Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man

This is my favourite 87th Precinct novel because of the plot and the title (I have a weakness for puns). In this book, the squad's nemesis, the Deaf Man, is planning a bank robbery and intends to carry it off with the assistance of the police. But he plays fair, in his mind -- he sends them clues in the form of photostats, telling them where and when the heist will occur. And meanwhile they have to deal with the usual cop shop stuff, like a string of cat burglaries and what appears to have been a crucifixion. McBain's usual snappy dialogue and a-character-in-its-own-right third-person narration combine with the action to make this a fun, breezy read with just enough bite.

I find the recurring Deaf Man storyline a little out of place in this series. So much of what goes on in the 87th precinct is steeped in grimy realism, but the Deaf Man is a continually failing Moriarty wannabe. In this book there is a spat between a medical examiner, homicide detectives and paramedics as to who should be responsible for taking down the body of a crucified murder victim. It's a perfectly realized bit of jobsworth mundanity, set off by the grotesque. Meanwhile the Deaf Man is taunting Carella with clues to his crime, clues which end up defeating the whole caper. Silly. Still, I'd rather be reading about Bert Kling's attempts at finding love with a professional model than almost anything else in detective fiction.

“I’m back,” the voice said. ... “I’m a little hard of hearing.” ...

Ahh... The Deaf Man is back - part 3!!!
And a cat burglar is in town too! One that leaves a kitten behind at the scene of his crimes!?!?

The Deaf Man is going to rob a bank, and he is challenging the men of the 87th, and especially Detective Steve Carella - who “... shot each other. And survived.”, to stop him! He sends the precinct 6 photostats as clues, and they are reproduced in this book, in full page coverage!

It's a really good story, and right in line with the previous two, both in style and execution! The rivalry between the Deaf Man and the 87th is pretty fun! And Chapter 10 is awesome! The description of the city Isola/New York City and all of the show more crimes as the city simmers and begins to boil on a Sunday in April as summer is coming. Marvelous writing! I'm amped up to read the next one! show less

The Deaf Man is back, and detective Steve Carella is determined to knock him out, though the best he's done to date is fight him to a draw. Pure pleasure in plotting and characterization, as always with the 87th Precinct novels.

Like most 87th Street Precinct novels, there are several stories going on simultaneously. This one has three very good ones. (1) A group of "cat" burglaries of apartments where tenants are on vacation with no visible signs of entry, and where the burglar leaves a kitten as his calling cardis left by the (cat) burglar (Bert Kling); (2) A murder, where the victim is crucified on a wall in an abandoned building. The only clue, a left sneaker size 12, and the remains of a fire (Steve Carella); and (3) The return of and taunting by the "Deaf Man," who promises that Carella will help him rob $500,000 on April 30th. The stories are well strung together, and once again the Deaf Man is thwarted, and narrowly avoids escape. Pleased to see Bert show more Kling find a beautiful, new girlfriend. show less

El crimen es algo habitual en el distrito 87, pero a veces surgen casos excepcionales con delincuentes fuera de lo común, como es el caso del Sordo. Dispuesto a ridiculizar al equipo de la comisaría, el Sordo ha trazado un plan infalible para perpetrar un robo ¡con la ayuda de la policía! El criminal no sólo anuncia sus pretensiones, sino que además irá dando pistas a los miembros de la brigada criminal para que intenten averiguar dónde será el excepcional golpe que pretende dar el último día de abril.

Postavu zdánlivě nepolapitelného zločince Hluchého uvedl Ed McBain v tomto již klasickém policejním románu do děje už potřetí (předtím to tak bylo v románech Provokatér a Poldové). Stalo se tak v době, kdy jím smyšlené zločiny a bezmocná neohrabanost policie nápadně připomínaly skutečnost: americká veřejnost byla traumatizována atentáty na vysoce postavené státní úředníky a politiky a popularita policie se pohybovala hluboko pod bodem mrazu.