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A blonde woman, a living doll, is found slashed to death. Steve Carella wants Bert Kling on the case, a belligerent cop. When he goes missing, presumed dead, the officers of the 87th Precinct go all out to find the truth.
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
4 people are currently reading
430 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 95 reviews
October 3, 2017
Ed McBain’s Doll is absolutely one of the best in the 87th Precinct series. The opening scene of a woman being slashed to death, while her little girl sits in the next room comforting her doll, is both harrowing and gritty, setting a somewhat darker tone for this entry than many in the series. As with all the 87th Precinct novels, especially the better ones, there is a lot more going on here than the murder and the investigation.
This one follows the death of someone in a previous entry, and Kling is so messed up over it he’s about to be booted off the squad. When Carella catches the call of the murder of model Tina Sachs, he requests Kling, hoping he can rehabilitate him and return him to the cop he was before Claire’s death. Fat chance. Kling is surly and cares little about interviewing skills.
When Carella and Kling finally have a blow-up, Carella waffles on bringing someone else with him to check out a lead on the case. Carella decides to go it alone, and next thing you know, his charred body is discovered. It’s up to the grieving boys of the 87th to retrace Carella’s steps, and make sense of how he ended up dead. Kling’s blow-up with Carella, of course, gets plenty of play, since his taking off early ended up with Carella being murdered.
I’m not marking this as a spoiler, but if you've never read the series, or don't know anything about it, you might want to skip this paragraph and drop down to the next. Frankly, especially after all these years, everybody knows Carella is a mainstay of the 87th throughout the entire series, so obviously he isn’t dead. When the boys discover he went back to the crime scene and exited carrying a child’s doll, it makes no sense. Until the violent and shocking end. Before we get there, McBain creates a sadistic femme fatale as memorable and nasty as any in fiction. She makes Ann Savage in Detour look like Doris Day singing in the streets.
This is an absolute pleasure for anyone who enjoys this series. An ex-husband who won’t reveal a secret about the slain model, a man nicknamed Cyclops, and ultimately, a child’s doll, all figure into this one. McBain was a terrific writer and here he is hitting on all cylinders. Gritty, violent and intelligent, an 87th Precinct story you don’t want to miss.
This one follows the death of someone in a previous entry, and Kling is so messed up over it he’s about to be booted off the squad. When Carella catches the call of the murder of model Tina Sachs, he requests Kling, hoping he can rehabilitate him and return him to the cop he was before Claire’s death. Fat chance. Kling is surly and cares little about interviewing skills.
When Carella and Kling finally have a blow-up, Carella waffles on bringing someone else with him to check out a lead on the case. Carella decides to go it alone, and next thing you know, his charred body is discovered. It’s up to the grieving boys of the 87th to retrace Carella’s steps, and make sense of how he ended up dead. Kling’s blow-up with Carella, of course, gets plenty of play, since his taking off early ended up with Carella being murdered.
I’m not marking this as a spoiler, but if you've never read the series, or don't know anything about it, you might want to skip this paragraph and drop down to the next. Frankly, especially after all these years, everybody knows Carella is a mainstay of the 87th throughout the entire series, so obviously he isn’t dead. When the boys discover he went back to the crime scene and exited carrying a child’s doll, it makes no sense. Until the violent and shocking end. Before we get there, McBain creates a sadistic femme fatale as memorable and nasty as any in fiction. She makes Ann Savage in Detour look like Doris Day singing in the streets.
This is an absolute pleasure for anyone who enjoys this series. An ex-husband who won’t reveal a secret about the slain model, a man nicknamed Cyclops, and ultimately, a child’s doll, all figure into this one. McBain was a terrific writer and here he is hitting on all cylinders. Gritty, violent and intelligent, an 87th Precinct story you don’t want to miss.
August 7, 2021
When a model is murdered, Carella gets the case, and chooses as his partner Bert Kling, a cop who's on the verge of being fired over his obnoxious behavior since the loss of his girlfriend. Kling steps up admirably when the investigation hits a snag, and Carella is "indisposed." This was a better than average entry in the series, with an involving plot, and some unexpectedly touching moments.
April 1, 2014
Number 20 in the 87th Precinct series opens with a woman being brutally slashed to death while her young daughter cowers in the next room, playing with her favorite doll. The victim is a beautiful model who would have naturally attracted the attention of a good many men, but why would one of them want her dead?
Meanwhile, back in the squad room of the 87th Precinct, trouble is brewing as well. Detective Bert Kling is still grieving the loss of his fiancé and is alienating everyone on the squad, including the lieutenant, with his surly behavior. The Lieutenant has decided to transfer Kling out, and Kling's only remaining defender is Steve Carella. Carella asks the Lieutenant to partner him with Kling in an effort to solve the murder of the beautiful model.
Carella hopes that there's still time to salvage Kling, who was once a productive member of the squad. But early on in the case, Kling manages to alienate even the last friend he has in the precinct, and Carella orders him to go home. Just then, Carella discovers a clue that may break the case wide open, but absent a partner, he decides to pursue it alone.
