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87th Precinct #43
Widows
The beautiful blonde in the penthouse apartment was dead, her face and body laced with slashes from a paring knife -- grisly evidence of the terrible things the city can do to pretty young women. What sordid web of money, sex, and greed had ensnared Susan Brauer? The stack of unsigned erotic letters in her possession was the first clue. Then the murder of Susan's lover, a married lawyer in his sixties, leads the cops of the 87th to the women left behind: the lawyer's wife, his ex, his daughters. And for Detective Carella, his own father's senseless death in a bakery holdup sears through the intense summer heat -- and sends him on a fevered hunt for the one who made his mother a widow and shrouded his family in grief.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
104 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Ed McBain
712 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 69 reviews
November 22, 2015
A string of murders has suddenly left a proliferation of widows in the 87th Precinct, and one of the cases hits especially close to home for the detectives of the precinct.
The first victim is a beautiful young woman named Susan Brauer, who is viciously stabbed to death with a small knife. She leaves no widow behind, but she does leave a collection of intensely erotic letters, from her lover, a married lawyer. When the lawyer is then killed, he does leave a beautiful widow along with a safe deposit box full of erotic letters that apparently constitute the other half of Susan Brauer's correspondence.
Most of the obvious suspects, including the lawyer's widow and daughters, seem to have solid alibis, and detectives Carella and Brown suddenly have a very knotty case on their hands. Then, Carella's father, a baker, is shot to death in his store, leaving Carella grieving and his mother a widow.
Carella's father was murdered in another neighborhood, and Carella is forced to let the detectives of that precinct work the case. But naturally, he is desperate to see that the case is pursued to a successful conclusion. The narrative moves back and forth between the two investigations, each of which is difficult and complex in its own way, and this turns out to be another very engaging story. Another winner from one of the masters of crime fiction.
The first victim is a beautiful young woman named Susan Brauer, who is viciously stabbed to death with a small knife. She leaves no widow behind, but she does leave a collection of intensely erotic letters, from her lover, a married lawyer. When the lawyer is then killed, he does leave a beautiful widow along with a safe deposit box full of erotic letters that apparently constitute the other half of Susan Brauer's correspondence.
Most of the obvious suspects, including the lawyer's widow and daughters, seem to have solid alibis, and detectives Carella and Brown suddenly have a very knotty case on their hands. Then, Carella's father, a baker, is shot to death in his store, leaving Carella grieving and his mother a widow.
Carella's father was murdered in another neighborhood, and Carella is forced to let the detectives of that precinct work the case. But naturally, he is desperate to see that the case is pursued to a successful conclusion. The narrative moves back and forth between the two investigations, each of which is difficult and complex in its own way, and this turns out to be another very engaging story. Another winner from one of the masters of crime fiction.
March 25, 2018
Another good book from the 87th, with the main storyline being a series of murders associated with a rich lawyer, but other lines about the rehabilitation of Eileen Burke (psychologically damaged in a previous book), the murder of Carella’s father and problems with his brother-in-law.
August 22, 2022
Probably the longest of the series so far and one of the best. Like many of the earlier books there is more than one case being worked here, but in addition to that there are a couple of sub plots concerning the private lives of some of the detectives. These sub plots have more depth than the previous ventures down this road.
Well worth reading but prior knowledge of the characters is kind of essential, so not a good stand alone.
Well worth reading but prior knowledge of the characters is kind of essential, so not a good stand alone.
November 25, 2021
"On the street outside, the crowd behind the barricade was getting restless. This was already three o'clock in the morning, but no one was thinking of sleep. The only thing on anyone's mind was Showdown at the O.K. Corral. Toward that end, and with the seeming purpose of rattling everyone in sight so that the only possible outcome would be a loss of blood, a loss of life, further fuel for the inevitable fire to come."
Accurate and bitter social observations elevate Ed McBain's Widows (1991), the 43rd installment in the 87th Precinct series, to the above three-star rating. The accounts of two hostage situations are dispassionately written and believable. The hysteria of the crowd that watches unfolding events and yearns for a bloody climax is scary even for cynical observers of human nature. So are the interventions of actors from outside, which whip up the crowd's frenzy to further their unrelated political goals. All that on the ever-present backdrop of poverty and racial issues.
As it often happens in the 87th Precinct novels, the plot is multithreaded, with the threads intersecting at various junctures. There are three main stories in Widows: the novel begins with Detectives Carella and Brown catching the case of murder of a young woman. A bundle of erotic letters is found in the room, where the body has been found, and the case grows to include further victims.
