorably compared to his previous work by reviewers, but I thought it was a very good "exit" work. Once again he gives us a well developed story with well developed characters, and a somewhat unpredictable plot. His identification with the protagonist is clear. Without giving away too much of the plot, suffice to say that the author was clearly aware that this was to be his last book, and he seems to have used it not only as one of the ways to prepare himself for death, but also as a vehicle of living out the dark fantasies of the last few months of his life.
April 5, 2011
With the death of McBain this summer, this marks the end of the stories of NYC's finest of the 87th precinct...all of the major characters are involved in this tale that weaves numerous plot lines that eventually merge as a serial killer stalks seniors in NYC...excellent as always...I'll miss the 87th!!!
August 7, 2012
This book dove straight into the crime which surprised me. The writing style wasn't how I usually find crime novels but I enjoyed it's quick dialogue and pacing. I also liked how they showed red herrings in the investigation instead of the detectives constantly being right. I would read more of McBain's books.
August 3, 2015
Carella and company investigate "the Glock murders" so named because they are all committed with the same gun. But the victims seem to have nothing in common. This story very cleverly interweaves six separate investigations that all finally arrive at the same perpetrator. Just in time to keep his final subject alive. This book was published after the author's death.
December 24, 2022
I stopped reading 87th precinct novels years ago, and I'm not sure why. I may try to finish the series. This one was full of surprises, some real life personal interactions, impressive family and social constructs, violence, police procedurals, and more reasons to pick up where I left off with Ed McBain.
August 13, 2014
I'm an old cowhand when it comes to Ed McBain and the 87th Precinct. This one does not disappoint as we start off knowing of the killer but not his motives and of course the police haven't a clue of either. Many personalities in this one and more on the mainstay character's lives. It's a good one.
April 5, 2017
just finished this one, another from mcbain. great story. 4-stars. quite a cast of characters, all of the 87th squad detectives, a bunch of priests, teachers, and a host of others. and fiddlers. all manner of fiddlers. good read.
July 6, 2021
Started this series years ago and patiently waited for each new installment; love the characters and dialogue. Stopped reading for a while but grabbed thus one. Good story and nice conclusion to the series.
July 5, 2024
Where do I even start? I picked this book randomly during one of my library visits as I usually do, picking out random stuff i see and taking home what seems like an interesting read. I had high expectations, yet it all ends with a very critical review.
First of all, this book is a part of a very long series and it is recognizable for us as the readers, what is not a good thing in this case. If the book is not a part of a clearly defined and tightly connected series, just loosely connects to the rest by featuring the same characters and shows a little of their personal drama, the reader should be able to understand what is going on and connect with the characters without having to read all the other books that were written before. Despite a big portion of the book being focused on the characters personal life, we didn´t learn much about them, except their skin and hair colour.
That leads me to another issue I had with the characters, that being that the cast felt like one big diversity hire meeting. I don´t mind a diverse cast if it is done correctly, but it felt really forced here, like it was done just for the sake of it. How to make a diverse cast right?
- don´t emphasize their diversity every chance there is, make the diversity more subtle. For example, let´s take Ollie. Rather then telling us he is overweight and is currently trying to hold a diet, it would be much more authentic to show it through him maybe having a dilemma over buying himself a cake and let us observe his inner thoughts.
- "You don´t trust me because i´m black" The amount of refering to someone´s race and bringing up racism that wasn´t even there was something that didn´t add any value to the book, in fact rather made me go huh? How did we even got here? The character never shown any racist behavior, so what is happening here and why? If the character is supposed to be a racist, okay, but let it be reflected through their actions in some way, bigger or smaller, and as always, show more tell less.
- use their unique culture and heritage rather then keep repeating this person is black, this person has red hair because they are irish etc. Having a diverse cast is a great opportunity to open the readers mind to appreciate different cultures and learn about them. Study the culture, habits and customs of the people and let them shine through your work.
I also disliked the amount of hate the characters were filled with towards so many things. It felt like they are all very bitter, and we were being told about it in a very explicit way at every possible chance.
The dialogues were very chaotic and often didn´t add any value, or worked purely as a rushed transition to get the characters where they need to be. Making the dialogue passages longer and using transition like "said" and adding action to the words would have made a huge difference, like: XY observed his collegue over his coffee mug. "We don´t have the time for that" he said and took a long sip.
Too big synch between the characters private life follow. We saw person A´s romance, then person B, then person C, then person D etc. all in close succession right after each other. This felt a bit unnatural, and it would have been cool to have the different characters deal with different issues, and mix it up a bit by not having them all on the romance watch at the same time, but someone at the beginning, someone in the middle etc.