Well, every reader knows this is going to be a huge mistake and the result is a very gripping tale with some interesting twists and turns. The result is one of the more entertaining books in this long-running series. A quick but very satisfying read.
Meanwhile, back in the squad room of the 87th Precinct, trouble is brewing as well. Detective Bert Kling is still grieving the loss of his fiancé and is alienating everyone on the squad, including the lieutenant, with his surly behavior. The Lieutenant has decided to transfer Kling out, and Kling's only remaining defender is Steve Carella. Carella asks the Lieutenant to partner him with Kling in an effort to solve the murder of the beautiful model.
Carella hopes that there's still time to salvage Kling, who was once a productive member of the squad. But early on in the case, Kling manages to alienate even the last friend he has in the precinct, and Carella orders him to go home. Just then, Carella discovers a clue that may break the case wide open, but absent a partner, he decides to pursue it alone.
Well, every reader knows this is going to be a huge mistake and the result is a very gripping tale with some interesting twists and turns. The result is one of the more entertaining books in this long-running series. A quick but very satisfying read.
June 15, 2025
Another very good, albeit bleak, 87th Precinct novel by McBaine here, and one that deviates substantially from the previous ones I have read. This starts off with super model Tinka Sachs being brutally murdered in her apartment while her 5 yo daughter hears everything through the wall. The 'bulls' seem to be progressing nicely on the case and even have a description of the killer; in their lingo, it was rolling sevens! The one thematic element that shares with other 87th Precinct novels is that the woman, Tinka, is something of a mystery. Unlike other installments, this one centered just on the Tinka case. I really love the humility of the cops here and yes, McBain's trademark repartee keeps the novel flowing. 4 stars!!
January 10, 2018
You just have to sit right down and read these great little books through! A mannequin is slashed to death with a kitchen knife while her 5 year old daughter sits next door with her doll. Detective Bert Kling has recurring attitude problems since the death of his girlfriend some four years ago. Steve Carella asks to give him a last chance working this case together. Following a disagreement Steve goes of on his own with disastrous consequences. Meyer Meyer and Kling eventually come to the same conclusion and go in with guns blazing.
Wonderful. 4 stars.
Wonderful. 4 stars.
August 31, 2021
For being written in 1965 this book is one hell of a shocker.
May 12, 2025
★★★
An odd one, this. Not better or worse than others in the series, just different. Every so often McBain steps away from the usual 87th Precinct formula to try something else, and while this one works, I wasn’t quite as engaged as I’ve been with other titles.
The tone here is much darker than the average installment. It delves into drug addiction, which I wasn’t expecting. I imagine it would have been a much bigger shock to readers when it was first published. There’s also a strand of psychological torture when Carella is held captive, though that didn’t fully work for me. Those scenes felt a little flat and lacked the tension McBain usually manages so well.
What I did appreciate was the chance to explore more of Kling’s struggles. It’s about time really. I think it’s quoted here as four years since the murder of his girlfriend, and it’s good to see how it’s continued to affect him and those around him. That thread was one of the stronger points in the book.
The ending was satisfying enough but felt a touch rushed. I’d also have liked to see more of Teddy and how she coped with believing Carella was dead. It felt like a missed opportunity to add a bit more emotional weight.
A different kind of entry in the series. Not a favourite but worth a look.
An odd one, this. Not better or worse than others in the series, just different. Every so often McBain steps away from the usual 87th Precinct formula to try something else, and while this one works, I wasn’t quite as engaged as I’ve been with other titles.
The tone here is much darker than the average installment. It delves into drug addiction, which I wasn’t expecting. I imagine it would have been a much bigger shock to readers when it was first published. There’s also a strand of psychological torture when Carella is held captive, though that didn’t fully work for me. Those scenes felt a little flat and lacked the tension McBain usually manages so well.
What I did appreciate was the chance to explore more of Kling’s struggles. It’s about time really. I think it’s quoted here as four years since the murder of his girlfriend, and it’s good to see how it’s continued to affect him and those around him. That thread was one of the stronger points in the book.
The ending was satisfying enough but felt a touch rushed. I’d also have liked to see more of Teddy and how she coped with believing Carella was dead. It felt like a missed opportunity to add a bit more emotional weight.
A different kind of entry in the series. Not a favourite but worth a look.
May 9, 2016
Originally published in 1965, this is the 20th book in the 87th Precinct series and one of the most suspenseful. Steve Carella, Bert Kling, and Meyer Meyer investigate the brutal murder of a fashion model. I enjoyed the fast paced plot and the squad's interactions.
August 28, 2019
An above average novel for the series. Perhaps not the best to start the series, but I have read a number of the previous entries and this one really entertained me. McBain has a knack of focusing on characters and showing what they do to infer how they feel. The plot here moves along briskly and kept me turning the pages. The characters have already been established in the series, so I was interested from the start. Highly recommended for people who have read some of the series already.
November 18, 2018
A fashion model is murdered in her apartment and there is a good description of the suspect. It matches that of her manager so it should be an open and shut case. Of course it's not and things take a few odd turns that leave the detectives confused.
Another solid book in the series. Events at the end of this book look like they will be a turning point in Detective Bert Kling's career, so I will looking out for that in following books.
