Vespers

There were a couple of sequences in this book that I wasn’t so keen on, but overall it’s such an excellent entry in the 87th Precinct series that I had to go all out with a 5 star rating.
The main plot concerns the murder of a Catholic priest and is beautiful handled. The mystery and investigation are great and it allows McBain to reflect on faith in modern America and on Carella’s own lapsed Catholicism. The bits I didn’t like related to black masses at a satanist church, which seemed needlessly provocative.
The second plot, about Marilyn Hollis, is just as gripping. I had some reservations about her back story, which felt a little bit clumsily shoe horned in to ‘Poison’, but the continuation of her tale here is stunningly show more good. Like the storyline about Eileen Burke that spanned a few of the books leading up to this one, it’s a plot line that really rewards readers who tackle the books in their order.
All in all, a really great cop novel from a writer who I really admire. show less

“Vespers was the sixth of the seven canonical hours.” The evening prayer.
A priest is stabbed to death at his church. A “stone’s throw” from the murder scene is a church of devil worship. The details of the services at that church are described in almost too much detail. A word of warning to any reader who may be offended, or even grossed out by those details. I'm telling you, they are explicit!
Detective Hal Willis has a girlfriend named Marilyn Hollis, who has a past. That past comes back to get her. This story line was not very interesting, in my opinion.
I liked the whole Easter Sunday, “Rashomon” storyline! So many versions of what happened! 6 in fact! Nice little creepy ending too!

“Blood was blood. Blood told.”

Not one of my favorite McBain 87th Precinct stories. Too many threads, I thought. In particular the scenario with the girlfriend of Willis was unnecessary and distracting.

A priest who had recently been pushing parishioners to tithe; a former hooker who killed her pimp in Buenos Aires and is now the girlfriend of Detective Willis who is being chased by some thugs for the killing; and a local Satanist church are the initial focal points in this mishmash. Some of the scenes, especially those of the so-called Satanic church struck me as wildly improbable.

This 87th Street Precinct novel revolved around the stabbing death of a Catholic priest, which seemed to be either drug related or related to nearby satanic church. However, the depth and multitude of lies has to be unraveled by Steve Carella. The other plot is Detective Willis' girlfriend Marilyn Hollis' former life as a prostitute catching up with her. Too little of the squad in this one -- just a little Cotton Hawes.

I generally love McBain, but found the opening very violent and the Satanic scenes much too graphic. I did not finish it.

Wordy. A lot of backstory, but saved by a strong plot.

BATTLE CIRCLE