Customer Reviews

Eight Black Horses

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3 star:		(1)
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This is the first McBain book I've read, but it's easy to see why the 87th Precinct series is widely regarded as the greatest of procedurals. Anyone who enjoys TV shows like Hill Street Blues will recognise the debt owed to McBain.

Eight Black Horses sees an old foe of the 87th, the Deaf Man, sending a series of bizarre messages to the cops, who must decipher the clues before... well, they don't know what he's going to do. The gradually mounting tension is offset with plenty of humour, much of it black; the climax is an object lesson in combining suspense with comedy.

To paraphrase the Stephen King quote they stick on Elmore Leonard books, "After I read Eight Black Horses, I went out and bought every Ed McBain book I could find". True! These are ideal for a quick, light read. Try one instead of going to the cinema to see a mediocre thriller.

It's getting into the holiday season at the 87th Precinct, and what's this? An unexplained package for Det. Steve Carella? A dead naked woman lying in the park across the street? Must be another call from that fiendish archvillain, the Deaf Man.

"Eight Black Horses" was published in 1985, but it's more like a throwback to an earlier time in the 87th Precinct's development, when the accent was more on the mystery and less on the characters around it. That's not a bad thing here, since the problem posed to the investigators (and readers) by the Deaf Man is so involving and enjoyable in its macabre way. You get four dead civilians, three dead cops, and plenty of kinky sex before this one is through, so maybe it's not so bad to take this one as an entry in a lighter vein.

Ed McBain is as serious as death when he writes one of his 87th Precinct thrillers, but sometimes he's less serious than others, like he is here when he writes of a woman, feeling jilted after a one-night stand involving bondage and Russian roulette: "Lying to her, taking advantage of her, doing disgusting things to her, and then not even calling her again..."

The pace of this one zips along in classic 87th Precinct style, with more attention than usual given to the full complement of detectives in the squadroom. The clues the reader and the detectives get are clever even if we pick up on it a little before they do. Something about the Deaf Man makes him operate like his classical predecessor, Moriarty, laying forth the gauntlet in an almost gentlemanly style that would seem archaic were it not so entertaining. It makes him happy company, too, however fiendish he may be.

For those who try to keep score, there's some useful details about the boroughs of Isola and how they were named: "Bethtown had been named for the virgin queen Elizabeth, but undoubtedly by a British officer with a lisp; it was supposed to be Besstown."

And there's even some Christmas cheer to be had. Never mind that the Santa at the local department store isn't called "short eyes" because he gets confused about his elves. Probably the finest misanthropic take on the meaning of Christmas is offered by Det. Andy Parker in a hilarious monologue that belongs in any curmudgeon's handbook.

Even for 87th Precinct fans, the Deaf Man may be a bit of an acquired taste; since he likes to drop clues a la the Riddler he pushes the bounds of realism somewhat more than some 87th Precinct readers might like. But for those of us who enjoy Ed McBain's storytelling vibrancy, having an outsized story now and then only adds to the pleasures of the series.

And there's always useful information to be had. Here, for example, we learn from a detective which silk panties to buy a girlfriend for which day of the week. Saturday is black, we know, but Thursdays are purple? Just as long as you don't forget the lavender garter belt...

Having been caught in an airport delay I grabbed this book out of the terminal bookstore to help pass the time. Lucky grab. I enjoyed the time spent reading this Ed McBain novel (though it wasn't my first I just don't remember the others).

The plot may seem a bit corny. A criminal mastermind (aka the Deaf Man) is planning something nefarious around Christmas time and taunts the 87th police precinct by sending them cryptic clues including a picture of eight black horses. So it's up to the good detectives Kling, Carella and Meyer to unravel the mysterious puzzle in time to foil the Deaf Man's ingenious plan. What makes this so captivating is McBain's ability to keep the action moving at a crisp pace while maintaining an atmosphere of tension and suspense. Throw in a little wry humor and graphic violence and you have a winning formula for an intriguing book.

Also, "Eight Black Horses" was written in 1985. It was a bit refreshing to read something about crime solving before the proliferation of cell phones and the internet. I liked it.