Another solid book in the series. Events at the end of this book look like they will be a turning point in Detective Bert Kling's career, so I will looking out for that in following books.
October 16, 2023
The 7th of nine featured in Crime Fictions of the 1960s and the best story overall so far. It’s just a good crime story with gritty attitudes and 1960s sensibilities.
All the stories featured so far and this one is not an exception endorses ‘cocktail party psychology’, after all, everything that was determinative within society during the 1960s told the world that was the way things were. It also has the feature of making women as a devious other; the author’s description of all female characters makes them seem as if they are not worthy of full inclusion in society and are not fully functioning members of society and by implication not deserving of full status as humans. Also, there is the given that marijuana is the gateway drug to other drugs and that first toke will inevitably lead to a life of drug addiction.
As a set these books standout for how we saw ourselves in the 1960s, and this one is a just a good detective story.
All the stories featured so far and this one is not an exception endorses ‘cocktail party psychology’, after all, everything that was determinative within society during the 1960s told the world that was the way things were. It also has the feature of making women as a devious other; the author’s description of all female characters makes them seem as if they are not worthy of full inclusion in society and are not fully functioning members of society and by implication not deserving of full status as humans. Also, there is the given that marijuana is the gateway drug to other drugs and that first toke will inevitably lead to a life of drug addiction.
As a set these books standout for how we saw ourselves in the 1960s, and this one is a just a good detective story.
February 14, 2024
3.5 stars. A short, compelling crime fiction novel where the lovely fashion model, Tinka Sacks, is stabbed to death while in the next room in Tinka’s apartment, her 5 year old daughter Anna, is listening to the murder whilst holding her doll.
A quick read with interesting characters and a couple of plot twists.
This book was first published in 1965. (This book was included in Library of America publication, Crime Novels, Four Classic Thrillers 1964 - 1969).
A quick read with interesting characters and a couple of plot twists.
This book was first published in 1965. (This book was included in Library of America publication, Crime Novels, Four Classic Thrillers 1964 - 1969).
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January 1, 2024My first of the Library of America Crime Novels of the 1960s, and it’s seriously good. The writing’s modern and sharp, and the use of visuals innovative. Have high expectations for the next three in Volume 1.
November 15, 2018
I have been a HUGE fan of Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) for many years, ever since I was a kid and sneaked a peek at an 87th Precinct novel that my mom was reading. Still, I was just a kid, so I had no real appreciation of what a damn fine writer he was. Since then, I have read quite a bit of his work and I have never been disappointed.
DOLL is one of the best in McBain's long-running 87th Precinct series. Dark, violent, and decidedly adult, this entry really demonstrates McBain's keen knack for creating memorable characters in all their beauty and ugliness. Shocking, suspenseful, and sad, DOLL is a gem in the genre, not to be missed.
***I read the British paperback edition, published in 1976 by Pan Books Ltd.
DOLL is one of the best in McBain's long-running 87th Precinct series. Dark, violent, and decidedly adult, this entry really demonstrates McBain's keen knack for creating memorable characters in all their beauty and ugliness. Shocking, suspenseful, and sad, DOLL is a gem in the genre, not to be missed.
***I read the British paperback edition, published in 1976 by Pan Books Ltd.
September 11, 2012
One of the better 87th Street Precinct novels. A model is slashed to death, with her five year old daughter in the next room. A one-eyed elevator operator describes the perpetrator to Detectives Steve Carella and Bert Kling, but Bert is nasty when the agency owner seems to match the description causing a rift with Steve, who then solves the mystery on his own, only to have the murderer get the upperhand and leave Steve in mortal peril. When a dead body is found badly burned in Carella's car, everyone assumes the worst, but Detective Meyer Meyer and Bert Kling working separate leads arrive in time to save the day. Superb title with multiple meanings in the story.
January 10, 2014
A model is murdered and Carella figures out pretty quickly who did it, although this information is not revealed to us. McBain puts a twist on the proceedings when Carella is taken prisoner by the very suspect he was out to catch and is tortured by that man's mistress in a very nasty fashion. The book then alternates between Carella's psychological descent and the boys at the 87th trying to figure out what happened to him. This is a tough, short, and very suspenseful book with some haunting sequences and a villain you will not soon forget.
August 10, 2015
Had a really hard time finding this book and finally found it at the awesome used book store Hooked on Books in Wildwood, NJ. Maybe one of my top 3 favorite 87th Precinct novels to date. Insane, violent and exciting stuff. Breezed through it on a lazy Friday morning down the shore.
December 23, 2017
I remembered the denouement of this one going into it, but it’s still a really great read. Fast paced with a great conclusion and a nice twist. It’s maybe a bit short on punchy dialogue, but other than that it’s a very solid entry in the series.
May 4, 2020
Další den, další McBain. Je fakt, že výhoda jeho knížek je ta, že je máte přečtené během jedné delší jízdy tramvají… což ještě umocňuje skutečnost, že stojí hodně na dialozích.
Tohle byla klasika, dokonce existovala i česká televizní adaptace, kde Mayera Mayera hrál samozřejmě Miloš Kopecký. Sice nikoliv plešatý, ale plnil aspoň tu židovskou část role. A Carellu Josef Abrahám. A Ameriku hrála plechovka coca coly.