The second main thread focuses on a personal loss of one of the detectives, and the investigation connected with it, difficult because of racial undercurrents. The novel was published in 1991 and it shows how little has changed in 30 years, except for current "euphemization" of the language.
The third thread features Detective Eileen Burke, who's beginning her new job on a hostage negotiating team. One of the strongest fragments in the novel is an account of her handling the negotiations with an old man holding a hostage. I am wondering if the author was influenced by Fellini's film Amarcord (1971) and its memorable scene when an elderly man hiding in a tree is yelling Voglio una donna! Brilliant and sad scenes, both.
There is some gentle humor:
Three-and-a-quarter stars.
Accurate and bitter social observations elevate Ed McBain's Widows (1991), the 43rd installment in the 87th Precinct series, to the above three-star rating. The accounts of two hostage situations are dispassionately written and believable. The hysteria of the crowd that watches unfolding events and yearns for a bloody climax is scary even for cynical observers of human nature. So are the interventions of actors from outside, which whip up the crowd's frenzy to further their unrelated political goals. All that on the ever-present backdrop of poverty and racial issues.
As it often happens in the 87th Precinct novels, the plot is multithreaded, with the threads intersecting at various junctures. There are three main stories in Widows: the novel begins with Detectives Carella and Brown catching the case of murder of a young woman. A bundle of erotic letters is found in the room, where the body has been found, and the case grows to include further victims.
The second main thread focuses on a personal loss of one of the detectives, and the investigation connected with it, difficult because of racial undercurrents. The novel was published in 1991 and it shows how little has changed in 30 years, except for current "euphemization" of the language.
The third thread features Detective Eileen Burke, who's beginning her new job on a hostage negotiating team. One of the strongest fragments in the novel is an account of her handling the negotiations with an old man holding a hostage. I am wondering if the author was influenced by Fellini's film Amarcord (1971) and its memorable scene when an elderly man hiding in a tree is yelling Voglio una donna! Brilliant and sad scenes, both.
There is some gentle humor:
"[...] how could you keep an eye on your sister to make sure some sex fiend wasn't dry humping her while you were busy trying to dry hump Margie Gannon? It got complicated sometimes. Adolescence was complicated."Overall, I recommend the novel, not only because of two captivating and well-written hostage crisis vignettes, but also for the interesting denouement of the first thread.
Three-and-a-quarter stars.
October 2, 2013
After being disappointed with the last two McBain novels not being as good as what I remembered, this one was more like what I expected. There is plenty of excitement in the hot month of July in the city. A beautiful, young blonde girl is found dead. In her apartment is $12,000 and some pornographic love letters. Shortly, after, the twice married lawyer she was having an affair with is shot to death. Steve Carella finds it hard to pay attention to these crimes as he struggles to deal with his own tragedy. Will they be able to nail the murderer before more blood is shed?
It was nice to have an exciting 87th Precinct book to read. It renewed my faith in McBain as a writer.
It was nice to have an exciting 87th Precinct book to read. It renewed my faith in McBain as a writer.
November 16, 2021
Carella and Brown are called in when a young woman is found in her apartment brutally stabbed to death. This leads to a trail of assignations, death and finally to a perpetrator. While this is ongoing Carella's father is shot dead at his bakery shop following an armed holdup, this leads the 45th squad on a track of gunman and crack users. Leads to a hostage situation and a new star in Eileen Burke. Lots of issues here with guns, drugs and the decline of the city residential areas.
A good read but dwells a great deal on personal relationships. This philosophical element seems to be increasing as the series continues. Not quite the ram bam we'll sort it man action of the earlier stories. The storyline is focusing more and more on Carella and his family to the exclusion of the rest of the squad. We will see how the series progresses.
A good 3 star verging on 4.
A good read but dwells a great deal on personal relationships. This philosophical element seems to be increasing as the series continues. Not quite the ram bam we'll sort it man action of the earlier stories. The storyline is focusing more and more on Carella and his family to the exclusion of the rest of the squad. We will see how the series progresses.
A good 3 star verging on 4.
November 2, 2019
After the previous two disappointing novels (Lullaby and Vespers), McBain is back in shape with Widows, even if there aren’t actually that many widows as the title would suggest. Once more, we get two main plots and the development of a third thread, that being the Eileen saga.
