Scan barcode
dogearedbooks's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
3hundtony's review
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
irawnic's review
fast-paced
2.0
This book is like a bad episode of a 1950s cop drama.
Not well written, a lot of problematic language including slurs.
Not a good twist. Saw the ending coming.
Not well written, a lot of problematic language including slurs.
Not a good twist. Saw the ending coming.
csdaley's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the 2nd 87th precinct book more than the first. It was a little dated but a great slice of 1950 police life. This was a series I had always planned to read but got a little nervous after the first one. Glad I stuck with it. Looking forward to the next book.
jdcorley's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Reading 87th Precinct novels in the age of ACAB is a new experience. You can remind yourself going in - these novels were written before Miranda rights existed, were written before the Law & Order TV show made prosecution a central part of the procedural formula, were written before the American police procedural was anything. But there are still times when you think that for all of McBain's supposedly dispassionate observational style, presenting the racism and violence of Havilland, one of the more racist and violent cops depicted, that he truly doesn't quite see that Havilland's violence means that when good natured patrolman Bert Kling asks out a girl who he came to as part of his duties, she really can't say no, and when he accidentally stands her up, she still can't say no. His persistence we are meant to admire and be charmed by but we know better now. Nevertheless the idea that a police procedural should be in a documentary style (even reproducing certain documents!), an ensemble piece where characters come and go according to their function rather than their dramatic potential, with the real story being the story of the crime, is often forgotten in the post-Law-&-Order world we live in. And he's right. The story of the mugger, and of Bert Kling's attempt at detection, is a good one. It's propulsive, it's detailed, it's mysterious, and when it ends (quickly, as he points out!) it doesn't feel like a deus ex machina - it simply feels like what might happen as the police trace down every tiny lead. It's extremely satisfying, and in a way we don't often get in today's procedurals.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Violence, and Murder
bundy23's review against another edition
3.0
Quick, simple read. Never boring. Very masculine. McBain is a good “palate cleanser” after heavy reads.
fictionfan's review against another edition
3.0
Second book syndrome...
The detectives of the 87th Precinct are trying to catch a man who is mugging women in the streets of Isola, a district of the city that is clearly a fictionalised version of New York in which the series is set. The man is becoming more violent, often hitting the women even after he has stolen their valuables, and has the strange habit of finishing his assault by bowing and saying “Clifford thanks you, madam.” So far the detectives have little to go on, and the pressure ramps up when one girl, assumed to be Clifford’s latest victim, is found dead.
Having loved the first book in the series, Cop Hater, when I read it a couple of years ago, my expectations of this one were high. It is very readable, but suffers a bit from second book syndrome – McBain seems to be working out what to do with the characters he introduced us to in book 1, and there are so many detectives flitting in and out that it’s quite hard to keep track of who’s who. McBain’s plan was to have the series work as a kind of ensemble, with different detectives coming in and out of the spotlight in each story, and from my memory of reading several of the books long ago, he does succeed in this to a degree. But eventually he succumbed and made Steve Carella the recurring lead – the detective who was the main character in Cop Hater. Carella isn’t in this one, being off on his honeymoon, and his lack is felt.
As the story progresses, Patrolman Bert Kling comes to the fore. He was friends long ago with the brother-in-law of the dead girl, and the girl’s sister asks him to look into her murder. Although this is not the job of a patrolman, Bert feels obliged by friendship to try at least, and he also hopes that it might help him in his ambition to be promoted to detective.
The major problem with the story is that the solution is screamingly obvious. Maybe it wouldn’t have been back then – it’s always a problem to know with older books whether this was perhaps the first time a writer took a plot in this direction, but I fear it’s a plot we’ve all read too often now. My secondary problem was with the amount of violence in the book and its lack of credibility. My dad, who was a boxer, always used to scoff at Hollywood cowboy films where a man would be punched repeatedly in the face, hit over the head with a chair, be thrown over a bar and crash head-first into a wall lined with glasses and then get up, jump on his horse and gallop off after the bad guys, stopping only to kiss the heroine on his way out. While there are no horses nor indeed chairs in this book, the effect of the excessive violence and the characters’ reaction to it had the same effect on me. McBain seems to be using violence and police corruption to give the book its noir tone, whereas in Cop Hater he relied much more on creating an edgy atmosphere through great descriptions of the city.
