A review by mark5327
See Them Die by Ed McBain

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A blazingly hot day in July in a Puerto Rican neighborhood is the locale for See Them Die. The bulls are chasing down Pepe Miranda in an apartment building, but surprisingly they are not McBain's focus. Instead we spend the majority of the >200 pages with the neighborhood residents, including Zip, Cooch, Little Killer, China, and other "one book" characters. See Them Die functions more as a crime thriller than a murder mystery, and it lands magnificently, like a tightly wound watch. The reduced time frame adds to its vitality, the entirety of the book takes place takes place on a Sunday morning/early afternoon - basically in real-time. At the moment this is easily one of my favorite 87th Precinct books. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings