Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Ed McBain's latest installment in the 87th Precinct series finds the detectives stumped by a serial killer who doesn't fit the profile. A blind violinist taking a smoke break, a cosmetics sales rep cooking an omelet in her own kitchen, a college professor trudging home from class, a priest contemplating retirement in the rectory garden, an old woman out walking her dog-these are the seemingly random targets shot twice in the face. But most serial killers don't use guns. Most serial killers don't strike five times in two weeks. And most serial killers' prey share something more than being over fifty years of age. Now it falls to Detective Steve Carella and his colleagues in the 87th Precinct to find out what-or whom-the victims had in common before another body is found. With trademark wit and sizzling dialogue, McBain unravels a mystery and examines the dreams we chase in the darkening hours before the fiddlers have fled.
  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This latest in McBain's 87th Precinct series is possibly his last, as he died last fall. This time the detectives are challenged by a serial killer who fails to follow any of the established psychological profiles. Charles Stransky's variety of New York accents adds just the right flavor to the story. As the detectives, he conveys a no-nonsense directness. When portraying the other characters, his delivery of the multiple accents of the New York City melting pot enhances the story, whether the character is male or female. His interpretation of the killer is disturbingly benign, a characteristic that gives listeners the intended chill and keeps them involved to the end. S.K.P. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 11, 2005
      MWA Grand Master McBain's 55th 87th Precinct police procedural suffers by comparison with 2004's Hark!
      as well as other top books in this iconic series, but still has plenty of good moments. A killer living the high life is exacting the last full measure of revenge. As his victims pile up, the 87th falls prey to the FMU or "first man up" rule. Since the initial victim, a blind violinist shot in the face, was done on the 87th's turf, all subsequent murders are theirs as well. More are not long in arriving; each victim shot in the face at close range with the same 9mm Glock. The whole cast of the 87th is stretched thin trying to track down clues in geographically disparate killings. This gives McBain license to update us on such matters as the romance between Bert Kling and Sharyn Cooke and Fat Ollie Weeks's courtship of Patricia Gomez. All are searching for the one lead that will pan out gold. While McBain siphons off some suspense by making the reader privy to the killer's actions, and his trademark dialogue isn't as crisp as usual, he still delivers dependable entertainment. Agent, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents
      .

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 31, 2005
      Stransky proves a fine choice as narrator of Ed McBain's final 87th Precinct novel. A series of killings has claimed several victims who seem unrelated except that each has been killed by the same gun with two shots to the face. The detectives of the 87th try to find the common thread linking the victims that will lead to the killer. McBain's fictional city of Isola has stalwartly stood in for New York City for nearly five decades and does so once again, offering Stransky the opportunity to show off the diversity of the city's populace as they weave in and out of the detective's investigation. Stransky slips easily into each of McBain's characters regardless of sex, age or ethnicity, keeping his portrayals grounded and real. His descriptive narration, especially when dealing with the murders and their aftermath, is delivered in a straightforward, just the facts, manner, that turns these passages into moving observations on the fragility of life and the finality of death. Fiddlers
      is classic McBain, handled with aplomb by Stransky, and though this may be the last case for the detectives of the 87th, at least it is a case of going out in style. Simultaneous release with the Harcourt hardcover (Reviews, July 11).

    • Library Journal

      April 15, 2006
      McBain (a.k.a. Evan Hunter) passed away in 2005, bringing to an end a brilliant and incredibly diverse series of novels and screenplays; he wrote 55 books about New York City's 87th Precinct. Here, Steve Carella, -Fat - Ollie Weeks, Bert Kling, Meyer Meyer, and the rest of the guys are investigating the brutal murder of a blind violinist outside the gypsy restaurant where he played his mournful music. Just when they think this is a one-time whack job, more people begin turning up dead in the same manner -shot twice in the eyes. Okay, the 87th has a serial killer on its hands, but what possible connection do an old priest, a schoolteacher, and a cosmetics salesperson have in common? That's where the skill of the author comes in; his dialog might not be the most polished in the profession and some of his characters zoom in and out of dimensions, but 87th Precinct fans know they are in for a wild ride as the pieces begin to fit together. Charles Stransky deftly captures the suspense, intensity, conflict, and, above all, the humor of McBain's writing. Recommended." -Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA"

      Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding for additional materials was made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.