On the positive side, I really enjoyed the concept of the book and how the detectives all came to the answers independently from each other, using their own leads. That was a very unique way of a solution, since in most crime novels it is either someone realizing it or everyone putting the clues together. So the method of everyone coming to the same conclusions independently was a very unique thing I enjoyed.
Overall, I think it was an okay read, the mystery was interesting and I enjoyed the solution, and although it has a lot of space for improvement, the mystery was definitely worth it.
First of all, this book is a part of a very long series and it is recognizable for us as the readers, what is not a good thing in this case. If the book is not a part of a clearly defined and tightly connected series, just loosely connects to the rest by featuring the same characters and shows a little of their personal drama, the reader should be able to understand what is going on and connect with the characters without having to read all the other books that were written before. Despite a big portion of the book being focused on the characters personal life, we didn´t learn much about them, except their skin and hair colour.
That leads me to another issue I had with the characters, that being that the cast felt like one big diversity hire meeting. I don´t mind a diverse cast if it is done correctly, but it felt really forced here, like it was done just for the sake of it. How to make a diverse cast right?
- don´t emphasize their diversity every chance there is, make the diversity more subtle. For example, let´s take Ollie. Rather then telling us he is overweight and is currently trying to hold a diet, it would be much more authentic to show it through him maybe having a dilemma over buying himself a cake and let us observe his inner thoughts.
- "You don´t trust me because i´m black" The amount of refering to someone´s race and bringing up racism that wasn´t even there was something that didn´t add any value to the book, in fact rather made me go huh? How did we even got here? The character never shown any racist behavior, so what is happening here and why? If the character is supposed to be a racist, okay, but let it be reflected through their actions in some way, bigger or smaller, and as always, show more tell less.
- use their unique culture and heritage rather then keep repeating this person is black, this person has red hair because they are irish etc. Having a diverse cast is a great opportunity to open the readers mind to appreciate different cultures and learn about them. Study the culture, habits and customs of the people and let them shine through your work.
I also disliked the amount of hate the characters were filled with towards so many things. It felt like they are all very bitter, and we were being told about it in a very explicit way at every possible chance.
The dialogues were very chaotic and often didn´t add any value, or worked purely as a rushed transition to get the characters where they need to be. Making the dialogue passages longer and using transition like "said" and adding action to the words would have made a huge difference, like: XY observed his collegue over his coffee mug. "We don´t have the time for that" he said and took a long sip.
Too big synch between the characters private life follow. We saw person A´s romance, then person B, then person C, then person D etc. all in close succession right after each other. This felt a bit unnatural, and it would have been cool to have the different characters deal with different issues, and mix it up a bit by not having them all on the romance watch at the same time, but someone at the beginning, someone in the middle etc.
On the positive side, I really enjoyed the concept of the book and how the detectives all came to the answers independently from each other, using their own leads. That was a very unique way of a solution, since in most crime novels it is either someone realizing it or everyone putting the clues together. So the method of everyone coming to the same conclusions independently was a very unique thing I enjoyed.
Overall, I think it was an okay read, the mystery was interesting and I enjoyed the solution, and although it has a lot of space for improvement, the mystery was definitely worth it.
August 18, 2025
It would be correct to describe this as a quick read. Published during 2005, the year of Ed McBain's death. The "busy" story is broken into short sections, much as many of the later books in the series. The 87th picks up the shooting of a restaurant violinist who had been blinded in Vietnam. This case made them the First Man Up when further shootings take place, all committed with a 9mm Glock automatic. At first, the squad is flummoxed, and more shootings take place with the same gun but victims without apparent connections. One of the killings takes place in the 87th, and Fat Ollie Weeks offers to help out as the whole squad of the 87th is working the cases already. They all begin to home in on the killer. As the book has progressed, the sections have included some from the killer's perspective.
Good characters, all of them by now old friends, do not let the reader down. On the private lives side, Fat Ollie is still persuing the fair officer Gomes, Kling has issues with Sharyn or she has with him, Hawes makes a new conquest, and Carella is having troubles with his teenage daughter. The merry-go-round of the 87th will always be missed. 3 star finish.
Good characters, all of them by now old friends, do not let the reader down. On the private lives side, Fat Ollie is still persuing the fair officer Gomes, Kling has issues with Sharyn or she has with him, Hawes makes a new conquest, and Carella is having troubles with his teenage daughter. The merry-go-round of the 87th will always be missed. 3 star finish.
January 13, 2024
Found this at a books sale, not realizing it was the 55th book! It was a bit hard to get into it, definitely a different writing style by not listing the person speaking. Entire pages of conversations and barely any context who spoke was “speaking” but was easy enough to get through. Story definitely jumped around a lot!
