Friday, March 22, 2019

FFB POISON, Ed McBain

Books I read in 1987.


I am sure I read almost all of the 87th precinct books. I liked the way they featured various cops, much the way Tana French does now. Although Steve Carella usually shines center stage.

When a man who wealthy Marilyn Hollis is dating is poisoned, Detective Steve Carella and his crew from the 87th Precinct are assigned to the case. She informs the detectives that the victim is only one of the men she dates.
 
The detectives can’t find anyone who might have wished him harm. Then a second man in Marilyn Hollis’s life ends up dead, as does a third. The detectives zero in on Ms. Hollis and the people in her life, looking for the villain.

Her charms don't go unnoticed and Detective Hal Willis moves in with her, even though she’s a suspect in an ongoing investigation. Willis insists that Marilyn is an innocent victim  and couldn’t possibly be guilty. Steve Carella is not so sure.

As always an enjoyable read.I can still remember waiting for the next book in this series to appear. Also the case with John D. MacDonald. Those were the days.

 Whose books do you wait eagerly for?
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16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, good choice, Patti. McBain did such a great series, didn't he?

7:40 AM
George said...

I loved the 87th Precinct series, too. And John D. MacDonald. And Ross Macdonald. Today, I'm fond of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series.

8:28 AM
Jeff Meyerson said...

So true. When I started reading these - much like the slightly earlier period when I started reading Agatha Christie - I just grabbed whatever was available and read them without regard to order of publication. But unlike Christie (for the most part), these did sometimes need to be read in order, with issues like Bert Kling's tangled romantic life. I don't remember this one, but they are all worth reading.

What authors do I look forward to today? Michael Connelly is probably #1. People I read as soon as I see a new one: Colin Cotterill, Steven F. Havill, Archer Mayor, Lee Child, Andrea Camilleri, Ken Bruen, Peter Robinson, and of course the late Bill Crider was on that list.
I'm sure there are at least half a dozen others. Megan Abbott. Margaret Maron was one too.

8:52 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...

Peter Robinson would be my first choice. Alan Banks is evolving in each book as is his Annie.

9:05 AM
Dana King said...

McBain was the guy I always looked forward to. Now I have a few personal friends I read right away, but the only author I look forward to with anything like the vigor i showed when McBain was writing is Dennis Lehane.

9:23 AM
Jerry House said...

I always looked forward to a new 87th Precinct novel. Today, like George, I look forward to new Flavia de Luce novel. Other authors whose books I grab as soon as possible are John Connolly, Craig Johnson, Lee Child, Max Allan Collins, Joe R. Lansdale, Bill Pronzini, and a coupe of gals named Abbott.

9:33 AM
Rick Robinson said...

Sometimes I wonder if everybody loves a series because everybody loves it. I've read five or six of the 87th Precinct novels and still don't see the allure. Yes, they are readable, but terrific? I don't think so.

Authors I look forward to? Louise Penny, William Kent Krueger, Michael Sullivan (fantasy), others I'm not thinking of right now. I'll read Claire Booth's next one, but it's probably a year away.

12:07 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...

Thanks, Jerry!
I have only read the early Dennis Lehane's. Need to read some of the more demanding ones. Have read many of the Lansdales and Pronzinis.

12:07 PM
Jeff Meyerson said...

I've read all the Maigrets, but only a percentage of the non-series Simenons. Pronzini is on my list, as is Joe Lansdale (though I am not up to date on the Hap & Leonard books) and Marcia Muller.

1:53 PM
TracyK said...

I did not read any of the 87th Precinct books until the last few years. I had a friend / coworker back when he was publishing the series and she would recommend him, and I always resisted. Now I regret that because there are so many to read. Nice that the earlier ones are short too.

I will have to read more of the Peter Robinson series.

4:05 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...

Simenon rarely disappoints.

4:51 PM
Todd Mason said...

Sergio and I would have quasi-arguments about Evan Hunter, ne Salvatore Lombino, and about as famous as "Ed McBain"...I did always like his brusque critiques of Raymond Chandler, even if I did like Chandler's work better than Hunter did (not too tough).

Marcia Muller's not mentioned above, unless I missed her.

Oh, just too many to mention, really, and yet things slow my reading so of late.

8:26 PM
noirencyclopedia said...

I believe I've read most of the 87th Precinct mysteries (and have even published an sf/fantasy homage, with another due to appear in an anthology soon), but from your mouthwatering description I think I may have missed this one. Well, I've been looking for an excuse to buy a book . . .

10:20 PM
Jeff Meyerson said...

I did mention Muller, Todd.

8:44 AM
Mathew Paust said...

As with Rick, I've read several 87th Precincts and enjoyed them, but they didn't sink their claws into me. Were I hiding out in a trailer down by the river and all I had there to read were 87th Precincts, though, I'd not be complaining. But if I found out somehow that Martin Cruz Smith had a new Arkady Renko thriller coming out I would risk tipping off my location to agents of the dark side and download the Kindle version soon as my happy little fingers could execute the 1-click download and...wait a minute, there IS a new Arkady Renko thriller due out in November! The Siberian Connection, which I've just now pre-ordered. Ура ура! Whoop whoop whoop...

8:10 PM
-blessed b9, Catalyst4Christ said...

Coming ..??

12:01 PM

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