Jinak je to další kniha, kdy někdo málem zabije Carellu. Já na jeho místě bych ráno ani nevylejzal z postele. Plus se tam pracuje s krizí Berta Klinga, která mi tedy přišla trochu opožděná, pět knih po smrti jeho přítelkyně, jako by si McBain najednou vzpomněl, že mu zabili holku… nebo spíš teď se to zrovna hodilo do příběhu. Díky tomu tam může dělat rozkol v oddělení a jedna z postav může bojovat za odčinění své chyby. Což vždycky dodává příběhu vnitřní napětí.
Ale pořád to šlape, je to jeden z příběhu s vážně obrovským až thrillerovým tempem. Dá se říct, že jediné úskalí toho všeho je fakt, že tam McBain staví na tématu, které bylo v té době možná nové a šokující, dneska se na to spíš člověk dívá jako na skoro běžný jev.
Tohle byla klasika, dokonce existovala i česká televizní adaptace, kde Mayera Mayera hrál samozřejmě Miloš Kopecký. Sice nikoliv plešatý, ale plnil aspoň tu židovskou část role. A Carellu Josef Abrahám. A Ameriku hrála plechovka coca coly.
Jinak je to další kniha, kdy někdo málem zabije Carellu. Já na jeho místě bych ráno ani nevylejzal z postele. Plus se tam pracuje s krizí Berta Klinga, která mi tedy přišla trochu opožděná, pět knih po smrti jeho přítelkyně, jako by si McBain najednou vzpomněl, že mu zabili holku… nebo spíš teď se to zrovna hodilo do příběhu. Díky tomu tam může dělat rozkol v oddělení a jedna z postav může bojovat za odčinění své chyby. Což vždycky dodává příběhu vnitřní napětí.
Ale pořád to šlape, je to jeden z příběhu s vážně obrovským až thrillerovým tempem. Dá se říct, že jediné úskalí toho všeho je fakt, že tam McBain staví na tématu, které bylo v té době možná nové a šokující, dneska se na to spíš člověk dívá jako na skoro běžný jev.
March 11, 2024
A superb crime novel, one of the best I’ve ever read.
If you love detective stories, this is for you!
If you love detective stories, this is for you!
July 19, 2017
This is the first '87th precinct' story I have read and I really enjoyed it.
October 1, 2023
I read the estonian translation. The plot of the story was very predictable and cliché. The transltion, however, was so bad that it was amazing.
November 14, 2016
"[...] the knife slash across her throat poring blood onto the canvas, setting her hair afloat in a pool of red that finally overspilled the oaken frame and ran onto the carpet.
Next door, the child Anna clung fiercely to her doll."
Ed McBain's (the pseudonym of Evan Hunter) Doll, the third novel in my "Selective McBain Re-read" project and the 20th installment in the 87 Precinct series, was published in 1965. I like this book more than the tenth item in the series, King's Ransom , and much more than Cop Hater that gave beginning to the whole series.
Five-year-old Anna clutches her doll and consoles it with soothing words while her mother, a beautiful fashion model, is being brutally murdered in the next room. The strong beginning sets the tone for the entire novel which describes the 87th Precinct detectives, Steve Carella, Bert Kling, and Meyer Meyer conducting the investigation. Carella, a father of twins, is so appalled by the brutality of the model's murder that he neglects to follow the police procedure when he finds the clue that will lead him to the murderer; the nature of the clue is not revealed until the end of the novel. I am unable to provide further synopsis without spoiling the mystery: this is especially important because - for once - the publishers were careful not to provide any spoilers on the cover of the paperback.
The author paces the captivating plot well and Doll is a great short book for readers who like the so-called page turners. Yet the novel is marred by implausibility of several events and the use of situational and dialogue clichés, which are - sadly - the author's trademark. The entire Bert Kling thread, well-intentioned as it may be, comes across as naive, didactic, and stereotypical. The woman torturer is a grossly exaggerated, cartoon-level portrayal and lame, stilted dialogues further spoil the author's effort.
Neither do I care for the manner in which the solution is explained. It does not read well when one of the characters' diary is used to elucidate the background of the case. On the positive side, the author again shows his strength in realistic depiction of the police procedure and several passages are quite well written, above the bare minimum literary competency that characterizes most mysteries and thrillers.
Anyway, I recommend the novel because of its suspense and mystery value. Readers who can tolerate psychological clichés and implausibilities may find this book outstanding. Although my enthusiasm is quite moderate, this installment of the 87th Precinct series certainly makes me want to read more books in the series, from the later time frames. For the next re-read I will jump to the beginning of the 1970s.
Three stars.
Next door, the child Anna clung fiercely to her doll."
Ed McBain's (the pseudonym of Evan Hunter) Doll, the third novel in my "Selective McBain Re-read" project and the 20th installment in the 87 Precinct series, was published in 1965. I like this book more than the tenth item in the series, King's Ransom , and much more than Cop Hater that gave beginning to the whole series.