April 17, 2022
Ebben a zsánerben jó könyv, rendőrös-nyomozós történet. Szépen alakul a végkifejlet, sok mindent megismerünk már a közepétől. Bűnöző és rendőrök-a karakterek az érdekesek.
January 8, 2019
A slick 2005 87th Precinct police procedural, continuing a lengthy series started by McBain in 1956 and featuring Steve Carella, Meyer Meyer, Cotton Hawes, et al. Stylistically, this book is a variation on the standard 1950s police procedural motif (or "trope" as the smart kids say [it’s all the rage!]) and attempts to provide the reader with some insight into the lives and personalities of the detectives investigating the case. If these slice of life glimpses are interesting and or humorous (and brief) they allow the writer (and reader) to concentrate on the crime and solution aspects of the story with no hook thrown into the story by an investigator's personality quirk. The basic police procedural can be read for the story of the crime and its solution and therefore success is defined as a good story well told with little, if any, 'fun facts to know about Bob' distractions. Either the basic police procedural form or McBain’s variation (see also Peter Turnbull, Sjöwall & Wahlöö, etc.) is in vivid contrast to the more popular practice today of offering a detective whose personality quirks pinball the course of the story throughout the book. This fun is often enhanced by the detective possessing additional burdens of disease (mental and/or physical), missing organs or limbs, long lost junkie offspring who are also shoplifters, demented, dead or dying spouses, a defective wine palette, etc. Hence the agony reveler’s delight – the “damaged” (it’s all the rage!) protagonist. The argument here may be that the new detective is more interesting than the old farts and cherry-picked comparisons can certainly make that point, but if the choice is between a statue and a statue covered in pigeon poop, I’ll take the statue (if someone hasn’t knocked it over by now).
In Fiddlers, McBain intersperses a somewhat quirky revenge driven killing spree story with vignettes portraying events in the social lives of the detectives involved in investigating the crime. McBain, however, paints with a spare brush and both the actual story and the little "human interest" sidelights are presented in alternating short sections. A Viet Nam war vet (the old standby) in his late fifties decides to murder all the people from his past who "fiddled" with his life and committed some atrocity (the usual bag of tricks) on him. In Fiddlers, the offenses perpetrated on the vet are dealt with in a very minimalist (ancient times) fashion. And there are no scenes where a Styrofoam cup washing up on the shore sends him into paroxysms of guilt and self-loathing, so the book is only 250 pages and not 500. McBain manages to slide a few social commentary meat slices between the story bread, but mercifully this is done in a succinct hit and run fashion.
The major flaw in the book is the lack of suspense. The reader will suspect quite early in the book why the vet is suddenly driven to action after thirty years of ignoring his tormentors, so there is little tension in the book. The inevitable ‘why he waited so long’ explanation is not very convincing.
The vignettes portraying the current events in the detective's personal lives are sometimes amusing, but the flap involving the Carellas’ daughter smoking pot is a bit overwrought and why the sturm and drang should I care anyway? I suppose for its instructional value. Happily, as mentioned, these slice of life dramas are clearly defined by the text layout, so they can be savored individually or ignored altogether.
Also, this is an "inverted justice" story where the criminal deals out moral justice and the law scratches its head and stumbles into an arrest. In the end, legal justice prevails and the unrepentant vet is confronted by a bitter regret – just to put the old irony cap on the proceedings. If this device (trope?) was to convince us that McBain was not rooting for the killer all along, the brevity of the justice-prevailing final scene and the fact that the vet is by far the most interesting character in the book I think belies this.
In Fiddlers, McBain intersperses a somewhat quirky revenge driven killing spree story with vignettes portraying events in the social lives of the detectives involved in investigating the crime. McBain, however, paints with a spare brush and both the actual story and the little "human interest" sidelights are presented in alternating short sections. A Viet Nam war vet (the old standby) in his late fifties decides to murder all the people from his past who "fiddled" with his life and committed some atrocity (the usual bag of tricks) on him. In Fiddlers, the offenses perpetrated on the vet are dealt with in a very minimalist (ancient times) fashion. And there are no scenes where a Styrofoam cup washing up on the shore sends him into paroxysms of guilt and self-loathing, so the book is only 250 pages and not 500. McBain manages to slide a few social commentary meat slices between the story bread, but mercifully this is done in a succinct hit and run fashion.
The major flaw in the book is the lack of suspense. The reader will suspect quite early in the book why the vet is suddenly driven to action after thirty years of ignoring his tormentors, so there is little tension in the book. The inevitable ‘why he waited so long’ explanation is not very convincing.
The vignettes portraying the current events in the detective's personal lives are sometimes amusing, but the flap involving the Carellas’ daughter smoking pot is a bit overwrought and why the sturm and drang should I care anyway? I suppose for its instructional value. Happily, as mentioned, these slice of life dramas are clearly defined by the text layout, so they can be savored individually or ignored altogether.
