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dogearedbooks's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
jdcorley's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Reading 87th Precinct novels in the age of ACAB is a new experience. You can remind yourself going in - these novels were written before Miranda rights existed, were written before the Law & Order TV show made prosecution a central part of the procedural formula, were written before the American police procedural was anything. But there are still times when you think that for all of McBain's supposedly dispassionate observational style, presenting the racism and violence of Havilland, one of the more racist and violent cops depicted, that he truly doesn't quite see that Havilland's violence means that when good natured patrolman Bert Kling asks out a girl who he came to as part of his duties, she really can't say no, and when he accidentally stands her up, she still can't say no. His persistence we are meant to admire and be charmed by but we know better now. Nevertheless the idea that a police procedural should be in a documentary style (even reproducing certain documents!), an ensemble piece where characters come and go according to their function rather than their dramatic potential, with the real story being the story of the crime, is often forgotten in the post-Law-&-Order world we live in. And he's right. The story of the mugger, and of Bert Kling's attempt at detection, is a good one. It's propulsive, it's detailed, it's mysterious, and when it ends (quickly, as he points out!) it doesn't feel like a deus ex machina - it simply feels like what might happen as the police trace down every tiny lead. It's extremely satisfying, and in a way we don't often get in today's procedurals.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Violence, and Murder
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