The Big Heat [Paperback]

William P. McGivern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

MURDER WAS IN THE AIR. A COP HAD KILLED HIMSELF, AND EVERY CROOK IN TOWN KNEW THAT WOULD BE SURE TO BRING ON THE BIG HEAT.

Why did they fear a dead man? Dave Bannion, homicide sergeant, fought for the answer to that question. The dead man was a police clerk who shot himself for no obvious reason. That was Bannion's first judgment, until a girl named Lucy presented a quite different picture of the dead man from the one he had shown to the world and to his fastidious, glacial wife.

Bannion's chief, Lieutenant Wilks, wanted the case closed and speculation ended quickly and tightly. So did Max Stone and Lagana, who held the city in a sinister, underworld grip. But why?

Why did they all fear a dead man . . . ?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"McGivern has made himself a master of his craft." -- Boston Globe

"The man can tell a story!" -- San Francisco Chronicle --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

WILLIAM P. MCGIVERN (1919-1982), born in Chicago, grew up in Mobile, Alabama. After quitting high school, he started to write. He served in WW II then studied in England before returning to the United States where he worked as a police reporter for the Philadelphia Bulletin. After his first novels appeared in the 1940s, he received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. In the 1960s, he and his wife moved to Hollywood where he wrote for film and for television shows, including Kojak. Several of his books were made into motion pictures, including The Big Heat and Rogue Cop. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078670439X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786704392
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,853,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, October 10, 2008

By 

C. Travis (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big Heat (Paperback)

I picked this up at random, but found it very enjoyable. The story is a more or less predictable story of crooked public officials, crooked police officers, mob members, and one straight cop trying to cleanup the whole city on his own, but the writing it good and keeps you wanting more. It was difficult to put the book down, and during the day I was wanting to get back to it. After finishing it, I looked the author up to find his next book but he has not written many. Too bad.