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Driving Lessons
A driving lesson goes terribly worng. A random accident - or something more sinister?
Tragedy strikes when sixteen-year-old Rebecca Patton fatally injures a woman while having a driving lesson. The driving instructor, Andrew Newell, appears to be drunk at the crime scene, and Detective Katie Logan reckons this is a case of vehicular homicide. But when a handbag is retrieved, the victim is discovered to be Newell's wife.
Tough, gritty, full of atmosphere, and with characters who engage you from the very first page, here is Grand Master Ed McBain at the top of his form.
Tragedy strikes when sixteen-year-old Rebecca Patton fatally injures a woman while having a driving lesson. The driving instructor, Andrew Newell, appears to be drunk at the crime scene, and Detective Katie Logan reckons this is a case of vehicular homicide. But when a handbag is retrieved, the victim is discovered to be Newell's wife.
Tough, gritty, full of atmosphere, and with characters who engage you from the very first page, here is Grand Master Ed McBain at the top of his form.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 1998
1 person is currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Ed McBain
710 books668 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 15, 2014
I love Ed McBain, but WOW - was this one ever disappointing!
I'm not sure whose idea it was to publish this 72 page short story as a hardback novel, but they MUST have been drinking. Predictable? I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even my flabby brain had it figured out almost from page one.
This might have made a good minor subplot in one of the 87th stories, but as a book? I'm glad I didn't spend $11.95 for it.
I'm not sure whose idea it was to publish this 72 page short story as a hardback novel, but they MUST have been drinking. Predictable? I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even my flabby brain had it figured out almost from page one.
This might have made a good minor subplot in one of the 87th stories, but as a book? I'm glad I didn't spend $11.95 for it.
March 16, 2019
I read another short story by McBain in a detective anthology and it was really good. So I checked a pile of McBain books from my library. The first book I read was Driving Lessons, which is only about 72 pages along.
It had so much promise. A teenage girl is taking driving lessons from a school teacher when she runs over a woman crossing the street. The police arrive to find the girl hysterical and the teacher...stoned out of his mind.
The premise is great. The teacher has nothing on his breath, no alcohol. He has no idea where he is. The girl swears he got into the car with her sober. They see a Coke he was drinking and test it. Nothing.
The question is, was this negligent homicide? Detective Katie Logan is determined to bust this man because he is obviously guilty of negligent homicide.
Or is he? What's going on?
Like I said, the premise was good, but McBain failed to develop his ideas in a satisfactory way. He veered too much into Katie Logan's private life and her divorce. I suppose the purpose was to tie in Katie's personal angst with her prejudice against a school teacher who she assumes endangered his student and caused the death of a innocent pedestrian. It came across as fluff. Like the author had to find a way to stretch the story to 72 pages, which really isn't very long.
At the end there was a graphic sexual scene I was not counting on and I have been trying to get that graphic out of my head all day. I resent the author for imposing this unexpected turn, brief and completely out of character to the rest of the story as it was.
In the end, I found the conclusion unconvincing. I have the rest of the McBain books sitting in my car, unread, ready to be returned to the library.
It had so much promise. A teenage girl is taking driving lessons from a school teacher when she runs over a woman crossing the street. The police arrive to find the girl hysterical and the teacher...stoned out of his mind.
The premise is great. The teacher has nothing on his breath, no alcohol. He has no idea where he is. The girl swears he got into the car with her sober. They see a Coke he was drinking and test it. Nothing.
The question is, was this negligent homicide? Detective Katie Logan is determined to bust this man because he is obviously guilty of negligent homicide.
Or is he? What's going on?
Like I said, the premise was good, but McBain failed to develop his ideas in a satisfactory way. He veered too much into Katie Logan's private life and her divorce. I suppose the purpose was to tie in Katie's personal angst with her prejudice against a school teacher who she assumes endangered his student and caused the death of a innocent pedestrian. It came across as fluff. Like the author had to find a way to stretch the story to 72 pages, which really isn't very long.
At the end there was a graphic sexual scene I was not counting on and I have been trying to get that graphic out of my head all day. I resent the author for imposing this unexpected turn, brief and completely out of character to the rest of the story as it was.