To this day this is the most gripping 87th Precinct story I have read. The reader is constantly kept in suspense. The Deaf Man is one of McBain's best characters. Every time he pops up, I know the adventure will be extraordinary. I love the way the notes are intertwined with the text. Fans should definitely have this title.

The Deaf Man is back once again.

I rate the Deaf Man books as some of the best in the 87th Precinct series. Unlike the routine shootings, stabbings and poisonings of other books, the Deaf Man is guaranteed to offer something more intricate and puzzling. And he certainly doesn't disappoint here; plotting robberies and murder, infiltrating police squadrooms, and sending the 87th a series of bizzare Twelve-Days-Of-Christmas-themed clues. Unlike some of the multi-layered books from this period, there are not multiple investigations going on. The story here is focussed almost entirely on the Deaf Man and his plot. The result is a tighter and leaner book than, say, 'Ice' or 'Lullaby', but that's not a bad thing, and the book is a good, fast-moving read.

Others have noticed that the book is a little more light-hearted than some others, and perhaps this was a deliberate decision after the dark and disturbing 'Lightning'. Also note that the kink factor has been turned up here; there's alot of tying young women to bedposts with ribbons, as well as quite detailed descriptions of ladies' underwear (Oh, so Detective Rawles is wearing the purple silky panties with the black lacy garters and the sheer lavender satin bra. Sure it wasn't the black lacy panties and the silk purple stockings? OK, gotcha....). So enjoy or move on, whatever floats your boat.

Fans should note that the primary protagonists in this one are Carella and Brown. But all the detectives are given some significant time here, particularly in regards to their personal lives. There's plenty of the lovely Teddy Carella, as well as other less-seen partners like Harriet Byrnes. Note in particular a fascinating insight into the gruff, foul-mouthed Parker, which paints a more complex picture of the man. There's also a small subplot dealing with Eileen Burke and the aftermath of the events of 'Lightning'.

A good, easy, entertaining read, and yet another interesting addition to the long-running series.

Have you ever seen the Jumping the Shark website? It's dedicated to TV shows that have gone downhill, and the site invited viewers to pinpoint the exact moment that a show "Jumped The Shark"...the phrase comes from an episode of 'Happy Days'. Well, Ed's "Jumped The Shark" with this one. Any police/crime novel where the author has to rely on an ultra-clever, supernaturally mysterious archnemesis with no name (a la James Bond), well, you know he's out of good plot ideas. And, unfortunately, ol' Ed's spent too much time in this book detailing the sexual exploits of various characters, with said detail contributing little if anything to the story.

Do yourself a favor - stick with Ed's earlier stuff - it's a treat. "Eight Black Horses" is a throwaway.

Every author of a long series has times when the reader gets the feeling that the author is only going through the motions. Whenever McBain pulls "The Deaf-man" out of the draw, you know it's that time. Just like Holmes and Moriarty, the 87th and Deaf-man could never have existed. There are NO 'master criminals' except in the imagination of mystery writers. Not only that, but to everyone but the clueless Detectives of the 87th, what is going on is so obvious as to be transparent.

One would think that around Thanksgiving, you started to receive pictures of multiple police equipment as in 8, 4, 5, 3; that you would begin to think of the "twelve days of Christmas" (the song must be playing all over the radio). But it takes the Bulls of the 87th until after they receive eight or nine before someone comes up with the idea. Makes you wonder how their guys could manage to 'catch' a cold.

What's worse it that now that McBain has decided to write 'longer' novels (two fifty to three hundred pages v. one fifty to one eighty); he spends more time on useless narrative. He mentions that nine cops are in the squad and then has to mention each one by name; he does these types of descriptions when he has the 'criminal' repeating the numbers of the combinations over and over again as opposed to just saying he repeated them. It really slows down the book and destroys any tension that is building in the story.

OK, they can't all be brilliant, but he 'telegraphs' what is going to ruin the heist with everything but a parade. Last question, what does the Deaf-man do when he disappears for years at a time?

Zeb Kantrowitz