Tangled Web UK Review March 2003
Sadie When She Died by
Ed McBain
pbk out February 03
(Orion)
at £6.99
Some of Orion's 'Crime Masterworks', reprints of their choice of crime
classics of former years, are hard to justify as the pick of the old bunch, but
any of Ed McBain's automatically qualify!
This is a 87th Precinct story originally published in 1972 and has the
indelible stamp of the master, easily recognisable in his books published two
decades before and after that date. Although perhaps 'Sadie' is not his best,
it is a very satisfying read, this time concentrating on Steve Carella and Bert
Kling as the major detective players.
A woman is found brutally stabbed in her apartment, with obvious signs of
burglarious entry. The off thing is that the husband, who indubitably has just
arrived home within minutes of calling the police, is blatantly chuffed at her
death and makes no bones about his delight to Carella. However, some rapid
forensic science work soon picks up a junkie thief, who readily admits to
stabbing the woman and is duly arrested and charged. However, Steve's
detective instincts tells him that something is rotten in the state of Denmark,
especially when the husband insists of wining and dining Carella and taking
him on a pub-crawl, as if he is trying to tell him something.
The rest I leave to you, but all the 87th Precinct delights are there for McBain
addicts. Maybe the plotting is not great, these are more 'slice of life' tales
than locked library puzzles – but oh, if only more people could write like
Evan Hunter.
(
Bernard Knight
ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series)
New Books by Ed McBain at Amazon.co.uk
Secondhand and Out of Print Books by Ed McBain at Alibris.com
