Fuzz (87th Precinct Mysteries Book 22)

I have heard about McBain’s work and decided to give it a try. It was only an average read for this genre. The story is somewhat interesting at first making you wonder about the plot. But as it proceeds there is a definite lull and the reading slow as he gets bogged down with unnecessary and drawn out description and detail. It’s almost like he needed to lengthen the book and this was the easiest way to accomplish that. It was just filler and didn’t add anything to the story. Instead of a climax and driving interest to see how it comes out there was a flat let down. The ending was contrived and leaves you wishing you had stopped reading much earlier. Better mysteries available. I realize there are big fans but not sure if I’ll try again or not.

I love Ed McBain. His books are serious, comic, irreverent and a joy to read. And its amazing the range he had with the 87th Precinct Books of which this is one and the lawyer Matthew Hope to Blackboard Jungle, written as Evan Hunter.

This is the 12th in the percent books with all the usual characters — working cops just trying to put away the bad guys. And they have come across an old nemesis they thought was dead. Steve Carella is dressed as a homeless man to catch teenagers who are setting homeless men on fire; he gets burned and he gets beat up. Meanwhile, the others on his team receive a threatening note that if someone is not paid $5,000, a commissioner will be killed — and is. Then the note asks for more, to not kill the deputy mayor and in a spectacular bombing, he is killed. In the midst of all this the town of Isola is hit by one of the biggest storms in history, the police department is being painted by seemingly inept painters who spatter everything and finally, the cops come across an attempt to rob a tailor. And somehow, its at the tailor’s where everything somehow comes to gather. Very much as you realize it probably happens for many crimes. The characters feel real and speak realistically, and you feel for them the whole time you’re reading the book. Ed McBain/Evan Hunter was a genius. There are few authors I can say that for every time I open a book.

I am biased but I find that all of Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels are good and Fuzz is no exception. The earlier books are shorter and more succinct than the later ones. All of Mr. McBain’s novels have two driving forces: great plots and great characters. I love the people of the 87th because they are so well written that I feel like I know them. Now Mr. McBain’s plots remind me of Hill Street Blues before it got ruined. The 87th Precinct novels, when they start, give the impression that life started way before Page 1 and that life will continue after the Last Page. Ed McBain did not believe in wrapping up a novel into a neat little bow by the end. You know that cases had started before the major one and that cases will continue after, whether the main plot is done or not. Like Hill Street Blues’s story arcs, these novels are called police procedurals for a reason. With the exception of the Deaf Man (the 87th’s version of Professor Moriarty) and his nefarious machinations, all of the other cases, criminals, cops, snitches, etc. seem exceptionally real. The police procedures are real. The fact that every case is not solved is real. The fact that characters die is real. I love the people of the 87th. I want the criminals caught. I want the cops to succeed and survive. Ed McBain can be deep in his observations, conservative in his descriptions, generous in his dialogue, and humorous in everyday situations and even very dark ones. Are these novels everyone’s cup of tea? No, no novel is, even those considered classic literature. I love these novels and one of my deepest regrets is that I never got to meet Evan Hunter before he passed away to thank him for the many, many hours of enjoyment I have realized from his work.

A significant book in the Ed McBain series. This 1968 novel is the first in two years, the longest gap between books so far. The criminal mastermind The Deaf Man makes his first appearance since his debut in the 1960 book “The Heckler”. This is also the only one McBain wrote an screenplay for an 87th Precinct movie. The film also called “Fuzz” came out in 1972 with Burt Reynolds as Carella and Yul Brynner as The Deaf Man. I do not recommend the movie which is pretty bad but the book is worth reading.

One of the plots has some thrill seeking young guys setting fire to homeless drunks. Carella goes undercover and ends up injured and on the sidelines for much of the story. The Deaf Man has assembled a rag tag group of criminals to help him in extortion and murder of city officials. Short cop Hal Willis and black cop Arthur Brown work as a team in this one. We hear more of Bert Kling and Cindy Forrest, they are now officially in love. An interesting pop culture reference is this is the first time the Beatles are mentioned in an 87th book.

The last time Carella and The Deaf Man crossed paths, Carella was blasted with a shotgun. Check out this entry to get to the interesting climax and if they meet again.

Among the 50 or so novels Ed McBain wrote about the 87th Precinct, one recurring character is the Deaf Man a tall blond guy who wears a hearing aid. The Deaf Man is never caught, but his plots get foiled. In this episode the Deaf Man sends threatening letters seeking money or he will commit a murder. He is ultimately foiled by the detectives of the 87th. Ed McBain knew how to write efficiently and he knew how to keep the plot moving. He was one of the best writers of the 20th Century.

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