Ed McBain

A blind violinist taking a smoke break. A cosmetics sales rep cooking an omelet in her own kitchen. A college professor trudging home from class. A priest contemplating retirement in the rectory garden. An old woman walking her dog. These are the seemingly random targets, all shot twice in the face. But most serial killers don't use guns. Most serial killers don't strike five times in two weeks. And most serial killers' victims have something more...

Ed McBain concocts a brilliant and intricate thriller about a master criminal who haunts the city with cryptic passages from Shakespeare, directing the detectives of the 87th Precinct to a future crime -- if only they can figure out what he means. The 87th Precinct gets a visit from one of the city's most accomplished criminals -- a thief known as the Deaf Man. Because he might be deaf. Or he might not. So little is known about the man who is harassing...

It is Christmas in the city, but it isn't the giving season. A retired Gulf War pilot, a careless second-story man, a pair of angry Mexicans, and an equally shady pair of Secret Service agents are in town after a large stash of money, and no one is interested in sharing.The detectives at the 87th are already busy for the holidays. Steve Carella and Fat Ollie Weeks catch the squeal when the lions in the city zoo get an unauthorized feeding of a young...

After Jessica Leeds- wife of a prestigious, wealthy Florida landowner- is brutally raped, three Vietnamese immigrants are charged with the crime. After the trial results in their acquittal, Jessica's husband Stephen vows vengeance. Then, the three immigrants are found savagely murdered. When all of the evidence ties Stephen Leeds to the grisly killings, Jessica turns to Florida lawyer Matthew Hope. He takes the case- ...

Attorney Matthew Hope had hired Otto Samalson to conduct a simple marital investigation- so how does Samalson end up dead on a deserted highway? Hope's search for an answer takes him into Florida's drug underworld on the trail of a hooker- one who has the style and looks necessary to transform herself into a high-class cocaine-stealing Cinderella. What Hope uncovers is a complicated web of circumstances and a terrifying twist...

The detectives of the 87th Precinct are confronted with a call - clearly a crank call - that threatens the life of the city's parks commissioner unless a ransom of $5,000 is paid. The deadline soon passes and the parks commissioner is shot in the head as he leaves a rock concert. Soon, another anonymous warning follows and the deputy mayor is blown up in his Cadillac. The next target is the young, charismatic Kennedy-esque mayor who is on the hit...

From the internationally admired creator of the 87TH Precinct series come these tales featuring policemen and their work and displaying Ed McBain's inimitable talents in shorter form. . . . In this collection of short stories, bestselling author Ed McBain presents a varied and colorful cast of characters who run afoul of, then into, the arms of the law. . . . A collector who loves his porcelain more than his daughter; a hooker who melts the heart...

An assistant district attorney launches a one-man crusade against the Mafia in this legal thriller from the bestselling author of the 87th Precinct series.   The call comes from Narcotics, Manhattan South. A low-level drug dealer just got caught in a buy-bust, and he's ready to spill his guts. It wouldn't be a priority-especially not four days before Christmas-but the thug just mentioned the Mafia, and that means all hands on deck. It's just what...

A cautious New York burglar risks his neck for the score of a lifetime in this rollicking thriller by the bestselling author of the 87th Precinct series. Alex Hardy is the finest thief in New York City. A crib burglar, he robs apartments-never hotels, never offices, never liquor stores, never jewelers. Strictly apartments, and strictly during the day. He's paranoid, ready to cut and run as soon as a job turns sour-he's already been to prison once,...

The author of the 87th Precinct series presents an electrically charged thriller about a psychiatrist and a dancer-and the passion that may destroy them both. On his lunch break, David, a mild-mannered therapist, takes a walk in Central Park. It's a muggy June day, and the park is a respite from the parade of neurotics who keep him in business. A woman passes on a bicycle and tosses him a cheerful greeting. A few seconds later, David hears her scream....