Customer Reviews

Kiss

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

 

 

A riveting addition in the 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain. This story is a great intertwining of two very strong and emotional storylines. The author does a fantastic job of moving between the two without disrupting the flow of the other. The stories are tied together by the main character Detective Steve Carella. One story is very personal, dealing with the brutal murder of his father and the highly visible trial of the accused murderer. During this same time, Carella is working on a police investigation of the attempted murder of a wealthy and beautiful woman. This story is filled with murder, hired killers, marital betrayel, and the dark side of the legal system. Keeps the attention of the listener. Only negative I felt was that the language could have been tempered without losing the momentum. All in all, a very enjoyable experience.

In KISS, McBain takes a look at the wonderful world of cheating husbands who decide murder is better than divorce. The situation gets confused when one of the husband's chosen assassins is murdered and when another is brought in, things don't turn out the way anyone (Ok, one person) planned. The ending, while not entirely realistic, (I think there is a case for the prosecution here.) has a nice twist, not really surprising but satisfying. In a subplot, the trial of one of the killers of Carella's father takes place; a situation that is written unevenly, played more for melodrama than realism and with an ending that is as predictable as it is disappointing. Despite these flaws, KISS is a solid outing for McBain with my favorite team in the lead, Carella and Meyer, where the byplay between these two characters more than makes up for any problems I had with the plot.

This book is surprisingly underrated here, where McBain generally gets high marks. It is a thrilling book, even if it is slightly dark and sexy (which apparently bothers some of the readers). This is the first McBain I read--not the last--and I intend to read many more.

I am probably the only mystery fan who has not read any of Ed
McBain's 87th precinct novels, but that is a deficiency I plan to
remedy very quickly. I just finished Kiss and was fascinated with
his characters and with the details of police life that he so
carefully paints.

The story begins with a young woman who is suddenly attacked on a
subway platform and pushed onto the tracks. It is only a miracle
that she is able to pull herself onto the platform before the
train rushes by. Just your typical New York afternoon, right?
That's what she thinks until a week later when she is almost run
over by a car that was apparently aiming for her. This time,
however, she recognizes the driver, a man who used to work for
her husband.

When she goes to detective Steve Carella, he quickly suspects her
husband has somehow hired a hit man and cautions her to be
careful. That doesn't seem plausible, though, for her husband has
hired a private detective from Chicago to serve as her body guard
and to conduct his own investigation. Emma Bowles feels Detective
Carella must be mistaken.

As his inquiries continue, however, Steve becomes even more
convinced that her husband is involved. The private detective,
for example, seems to have rather questionable credentials; in
fact, he even goes under an assumed name. When the man who was
first trying to kill Emma winds up dead himself, the puzzle only
gets more confusing.

The story isn't as straight-forward as this summery might appear.
One of the joys of McBain's writing is the complexity of his
universe. Most fictional detectives seem to have no interests
other than the case they are on (and the mandatory woman they are
"visiting"). Steve Carella is tied up in his own trial while he
is investigating this case - his father had been murdered, and he
and his mother are attending the trial of the man who had been
caught. Even though his guilt was obvious, it looked more and
more as if the defense attorney was going to convince the jury to
acquit.

Nor does the investigation run smoothly. Carella runs into dead
end after dead end, but each time, he moves just a little closer
to the truth.

Finally comes the solution. As the reader has long known, Emma's
husband is a no-good scoundrel. But I think you will still be
surprised at what happens! McBain's ability to show and to hide
at the same time is amazing. This is truly good detective
fiction.

No great literature here, but I'm going for more of the 97th
precinct.

This is another great book by Ed McBain. You dont need to start the series with book one. Each book gives a little recap about each detective. Worth your money.

Ed McBain's 1992 installment in his 87th Precinct mystery series is a solid suspense story that plays even better in terms of social commentary and character study, an immersively engaging story for casual fans that only rises in interest for those who follow the police procedural series.

In it, we meet Emma Bowles, a mature but still well polished trophy wife of rich businessman Martin, who finds herself the target of two murder attempts. At the 87th, Dets. Carella and Meyer have a feeling, even after the apparent attacker turns up dead, that Emma is in need of their protection. But Martin has hired a bodyguard for his beloved, and she thinks herself safe enough. Is she?

When "Kiss" came out, McBain had just come off a six-novel run that may well have been his longest sustained streak of excellence, beginning with 1983's "Ice" and ending with 1989's "Lullaby". Then his narrative voice, always hard and ironic, began choking with jaded bile, as if the whole notion of fighting for justice had become a sick joke (see 1990's "Vespers").

"Kiss" is very much in the same cynical vein of "Vespers", yet makes its points with subtlety and dexterity. At the same time, it keeps the reader's juices going with a central storyline that's both crafty and visceral. McBain is rueful but never disinterested, and so neither are you.

Great vignettes, too; sketches of random characters in the precinct area rendered vivid by just a few well-chosen words, like narrative haiku: "Forget the veined and bulbous nose, forget the razor nicks on his chin and cheeks, forget even the ill-fitting and somewhat rumpled suit. There was something more than his disheveled appearance that told you Frank Unger had long ago lost touch with anything more meaningful than alcohol."

It's not that the central mystery comes with a bit of a twist; many will sense it coming long before it arrives. It's the masterful way McBain anticipates the reader anticipating him, and plays off that with the kind of poker-faced finale McBain did so well.

But what really makes you enjoy "Kiss" is the company of the 87th regulars, more vividly etched than usual, and not just because of a compelling side story involving the trial of the killer of Carella's father. Ollie Weeks is at his despicable best, and homicide detectives Monoghan and Monroe are their usual models of lax ineptitude. Even precinct commander Frick has a rare moment in the spotlight.

McBain still had the touch. There is plenty to sink your teeth into here, especially if you are old enough to remember New York City mayor David Dinkins and the Crown Heights Riot of 1991, which "Kiss" alludes to in fictional Isola form. Racial tension, marital distrust, and judicial blindness are among the disparate topics brought together in "Kiss". Somehow McBain finds a way of making it all pay off.