Lullaby

Of the 55 books in this series, which was published between 1956 and 2005, there are only a handful that I found less than stellar. Unfortunately, this is one of them. It isn’t bad – Ed McBain couldn’t write a bad book if he tried – but it isn’t his best. He used two types of titles: single words, which indicated multiple, often intertwined, plots, and phrases, often with double meanings. In this police procedural, there are some subtleties for those who have read the books in order. For example, Det. Bert Kling, who was responsible for nearly getting his girlfriend, Det. Eileen Burke, killed, now saves the life of a man then nearly gets killed himself. There are also the type of little jokes the author has always enjoyed, as in having a character watch a movie the author was the screenwriter for. There are two main plots in this book, and they do not intertwine, which means the reader keeps switching from one storyline to the other. The book starts with the horrific murder of an infant and her babysitter. The second plot is rather convoluted, involving gangs: Jamaican, Colombian, and Chinese. I found it less engaging and far too confusing. In this case, I wish Mr. McBain had found more lullabies to weave into a better tune.

In the forty-first installment of Ed McBains 87th Precinct series, the detectives of the 87th ring in the New Year with a particularly gruesome crime when a couple returns home from a New Years Eve party to find the sixteen-year-old babysitter knifed to death and their baby smothered. The likeliest suspect appears to be the boyfriend that the babysitter threw over a few weeks earlier, but hes proving hard to find and, given the fact that the crimes occurred on the hardest-partying night of the year, witness statements are not as reliable as they otherwise might be.

While Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer try to find the party responsible for the killings, Detective Bert Kling finds himself in the middle of a war between two drug gangs that is becoming increasingly vicious. Both sides seem to be very well-armed and Kling, unfortunately seems to be right in the middle of the crossfire.

Finally, another detective who had a very unsettling experience in the last novel in the series is determined to quit the force but is having trouble convincing the departments psychiatrist to sign off on the resignation. It all adds up to another fast-paced and compelling story from one of the masters of the genre.

If Ed McBain did not invent the police procedural, he must surely be credited with making it popular. Long before Law and Order, McBain in his popular 87th Precinct series was combining the nuts and bolts of real police work investigating and solving all varieties of violent crimes. Part of McBains genius was infusing humanity into the investigators and the perpetrators of the crimes.

LULLABY is one of the books in the series. Originally published in 1989, it is still vibrant and entertaining.

This time, Carella, Kling and the other detectives look into the case of a murdered babysitter and an infant baby. As part of the investigation, subplots develop involving drug deals and rival gangs while another involves a woman officer trying to come to terms with her own rape.

Wondering how these different threads may or may not come together is part of the enjoyment of the story.

McBain inserts excerpts of police reports and interrogations to provide a feel of authenticity.

Less enjoyable is when he shifts scenes and perspectives without the usual line spaces or other marker to clue in the reader. This is less confusing, however, when one gets used to the technique.

All-in-all, however, this is a solid and enjoyable work by one of the masters of the genre.

For whatever reason it seems like in this series there are some very good books and some that just kind of miss the mark and for me this one kind of misses the mark. A baby sitter and a baby are murdered and the 87th Precinct find themselves under pressure from higher ups to solve the crime. While at the same time Kling finds himself in the middle of a drug deal with several factions trying to cheat the other. Kling’s girlfriend Eileen still coping with being raped breaks up with him and starts seeing a psychiatrist.

My rating would have been higher, if the author had separated the plots a little. One sentence leaves you expecting to continue the current plot, but suddenly it switches to the second plot. No break or page marker, double space or any other indications that the plot was alternating. I certainly enjoy dual plots, or triple, but there needed to be some separation. I enjoyed the three storylines, and I was able to identify the killer of the baby and babysitter.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member