Lady, Lady, I Did It!

I firmly believe Ed McBain is one of the best writers of the 20th century.

His 87th Precinct series set the foundation all police procedurals are built on. He is a master of tight writing, telling a complex tale (sometimes several complex ones) in about 200 pages yet penning some of the most evocative descriptive writing ever. His writing never has a lurch or a stumble, flows as smooth as a slow wide river. Any writer can do that for one or two or a handful of books. McBain did it for over 100 books under various pseudonyms (over 50 in this series alone!)

Of all the Ed McBain books Ive read (and Ive read over half of them), Ive never read a bad one. ‘Lady, Lady, I Did It’ didnt break that string.

I only have 11 more books in this series that I havent read. I wish I had 50.

The fourteenth entry in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series hits close to home for the detectives of the precinct. Indian Summer has rolled around again in Isola, and on a late afternoon a gunman callously murders four people in a bookstore. The gunman gets away and the survivors are unable to provide a decent description. One of his victims, though, is closely tied to Detective Bert Kling.

The case thus takes on personal overtones for Kling and for the other detectives on the squad as well because one of their own has been affected. But trying to find a motive for the killings, let alone the elusive gunman will prove to be a daunting task.

This is another of the better early books in the series because the case becomes so personal for the detectives involved and thus demonstrates the ties that bind them together. It also shows the frustrations of a difficult case and the way in which a potential solution may turn on the smallest of clues. A solid, entertaining read.

This book was written back in the 1960’s but it is still a good read. A man walks into a book store and opens fire and kills four people. When detectives from the 87th Precinct arrive they find one of the victims is the fiance of Detective Kling. The detectives now must solve the case while dealing with a grieving Kling.

I am a big fan of the 87th precinct series. So, my reviews are never impartial. This particular book involves the murder of Detective Kling’s first girlfriend. It helps the reader understand his mentality and behavior in all subsequent stories. It is deep and heartbreaking. I highly recommend.

This is a very classic, old-school style of writing and time period for this material. You have to appreciate the fact that the writer also wrote stories for one of the best detectives who ever lived on television: Columbo! In all fairness, you have to at least read one of these classics to appreciate the history of Mr. McBain. He set the stage for many a detective story, and was writing way before my time! The material is obviously from the 1950’s, therefore will appeal to a select audience or those who appreciate older literature. I still found it worth reading, quick, and easy to work through. I was actually able to draw conclusive evidence as to whodunnit and was surprised to see I was right!

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