First plot is the murder of Susan, a young, blonde bimbo and the discovery of a bunch of porn letters she exchanged with her married lover, a much older lawyer. When he too gets killed, the way is open to the first widow and more violence and complications.
Second plot is the murder of Carella’s father, shot to death for 1200 dollars, by a couple of irredimibile criminals
The Eileen saga is about Eileen Burke, a female detective who got raped working as a decoy and ended up shooting a serial killer as a sort of cathartic revenge. Eileen blames boyfriend Bert Kling - one of the 87th good guys - for part of her misfortune. Her plot develops in the background of previous books, and this novel it merges skillfully with the Carella’s plot.
McBain manages to keep the sleaze under control and to create considerable suspense as to the identity of Susan’s murderer. Carella is left with plenty of family trouble and a dissatisfactory end to the chase of his father’s killer and we finally appreciate the full extent of Eileen’s nastiness, in the way she disposes of Bert, once she’s back in shape.
Some say McBain was not good with female characters, but I think that even if unwittingly, he described perfectly the whiny nature of some women, who blame everyone for their troubles and cannot deal with their own anger.
First plot is the murder of Susan, a young, blonde bimbo and the discovery of a bunch of porn letters she exchanged with her married lover, a much older lawyer. When he too gets killed, the way is open to the first widow and more violence and complications.
Second plot is the murder of Carella’s father, shot to death for 1200 dollars, by a couple of irredimibile criminals
The Eileen saga is about Eileen Burke, a female detective who got raped working as a decoy and ended up shooting a serial killer as a sort of cathartic revenge. Eileen blames boyfriend Bert Kling - one of the 87th good guys - for part of her misfortune. Her plot develops in the background of previous books, and this novel it merges skillfully with the Carella’s plot.
McBain manages to keep the sleaze under control and to create considerable suspense as to the identity of Susan’s murderer. Carella is left with plenty of family trouble and a dissatisfactory end to the chase of his father’s killer and we finally appreciate the full extent of Eileen’s nastiness, in the way she disposes of Bert, once she’s back in shape.
Some say McBain was not good with female characters, but I think that even if unwittingly, he described perfectly the whiny nature of some women, who blame everyone for their troubles and cannot deal with their own anger.
January 27, 2014
A young beautiful blonde has her throat cut and face slashed, with the only clue a series of sexually explicit love letters. Then a man is shot to death along with his dog, and another set of similar unsigned letters is found in his safety deposit box along with two tickets to Europe in the two victim's name. But then his new wife and ex-wife are shot too, creating quite a mystery for the detectives. Meanwhile, Steve Carella's father is killed during a robbery of his bakery, and Steve's pregnant sister is convinced her husband is having an affair. Finally, Eileen Burke is trying to transfer to the hostage rescue team as a negotiator and resolving her problem with Bert Kling. Eileen has to negotiate over a hostage with the killer of Carella's dad. Good one.
December 31, 2018
McBain's 87th Precinct novels tend to remind me of an episode of Hill Street Blues. There are always multiple storylines going on and the reader is cordially invited to view the mindset and emotions of these people. McBain makes these people real with the same types of anger, fear, pride, and arrogance we often see in any group of folks.
Carella's father is called in a robbery in a bakery shop. Of course, the detectives handling the case try (at first) to keep Carella at arm's length from the investigation. However, later on, they allow him to be at the capture of the suspects in a move that no police department would ever allow. Yet as the novel progresses, Carella processes special memories of his father and advice he gave-- revealing the father to be a wise and careful mentor to his son.
Eileen is dealing with the trauma of having to shoot a man in the line of duty and gets directed to join the team training to be hostage negotiators. Once again, McBain reveals to the reader what Eileen is trying desperately to conceal-- She is still taumatized, still dealing with a rape that happened to her on duty, and fearful she is going to screw up and cost hostages their lives.
Meanwhile, another investigation, the key investigation in the story in my opinion, concerns a woman found slashed to death in her apartment and a stash of cash hidden in her closet. It soon becomes obvious that another series of killings, these using a different M.O. have to be related. In addition, there is a stash of erotic letters that creates an evidence trail and the storyline following these detectives is the closest we get to an actual police procedural, though that is obviously what McBain was striving for.
Still, the reader is treated to an above average mystery-- a taste of police procedure-- and decent characterization in order to be engaged.
Warning- the content of the erotic letters may put off some readers if they don't care for it. I recognize them as a necessary plot device, but some readers might be uncomfortable with such details.
