Kiss by Ed McBain is a fairly good crime thriller featuring the 87th Precinct.
There are a couple of interesting plots going on. First of all, a wealthy wife is apparently the target of a murder attempt. She is nearly pushed into the path of an oncoming subway train. She files a police report. Her husband hires a private investigator from Chicago to help guard her, however there is a deeper plot when the identity of this new sentinel comes into question.
Detective Steve Carella is attending the trial of a man accused of murdering his father, and he gets another more personal reminder of the flaws in the justice system.
McBain is seen as one of the icons of the crime fiction genre. He’s a decent writer; however, I was not that enamored with this particular story. There was no real mystery since the point of view kept shifting to the conspirators.
The chapters dealing with the trial were pretty compelling. Apparently, the murder of Carella’s father took place in another novel.
McBain displays a certain amount of authentic knowledge of police procedures in the novel. The city where these detectives work is unnamed, but the likely inspiration is New York City.
The novel is enjoyable enough, but it’s not likely to make any long-term impression.
Another crime fiction classic is next on the reading queue, and it is A Right to Die by Rex Stout.
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