Fat Ollie's Book: A Novel of the 87th Precinct

by Ed McBain

Other authorsRon McLarty (Reader)
2003

Status

Available

Collection

Publication

Simon & Schuster Audio (2003), Edition: Abridged

Description

Irritating though he was, Lester Henderson had it all when he strode up to rehearse his keynote address in the darkness of a downtown theatre. Widely tipped to be next mayor and possessing a nice line in catalogue-casual daywear, Henderson stood four-square facing his glorious future. But five shots later and his lifeblood was seeping away - gunned down by persons unknown from stage-right... At that point he became Ollie Weeks' problem. But this savage crime is suddenly overshadowed by a deed even more repugnant. Ollie's life work is his novel. Honed by countless rejection letters, it is finally ready to be released to the general populace. But then the one and only manuscript disappears, leaving Ollie to head off in pursuit of the thief. a thief who is convinced that Ollie's work contains the secret location of a hoard of hidden diamonds...… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member mom24dogs
The disreputable, bigoted, dirty-mouthed but oddly likable Ollie Weeks, a walk-on in Ed McBain's popular 87th Precinct series, gets a book of his own here: not just the mystery of who killed a popular mayoral candidate a few days before the election, but the one Ollie, improbably, is writing. Pity
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the schmuck who lifts Ollie's only copy of his manuscript from his car--not only is its author in desperate need of what he's sure will be his ticket to fame and fortune, but the befuddled miscreant somehow believes that the caper recounted in Ollie's book is a real one, and that he's in possession of a blueprint for the crime that will allow him to cash in on it. This is a fast, funny read from the master--like a valentine to his fans while they wait for his next big one.
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LibraryThing member iskandor
One of the best! Author sure had fun writinbg this one. Needs a little willing suspension of disbelief, but I really enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member richardgarside
Perhaps not as good as some of the other 87th precinct books but a good entertaining read nevertheless
LibraryThing member lamour
Fat Ollie has finished his book and is planning on taking it to a publisher. He leaves it in his car while investigating a murder of a popular city councilor. Someone does a smash & grab and takes his brief case in which he has placed the novel. As a result we have Ollie searching for the man he
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knows stole his novel and we have Ollie and Steve Carella and the other detectives from the 87th searching for the councilor's killer. McBain has created a complicated plot that will satisfy his fans.

A bonus is that we get to read Ollie's brief novel because the thief is convinced the novel is really a secret report to the police commissioner and could lead him to a large cache of drugs. As the thief reads each section and searches for the location of the drugs, we get to read the same section. Based on the his first novel, Ollie should not quit his day job.
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LibraryThing member Maydacat
Ollie is a foul-mouthed, over-bearing, obnoxious, and opinionated racist. He is also a pretty good detective, which is why people put up with him. But I found few positive aspects in this novel. The plot had possibilities and some of the humor was entertaining. But too much of the novel was just
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crass.
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LibraryThing member PaulaGalvan
Detective/First Grade Oliver Wendell Weeks - nicknamed Fat Ollie - has written a book that gets stolen out of his car while he's investigating a murder. As he searches for the murderer and the thief, the culprits all seem to intersect in very strange ways. Full of Ed McBain's cop humor, this story
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is very entertaining as it follows Detective Weeks from eating establishment to eating establishment.
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LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
A candidate for mayor is shot and killed, and Detective Ollie Weeks is on the case! Detectives Carella and Kling are drawn into it as well, a bit unwillingly, as both can’t stand Fat Ollie. Few can.
“Ollie was an equal opportunity bigot. He felt anyone who didn’t look or sound the way he
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himself did deserved a swift kick in the ass.” And he looked very fat, and sounded like W.C. Fields (or Al Pacino, depending on who’s listening) from time to time. But he's a good detective, and he sets about solving the murder as only he can. And he also is looking for the person who stole the book he wrote, which judging by the excerpts printed within, may have been a blessing to all of us!
A fun read, even with all of the awful beliefs of Ollie!
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2002

Physical description

5.7 inches

ISBN

0743527143 / 9780743527149

Barcode

0100044
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