Five-year-old Anna clutches her doll and consoles it with soothing words while her mother, a beautiful fashion model, is being brutally murdered in the next room. The strong beginning sets the tone for the entire novel which describes the 87th Precinct detectives, Steve Carella, Bert Kling, and Meyer Meyer conducting the investigation. Carella, a father of twins, is so appalled by the brutality of the model's murder that he neglects to follow the police procedure when he finds the clue that will lead him to the murderer; the nature of the clue is not revealed until the end of the novel. I am unable to provide further synopsis without spoiling the mystery: this is especially important because - for once - the publishers were careful not to provide any spoilers on the cover of the paperback.
The author paces the captivating plot well and Doll is a great short book for readers who like the so-called page turners. Yet the novel is marred by implausibility of several events and the use of situational and dialogue clichés, which are - sadly - the author's trademark. The entire Bert Kling thread, well-intentioned as it may be, comes across as naive, didactic, and stereotypical. The woman torturer is a grossly exaggerated, cartoon-level portrayal and lame, stilted dialogues further spoil the author's effort.
Neither do I care for the manner in which the solution is explained. It does not read well when one of the characters' diary is used to elucidate the background of the case. On the positive side, the author again shows his strength in realistic depiction of the police procedure and several passages are quite well written, above the bare minimum literary competency that characterizes most mysteries and thrillers.
Anyway, I recommend the novel because of its suspense and mystery value. Readers who can tolerate psychological clichés and implausibilities may find this book outstanding. Although my enthusiasm is quite moderate, this installment of the 87th Precinct series certainly makes me want to read more books in the series, from the later time frames. For the next re-read I will jump to the beginning of the 1970s.
Three stars.
December 6, 2015
This is the darkest and most serious entry in the series so far. The team of the 87th get to work on a brutal murder with drugs involved. The character development gets more pronounced and the activities surrounding the investigation get more dangerous.
I really do enjoy this series.
I really do enjoy this series.
January 6, 2017
A dark and complex plot, with Carella at the centre, but Kling and Meyer playing key roles. Excellent writing by McBain.
October 13, 2015
Pulpy murder mystery police procedural. Picked it up at a thrift store and was entertained!
September 21, 2025
I give this book five stars not because it’s deep or life-changing. It’s entertainment. It doesn’t attempt the match the depth and insight of the great classics. I give it five stars because it’s a master class in storytelling, and for what it is, it’s very good.
I had not read Ed McBain before, though I had certainly heard of him. McBain is one of Evan Hunter’s many pen names. Hunter wrote across a variety of genres, including sci-fi, mystery, crime, children’s books, and possibly porn, though he never fessed up to it. In what must be one of the most unexpected collaborations in film history, he adapted one of Daphne du Maurier’s short stories into the screenplay of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Doll is the twentieth of the fifty-five novels in McBain’s 87th Precinct series. It’s a procedural in which detectives Steve Carella, Meyer Meyer and Bert Kling must solve the murder of twenty-nine-year-old fashion model Tinka Sachs. The description of the murder, which occurs in the opening chapter, is graphic and brutal. It’s made worse by the perspective from which we experience it. Tinka’s five-year-old daughter, listening to her mother being murdered on the other side of her bedroom wall, speaks soothingly and desperately to her doll, telling it not to be frightened, that everything will be okay.
Doll also refers to the model, Tinka, and to Detective Steve Carella, who soon finds himself in a harrowing, life-threatening situation inside the killer’s apartment, trapped by a deeply disturbing psychopath who wants to torture and kill him.
Procedurals are, by nature, formulaic tales. They start with a crime and walk through the process of how investigators solve that crime. They involve interviews with witnesses, reports from forensics labs, and usually the day-to-day struggles of the investigators themselves. In the wrong hands, formulaic stories can be tedious and predictable. Writers who haven’t mastered the elements of plot, tone, characterization, and pacing often try to spice up the formula with gimmicks, unexpected twists, or over-the-top characters that come off as improbable and sometimes even insulting to the reader’s intelligence. The result is an unsatisfying experience.
There seem to be lots of these books in the mystery/thriller genre in the past few decades. I mean books with wildly unreliable narrators, psychopathic villains whose demented cruelty is beyond perversion, tormented genius cops guided by vengeance and a sixth sense for sniffing out bad guys, gratuitous twists that turn the narrative upside-down in some unconvincing way that makes the reader feel swindled. It’s as if publishers need a hook in the book’s marketing copy to sell a story that can’t otherwise sell itself.
When a story is well told, you become too immersed in it the notice the formula. For a while, McBain cranked out four novels a year in the 87th Precinct series. Erle Stanley Gardner, also a prolific master storyteller, published Perry Mason novels at a similar pace, with a similarly high level of polish and skill. Both are masters. While their books may look from the outside like mass-market pulp, one should keep in mind that The Beatles too wrote to a pop formula. They just happened to do it better than everyone else.
Because McBain and Gardner were so prolific, they didn’t waste time on unnecessary ornament, or pad out their stories with a lot of fluff. They wrote the bones, and they wrote them well. A writer who wants to learn plotting, pacing, setting, characterization and tone would do well to study these two authors.
