Number 19 - Doll - Ed McBain

 Ed McBain is one of the legends of the crime writing scene.  His 87th Precinct stories - of which this is apparently number 20 - paved the way for hard hitting realistic cop shows like Hill Street Blues.  His influence on the genre can't be denied.

He was so popular when this one was published, they didn't even bother to put his first name on the cover.

I've read several of these books now and they deserve the praise heaped on them.  They're fast paced, exciting and compulsive reads.

With a few hours spare in a day, I've been known to finish them in a day.  

I really should be reading them in sequence, but with more than fifty to source, that's a tall order and they work well as stand-alone novels in any case.

This one revolves around the hunt for the killer of Tinka Sachs, a fashion model.  Her daughter was sitting in the next room playing with the eponymous toy while a man viciously hacked Tinka to death. 

It's a case that leads Detective Carella into mortal danger. He follows up a lead on his own and goes missing.  His colleagues have to pull out all the stops to solve the murder and his disappearance.

The prose is brisk and plain, whilst still breaking most of Elmore Leonard's rules of writing on a regular basis. Adverbs are used to describe how characters speak when necessary.  They don't just say things. People whisper, shout, ask and correct others. This is a great example of why Elmore Leonard's rules only apply if you want to write like Leonard.

And the style really works.  It never feels like complex writing. It draws you in and makes you feel for the character's plights. The tension genuinely ratchets up in the last few chapters. I was really annoyed that I had to go back to work with 30 pages left to go.

I was more annoyed that the previous owner has torn out the last page.  Luckily, the main plot was resolved before that, and I've only missed a loose end or two being tied up, or set up for book 21, I'm not sure.  I popped onto Abebooks and ordered myself a new copy so I can read what I've missed for 83p plus postage.

There are some aspects that need to be looked at in the light of the fact the book was written in the 60's.  Although the intent is not to offend, the description of the black detective might not pass muster these days. 

I wuld love to see a TV version of these books, in the original 50s/60s settings. With more than 50 books, there's a lot of material they could choose from.  For short books they have a large cast and it would make a great ensemble drama.

 I have a whole slew of these still to read.  You will see more reviews popping up from time to time.  Hopefully, the rest of them haven't been vandalised.

Edited to add - my replacement copy arrived and I managed to read the last two pages. They made an unexpectedly moving close to the novel.  McBain really was a master of the art,