In the end, I found the conclusion unconvincing. I have the rest of the McBain books sitting in my car, unread, ready to be returned to the library.
March 25, 2021
Quick and entertaining, but the denouement was totally far-fetched.
October 2, 2021
Preposterous is the best adjective to describe my emotions - nothing bad or unbearable or nauseatingly cliched, but somehow, the story just did not cut it for me. It was simple with the many attempts to tell the background of some of its main and cameo characters. Some of those background stories did not make any sense to me. It is as if the author tried really hard to show us that he can do more than a basic thriller or mystery or procedural ...
Let's add some religion to this cluster.... of the plot and characters, and then we have this.
I hate giving quite a scathing review of the book, especially if it is my only book written by McBain, and most of the reviews tell me that it was definitely not his best by far, but some authors have only one chance to impress, and when a short novella is published in a hardcover format, you expect it to be something special. Alas, it is not... It is, on the contrary, quite the opposite, Thus, two stars ... and who knows if I am even able to give this author another try ... Not willing ... able ...
Yeah ...
P.S. On a personal note, if some book wants to piss me off, please add religion into it, especially if characters practice it will all seriousness and think that something can be changed by prayers in the twentieth and twenty first century. Come on, give it to me. I enjoy lambasting such meaty subject matter.
Let's add some religion to this cluster.... of the plot and characters, and then we have this.
I hate giving quite a scathing review of the book, especially if it is my only book written by McBain, and most of the reviews tell me that it was definitely not his best by far, but some authors have only one chance to impress, and when a short novella is published in a hardcover format, you expect it to be something special. Alas, it is not... It is, on the contrary, quite the opposite, Thus, two stars ... and who knows if I am even able to give this author another try ... Not willing ... able ...
Yeah ...
P.S. On a personal note, if some book wants to piss me off, please add religion into it, especially if characters practice it will all seriousness and think that something can be changed by prayers in the twentieth and twenty first century. Come on, give it to me. I enjoy lambasting such meaty subject matter.
September 3, 2025
You’ve got to love a short (less than 100 pages) book with a strong story…..and this one certainly delivers!
Was the driving instructor drunk? Taking any drugs? Why didn’t he hit the brakes?
Can a sixteen year old taking driving lessons be responsible for hitting a pedestrian?
You’ll never guess the shocking revelation at the end of the book! Wow!!!
Was the driving instructor drunk? Taking any drugs? Why didn’t he hit the brakes?
Can a sixteen year old taking driving lessons be responsible for hitting a pedestrian?
You’ll never guess the shocking revelation at the end of the book! Wow!!!
February 20, 2016
Crime novella - Woman is hit and killed by a student driver; the instructor seems high on drugs, and the dead woman turns out to be his wife. Without the unnecessary subplot of the detective's pending divorce, the story wouldn't even have made 72 pages.
January 6, 2024
I highly recommend this book to everyone who needs one more book to complete a current reading goal. With less than 100 pages it's a quick read and even on New Year's Eve you'll be able to finish this book.
Apart from that reading the book I always had the impression that the author couldn't decide which way to take with that story. For a story of that size I sometimes got too much unnecessary information. This extra information then made me expect more character development that didn't happen either. Also it was very predictable. So it was just a read - nothing more and nothing less. If you don't need that one book for your goals you maybe should search for something else.
Apart from that reading the book I always had the impression that the author couldn't decide which way to take with that story. For a story of that size I sometimes got too much unnecessary information. This extra information then made me expect more character development that didn't happen either. Also it was very predictable. So it was just a read - nothing more and nothing less. If you don't need that one book for your goals you maybe should search for something else.
November 5, 2019
This is really the first semi-mystery/crime book I’ve read and it was a good start for me. I like how descriptive the author was, but felt that some of the sentences and dialogue kind of ran together and made it appear jumbled. I did, however, like the plot and was caught by surprise at what truly happened. I was immediately intrigued by this book because I share a name with one of the main characters and figured it was fate that I had to read it. I would recommend this book to someone who is finding an interest in crime related genres.
May 21, 2021
Not much longer than a respectable magazine article. This is my fist Ed McBain, and I’m sure his others are good, but this was just too short to develop the good story line. Not a bad read, but a hardbound short story? You don’t see those every day.