The tension and the stakes in Doll ratchet up as the story progresses. Neither the reader nor the cops are sure who killed Tinka Sachs until the very end, but both know that the clock is ticking on Detective Carella’s life. Editor Geoffrey O’Brien included this novel in the Library of America’s Crime Novels of the 1960s box set, and I can see why. This one gets five stars for being a good, old-fashioned satisfying read.
I had not read Ed McBain before, though I had certainly heard of him. McBain is one of Evan Hunter’s many pen names. Hunter wrote across a variety of genres, including sci-fi, mystery, crime, children’s books, and possibly porn, though he never fessed up to it. In what must be one of the most unexpected collaborations in film history, he adapted one of Daphne du Maurier’s short stories into the screenplay of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Doll is the twentieth of the fifty-five novels in McBain’s 87th Precinct series. It’s a procedural in which detectives Steve Carella, Meyer Meyer and Bert Kling must solve the murder of twenty-nine-year-old fashion model Tinka Sachs. The description of the murder, which occurs in the opening chapter, is graphic and brutal. It’s made worse by the perspective from which we experience it. Tinka’s five-year-old daughter, listening to her mother being murdered on the other side of her bedroom wall, speaks soothingly and desperately to her doll, telling it not to be frightened, that everything will be okay.
Doll also refers to the model, Tinka, and to Detective Steve Carella, who soon finds himself in a harrowing, life-threatening situation inside the killer’s apartment, trapped by a deeply disturbing psychopath who wants to torture and kill him.
Procedurals are, by nature, formulaic tales. They start with a crime and walk through the process of how investigators solve that crime. They involve interviews with witnesses, reports from forensics labs, and usually the day-to-day struggles of the investigators themselves. In the wrong hands, formulaic stories can be tedious and predictable. Writers who haven’t mastered the elements of plot, tone, characterization, and pacing often try to spice up the formula with gimmicks, unexpected twists, or over-the-top characters that come off as improbable and sometimes even insulting to the reader’s intelligence. The result is an unsatisfying experience.
There seem to be lots of these books in the mystery/thriller genre in the past few decades. I mean books with wildly unreliable narrators, psychopathic villains whose demented cruelty is beyond perversion, tormented genius cops guided by vengeance and a sixth sense for sniffing out bad guys, gratuitous twists that turn the narrative upside-down in some unconvincing way that makes the reader feel swindled. It’s as if publishers need a hook in the book’s marketing copy to sell a story that can’t otherwise sell itself.
When a story is well told, you become too immersed in it the notice the formula. For a while, McBain cranked out four novels a year in the 87th Precinct series. Erle Stanley Gardner, also a prolific master storyteller, published Perry Mason novels at a similar pace, with a similarly high level of polish and skill. Both are masters. While their books may look from the outside like mass-market pulp, one should keep in mind that The Beatles too wrote to a pop formula. They just happened to do it better than everyone else.
Because McBain and Gardner were so prolific, they didn’t waste time on unnecessary ornament, or pad out their stories with a lot of fluff. They wrote the bones, and they wrote them well. A writer who wants to learn plotting, pacing, setting, characterization and tone would do well to study these two authors.
The tension and the stakes in Doll ratchet up as the story progresses. Neither the reader nor the cops are sure who killed Tinka Sachs until the very end, but both know that the clock is ticking on Detective Carella’s life. Editor Geoffrey O’Brien included this novel in the Library of America’s Crime Novels of the 1960s box set, and I can see why. This one gets five stars for being a good, old-fashioned satisfying read.
February 7, 2025
Twentieth in the series, highly readable but by no means one of the strongest. For me, the chief interest in this book was that it finally resolves Kling's angry resistance to grief. At the start of the novel he's about to lose his job in the 87th because of his stubbornly angry behaviour. He is stubbornly aggressive to everybody. Even Carella, who (because he is the warmest hearted bull in the squad) attempts to help. So that's one issue running throughout.
The other, of course, is who killed the beautiful Tinka Sachs and why. And the nasty aspect of this particular murder is that her five year old daughter is quaking in the next room listening, while a man stabs her mother many times.
Interestingly, Carella works out who did it quickly, and takes off without Kling (because of his poor performance) to pick up the killer. I was slightly dismayed when this happened, and it made me realise the extent to which a murder mystery is based on delayed gratification. If you work away at the various clues with the detective, in the end (and only in the end), you get the reward of discovering the truth of the story. If you're offered the solution early, without putting in the work, it feels all wrong. And indeed it proved to be a way of setting up a new puzzle to solve.
The weakness of the book, to my mind, is the shortcut the author takes by sharing entries from a diary. Yes, Dr Jason Levi might well have recorded his medical/therapeutic treatments and his reflections. However, I didn't find his style convincing. It was McBain filling in the need-to-know gaps, and it was too obviously a short cut.
My favourite bit was the scene of crime, and Meyer's visit to the empty apartment after he's taken over from Kling (grumpy Kling has been relegated). McBain is always aware of the sound tapestry:
"The apartment was still.
