The Heckler

I’m a big fan of this series and find them very enjoyable and even though they were written in the 1940’s and 1950’s besides the absence of forensic science they are still very good. Even though this is the first appearance of the Deaf Man I don’t think this is one off the better books in the series. While still good it dragged at times unlike other books in the series. The story starts with the finding of a body in the park killed by a shotgun. While investigating this the Precinct is inundated with prank calls which is the opening gambit in the Deaf Man’s plan. There are better books in this series but it is worth reading for the first appearance of the Deaf Man.

Ordinarily I would say that this novel of the 87th Precinct shows its age, having been written in 1960, but McBain was turning out really good old fashioned detective novels before then. This time he starts off with flowery metaphors that would do a romantic proud, unfortunately not in keeping with a hard hitting cops and robbers theme. Two separate story lines appear up front, a murder and an elaborate harassment. Gradually, the plots begin to merge, but only in the final chapters does all become clear, and isn’t that the way of all detective tales? In between, however, there’s lots of dialogue that appears to be thrown in to fill space to meet a page quota. That being said, will I be on the lookout for another of McBain’ s early books? Yessiree! Even the best miss one once in a while.

This is the twelfth book in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series and the first in which a character known as the Deaf Man appears. The Deaf Man is a criminal mastermind who will appear in several subsequent books and who has a special gift for tormenting Steve Carella and the other detectives of the 87th.

The Heckler begins when a businessman reports that he has become the victim of an apparent practical joker who phones him repeatedly, warning him to vacate the loft where he runs a clothing business or he will be killed. Later, someone begins shipping the clothier paper supplies, furniture and other such things that he didn’t order, causing chaos in the man’s day-to-day affairs.

The detectives have no luck trying to determine who might be tormenting the businessman or why. Then other businessmen begin calling and reporting similar problems. Then, in a seemingly unrelated development, an elderly man is found murdered and left naked, save for his shoes, in a city park. Carella finds a burned uniform of some sort that may have belonged to the dead man, but who was the man and who would have killed him, stripped him and then burned his uniform?

The detectives work as best they can, trying to puzzle out solutions both to the killing and to the harassment that is being perpetrated upon the complaining businessmen. In the meantime, we watch the Deaf Man and his confederates planning a very carefully calculated crime. All of it will lead to an explosive climax and the reader will be treated to a very entertaining ride along the way. This is one of the better books in the series and fans of the 87th Precinct will not want to miss it.

Ed McBain/Evan Hunter amazes me with the quality of his novels, especially when you consider how many he wrote. Carella is out cold for part of the book, so we get a more detailed picture of the crooks, one of whom will make a return appearance. You will enjoy this book.

Every hero needs a worthy adversary: Sherlock Holmes matched wits with Professor Moriarity; James Bond battled Goldfinger; and in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct, Steve Carella and the boys take on the wily Deaf Man.
In the twelfth number, Meyer Meyer investigates a series of complaints about a caller threatening businessmen. Carella grapples with a homicide, a naked man wearing US Navy shoes. Eventually, via the newspapers, a caller identifies the corpse as John Smith.
Meanwhile, the Deaf Man is hard at work on a caper that will net him two and half million dollars. He’s creating diversions based on the Sherlock Holmes story, “The Red-headed League.” The businesses being threatened are near banks and jewelry stores, and the men of the 87th are spread awfully thin trying to cover every eventuality.
McBain is a clever stylist who works on the reader subliminally. Carella’s nemesis is deaf; his other senses are heightened because of it. Carella’s wife, Teddy is also deaf. I’d be interested to know if there is some deafness in Evan Hunter’s background. Also, when the situation fits, McBain takes a dig at the politically correct. If you don’t believe me, get a load of Ollie Weeks (He’s not in this one). McBain (Hunter) is also not afraid to combine humor and dramatic action. There’s a fantastic twist toward the ending that made me laugh out loud, and I was alone. He’s also not afraid to break convention; Carella and the 87th fail as often as they succeed, especially when they’re up against the Deaf Man. Also, it’s a convention in most mysteries that the hero be involved in the capture of the villain. Carella is in a coma when the Deaf Man is foiled (by a beat cop).
I started reading the 87th Precinct novels way down the line with LULLABY. As a result, I stumbled across the Deaf Man when I happened to pick up LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE DEAF MAN. I’ve been trying to find the rest ever since. There are five of them: THE HECKLER, FUZZ, LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE DEAF MAN, EIGHT BLACK HORSES, AND MISCHIEF. I can’t remember if they finally got him in MISCHIEF, but if not, isn’t it about time for another, Ed?

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