Customer Reviews

Ice (87th Precinct)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ed McBain was well into his long series of 87th Precinct books by the time the time he produced this one in 1983. This one is longer than most and has a huge cast. Social groups depicted include theatre personnel, drug dealers, diamond merchants, and of course the familiar 87th precinct cops. Accordingly, there are a huge number of suspects for the reader, and possibly the author, to finally attach to the various crimes committed.

Binding together all the disparate elements is the symbol ice. It represents the drugs that lie behind many of the crimes, it coats the night streets of New York where many of the crimes are committed, it seems to run through the veins of many of the dealers, rapists, charlatans and cheats that are encountered here, and its fragility typifies the fragility of law and order and even decent relationships in this so-called center of civilization.

Lurid yet often beautiful, engrossing yet often repellant, this is certainly a McBain book that can be included amongst his best.

McBain was the master. I don't know of any other author who is as good at creating an ensemble cast of characters with distinctive personalities, multiple plot lines and combining them together with excellent dialogue and a very strong sense of place. Even the title is tied into the story by four meanings of the word which relate to the plot lines. If you've not read McBain, particularly the 87th Precinct series, I highly recommend them. While each book stands alone, I'd start at the beginning. I'll miss having new books by this excellent author, but always be grateful for his being as prolific as he was.

This might be McBain's best book! Don't be scared off by the horrible TV-movie that they made of it. The two storie are barely related, in fact. Lots of fun with diamonds and killers and puns. A+

When three seemingly unconnected victims are killed with the same gun Steve Carella and the detectives from the 87th Precinct are baffled. What connection can there be between a small time cocaine dealer, a diamond merchant and a dancer in a hit musical. Sally Anderson is shot at close range outside her home after a late performance. The investigating team offer the case to the eight-seven when the ballistics report show the same gun was used to kill Paco Lopez. There is comedy romance and tragedy in this novel and despite being much longer than most of the previous McBain novels it is just as gripping and a regular page turner. The novel is set in the middle of a savage winter, is this where the Ice of the title comes in? Or does it refer to the diamonds traded by the third victim? Ice is also a slang term for killing and in this book we learn of another interpretation of the word. As always McBain brings these four meanings together in one work.

I'm not into regular fiction much but I enjoyed this. McBain is funny and good at putting together comical situations. It started out really funny but then got serious. Not much shooting or car chases, so if that's what you're looking for look elsewhere. This is very realistic cop drama, with McBain showing off his research from time to time, in relation to forensics, safe cracking, and burglary.

Up til now all of the 87th Precinct books have been between 150-200 pages. This is the first full size novel, which was intended to be turned into a TV movie. Just like all of the previous books in the series it stars the detectives of the eight-seven, Carella, Meyer, Kling, Brown, a cameo by Hawes, Genaro, and a newcomer from the Rape Squad downtown, Eileen Brennan.

The main story revolves around three murders that occurred in one week, with the same gun. But the dead are a small time dealer in Diamondback, a dancer from a legit theatre and a diamond merchants. All three were killed by two shots to the head but they have nothing in common and the eight-seven 'Loot' Pete Byrnes is afraid that they have a 'crazy' running around killing people randomly. A crazy is the worst kind of murderer because there's no pattern or logic to the killings.

Looking for a link, Meyer and Carella may have to end up interviewing all one hundred and fourteen people who are involved in the musical that the dancer was in. Even after interviewing them all they may still not find a connection. In between, Steve has in the back of his mind that Kling (who is exhibiting the symptoms of depression) may be thinking of 'eating his gun'. It well played and well thought out.

Needless to say the movie of "Ice" which was made in 1997 wasn't very good and the reviews are so so. I mean 'Joey Pants' plays Meyer Meyer, what they couldn't find a fat bald jew to play the part? But McBain has loaded the book with at least three different uses for ICE (and no not the immigration service which in 1983 was still INS). When someone comments that the decoy from the Rape Squad isn't that 'well endowed' she say, "so get Raquel Welch". Welch starred in the 1970 movie of McBain's "Fuzz" whose screenplay is attributed to 'Evan Hunter' which was McBain's legal name.

All in all the book is an accomplished novel and I look forward to more of the same in the last twenty books of the series.

Zeb Kantrowitz

Again, Ed McBain puts together several crimes that puzzle the wits of the Eight Seven. Some of the men and women in blue are going through personal issues and these are compassionately told. The hard, realistic cop banter is so perfectly done that you can see the characters playing out in front of you. I very much enjoyed this work as a complex set of murders and subplots were woven together toward a satisfying ending.

Without giving anything away, the title, ICE, is nicely penned. It will take you until the end to see all the reasons.

If you haven't read anything by Ed McBain, this would be as good a start as any. He is one of the top writers of this genre in the business. This book is entertaining, insightful and although written in 1983, it fits into today's societal ills quite nicely.

The officers of the 87th Precinct are given charge of the investigation of three murders, which ballistics reveal were done by a single murderer using the same gun. Finding a further relationship of the three victims is the basic problem. Evan Hunter, using the pen-name of McBain, has gained the reputation of being the leading writer of police procedurals. Proven crime-investigation methods are a basic part of McBain's novels, but the dominant procedure is the intelligent interview of suspects and witnesses, which exhibit the author's skills in creating realistic dialog. The officers of the precinct provide the story with numerous characters with a variety of motivations. A few sub-plots provide occasions for the use of "ice" as a unifying motif: the setting is in a severe winter storm, a murder involves suspicious diamonds, the icy hearts of a couple of ruthless characters are revealed although they are represented as being lovers. A secondary theme may be more important to the thoughtful reader: among the numerous motivations of the men who take up a career of police work is the search for justice. Officer Meyer Meyer, near the end of the story, says "There is no justice." Nevertheless, the resolution of the plot suggests that ultimately there will be justice, even in a vicious world, although it may be achieved in unexpected ways. Although he has authored hundreds of novels and other works, McBain (Hunter) is an expert in plot twists, unusual characters, and unexpected revelations that always keep the readers' interest and makes dedicated fans for a lengthy series.

Lloyd Beldon Lacy