July 11, 2005
MWA Grand Master McBain's 55th 87th Precinct police procedural suffers by comparison with 2004's Hark!
as well as other top books in this iconic series, but still has plenty of good moments. A killer living the high life is exacting the last full measure of revenge. As his victims pile up, the 87th falls prey to the FMU or "first man up" rule. Since the initial victim, a blind violinist shot in the face, was done on the 87th's turf, all subsequent murders are theirs as well. More are not long in arriving; each victim shot in the face at close range with the same 9mm Glock. The whole cast of the 87th is stretched thin trying to track down clues in geographically disparate killings. This gives McBain license to update us on such matters as the romance between Bert Kling and Sharyn Cooke and Fat Ollie Weeks's courtship of Patricia Gomez. All are searching for the one lead that will pan out gold. While McBain siphons off some suspense by making the reader privy to the killer's actions, and his trademark dialogue isn't as crisp as usual, he still delivers dependable entertainment. Agent, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents
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October 31, 2005
Stransky proves a fine choice as narrator of Ed McBain's final 87th Precinct novel. A series of killings has claimed several victims who seem unrelated except that each has been killed by the same gun with two shots to the face. The detectives of the 87th try to find the common thread linking the victims that will lead to the killer. McBain's fictional city of Isola has stalwartly stood in for New York City for nearly five decades and does so once again, offering Stransky the opportunity to show off the diversity of the city's populace as they weave in and out of the detective's investigation. Stransky slips easily into each of McBain's characters regardless of sex, age or ethnicity, keeping his portrayals grounded and real. His descriptive narration, especially when dealing with the murders and their aftermath, is delivered in a straightforward, just the facts, manner, that turns these passages into moving observations on the fragility of life and the finality of death. Fiddlers
is classic McBain, handled with aplomb by Stransky, and though this may be the last case for the detectives of the 87th, at least it is a case of going out in style. Simultaneous release with the Harcourt hardcover (Reviews, July 11).