Carella's father is called in a robbery in a bakery shop. Of course, the detectives handling the case try (at first) to keep Carella at arm's length from the investigation. However, later on, they allow him to be at the capture of the suspects in a move that no police department would ever allow. Yet as the novel progresses, Carella processes special memories of his father and advice he gave-- revealing the father to be a wise and careful mentor to his son.
Eileen is dealing with the trauma of having to shoot a man in the line of duty and gets directed to join the team training to be hostage negotiators. Once again, McBain reveals to the reader what Eileen is trying desperately to conceal-- She is still taumatized, still dealing with a rape that happened to her on duty, and fearful she is going to screw up and cost hostages their lives.
Meanwhile, another investigation, the key investigation in the story in my opinion, concerns a woman found slashed to death in her apartment and a stash of cash hidden in her closet. It soon becomes obvious that another series of killings, these using a different M.O. have to be related. In addition, there is a stash of erotic letters that creates an evidence trail and the storyline following these detectives is the closest we get to an actual police procedural, though that is obviously what McBain was striving for.
Still, the reader is treated to an above average mystery-- a taste of police procedure-- and decent characterization in order to be engaged.
Warning- the content of the erotic letters may put off some readers if they don't care for it. I recognize them as a necessary plot device, but some readers might be uncomfortable with such details.
June 4, 2020
A young girl is brutally stabbed, another man (and his dog) is shot, and yet another man is murdered when a robbery goes wrong. In other words, it's just another summer of murder and mayhem in the city. Unfortunately, one of the murders touches Detective Steve Carella personally when he finds the robbery took place at his father's bakery and now his mother is a widow. As Carella struggles with his lose and tries to work on the never-ending crimes assaulting the city, Eileen and Bert finally decide to split up after working on their issues and Eileen finds fulfillment in her new career as a hostage negotiator...even though her latest hostage gets blown away. It's all in a day's work for the city's finest. As always, good job Mr. McBain.
June 10, 2009
PB An 87th Precinct novel. Made up town where the police have a series of murders to solve one being the killing of one detective's father and another officer is a rookie on the hostage negotiation squad. The investigations slowly come together in the ending. Its a bit confusing at times as you switch from character to character and case to case. A filler between better books.
ISBN - 0-7434-7076-1, Mystery, Pages - 407, Print Size - R, Rating - 3.5
ISBN - 0-7434-7076-1, Mystery, Pages - 407, Print Size - R, Rating - 3.5
October 2, 2008
I didn't enjoy this one as much as Nocturne, but it was still very good. I like that there is a method to building a picture of the crime; that clues and insight don't just drop in the laps of the detectives. There are plenty of dead ends too, just as there must be in real detective work.
I'm looking forward to many more McBain books.
I'm looking forward to many more McBain books.
September 21, 2012
Very good. Several stories going on at once, including the murder and investigation of the killer of Detective Steve Carella's father. Also hostage negotiations and the murders of several other people and a dog! (That upset me more than the murder of the people, except Steve's dad). Good stories, well told, as usual.
December 1, 2018
One of those books with multiple endings that kind of drag as the author struggles to tie up all the loose plots. Still, it's Ed McBain so it's good. Not one of his best, but still pretty solid. How many more of these 87th precinct books do I have left to read? Am I close to the end yet? As we get closer to modern times they seem less and less plausible.
June 21, 2021
Entirely solid entry in the 87th Precinct series that wraps together a good but not outstanding central plot with a couple of more personal storylines about Burke and Carella that end up intertwining. It’s not as good as some of the other books, but it’s still completely gripping and enjoyably gritty.
September 20, 2009
Ed McBain strikes again. The cops of the 87th precinct are among my favorite group of characters in a long series. In this one, Steve Carella's father is killed and the cops of the 87th chase down someone who killed a man is working on the women in his life.
November 21, 2014
This is a detective mystery of the 87th Precinct. A young woman is found murdered in her apartment and the only clues are a stack of erotic letters. Additionally, the detectives have the case of an 87 year old man who had four women angry with him.
December 20, 2020
No in-depth review but will just say that for the most part this is top notch 87th Precinct stuff, though the big finale is probably dragged out a bit (and the short final 'bringing things down' chapter seems forced). Nonetheless, I enjoyed this one a lot x
March 5, 2016
Great story -- loved it as well as all his other books.
