Ice

In the extensive 87th Precinct series, there are several books in which the author ties a one-word title to a series of intertwined plots. It’s very clever, and those are some of the best books in the series. In “Ice”, the detectives are battling the extreme cold and bad weather in the city, in addition to assorted crime. It turns out that ice doesn’t refer only to the stuff freezing on the pavement or pattering from the sky. There are people getting iced, there’s an unusual crime by that name, there are other things that resonate with the noun. In the middle of this, Det. Bert Kling is nearly suicidal after the heartbreak of his divorce, the moronic Det. Genero inadvertently provides an important clue (when not arresting a pregnant hooker), Teddy Carella revisits an old friend, and Valentine’s Day finds her husband at a loss for a decent gift. Det. Eileen Burke is on hand – she made a charming appearance in a previous book – and so are the usual detectives, snitches, and peculiar villains. Actually, there are plenty of villains on hand, and they just keep coming. This book is way cool!

This later entry in the series from McBain is one of the best of his now legendary 87th Precinct novels. Though it’s cold outside for the boys of the 87th, Ice turns out to be something different from what you think.

There are some very true to life moments in this entry, many of them between Carella and the boys of the 87th Precinct as they try to connect a murder outside their precinct with another which happened on their turf. When no connection other than the weapon presents itself, the possibility that it might be random is even scarier.

For those who followed the series and are going through them again, or those who have just discovered Ed McBain, there is a lot going on here besides the cases. Kling is still reeling from a personal tragedy, which is explored in both his loneliness, and his budding relationship with the sweet yet tough undercover police woman, Eileen. Never one to shy away from grit and truth, this is also the notorious one where Eileen reveals to Kling a sexual fantasy she has which seems very much in contrast to her work undercover, which often involves posing as a prostitute.

The police procedural part of the story is very good, as it so often was, but its the dynamic between Eileen and Kling in this one youll remember most if you follow the series. Another excellent one in the long-running series of which well sadly get no more, now that Ed McBain has passed. Great stuff.

This is another very good entry in the 87th Precinct series. The title has multiple meanings and, as it would suggest, the story takes place during a brutally cold winter. As it opens, a dancer from a big show is walking home late at night. As she nears her apartment, someone steps out of the shadows and shoots her to death with a .38.

As it turns out, the same gun was used in the murder of a small-time drug dealer a week or so earlier. That case belongs to Steve Carella of the 87th Precinct, and since the two cases are obviously linked, the detectives of the 87th inherit the murder of the young woman as well, even though the crime did not occur within the boundaries of their precinct.

The detectives work diligently, but they can find no link between the two victims and no plausible suspects in either killing. Then another person is shot with the same gun and this victim would appear to have no relationship with either of the first two. It’s all very confusing and suggests to the detectives that perhaps a crazy person is running around the city, killing people at random, which would be the worst possible thing that could happen.

In the meantime, Detective Bert Kling is still recovering from his recent divorce. He is definitely in emotional and psychological difficulty and is spending way too much time in the wee hours of the morning, lying awake and staring at his gun on the nightstand beside him.

All in all, it’s a great tale. Thirty-six books into the series, McBain was clearly on a roll and fans of the series won’t want to miss this one.

Three apparently unrelated murders have four members of the 87th Precinct scratching their heads. The first a small time drug dealer, the second a dancer in a popular show, and then a gem dealer. All three killed by the same gun, but besides that, what ties them all together. Maybe drugs? But everyone says the dancer and gem dealer didn’t do drugs. Or did they? Things just get more confusing. Not one of the better books in this series in my opinion. Starts off kind of slowly and never really gets going.

This is one of the best of over 50 87th Precinct novels by the late Ed McBain. it’s longer than most of the books in the series, which gives the author the chance to develop a couple of interesting subplots and introduce some intriguing minor characters. McBain was a pioneer in the police procedural genre and the story here involves three murders of seemingly unrelated victims by the same gun. As the detectives of the 87th dig deeper into the case they discover a web of deceit that involves diamond smuggling, drug dealing and unethical practices in the business of putting on Broadway musicals.

The dialogue is sharp and fresh even after thirty years and the details of urban police work, as always, ring true. I’ve been a fan of McBain’s books for over a quarter of a century and I re-read this one while recuperating from an illness. Reading the book was like a visit with old friends. I would highly recommend this book or any of McBain’s novels to anyone who enjoys modern crime novels or police procedural stories.

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