Ice

Rating:
Summary: Lurid but beautiful, engrossing yet repellent.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Lurid but beautiful, engrossing yet repellent.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing but not much action
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing but not much action
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, terrible TV-movie!
Review: 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+

Rating:
Summary: An 87th Precinct Novel
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An 87th Precinct Novel
Review: 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.