July 7, 2014
McBain usually gets only three stars, but this one is a three and a half, rounded up to a four.
September 10, 2014
A well crafted who-dun-it that I enjoyed listening to.
January 15, 2015
Really good plot. Much more complex than some of McBain's earlier stuff, which he just seemed to churn out annually. The characters of the cops are much more rounded too.
May 22, 2019
Interesting timeless plot with well paced story line. Detective Carella becomes entwined when his job and family mix with murder.
August 6, 2019
Two plots intertwined and solidly written.
September 29, 2019
Eileen joins a hostage negotiation team. A woman's husband is killed. Tragedy in Corella's family. Fairly riveting book. As usual Dick Hill does an excellent narration.
March 25, 2020
He is a man who's wife dies
Then cops investigate.
He has a dead wife there's money involved.
The decide he did it. He killed his wife.
Then the man commits suicide
Because he was caught.
Then cops investigate.
He has a dead wife there's money involved.
The decide he did it. He killed his wife.
Then the man commits suicide
Because he was caught.
June 8, 2023
So glad Carella wasn't bumped off early on in the series as planned, or we wouldn't be here (in the series) right along side him feeling his pain and remembrance.
Widows gives us three lines of plot this time out. !) The main murder plot, 2) the Death of Carella's father , and 3) the plight of Eileen Burke's career path- and those involved. All three wrap up nicely in the finale, and this is a solid chapter in the 87th annals. On a positive note, I believe nearly all of the 87th main folks are present, at least somewhere in this book.!+1star
The main plot treads over common ground of sex, revenge, greed, and murder. Several deaths are attributed to an adulterous older man, apparently into younger blondes, and a poor relationship track record. McBain paints a graphic precursor to 50 Shades of Gray within some of the adult letters being used as evidence in this storyline. Being an older story, it felt shocking for shocking-sake, more vulgar than erotic, but paints the necessary picture. The resolution seems like a bar stool tale's punchline. And not very satisfying.
The Burke scenes feel heavy handed, redundant, and empty of feeling (for me). Much of the whining by Burke is understandable, given what has happening in previous books, but geez, just get out of police work already. "I don't what to have to shoot people (as a police officer chasing gun toting bad guys) but I won't go find an office job that requires no use of hand guns and stop being a cop." Much time is spent beating that drum to ill effect. Burke jumping over to a Hostage/ Negotiator, seems like the wrong move. Nearly all hostages are held as such by a ...(insert weapon of choice here, probably a gun.) And the Negotiator is the only one not carrying a weapon.
Trying to drag Kling into this mess, feels dirty, irresponsible, and overly harsh, especially given the abrupt result in the latter chapter. Can't say I am a fan of Burke at this point.
And poor Steve, losing his Dad to gun violence for money for crack, this hurts. McBain does a solid job of covering all the emotional bases, while keeping Carella true to form. Piling on family drama of a later term pregant sister, her dead beat husband, their kids, etc., the effects of the father's death on everyone is deftly handled. Teddy is present with sage questions to prompt Steve's path.
I thought, intentionally so, that the title was about those widows of the violence begat in this story, then McBain throws in a lame poker-style card game named the same thing. Weird ending note for me.
Good story overall, with a couple of long winded segments, overly vulgar/erotic letters among victims, and common as sunshine crimes to solve makes this another worthwhile read.
Recommend (in line with the series) to best effect.
Thanks for reading.
Widows gives us three lines of plot this time out. !) The main murder plot, 2) the Death of Carella's father , and 3) the plight of Eileen Burke's career path- and those involved. All three wrap up nicely in the finale, and this is a solid chapter in the 87th annals. On a positive note, I believe nearly all of the 87th main folks are present, at least somewhere in this book.!+1star
The main plot treads over common ground of sex, revenge, greed, and murder. Several deaths are attributed to an adulterous older man, apparently into younger blondes, and a poor relationship track record. McBain paints a graphic precursor to 50 Shades of Gray within some of the adult letters being used as evidence in this storyline. Being an older story, it felt shocking for shocking-sake, more vulgar than erotic, but paints the necessary picture. The resolution seems like a bar stool tale's punchline. And not very satisfying.
