Ed McBain

The Pusher

Christina says:

This review is based upon the German translation by Helmut Bittner.

A juvenile drug dealer is found in a basement with a noose around his neck. However, the supposed suicide victim died from an overdose, and on the syringe found near his body are Larry Byrnes' fingerprints. This is how Lieutenant Paul Byrnes of the 87^th Precinct learns that his son is a drug addict and finds himself in the hands of a ruthless blackmailer.

For nearly fifty years now we have been able to look over the shoulders of the officers of the 87^th Precinct. The Pusher is the third volume in the series. It didn't thrill me in the same way the first two did, mainly because McBain sometimes dwells too long on describing the technical details of the work of the police. Nevertheless, the father of the Police Procedural has written another gripping mystery. Apart from giving the reader insight into the way the police work, McBain lets him have a look into the living-rooms of his protagonists, something he doesn't handle as well by the way. When he describes family life, you can't help but notice that some parts of his story haven't aged well.

McBain is always good for letting you escape to the streets of a big city reminiscent of New York.

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Christina

Last changes: 09-05-04

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