Fat Ollie's Book: A Novel of the 87th Precinct
The disreputable, bigoted, dirty-mouthed but oddly likable Ollie Weeks,  a walk-on in Ed McBain's popular 87th Precinct series, gets a book of his own  here: not just the mystery of who killed a popular mayoral candidate a few days  before the election, but the one Ollie, improbably, is writing. Pity the schmuck  who lifts Ollie's only copy of his manuscript from his car--not only is its  author in desperate need of what he's sure will be his ticket to fame and  fortune, but the befuddled miscreant somehow believes that the caper recounted  in Ollie's book is a real one, and that he's in possession of a blueprint for  the crime that will allow him to cash in on it. This is a fast, funny read from  the master--like a valentine to his fans while they wait for his next big one.--Jane Adams