He could tell at once that death had been here. There are different silences in an empty apartment, and if you are a working policeman, you do not scoff at poetic fallacy. An apartment vacated for the summer has a silence unlike one that is empty only for the day, with its occupants expected back that night. And an apartment that has known the touch of death possesses a silence unique and readily identifiable to anyone who has ever stared down at a corpse. Meyer knew the silence of death, and understood it, though he could not have told you what accounted for it. The disconnected humless electrical appliances; the unused, undripping water taps; the unringing telephone; the stopped unticking clocks; the sealed windows shutting out all street noises; these were all a part of it, but they only contributed to the whole and were not its sum and substance. The real silence was something only felt and nothing to do with the absence of sound. It touched something deep within him the moment he stepped through the door. It seemed to be carried on the air itself, a shuddering reminder that death had passed this way, and that some of its frightening grandeur was still locked inside these rooms."
The other, of course, is who killed the beautiful Tinka Sachs and why. And the nasty aspect of this particular murder is that her five year old daughter is quaking in the next room listening, while a man stabs her mother many times.
Interestingly, Carella works out who did it quickly, and takes off without Kling (because of his poor performance) to pick up the killer. I was slightly dismayed when this happened, and it made me realise the extent to which a murder mystery is based on delayed gratification. If you work away at the various clues with the detective, in the end (and only in the end), you get the reward of discovering the truth of the story. If you're offered the solution early, without putting in the work, it feels all wrong. And indeed it proved to be a way of setting up a new puzzle to solve.
The weakness of the book, to my mind, is the shortcut the author takes by sharing entries from a diary. Yes, Dr Jason Levi might well have recorded his medical/therapeutic treatments and his reflections. However, I didn't find his style convincing. It was McBain filling in the need-to-know gaps, and it was too obviously a short cut.
My favourite bit was the scene of crime, and Meyer's visit to the empty apartment after he's taken over from Kling (grumpy Kling has been relegated). McBain is always aware of the sound tapestry:
"The apartment was still.
He could tell at once that death had been here. There are different silences in an empty apartment, and if you are a working policeman, you do not scoff at poetic fallacy. An apartment vacated for the summer has a silence unlike one that is empty only for the day, with its occupants expected back that night. And an apartment that has known the touch of death possesses a silence unique and readily identifiable to anyone who has ever stared down at a corpse. Meyer knew the silence of death, and understood it, though he could not have told you what accounted for it. The disconnected humless electrical appliances; the unused, undripping water taps; the unringing telephone; the stopped unticking clocks; the sealed windows shutting out all street noises; these were all a part of it, but they only contributed to the whole and were not its sum and substance. The real silence was something only felt and nothing to do with the absence of sound. It touched something deep within him the moment he stepped through the door. It seemed to be carried on the air itself, a shuddering reminder that death had passed this way, and that some of its frightening grandeur was still locked inside these rooms."
April 5, 2023
I'm sure that in one of my more recent 87th Precinct reviews, I mentioned that I was distressed by the increasing bitterness and hard-heartedness of Bert Kling. In Doll, it's got to the point where Lieutenant Byrnes has had enough of Kling's style of policing; he's a bad apple and the mood and performance of the precinct is suffering because of him.
Steve Carella, being the impressive human being he is, intervenes and persuades his boss to let him take Kling under his wing. One last chance, if you like.
The case they take on is of the brutal murder of a beautiful model while her daughter was sitting in the next room overhearing it all. The murder is slow and violent, an almost literal death by a thousand cuts and we get to experience every slice through McBain's vivid description.
When they find the little girl, she's clutching her doll. As typical with an 87th, this may be the doll of the title, but there's another surprising one that will be revealed later on in the plot.
Kling and Carella go off together and, true to form, Kling makes a hash of it. Not even Carella can maintain a professional approach with Kling in tow, so he cuts him loose. Heated and frank words are exchanged as the two separate, words that will haunt Kling as the story develops.
Now he's alone and has the space to think, Carella continues the investigation and solves the case.
Normally, this would be the end of the book, but here it's only a new beginning.
There's a major twist in this one. A huge turn of events that really did stop me breathing for a few moments. The shock almost had me crying out, but I was on a train to Newcastle, so I supressed it and stopped reading for a while as the development sank in.
Thankfully, with a little bit of thought and application of my own reader skills, it all fell into place and it was only a few pages later that I knew I could continue without feeling sick, not that the book gets any less exciting. There are still events and sharp corners to turn that keep the pace of the story quick and the intensity of the white-knuckle ride high.
Doll will stand out as a favourite of the series when I finally get to the end, I'm pretty sure of that. Everything about it works and I was especially pleased to get a sense that maybe Kling is on the way to recovery.
When I finished, a particular episode of Starsky And Hutch came to mind (one I saw over forty years ago, I imagine). If you read it or have done so, I wonder if it will be/was the same for you. I'd be interested to hear.
Anyway, this book is tops and I'm going in for more by heading straight for Eighty Million Eyes.
Awesome.
Steve Carella, being the impressive human being he is, intervenes and persuades his boss to let him take Kling under his wing. One last chance, if you like.
The case they take on is of the brutal murder of a beautiful model while her daughter was sitting in the next room overhearing it all. The murder is slow and violent, an almost literal death by a thousand cuts and we get to experience every slice through McBain's vivid description.