August 26, 2021
3.25/5
This was a short little ditty that ended neatly. Not very inspired, but good to have to read in those in between moments. Mary Beth Newell gets hit by a student driver and the instructor happens to be her husband and he appears intoxicated at the scene. But there is a twist!
This was a short little ditty that ended neatly. Not very inspired, but good to have to read in those in between moments. Mary Beth Newell gets hit by a student driver and the instructor happens to be her husband and he appears intoxicated at the scene. But there is a twist!
November 21, 2017
I know it's bad to speak ill of the dead, but ... Ed McBain wrote this?????
December 15, 2017
this has been hiding on my tablet for eons, so i figured why not?
June 12, 2018
Maybe I'll try another of his.
February 15, 2019
Quick read. Predictable.
March 8, 2019
I really like the 87th Precinct series, however this novella wasn't as impressive. I won't hold this against Ed McBain. Read at the Livermore public library.
Read
July 10, 2021Short and sweet. She researched how to kill him but not the proper sentence for jail.
January 12, 2022
Fast read. Short 72 pages. Predictable ending.
February 9, 2023
Amazing who-dunit!
August 2, 2023
Short, spare, good
February 10, 2023
This short novella by Ed McBain is a fantastic read. Only 72 pages in length, it can easily be read in one sitting. It is so engrossing you will not want to put it down until you finish the book.
The story revolves around Rebecca Patton, a 16 year old girl taking driving lessons from Andrew Newell. During one of the lessons, Rebecca strikes and kills Mary Beth Newell, Andrew Newell’s wife. As the police investigate the homicide, the story takes an ironic twist, one you won’t see coming. Revealing any additional details would spoil the ending, but suffice it to say, it was a twist well done.
This is a fantastic story by McBain, the author of the famous 87th Precinct novels. I highly recommend this not only to fans of McBain, but to those who have never read McBain. You won’t be disappointed.
The story revolves around Rebecca Patton, a 16 year old girl taking driving lessons from Andrew Newell. During one of the lessons, Rebecca strikes and kills Mary Beth Newell, Andrew Newell’s wife. As the police investigate the homicide, the story takes an ironic twist, one you won’t see coming. Revealing any additional details would spoil the ending, but suffice it to say, it was a twist well done.
This is a fantastic story by McBain, the author of the famous 87th Precinct novels. I highly recommend this not only to fans of McBain, but to those who have never read McBain. You won’t be disappointed.
February 5, 2016
A novella: when's the last time I read a l'il shortie? This one is satisfying in its brevity, unlike my last foray into McBaindom. There is a murder, there are vehicles and suspects, but the suburban location and police procedure make this satisfying. The plot resolves quickly, over a fast-food purchase.
No prior knowledge of any other series or police procedural novels necessary. Recommended.
No prior knowledge of any other series or police procedural novels necessary. Recommended.
March 8, 2014
The late Ed McBain, one of the best of American crime writers, was primarily known for his justifiably acclaimed 87th Precinct series.
He did, however, write stand-alone books, and Driving Lessons is one of them.
A beautifully plotted story of innocence and guilt, with spare hard-boiled prose, this is a very quick and nifty read with a haunting ending.
He did, however, write stand-alone books, and Driving Lessons is one of them.
A beautifully plotted story of innocence and guilt, with spare hard-boiled prose, this is a very quick and nifty read with a haunting ending.
September 30, 2008
A sixteen-year-old student driver hits and kills a pedestrian during her driving lesson. Part detective fiction, part psychological drama, this short and compelling read should appeal to teen and adult readers alike.
May 2, 2017
Quick and painless. Could've been a jumping-off point for a series featuring the female lead. The actual crime seems rather unlikely but what can you do in a genre where practically everything has been done?
March 27, 2008
very good mystery keeps you wondering who the killer is, the drivers ed teacher or his student. I didn't care for the language and some sex.
September 5, 2009
Short and sweet, like a minute mystery.
January 17, 2011
Published in Italian in the collection titled: "L'universo del crimine"
July 22, 2011
mouais...
May 26, 2012
Predictable!
February 25, 2013
Good short story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews