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posies23's review against another edition
4.0
Another strong entry in the 87th Precinct series. This one begins with the discovery of a mutilated hand, and follows the detectives as they try to find out who it belongs to and who cut it off.
Well-written and diverting.
Well-written and diverting.
ring01's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
Let's hope no one on the US Supreme court reads this, because they might find a old law to reintroduce:
But Cronin had a few other things to worry about. By his own admission, he and Martha Livingston had lit a few sticks before hopping into bed together and Section 2010 of the Penal Law quite bluntly stated: “Perpetration of an act of intercourse with a female not one’s wife who is under the influence of narcotics is punishable by an indeterminate sentence of one day to life or a maximum of twenty years.”
But Cronin had a few other things to worry about. By his own admission, he and Martha Livingston had lit a few sticks before hopping into bed together and Section 2010 of the Penal Law quite bluntly stated: “Perpetration of an act of intercourse with a female not one’s wife who is under the influence of narcotics is punishable by an indeterminate sentence of one day to life or a maximum of twenty years.”
tarana's review against another edition
3.0
While it had a good mystery, who owns the hand that was discovered in a bag, this seemed more a bridging novel to focus on the lives of some of the detectives.
dgrachel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The great big hand in the title is literal. A large hand is found in a bag and it is up to the detectives of the 87th Precinct to uncover both the victim and the perp. This one was really enjoyable, if you set aside the typical sexist language of the era and the genre. More than the mystery itself, the actions of the detectives and the descriptions of proper police procedure were fun to witness. The end of this one was unusually heartbreaking, but a good mid-century noir/police procedural. Onto the next one...
Side note - Dick Hill's narration is really growing on me. At 1.5 x speed, the pace is fast enough to not be annoying and slow enough to understand. When there is an action scene, I can think of no one better at breathless drama. It probably isn't supposed to be funny, but I find it delightful.
Side note - Dick Hill's narration is really growing on me. At 1.5 x speed, the pace is fast enough to not be annoying and slow enough to understand. When there is an action scene, I can think of no one better at breathless drama. It probably isn't supposed to be funny, but I find it delightful.
michaelromeo's review against another edition
4.0
One of McBains best. A bit gruesome but very entertaining.
lillian_francis's review against another edition
3.0
I guessed both the murderer and his reasons early on, but I don't know if that was because it's possible I may have read this before and retained the information
dustymantle's review against another edition
4.0
I learned that novels about gritty procedural police work are more to my taste than I had imagined. I had a sudden penchant for a brief bit of fiction to peruse earlier this week, and recalled this post on Freakytrigger. What's said about the descriptions of weather and the dialogue are entirely spot-on. The fact that it is one in a giant series tickles the part of my taste which tends to get immersed in such things. Also, the title is both an agonising pun and a fair precis.
whatmeworry's review against another edition
4.0
It's 87th Precinct, so needless to say I enjoyed it. Simpler than some of the other books, with just one mystery and a smaller rota of characters, but as engrossing as ever and with an unusually chilling ending.
gengelcox's review
2.0
Typical early 87th Precinct mystery with a horrendous pun for the title (the “Boys” of the 87th find a large cut-off hand in the first chapter). McBain in this period has a horrible tendency to overwrite (the three page description of the “City” as a woman was excruciatingly purple) and play cute (several times the characters make references to either entertainment or novels, in an early and poor attempt at post-modernism). Introduced in this book is Juan, the Puerto Rican addition to the 87th, as McBain slowly trudges towards diversity, thirty years earlier than Bill Clinton.
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