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 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. ( )

I enjoyed the 2nd 87th precinct book more than the first. It was a little dated but a great slice of 1950 police life. This was a series I had always planned to read but got a little nervous after the first one. Glad I stuck with it. Looking forward to the next book. ( )

“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 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. ( )

This is the second book in the 87th Precinct series. I found it to be well done crime fiction. A very fast read once I got started - I look forward to reading more of this series!

McBain was the first mystery/crime writer to feature an entire precinct instead of one or two detectives and he also created a fictional yet realistic city to set the series in (he claimed that this was so he wouldn't have to worry about being accurate!). One feature in the first book which I am happy to see again is the inclusion of things like fingerprint cards or photostats of typewritten police reports -- it helps make me feel like a part of this 1950s police force! ( )

3,5 ( )