Started: Dec. 17
Finished: Dec. 21
Notes: Since the end of the year is almost here, I thought I'd get in another 87th Precinct novel, which are almost always favorites. Besides, it's been a while since I've read some McBain.
Mini review: If there is such a thing as a quintessential 87th Precinct novel, this one must come darn close to being it. You've got Detectives Carella and Hawes working together to solve the shooting death of an old lady who had once been a concert pianist. On the side they pick up the brutal murder of a prostitute, but then Detective Ollie Weeks from the 88th steps in on this case as it's connected to two murders he's picked up. You've got background players scrambling for money. Three or four major plot lines, some related and some not. It's all kind of here. By that I do not mean this is a bland novel. The action and mystery flows throughout, and this might be one of the more complicated of the 87th novels as far as linking evidence to a suspect. In the end there's a touch of humanity, a common last-chapter element for McBain's police procedurals, and as always, it works.
I've only read a few of these. Got several more around here. And a lot to read eventually.
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