The Mugger

“Here, bludgeoned by poverty, exploited by pushers and thieves and policeman alike, forced into cramped and dirty dwellings, rescued occasionally by the busiest fire department in the entire city, treated like guinea pigs by the social workers, like aliens by the rest of the city, like potential criminals by the police, here were the Puerto Ricans.”


Ed McBain would often begin writing with only a title in mind, then wing it. But here, he had written a story for Manhunt Magazine called Now Die in It. He culled from the plot and situation of that story, adapting it to fit this fine second outing for the boys of the 87th Precinct. It is clear from the opening moments that McBain has decided to make the city of Isola a living thing, an show more additional character which speaks to the reader non-verbally. To this end, the first seven paragraphs contain beautifully descriptive prose likening the city to a woman. McBain also, by design, has made the entire squad room the hero of the series. To that end, he places Carella off-screen in this entry, on vacation. Carella doesn’t return until the very end, just in time to listen to the story about the cats.

A violent mugger calling himself Clifford is running loose in the 87th Precinct. Hal Willis’ efforts to catch him will eventually encompass female officer, Eileen Burke. She will be the bait in an effort to trap Clifford before anyone else takes a sock on the jaw. This is the main story-line, but there is another. This was a device often used by McBain, and it was very rare that there weren’t at least two or three investigations ongoing, keeping it interesting — and realistic — for readers.

Kling, a name readers of the 87th Precinct novels know well, is still a beat cop here. He has no sooner been released from the hospital where he’s recovering from a bullet wound in his shoulder, than an old acquaintance wants him to talk to his young and sexy sister-in-law. When Kling tries to talk with her, she blows him off. Then the teenage knockout gets knocked off. Something clutched in her hand will tie the two cases together.

Bert Kling dates Claire Townsend in this one, but I can’t say more in case you’ve not read any further than The Mugger. Written after Cop Hater, this fills in some of the backstory of characters, as well as being a fine - if early - 87th Precinct novel. Robert B. Parker, Tony Hillerman and Elmore Leonard were all admirers of Ed McBain and his 87th Precinct novels. Yes, these early ones are dated as per police techniques, but they’re terrific reads, and once you’ve read a couple, you’ll be hooked. show less

“There ain’t a citizen of this city who hasn’t heard about Cliff the Mugger and his punch in the mouth and his bow from the waist.”

The way McBain describes the city as a woman is poetic, of sorts. This story is mostly about Bert Kling, which he kind of deserves as he was shot in book #1. I did miss Carella, my favorite in the 87th, but he deserved to be on his honeymoon! The three story threads are the muggings, the murder of a 17 year old girl, and someone stealing cats - lots and lots of cats! A good read!

The second book in the mammoth Precinct 87 series, and I have to admit after finishing this I am definitely hooked on the little world McBain has created. Although part of a series this can easily be read as a stand alone novel with only minor references to the preceding book (such as holidays, promotions etc).

The mugger follows two separate storylines, the first details an almost gentlemanly mugger named Claude who is terrorising the city. After mugging his female victim he bows and thanks them, although he isn't adverse to roughing them up if they do not play ball to his demands. There is a precinct wide effort to capture the man and restore peace to the streets, but when a body is recovered that has all the hallmarks of a Clifford show more mugging things suddenly take a turn a turn for the worse as the police now believe they have a far more dangerous felon on their patch. Meanwhile, Willis is recovering from being shot in the line of duty, and old school friend contacts him out of the blue after recognising in the local news and approaches him to talk to his young sister in law who appears to be going around with the wrong crowd. Soon Willis is thrown into the murder investigation as she is the body found and attributed to Clifford. Who will solve the case first and does he have any authority to even be intervening?

