Customer Reviews

King's Ransom: An 87th Precinct Mystery (Nightingale Mystery in Large Print)

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

 

 

King's Ransom seems like a very unlikely source of material for Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, better know for his samurai epics. However, Kurosawa pulled it off brilliantly, making one of his best films. The source book, by Ed McBain, is solid and well written -- and exciting read. However, it lacks the depth and the staying power of High and Low. The story, as told by McBain, is a straightforward detective story. There are no larger issues contemplated than whether Douglas King should pay the ransom for his chauffer's son, mistakenly kidnapped in place of his own son. Kurosawa, in contrast, turned the story into an indictment of Japanese society with its rigid views of where everyone fits in the caste system. We understand Douglas King's motivation, but he never generates the sympathy we feel for Toshiro Mifune's equivalent character in High and Low. It's a good book, but unlike High and Low, it doesn't really stay with you afterwards.

I know of no one else who can pack so much action into such a short period of time. This is book ten and I am trying to read them in order. The story in nearly all the books take place in a day or two. The books are short and make for a quick read. They are very enjoyable. A boy is kidnapped, but it is the wrong boy. They were supposed to get the son of Douglas King, a very wealth man, but they got the son of his chauffeur instead. King has all his money tied up in buying controling interest in a shoe company and if he pays the ransom he loses the shoe company. The men from the 87th are trying to find who took the boy but if King does not pay they think the boy will be killed. Every thing moves at a very fast pace, will King do what is right and pay up? Will Carella and company find the boy? Makes for a good read.

A vintage McBain, if there is such thing for McBain's 87th Precinct stories are timeless. The detective crew of the 87th are always fresh, the characters are so well drawn that if I'd meet Steve Carella, Artie Brown and unfortunate Bert Cling on the street I would not only instantly recognize them but would greet them as old friends.
I could not bestow a higher praise on this work than to call it, what I did in the first sentence, "A vintage McBain."

This isn't normally the kind of book I read (it being a mystery), but I'm glad I did, because it really wasn't a mystery. More of a suspense or cop story. I like the interesting moral dilemma this book poses..would you pay a half million dollars in ransom for a child that is not your own? And what if paying this ransom ruins you? What would you do? I think McBain could have spent more time on this aspect of the novel. Also, this book contains some of the best dialogues I've seen. I could picture a couple of good actors acting this out on the big screen. The biggest problem i found with the book was McBain wrote it 'soft.' I would've expected more swearing and adult content from kidnappers, but all in all this book is a must.

this book is really nice. it's easy to read, but they have too much coversation between the characters. and also there is too many charaters, which can make you confuse. inside the book there is to much details about business, so it's hard for the children to understand. the story pace too slow.
the language that used in this book is fine because it's easy to understand and not to complicated.