When they find the little girl, she's clutching her doll. As typical with an 87th, this may be the doll of the title, but there's another surprising one that will be revealed later on in the plot.
Kling and Carella go off together and, true to form, Kling makes a hash of it. Not even Carella can maintain a professional approach with Kling in tow, so he cuts him loose. Heated and frank words are exchanged as the two separate, words that will haunt Kling as the story develops.
Now he's alone and has the space to think, Carella continues the investigation and solves the case.
Normally, this would be the end of the book, but here it's only a new beginning.
There's a major twist in this one. A huge turn of events that really did stop me breathing for a few moments. The shock almost had me crying out, but I was on a train to Newcastle, so I supressed it and stopped reading for a while as the development sank in.
Thankfully, with a little bit of thought and application of my own reader skills, it all fell into place and it was only a few pages later that I knew I could continue without feeling sick, not that the book gets any less exciting. There are still events and sharp corners to turn that keep the pace of the story quick and the intensity of the white-knuckle ride high.
Doll will stand out as a favourite of the series when I finally get to the end, I'm pretty sure of that. Everything about it works and I was especially pleased to get a sense that maybe Kling is on the way to recovery.
When I finished, a particular episode of Starsky And Hutch came to mind (one I saw over forty years ago, I imagine). If you read it or have done so, I wonder if it will be/was the same for you. I'd be interested to hear.
Anyway, this book is tops and I'm going in for more by heading straight for Eighty Million Eyes.
Awesome.
September 30, 2024
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
A woman, model Tina Sachs, is killed, brutally slashed to death while her young daughter sat in another room, quietly playing with her doll.
In the squad room of the 87th Precinct, Steve Carella asks his lieutenant to assign Bert Kling to the case. Kling has been a bit belligerent since the loss of his fiancé. He's about to get booted out of the squad but Carella still believes in him and thinks he just needs the chance to prove his worth. But Kling and Carella have an argument during the investigation and Carella orders Kling to go home.
Shortly after Kling leaves, Carella makes a discovery in his investigation and heads off to follow up on his lead. Unfortunately Carella never calls in to report on what he's discovered and the criminal(s) behind the crime surprise and subdue the officer.
Stripped naked and bound to a radiator, the killers torture (mentally and with doses of drugs) Carella to try and force him to tell them how he discovered them as they believed they had covered their tracks. As the torture gets more intense, Carella's only hope to survive is that the men at the 87th precinct can find him.
I've never read an Ed McBain book but I recognize his name from my browsing of bookstores. I'm quite sure I never knew about his 87th Precinct series but after reading this I am more curious to read more.
What I liked here was the absolute tension that McBain provides. The mystery of 'who dunnit' took a back seat to 'is Carella going to survive'? We also wonder (along with the killers) how Carella figured it out.
Being just one in a long series of books about the precinct, I do wonder what kind of relationships there are among the men. Are the books mostly about solving crimes, or are they about the men who work there (or a bit of both)? This is what has me curious to read more.
What doesn't work here for me is how quickly the book ends. We have so much tension built up and then it's over in a couple of pages and hardly any denouement (and what there was made almost no sense unless, perhaps, we're more familiar with the series).
Looking for a good book? Doll is a good (but not great) introduction to Ed McBain and the 87th Precinct series. Excellent for fans of dark, police thrillers.
A woman, model Tina Sachs, is killed, brutally slashed to death while her young daughter sat in another room, quietly playing with her doll.
In the squad room of the 87th Precinct, Steve Carella asks his lieutenant to assign Bert Kling to the case. Kling has been a bit belligerent since the loss of his fiancé. He's about to get booted out of the squad but Carella still believes in him and thinks he just needs the chance to prove his worth. But Kling and Carella have an argument during the investigation and Carella orders Kling to go home.
Shortly after Kling leaves, Carella makes a discovery in his investigation and heads off to follow up on his lead. Unfortunately Carella never calls in to report on what he's discovered and the criminal(s) behind the crime surprise and subdue the officer.
Stripped naked and bound to a radiator, the killers torture (mentally and with doses of drugs) Carella to try and force him to tell them how he discovered them as they believed they had covered their tracks. As the torture gets more intense, Carella's only hope to survive is that the men at the 87th precinct can find him.
I've never read an Ed McBain book but I recognize his name from my browsing of bookstores. I'm quite sure I never knew about his 87th Precinct series but after reading this I am more curious to read more.
What I liked here was the absolute tension that McBain provides. The mystery of 'who dunnit' took a back seat to 'is Carella going to survive'? We also wonder (along with the killers) how Carella figured it out.
Being just one in a long series of books about the precinct, I do wonder what kind of relationships there are among the men. Are the books mostly about solving crimes, or are they about the men who work there (or a bit of both)? This is what has me curious to read more.
What doesn't work here for me is how quickly the book ends. We have so much tension built up and then it's over in a couple of pages and hardly any denouement (and what there was made almost no sense unless, perhaps, we're more familiar with the series).
Looking for a good book? Doll is a good (but not great) introduction to Ed McBain and the 87th Precinct series. Excellent for fans of dark, police thrillers.
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