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Lady Killer (87th Precinct #8)
by
Ed McBain
A classic novel of police procedure by the bestselling author of Kiss. "I will kill the Lady tonight at 8. What can you do about it?" The boys of the 87th have just twelve hours to find out who the crank letter writer is--and who he means by "the Lady "--for whom there will be no second chance.
Mass Market Paperback, 160 pages
Published
April 1st 1987
by Signet
(first published 1958)
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A young boy delivers a letter to the desk sergeant at the 87th Precinct, which has newspaper words that state "the Lady" will be killed at 8 PM that night. Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes and the rest of the squad try to figure out the identity of the victim and the perpetrator through acccelerated police work. The highlight of this story are the sequential sketches created from Cotton and an 8-year old's brief sightings. At 7:57, they finally figure out the mystery and rocket off to avert the mu...more
First published in 1958, this is the eighth entry in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. By this point, the main characters were fairly well-established and needed no introduction, but the book itself is something of an oddity in the series in that most of the books have the detectives of the 87th working at least a couple of cases. This book focuses on a single case, worked by all of the detectives over a the course of a long and frustrating twelve-hour day.
As the team assembles in the morning, a...more
As the team assembles in the morning, a...more
A little boy turns up at the 87th Precinct with a cryptic letter from a killer.
"I will kill the lady at 8 tonight. What can you do about it?"
It could well be a hoax but can they take that risk?
Although this one is a bit contrived it's still a lot of fun as the 87th spends 12 hours running about trying to catch the letter sender before the hammer falls. Cotton Hawes gets to do plenty of the hero bit, though his falling in love thrice a day is getting a bit wearing as is his constant explanation...more
"I will kill the lady at 8 tonight. What can you do about it?"
It could well be a hoax but can they take that risk?
Although this one is a bit contrived it's still a lot of fun as the 87th spends 12 hours running about trying to catch the letter sender before the hammer falls. Cotton Hawes gets to do plenty of the hero bit, though his falling in love thrice a day is getting a bit wearing as is his constant explanation...more
Good fast paced book. The 87th precinct receives a letter made up of cut out words/letters that says "I will kill the Lady tonight at 8. What can you do about it?" It is currently 8:00am - the detectives have twelve hours to figure out who the killer is, who "the lady" is, where the murder is going to take place and stop it.
I was struck once again by the differences between the time this series of books was written (this book in 1957 I believe) and our own time - Lieutenant Byrnes sent the lett...more
I was struck once again by the differences between the time this series of books was written (this book in 1957 I believe) and our own time - Lieutenant Byrnes sent the lett...more
I've had this on my shelves for quite a while, and always promised myself 'I'll read it next time'. Finally, I got round to it, and I'm really glad I did.
Strangely, as a huge fan of crime fiction I'm not sure I've ever read a Police Procedural before, so where better to start than with the author perhaps more associated with them than anyone else?
This is a really enjoyable, quick read. The characters (including minor ones) and locations (New York in all but name) jump off the page at you, and th...more
Strangely, as a huge fan of crime fiction I'm not sure I've ever read a Police Procedural before, so where better to start than with the author perhaps more associated with them than anyone else?
This is a really enjoyable, quick read. The characters (including minor ones) and locations (New York in all but name) jump off the page at you, and th...more
Hardboiled fiction, fun! This was a hoot to read, because it felt like the script to an episode of "Dragnet". Sometimes I like to challenge myself with a book, but on other occasions I just want to have some fun. This definitely qualified as fun. It was written in 1956, so you have to adjust your perspective for lifestyles and technology that aren't really with us anymore. If you can watch an old black and white movie on Turner Classics I think you'll be just fine. I can see how it'd be comforta...more
Quite simply, this is one of my favorite books. Having just finished it for the second time, I admit there are some weaknesses to it, but I am willing to look the other way as the pace of the plot is fairly tight and there is much tension in the race against time to find and stop a killer with only a short cut & pasted note to go on.
