Scan barcode
jamelon13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
McBain is the favorite writer of a Booktuber I follow. This first book is spare, but still well written. I like the way he hides the antagonist's motives to the very end. A good start to a very long series.
analogn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ambrose_7's review against another edition
4.0
I heard raving reviews about this series and wanted to get into crime books more, so I decided to dive into "Cop Hater." I liked a lot of things about this novel. It was fast-paced and just long enough. I liked the dialogue; the characters were witty and snappy. I also liked how the book was about how the cops did everything. It was my first experience reading a book like that, and I've always been interested in police procedures and what happens behind the scenes. I also appreciated how the cops weren't placed on a pedestal; it felt reasonably unbiased. There were bad cops, and there were good cops. Carella was a well-written character. I felt very connected to him and didn't connect super positively with anyone besides his fiancé, but it didn't matter because at least I had Carella. Considering how much build-up there was, the ending felt rushed, but at least the last scene was WELL built up. I'll be indulging in the rest of the series in the future.
wayka's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
karinlib's review against another edition
3.0
Mysteries are probably my third favorite genre, Sci-Fi and Fantasy being my first and second. History and literary fiction, being my fourth and fifth. I say this because I like police procedural, Noir, cozy, psychological, etc, I will read them all. So, I am trying Ed McBain's 87 precinct series. I have decided to read them in order. Although I felt that there was too much explanation of procedural in this first book.
The 87th precinct is the main character of this series, and in this first book, composed of 16 detectives set in a fictitious big city. On to the next book.
The 87th precinct is the main character of this series, and in this first book, composed of 16 detectives set in a fictitious big city. On to the next book.
pat17's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
dan_hill's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
justlily's review against another edition
2.0
So at no point in time during this book did I really care what was happening at all. None of the characters are fleshed out enough to bother being attached to. None of the red herrings last long enough to really make you curious about the murder. The book starts, things happen, it ends, I have already forgotten all of it.
rpcroke's review against another edition
4.0
They're fun, though dated. If you take this series too seriously you may be disappointed.