Library's review
It's spring, when a policeman's fancy turns to ... well, investigating crime. Like every other season, I guess. Anyway, we open with Steve Carella leaning out a window, trying to convince a young woman not to jump to her death. He fails. Not long after, he and Cotton Hawes are called in to
The plot's interesting but not quite as compelling as some earlier entries in the series. We do get some personal time with the squad at the 87th Precinct: Cotton's flirtation with his girlfriend is becoming serious and Bert Kling continues to mourn his murdered girlfriend. I was disappointed not to get even a cameo appearance from Carella's wife Teddy, who is delightful. Maybe in the next one.
Show More
investigate an apparent double suicide, a couple found in bed with a suicide note ("we can't go on, etc.") in an apartment filled with gas. It seems nearly as straightforward as that jumper in the opening chapter, so why are Carella and Hawes reluctant to close the file and call it suicide? It's that old cop intuition, and of course it turns out to be right because otherwise there wouldn't be a book. The plot's interesting but not quite as compelling as some earlier entries in the series. We do get some personal time with the squad at the 87th Precinct: Cotton's flirtation with his girlfriend is becoming serious and Bert Kling continues to mourn his murdered girlfriend. I was disappointed not to get even a cameo appearance from Carella's wife Teddy, who is delightful. Maybe in the next one.
Show Less
Series
Genres
Collections
Description
Suspicious deaths signal the arrival of springtime for the men at the 87th Precinct as they work on solving a suspicious double-suicide...and the nuances of love. "The 87th Precinct is] one of the great literary accomplishments of the last half-century." --Pete Hamill, Newsday "McBain has the ability to make every character believable--which few writers these days can do." --Associated Press
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1962