So one for fans, but not one I would suggest as an introduction to the series for newcomers. The series ran for approximately ten thousand books – well, OK, over fifty – so there are plenty of others to choose from.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
The detectives of the 87th Precinct are trying to catch a man who is mugging women in the streets of Isola, a district of the city that is clearly a fictionalised version of New York in which the series is set. The man is becoming more violent, often hitting the women even after he has stolen their valuables, and has the strange habit of finishing his assault by bowing and saying “Clifford thanks you, madam.” So far the detectives have little to go on, and the pressure ramps up when one girl, assumed to be Clifford’s latest victim, is found dead.
Having loved the first book in the series, Cop Hater, when I read it a couple of years ago, my expectations of this one were high. It is very readable, but suffers a bit from second book syndrome – McBain seems to be working out what to do with the characters he introduced us to in book 1, and there are so many detectives flitting in and out that it’s quite hard to keep track of who’s who. McBain’s plan was to have the series work as a kind of ensemble, with different detectives coming in and out of the spotlight in each story, and from my memory of reading several of the books long ago, he does succeed in this to a degree. But eventually he succumbed and made Steve Carella the recurring lead – the detective who was the main character in Cop Hater. Carella isn’t in this one, being off on his honeymoon, and his lack is felt.
As the story progresses, Patrolman Bert Kling comes to the fore. He was friends long ago with the brother-in-law of the dead girl, and the girl’s sister asks him to look into her murder. Although this is not the job of a patrolman, Bert feels obliged by friendship to try at least, and he also hopes that it might help him in his ambition to be promoted to detective.
The major problem with the story is that the solution is screamingly obvious. Maybe it wouldn’t have been back then – it’s always a problem to know with older books whether this was perhaps the first time a writer took a plot in this direction, but I fear it’s a plot we’ve all read too often now. My secondary problem was with the amount of violence in the book and its lack of credibility. My dad, who was a boxer, always used to scoff at Hollywood cowboy films where a man would be punched repeatedly in the face, hit over the head with a chair, be thrown over a bar and crash head-first into a wall lined with glasses and then get up, jump on his horse and gallop off after the bad guys, stopping only to kiss the heroine on his way out. While there are no horses nor indeed chairs in this book, the effect of the excessive violence and the characters’ reaction to it had the same effect on me. McBain seems to be using violence and police corruption to give the book its noir tone, whereas in Cop Hater he relied much more on creating an edgy atmosphere through great descriptions of the city.
So one for fans, but not one I would suggest as an introduction to the series for newcomers. The series ran for approximately ten thousand books – well, OK, over fifty – so there are plenty of others to choose from.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
jasonfurman's review against another edition
4.0
Like a very good movie, this short novel can be read in one sittings. It is a well-rendered, extremely competent noir that depicts an ensemble of cops as they try to catch a serial mugger and a murderer, who may or may not be the same person. It is set in the fictional 87th precinct of a fictional city that could only be New York, populated by the standard cast of lowlifes, street characters, good looking women, sailors looking for a good time and the like. As a mystery, it is not extraordinary in its resolution of the question. As a thriller, it is not a cliff-hanging and propulsive. But as a combination of attitude, atmosphere, with more than enough thrills, mystery and entertainment, The Mugger is quite good.
bequinha's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lack of character development, making them just stereotiypes, but I liked it.
The writing was good, but sometimes so slow, it could be a bit boring.
The story in general wasn't bad, just nothing I haven't seen before.
I was surprised by some thoughts, the author showed himself way ahead of his time.
In general, it was good, but nothing spectacular.
The writing was good, but sometimes so slow, it could be a bit boring.
The story in general wasn't bad, just nothing I haven't seen before.
I was surprised by some thoughts, the author showed himself way ahead of his time.
In general, it was good, but nothing spectacular.