Til Death [Hardcover]

Ed McBain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1959

Hours before his sister's wedding, Steve Carella of the 87th Precinct learns that a killer is stalking the groom, and in order to learn the would-be murderer's identity, Steve must search through hundreds of wedding guests. Reissue.

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

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stephen King and Nelson DeMille on Ed McBain

I think Evan Hunter, known by that name or as Ed McBain, was one of the most influential writers of the postwar generation. He was the first writer to successfully merge realism with genre fiction, and by so doing I think he may actually have created the kind of popular fiction that drove the best-seller lists and lit up the American imagination in the years 1960 to 2000. Books as disparate as The New Centurions, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Godfather, Black Sunday, and The Shining all owe a debt to Evan Hunter, who taught a whole generation of baby boomers how to write stories that were not only entertaining but that truthfully reflected the times and the culture. He will be remembered for bringing the so-called "police procedural" into the modern age, but he did so much more than that. And he was one hell of a nice man. --Stephen King

Way back in the mid-1970s, when I was a new writer and police series were very big, my editor asked me to do a series called Joe Ryker, NYPD. I had no idea how to write a police detective novel, but the editor handed me a stack of books and said, “These are the 87th Precinct novels by Ed McBain. Read them and you’ll know everything you need to know about police novels.” After I read the first book--which I think was Let’s Hear It for the Deaf Man--I was hooked, and I read every Ed McBain I could get my hands on. Then I sat down and wrote my own detective novel, The Sniper, featuring Joe Ryker. My series never reached the heights of the 87th Precinct series, but by reading those classic masterpieces, I learned all I needed to know about urban crime and how detectives think and act. And I had a hell of a time learning from the master. Years later, when I actually got to meet Ed McBain/Evan Hunter, I told him this story, and he said, “I would have liked it better if my books inspired you to become a detective instead of becoming my competition.” Evan and I became friends, and I was privileged to know him and honored to be in his company. I remain indebted to him for his good advice over the years. But most of all, I thank him for hundreds of hours of great reading. --Nelson DeMille

To read about how Ed McBain influenced other mystery and thriller writers, visit our Perspectives on McBain page.

For a complete selection of 87th Precinct novels available for Kindle (paperbacks coming in February 2012), visit our Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Booklist.

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--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Ed McBain (1926--) was born Salvatore Lambino in New York. He changed his name to Evan Hunter and under that name is known as the author of The Blackboard Jungle and as the writer of the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. The 87th Precinct series numbers over fifty novels. McBain is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and is the only American writer to be awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 1959)
• ISBN-10: 9997519027
• ISBN-13: 978-9997519023
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,199,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed McBain was one of the many pen names of the successful and prolific crime fiction author Evan Hunter (1926 - 2005). Born Salvatore Lambino in New York, McBain served aboard a destroyer in the US Navy during World War II and then earned a degree from Hunter College in English and Psychology. After a short stint teaching in a high school, McBain went to work for a literary agency in New York, working with authors such as Arthur C. Clarke and P.G. Wodehouse all the while working on his own writing on nights and weekends. He had his first breakthrough in 1954 with the novel The Blackboard Jungle, which was published under his newly legal name Evan Hunter and based on his time teaching in the Bronx.

Perhaps his most popular work, the 87th Precinct series (released mainly under the name Ed McBain) is one of the longest running crime series ever published, debuting in 1956 with Cop Hater and featuring over fifty novels. The series is set in a fictional locale called Isola and features a wide cast of detectives including the prevalent Detective Steve Carella.

McBain was also known as a screenwriter. Most famously he adapted a short story from Daphne Du Maurier into the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). In addition to writing for the silver screen, he wrote for many television series, including Columbo and the NBC series 87th Precinct (1961-1962), based on his popular novels.

McBain was awarded the Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement in 1986 by the Mystery Writers of America and was the first American to receive the Cartier Diamond Dagger award from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain. He passed away in 2005 in his home in Connecticut after a battle with larynx cancer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MCBAIN NEARLY ALWAYS GOOD!!!!, March 24, 2002

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Til Death (Signet) (Paperback)

I think only Ed McBain could take only one day and write a whole book that would hold my attention. Steve Carella's sister is getting married and maybe, just maybe someone is trying to kill the groom. Who and why? It could be one of several people but Steve and his buddies from the 87th are running out of time to find the killer. Bert Kling and Cotton Hawes are off duty but agree to come to the wedding to help. Myer Myer and the ones on duty are working on another angle. Also, Teddy, Steve's wife is expecting a baby any time. Does she have it in this book or maybe the next one, have to read to find out. You will not want to put this one down when you start it. A quick easy to read good book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Professional and Personal, March 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Til Death (Signet) (Paperback)

This is one of my favorites of the 87th precinct. McBain changes his usual venue and direction a bit in this one. We get to see Carella's loving relationship with his family. With his sister's wedding and his wife's pregnancy, Steve's got lots of family concerns to worry about. That doesn't mean "Til Death" in anyway lacks suspense. The pleasantries of a big Italian wedding continue in the backgroud while Carella must play cat and mouse with a killer.

5.0 out of 5 stars Three guns and a wedding, January 22, 2012

By 

Kipp Poe Speicher "Kipp Poe Speicher" (Canton, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Til Death (87th Precinct) (Kindle Edition)

I was so excited when I heard Ed McBain was coming to Kindle and after 6 months after the announcement they are here. The wait was well worth it. The story takes place all in one day and keeps you reading at a very fast pace just to see what will happen next. Steve Carella sister is getting married and in trying to keep her day as special as it should be Steve and his colleges have their work cut out for them. With murder and mayhem going on behind the scenes.