The Burke scenes feel heavy handed, redundant, and empty of feeling (for me). Much of the whining by Burke is understandable, given what has happening in previous books, but geez, just get out of police work already. "I don't what to have to shoot people (as a police officer chasing gun toting bad guys) but I won't go find an office job that requires no use of hand guns and stop being a cop." Much time is spent beating that drum to ill effect. Burke jumping over to a Hostage/ Negotiator, seems like the wrong move. Nearly all hostages are held as such by a ...(insert weapon of choice here, probably a gun.) And the Negotiator is the only one not carrying a weapon.
Trying to drag Kling into this mess, feels dirty, irresponsible, and overly harsh, especially given the abrupt result in the latter chapter. Can't say I am a fan of Burke at this point.
And poor Steve, losing his Dad to gun violence for money for crack, this hurts. McBain does a solid job of covering all the emotional bases, while keeping Carella true to form. Piling on family drama of a later term pregant sister, her dead beat husband, their kids, etc., the effects of the father's death on everyone is deftly handled. Teddy is present with sage questions to prompt Steve's path.
I thought, intentionally so, that the title was about those widows of the violence begat in this story, then McBain throws in a lame poker-style card game named the same thing. Weird ending note for me.
Good story overall, with a couple of long winded segments, overly vulgar/erotic letters among victims, and common as sunshine crimes to solve makes this another worthwhile read.
Recommend (in line with the series) to best effect.
Thanks for reading.
January 9, 2021
Zajímavě poskládané. Hlavní případ (série vražd spojených manželskými, ex-manželskými a mileneckými vztahy) se vyřeší ještě před konce knihy, aby pak narostlo to, co byla původně spíš vedlejší, byť emočně hlavní linie – vražda otce Steva Carelly. Ano, už bylo na čase, aby se zločin opět dotkl některého z hrdinů. Z téhle linie se stane obléhání a vyloženě thrillerová pasáž, ve které překvapivě nejsou policajti za totální nemehla. Možná proto, že se do čela dostává policistka Eillen, která se tak nějak zjevovala už v minulých knihách, původně hlavně jako love interest, ale postupně se z ní začala stávat jedna z hlavních postav. Dobře ona.
Série tady dost zvážněla, je minimalizovaný humor i bizarní postavičky a je větší důraz na různé podoby nenávisti. A tady dost i erotiky, které ale překvapivě nepůsobí komicky. Možná proto, že se v ní McBain moc nebabrá. Jak se proměňuje svět, proměňuje se i vztah lidí k policii, kdy najednou už nejsou problémem zločinci, ale jejich právníci, bojovníci za práva idiotů a jiní angažovanci. Čili už to není souboj policistů čistě s gaunery, ale s celým světem. Což samozřejmě působí o dost depresivněji.
Série tady dost zvážněla, je minimalizovaný humor i bizarní postavičky a je větší důraz na různé podoby nenávisti. A tady dost i erotiky, které ale překvapivě nepůsobí komicky. Možná proto, že se v ní McBain moc nebabrá. Jak se proměňuje svět, proměňuje se i vztah lidí k policii, kdy najednou už nejsou problémem zločinci, ale jejich právníci, bojovníci za práva idiotů a jiní angažovanci. Čili už to není souboj policistů čistě s gaunery, ale s celým světem. Což samozřejmě působí o dost depresivněji.
January 29, 2023
Two murders at the beginning of this book. A beautiful, young woman. And Detective Steve Carella’s father. A lot of sex in the first plotline, a lot of sadness in the second. Both plotlines were good reads and felt like the regular 87th Precinct stories!
For me, the Eileen plot strand was not a good fit in this book. Especially her therapy sessions. It felt very interrupting, sort of stopping the flow of the two murder investigations. When those parts came up, I skimmed over them. Barely.
And what was up with the last four pages of the book? Huh?? Were they supposed to be for this story, or were they part of something else? Weird.
For me, the Eileen plot strand was not a good fit in this book. Especially her therapy sessions. It felt very interrupting, sort of stopping the flow of the two murder investigations. When those parts came up, I skimmed over them. Barely.
And what was up with the last four pages of the book? Huh?? Were they supposed to be for this story, or were they part of something else? Weird.
July 5, 2024
The ending makes this a high 3 star. But it was a struggle at times, because the book is overlong and over-complicated with too many competing storylines. Also, just because changing times allowed McBain to use rude words in his books, it doesn't give him a license to go overboard with explicit details of pornographic love letters. We get the gist of them without needing to spell it out so graphically.
One thing particularly bothered me about this book. I don't care which precinct you're in,
One thing particularly bothered me about this book. I don't care which precinct you're in,
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews