What do you think?
Rate this book
McBain duet: Two novellas
Two Books in one - "Driving Lessons" & "Petals"- 'Driving Lessons'-" A student driver,out with Mr.Newell hits and kills a pedestrian- who turns out to be Mrs.Newell." " Petals is that rarest of all birds - an espionage love story"
- GenresMystery
159 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Ed McBain
676 books681 followers"Ed McBain" is one of the pen names of American author and screenwriter Salvatore Albert Lombino (1926-2005), who legally adopted the name
Evan Hunter
in 1952.
While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.
While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 20, 2014
This is a collection of two short stories or novellas. The first, "Driving Lessons," is a pretty standard mystery about what really happened during a car accident. Although standard in conception, it was a really interesting read with quite a bit of tension. The second story is "Petals" and is a 'spy' story. It was also interesting and well written but with less tension for me. Not as strong as "Driving Lessons."
April 18, 2024
Ed McBain's "So Naked, So Dead" is gutsy and unique for 1953, and it's a standout.
However, this duet falls way short.
For the police procedural, although the mystery is intriguing, the characters are stock and tropes abound: A lead detective going through a divorce, partner with quirks, and much more.
The spy venture is intriguing for a while, and McBain had a decent main character, but the ending became silly and old hat, and the exposition long-winded. If McBain wanted to explore the mind of his existential agent a bit more, "Petals" could have been a novel on its own.
Although this pair proved to be lackluster, McBain's vast body of work leaves readers with much to explore.
However, this duet falls way short.
For the police procedural, although the mystery is intriguing, the characters are stock and tropes abound: A lead detective going through a divorce, partner with quirks, and much more.
The spy venture is intriguing for a while, and McBain had a decent main character, but the ending became silly and old hat, and the exposition long-winded. If McBain wanted to explore the mind of his existential agent a bit more, "Petals" could have been a novel on its own.
Although this pair proved to be lackluster, McBain's vast body of work leaves readers with much to explore.
September 28, 2014
Something a bit different from Ed McBain. Known for his police prodeurals, the author offers us a pair of suspense stories with different settings. Still with his signature great writing.
DRIVING LESSONS finds a sixteen year old girl taking her driver's education training when she strikes and kills a young woman coming from a church. Her instructor seems either drunk or on drugs. When the victim is identified, it;s the instructor's wife. The policewoman in the small town wants to pin it on the instructor.
PETALS is a spy tale set in West Germany in the middle seventies. Someone is murdering three Germans that were once minor functionaries at a concentration camp. They'd served their time and began new lives under different names. The camp commander had never been caught, murdering a prisoner and taking his identity. American Intelligence believed he was responsible for the murders and wanted him for them and the death in the camp.
Fine reading.
DRIVING LESSONS finds a sixteen year old girl taking her driver's education training when she strikes and kills a young woman coming from a church. Her instructor seems either drunk or on drugs. When the victim is identified, it;s the instructor's wife. The policewoman in the small town wants to pin it on the instructor.
PETALS is a spy tale set in West Germany in the middle seventies. Someone is murdering three Germans that were once minor functionaries at a concentration camp. They'd served their time and began new lives under different names. The camp commander had never been caught, murdering a prisoner and taking his identity. American Intelligence believed he was responsible for the murders and wanted him for them and the death in the camp.
Fine reading.
Read
February 1, 2016Two enjoyable novellas of suspense - the first one, Driving Lessons, revolves around a student driver who accidentally runs over a pedestrian during her driving lesson - and the pedestrian just happens to be the wife of the driving instructor...hmmmm...was this truly just a terrible accident, or a calculated act of harm? If so, who did the calculating?
The second novella, Petals, is a spy story set in 1974 Europe, in which an American undercover agent fears he has fallen in love with the very woman (and deadly assassin) he is supposed to be hunting down.
The second novella, Petals, is a spy story set in 1974 Europe, in which an American undercover agent fears he has fallen in love with the very woman (and deadly assassin) he is supposed to be hunting down.
January 13, 2015
Two novellas in one book: "Driving Lessons" and "Petals". I enjoyed both very much, but then again, I love Ed McBain/Evan Hunter. Both stories kept moving along with interesting characters and circumstances. The stories were totally different, but both typically great "McBain".
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews