SHOTGUN BLAST FROM THE PAST: ED MCBAIN'S COP HATER

Author Evan Hunter launched his influential 87th Precinct series under the pseudonym of Ed McBain in 1956 with Cop Hater . I had read Give The Boys A Hand and I believe another title in my teens and always meant to read more. When I had an open slot in my reading schedule, I took the opportunity yo go to the beginning.

I was immediately surprised to find it open with a lyrical view of the nameless city it takes place in.what I thought was a straight ahead police procedural. The first sentence describes the beauty of the skyline. McBain moves in closer, portraying the neon and other lights as sparkling gems. It then takes a turn when he reaches the buildings he believes serves as fronts.

Behind the buildings , behind the lights, were the streets.

There was garbage in the streets,

We then get introduced to Mike Reardon as he gets up to greet the day. When he steps out on those streets he's greeted by a .45 that blows him away. It after that action, we learn Reardon was a cop in the 87th Precinct.

Detectives Steve Carella, the center of the series ensemble, and his partner Bush catch the case. Bush, the more laid back of the the two, with an affable personality excels in questioning and interrogation. Carella proves to be the more tightly wound of the two, struggling to balance professionalism.the emotions the job creates, and maintaining a personal life. His skills lie in the doggedness of footwork. Both are professional and compassionate in their own way. We follow them and their other fellow 87th precinct members work the case as other cops become victims.

Reading the book reminded me of his skill of developing characters and depicting the process of procedure while still serving up a tight cop tale. My paperback is a 150 pages, yet McBain's judicious and skilled word choice create a full, sprawling story. Carella, Bush, and company work together and follow leads to dead ends and start all over again. There is no straight through line in the investigation, though you feel one n the story. We also follow Steve's burgeoning relationship with Teddy, who followers of the series know will become his wife. By having the first case dealing with victims of their own precinct allows the author to easily access their personalities a views, even their informant, Danny Gimp.

I was also surprised at how well the city is portrayed.It may be nameless, but not generic, You get a feel for in from it's bars to apartment buildings. McBain uses takes a moment on the smell of tenements. Much like the show Hill Street Blues, that owes a debt to The 87th, the police characters deal with a gritty urban environment that conjures up all the senses with grit and characters that pop.

Cop Hater serves as a great foundation for one of the best police procedural series that shaped so many others. We watch Carella and Bush work the case with a look at how it works them and get a satisfying resolution. We see him put the formula we get of cases that keep us guessing with with people we keep wanting to know more about. Luckily, his city had a high crime rate.