I think the thing I like most about the book is its simplicity. McBain simply doesn't get bogged down in detail or more words than the absolute minimum needed to...more
I think the thing I like most about the book is its simplicity. McBain simply doesn't get bogged down in detail or more words than the absolute minimum needed to...more
The plot of this book is pretty weak and the detection amateurish. The police pursue an anonymous threat letter. These policemen seem to have nothing to do but follow hunches all day. Not only is that unrealistic, but it is also unsuspenseful. The final clue that allows the police to crack the case is a real groaner. So, it is in many ways a bad book, but I found my enjoyment was out of proportion to the book's quality, and that in fact after a slow beginning I found this book a decent way to pa...more
#8 in publication order of the 87th Precinct mysteries, this one features a case without a killer--at least to begin with. A young boy is sent into the precinct house with an envelope which contains a letter pieced together with cut out letters from the newspaper threatening to kill The Lady if they police can't stop him by 8 pm. First they must figure out if it's a crank letter, and then determine who 'The Lady' is.
It's quite a hoot reading these old mysteries that are very dated because they...more
It's quite a hoot reading these old mysteries that are very dated because they...more
Not as good as a locked room mystery but still intriguing. I am awed McBain could write an entire novel based on the premise. A note is given to the desk sergeant, "I Will Kill the Lady TONIGHT At 8 What CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?" This is the novel. Solving the crime in less than 24 hours using reasonable police methods for 1958. Remember this was before DNA testing and cameras on every corner etc. The story itself wasn't earth-shattering but I thought it was entertaining and clever.
That this book is 55 years old - it was first published in 1958 - shows in the way McBain's 87th Precinct cops act, the dialog, and a dozen little details (air-conditioning is something that doesn't exist in cars for one).
Yet the story is as crisp and engaging as it was when it first hit the bookstore shelves.
If that isn't proof that Ed McBain was a master, I don't know what is.
Yet the story is as crisp and engaging as it was when it first hit the bookstore shelves.
If that isn't proof that Ed McBain was a master, I don't know what is.
This was a really slim novel but it was very good. 12 hours to solve a potential murder has the guys of the 87th working hard to uncover who is the Lady and why she is going to be killed. One of my favorites of this series so far!
The 87th precinct is sent a note saying I will kill the lady at 8 tonight. This book all takes place in one day, and many of the cops are involved or at least mentioned. Cotton Hawes and Steve Carella star.
Loved this old style cop novel. fast and pacy, well written, slick dialogue, done and dusted in two days. Did what it said on the tin, great!
Solid 87th precinct novel. Suspense lasts until the end. Cotton Hawes is the focus. Highly recommended if you like police procedurals.
Ah, the 50s. Can you imagine a whole bunch of 21st-century cops going all-out for an entire day on the basis of a random cranky note?
Really loved this book. the idea of a countdown was great and made for great suspense. Very cool overall.
Fast, funny read. A great way to spend five hours.
The year of my birth...
Mar 02, 2012
Roxane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebooks,
police-procedurals
Twelve hours to find a killer....great story!
A classic novel of police procedure by the bestselling author of Kiss. "I will kill the Lady tonight at 8. What can you do about it?" The boys of the 87th have just twelve hours to find out who the crank letter writer is--and who he means by "the Lady "--for whom there will be no second chance.
I must admit, I am enjoying these Ed McBain novels. Short, well written and enjoyable.
Not a bad book. As I've previously written, the story is good but the grammar bugs me. However, I do want to read the rest of the stories in the series.
Dated but enjoyable none the least- a quick to read, fast paced and casually written who-dunnit.
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Ed McBain is a pseudonym of Evan Hunter, who was born and raised as Salvatore Lombino in New York City, living in East Harlem until the age of 12, at which point his family moved to the Bronx. He attended Olinville Junior High School, then Evander Childs High School, before winning an Art Students League scholarship. Later, he was admitted as an art student at Cooper Union.
Hunter served in the Nav...more
More about Ed McBain...
Hunter served in the Nav...more
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Apr 16, 2013 02:37pm