This is a police procedural, set in the 7th precinct. There is some character developement. In an apparently random mass killing in a bookstore Bert King a newish detective loses his girlfriend. The 87th ain't gonna stand for that! It is one of Hunter/McBain's better novels. ( )

This was a good book and I love how much better the books are when you read them in order (I read many of them in high school out of order). This was some serious world building here. Can’t wait to see the years tick by. ( )

Not even a quirky, seemingly nonsensical title can prevent this from being one of the very best of the Ed McBain 87th Precinct novels I've read. Four unconnected and seemingly random people are gunned down in a shop. One of them is the girlfriend of a detective in the 87th Precinct. The detective's police family rallies to the case with special fervor. While the procedural work of the police force is, as always, central to McBain's cop stories, what really makes this one stand out is the emotional heft McBain gives it. Whether describing love or grief or friendship or family squabbles, the depictions of characters in this novel go much deeper than a good many police novels, even ones as good as McBain's others. I found myself grieving for the grieving characters, and really warmed by their camaraderie, to an extent I'm not used to in such stories. The 87th Precinct books are wonderful police novels. This one is a wonderful novel. ( )

Clearly, I'm a sucker for the 87th Precinct books, but this one was particularly good. When the loved one of one of the bulls is one of four victims in a shooting, the Precinct goes into overdrive to solve the case. As is often the case with McBain, the mystery turns on a linguistic quirk (I actually laughed out loud with pleasure at this one), but along the way McBain manages to weave in some subtle social commentary that still resonates 50 years later. A great mystery and an excellent popular novel. ( )

Who in the heck shoots up a bookstore? Mamma mia!

This book begins with a tragedy for the 87th, especially for its youngest detective, Bert Kling. And, “Every other cop in the precinct knew that he was a part of the club, and you didn’t go around hurting club members or the people they loved.”

Everyone helps to solve this one for Kling, and when they do, no one is prepared for what they discover. It's a good story, a bit more personal than the others in the series that I've read so far. Poor Bert.

Patterns. ( )