Heat

Heat is a taut and absorbing installment in Ed McBain’s long-running 87th Precinct series. McBain captures the sweltering intensity of a city under pressure—both from the blistering summer temperatures and from a killer on the loose. His trademark blend of gritty realism, sharp banter, and well-paced investigative detail is on full display.

The detectives feel fully human, juggling exhaustion, frustration, and determination as they work the case, and the interplay among the squad members remains one of the series’ great strengths. The puzzle is cleverly structured, the narrative never drags, and McBain’s ability to sketch vivid scenes with just a few lines keeps the story moving with remarkable energy.

Whether you’re familiar show more with the 87th Precinct or stepping into it for the first time, Heat stands out as an engaging, atmospheric police procedural that reflects both the intensity of the crime and the relentless dedication of those solving it. show less

“But the heat in that goddamn apartment still bothers me. Doesn’t it bother you?”

That apartment being the one in which a man is found dead and bloated, “…an apartment as hot and as stinking as the corridors of Hell.” Murder or suicide? The 87th Precinct is on the case!
This might be the first book in this series where I thought the main plot wasn't as good as the storylines within it. I really liked the subplot story of Halloran! Creepy! And I did not like the subplot with Kling’s wife. Still, I love the series and I enjoyed reading this installment!

a rock solid entry in his 87th Precinct series. It features a nicely tricky, central mystery, a lunatic ex-con out for revenge on one of the 87th’s finest and a well handled domestic sub-plot.
It’s all wrapped up with McBain’s pitch perfect dialogue and humour and grips from page 1.

The murder mystery here was a little too predictable as an alcoholic is found dead of an apparently suicide by pills, except that he is deathly afraid of pills, there is a bolt-locked door, and the thermostat and pill bottle are wiped clean of prints. Also, a paroled murderer decides to get even with Detective Bert Kling after his daughter tells him she hates him for killing her mother. Meanwhile, Bert Kling is agonizing and obsessing over whether his beautiful wife, Augusta, is having an affair.

On this book, I stumbled quite by accident while I was reading Ross Macdonalds Black Money, which I did not like, so I took this book in which I enjoyed while I was reading and I can definitely recommend.

A Isola tutti sudano. Tranne il cadavere di un alcolizzato, ucciso da una
dose letale di sedativo. Fa davvero caldo nell'appartamento, e per Carella
e Kling dell'87° Distretto è una sofferenza non poter nemmeno aprire le
finestre. Kling ha anche altri motivi per sudare, ma sudare freddo: forse la
moglie lo tradisce, e in più c'è qualcuno che gli sta alle costole. Carella,
poi, dovrà cambiare sette camicie prima di risolvere un caso che scotta...