I really loved this story, the gritty realism and the internal workings of the police force of the 50's really made you feel as if you were there and I read that the author spent many weeks studying the New York Police before writing the first in the series. Some people may find the language outdated these days and sexism and racism are apparent in the storyline but I just feel it is a book of its time and adds to the authenticity. The way the different characters are starting to develop really makes you want to read the next instalment to see what happens next, Mcbain cleverley weaves their personal lives into the story without taking away from the action and suspense. 4 star read, but only because I worked out the twist before it happened, although I am not sure if that was because it has been repeated many times since on tv programmes and I am sure it would have kept the original reader guessing until the end. show less

A really easy read and enjoyable, with the dated nature of the story (published in 1956) adding to its charm. You feel that these were simpler times, although in truth it is probably just that the story is simple. The crime story is relatively predictable, but the prose carries you on with the descriptions of the streets and characters.

McBain's second novel in the 87th Precinct series delivers an alternate to the straight mystery that started the series, setting the tone that his novels would switch back and forth between, and gives the main mystery a bizarre and darkly humorous twist.

In this case, a mugger that courteously bows and thanks the women he abuses and victimizes ("Clifford thanks you, Madam.") is terrorizing the city, and the bulls of the 87th doing their best to stop him. The pressure already on them increases when one of Clifford's apparent victims turns up dead.

With Carella on a honeymoon in the Poconos with his new bride Teddy, Willis and Havilland team up to track down the notorious Clifford. They are assisted in the search with the introduction of show more bald jokester Meyer Meyer, the most patient man in the 87th. Also introduced is female detective Eileen Burke, who goes undercover as Clifford bait in a desperate attempt to trap the mugger, and Hal Willis' stoolie, the gargantuan pedophile Fats Donner.

At the same time, patrolman Bert Kling finds himself stepping out of bounds as he looks into the murder of an old friend's daughter, who just happens to be Clifford's homicide victim. His private investigation threatens to endanger his job, but also puts him in contact with the dead girls beautiful college friend, whom he falls for instantly.

The Mugger is one of McBain's less spectacular stories, by which I mean it is not the crimes themselves that keep you riveted, but the characters involved and the stories they tell. A good portion of the book is taken up by interrogation transcripts, but they give a deeper feeling to the city and its denizens rather than bog it down. show less

Years ago, my late wife Kathleen told me to read Ed McBain. I always meant to, but somehow I never got around to it. After she passed away, I went through her books, took what I wanted, gave to other family members what they wanted, and packed up the rest to sell for store credit to a local used book store. While I was there, I picked up an older Dell edition of The Mugger. And now, I wish I'd listened to Kathleen all those years ago!

McBain's 87th precinct novels, set in the heart of a big American city, span his writing career. This one is his second novel, written a couple of years before I was born (which is a long time ago, but never mind that). As the title suggests, a mugger is lose in the city, preying upon women. Wearing show more sunglasses at night, he steals their purses, hits them in the eye as a warning, and bows and says, "Clifford thanks you, madam." But as the crime spree continues, the attacks turn more violent, until a young woman is found murdered, a pair of broken sunglasses at her side. The resolution is stunning; I certainly didn't see it coming, yet it makes for a satisfying conclusion.

A gritty, fast-paced crime novel, The Mugger is the sort of book you don't want to put down. It has everything from twisted crimes, crooked cops, and departmental turf wars to romance and a lot of silly jokes along the way. I'm definitely going to have to read the whole rest of the series now! show less

The Mugger by Ed McBain is the second book in his 87th Precinct series about the day-to-day job of detectives that work out of a distinct precinct in a large city. In this outing we mostly follow Patrolman Bert Kling and see how he got his promotion to detective.

The precinct has been plagued by a mugger who brutally targets women. The violence is escalating with each crime and now they have a murdered young woman who appears to be his latest victim. Bert Kling is a family friend of the victim and agrees to look into what happened. Meanwhile Detectives Willis and Hallivand are able to find and arrest the mugger but evidence shows that he did not commit the murder. Bert puts all the pieces together, earns his promotion and the precinct show more can put two cases to rest.

I know that I read many of these books when I was younger but I am really enjoying working my way through the series again. This unique series follows many different characters and certainly gives us a strong idea of how cops worked in the 1950s. We also get a glimpse of their home life and in Bert’s case it could be that he has met the love of his life. A short and satisfying read. show less