Ed McBain is a fine storyteller but tends to add clutter, such as nicknames for the various police precincts. In other stories it has been reproductions of police reports and in others a dialogue that drove you crazy. These add nothing to the story but if you can muddle through them, you've had a good few hours with a topnotch mystery. For questions or comments about a review, please contact the person listed at the top of the review. Ed's Internet Book Review is copyright 1995-2001, Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II, all rights reserved.
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