Fiddlers Book

I had always heard that Ed McBain could craft a good story; FIDDLERS was my introduction to his style. To be honest, when I first started reading this book, I was unsure about it. There seemed to be too many things going on, too many characters.

The initial plot, a serial (I would say mass murderer) killer is offing older people, seemingly all unrelated. This was a fascinating plot-line. The twists and turns, dead-ends, and mcguffins kept me turning pages. But the subplots, in my opinion, were weak. There's the story of a white cop and a black woman and thier wayward relationship; there's the story of a cop's daughter who's starting to bum around with the wrong crowd, indulging in the wacky-tabaccy; and there's the younger cop who is falling for an older woman, a woman who seems to be the only person in the world that truly understands who he is. Like a I said, weak.

However, even with these weak subplots, the writing alone kept the story fresh. McBain is truly a narrative wizard. Add the fact that this novel is the 55th installment to the 87th Precinct series--a series that is lauded to have original stories and captivating characters--and one can't help but be impressed at the mere longevity of McBain's world.

When the story does come together, nothing seems fabricated or added-on. Every scene was needed. I can appreciate that.

I have a few more of the 87th Preceinct novels on my shelves, and I'll be sure to read them soon...just maybe not as soon as I planned.

(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for the police proceduaral enthusiast)