Also, this is an "inverted justice" story where the criminal deals out moral justice and the law scratches its head and stumbles into an arrest. In the end, legal justice prevails and the unrepentant vet is confronted by a bitter regret – just to put the old irony cap on the proceedings. If this device (trope?) was to convince us that McBain was not rooting for the killer all along, the brevity of the justice-prevailing final scene and the fact that the vet is by far the most interesting character in the book I think belies this.
March 8, 2019
One of many things I enjoy about Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series of police procedurals is how he shows police detectives engaged not just in their daily work but also their personal lives and relationships. So it is in FIDDLERS. (Which sadly seems to be his last published book before his death.)
The cast of characters involve quite a cross-section of humanity.
One overweight white male detective is becoming involved with a pretty Latina. He is socially awkward, she is engaging, and there are concerns about the cultural differences.
Another detective is married to a deaf woman. They are a loving couple, who arguably communicate better than most married couples. They are raising teenage twins – a boy and a girl – who face the usual teen temptations. These include peer pressure to engage in drugs and petty shoplifting, which could be especially egregious to a father who is a cop.
A third couple is a white detective and a black woman who are on the verge of splitting up. The cause? The detective had jealous doubts and followed her. I was not just a trust issue, but involves misunderstanding due to racial consciousness.
One of the detectives has a black partner, who tries to help him understand, though sometimes the problems are just too complicated.
All the while, the detectives do their job in a professional manner. Even with all these problem swirling in the backs of their minds, step-by-methodical step they unravel the complicated mystery to its solution.
Just another case in the lives of McBain’s characters.
The cast of characters involve quite a cross-section of humanity.
One overweight white male detective is becoming involved with a pretty Latina. He is socially awkward, she is engaging, and there are concerns about the cultural differences.
Another detective is married to a deaf woman. They are a loving couple, who arguably communicate better than most married couples. They are raising teenage twins – a boy and a girl – who face the usual teen temptations. These include peer pressure to engage in drugs and petty shoplifting, which could be especially egregious to a father who is a cop.
A third couple is a white detective and a black woman who are on the verge of splitting up. The cause? The detective had jealous doubts and followed her. I was not just a trust issue, but involves misunderstanding due to racial consciousness.
One of the detectives has a black partner, who tries to help him understand, though sometimes the problems are just too complicated.
All the while, the detectives do their job in a professional manner. Even with all these problem swirling in the backs of their minds, step-by-methodical step they unravel the complicated mystery to its solution.
Just another case in the lives of McBain’s characters.
June 17, 2019
For 55 books, this has been an amazing journey in the depths of the detectives of the 87th and if you're a fan, with Fat Ollie Weeks out of the 86th. Along the way, you dealt with the homicide detectives, who made an appearance in almost every book, but also met informants, gangsters, pimps, hookers, robbers, innocent folk, and the deaf man over the course of 50 years worth of writing.
There were highlights, and lows, but the men and women that work out of the 87th and the city Isola, and all the Burroughs, you have an enjoyable police procedural, from Det. Carrella and his lovely wife Teddy, who is hard of hearing and makes an interesting policeman's wife as they sign their ways through love and family; Meyer Meyer, the bald Jewish Detective who is as stone solid out of any of the team, and my favorites Cotton Hawes with his streak of white in his head of red, and Bert Kling the forever youngster in the group and his challenges in the world of love. I can't end a review with Fat Ollie, the cop from another precinct and his W.C. Field's jokes, and as much of a jerk he is in the beginning, you fall for how much he finds love with another officer, the lovely Puerto Rican Patricia, whom I hope at the end has finally tamed the big man.
A great series overall and I'm amazed that after reading this for a couple years I'm finally done. Congrats McBain and I'm hoping all is going well in the great precinct up in the sky.
There were highlights, and lows, but the men and women that work out of the 87th and the city Isola, and all the Burroughs, you have an enjoyable police procedural, from Det. Carrella and his lovely wife Teddy, who is hard of hearing and makes an interesting policeman's wife as they sign their ways through love and family; Meyer Meyer, the bald Jewish Detective who is as stone solid out of any of the team, and my favorites Cotton Hawes with his streak of white in his head of red, and Bert Kling the forever youngster in the group and his challenges in the world of love. I can't end a review with Fat Ollie, the cop from another precinct and his W.C. Field's jokes, and as much of a jerk he is in the beginning, you fall for how much he finds love with another officer, the lovely Puerto Rican Patricia, whom I hope at the end has finally tamed the big man.
A great series overall and I'm amazed that after reading this for a couple years I'm finally done. Congrats McBain and I'm hoping all is going well in the great precinct up in the sky.
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