| Title | : | Ice (87th Precinct, #36) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0446603902 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780446603904 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 324 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1983 |
Ice (87th Precinct, #36) Reviews
-
This later entry in the series from McBain is one of the best of his now legendary 87th Precinct novels. Though it's cold outside for the boys of the 87th, Ice turns out to be something different from what you think.
There are some very true-to-life moments in this entry, and many of them are between Carella and the detectives of the 87th Precinct as they try to connect a murder outside their precinct with another which happened on their turf. When no connection other than the weapon presents itself, the possibility that it might be random is even scarier.
For those who followed the series and are going through them again, or those who have just discovered Ed McBain, there is a lot going on here besides the cases. Kling is still reeling from a personal tragedy, which is explored in both his loneliness, and his budding relationship with the sweet yet tough undercover police woman, Eileen. Never one to shy away from grit and truth, no matter how politically incorrect it may have become by modern snowflake standards, Ice is the notorious entry where Eileen reveals to Kling her sexual fantasy, which is, on the surface, very much in conflict to her undercover work.
The police procedural part of the story is very good in Ice, and this entry is held in high regard by critics. As a reader, however, it is more than likely the dynamic between Eileen and Kling in this one you’ll remember most if you follow the series. Another excellent one in the long-running series of which we’ll sadly get no more, now that Ed McBain has passed. Most were solid reads, a few entries just mediocre, but Ice and some others I've reviewed are the cream of this series. -
This is another very good entry in the 87th Precinct series. The title has multiple meanings and, as it would suggest, the story takes place during a brutally cold winter. As it opens, a dancer from a big show is walking home late at night. As she nears her apartment, someone steps out of the shadows and shoots her to death with a .38.
As it turns out, the same gun was used in the murder of a small-time drug dealer a week or so earlier. That case belongs to Steve Carella of the 87th Precinct, and since the two cases are obviously linked, the detectives of the 87th inherit the murder of the young woman as well, even though the crime did not occur within the boundaries of their precinct.
The detectives work diligently, but they can find no link between the two victims and no plausible suspects in either killing. Then another person is shot with the same gun and this victim would appear to have no relationship with either of the first two. It's all very confusing and suggests to the detectives that perhaps a crazy person is running around the city, killing people at random, which would be the worst possible thing that could happen.
In the meantime, Detective Bert Kling is still recovering from his recent divorce. He is definitely in emotional and psychological difficulty and is spending way too much time in the wee hours of the morning, lying awake and staring at his gun on the nightstand beside him.
All in all, it's a great tale. Thirty-six books into the series, McBain was clearly on a roll and fans of the series won't want to miss this one. -
"[...] and suddenly she was more frightened that she'd ever been in her life, and she heard herself telling them the name, heard herself giving away her secret and her freedom, saying the name over and over again, babbling the name, and thought that would truly be the end of it, and was astonished to see the razor flashing out again, [...]"
Ice is quite a strong entry in Ed McBain's formidable 87 Precinct saga. Published in 1983 it is the 36th installment in the series, one in which the author has some fun with the title. Polysemic words are fun in general, but one of the possible meanings of the title is far from obvious (at least that's what I, a non-native English speaker, suspect.)
A young dancer and aspiring actress is gunned down when she is walking back home from a performance. The 87th Precinct detectives are drawn into that case but not until we witness hectic scenes at the precinct that involve a band of drunks arrested along with a pregnant hooker. Naturally, the story culminates with childbirth in the precinct. The author uses the scenes to introduce the group of characters - Carella, Hawes, Genero, Willis, and Meyer Meyer, with all the unbearably repetitive phrases - "white streak," "slanted eyes," "five feet eight inches tall," etc.
Carella finds out that the same gun was used in killing the dancer as in a shooting that happened a few days earlier. There occurs yet another murder and the complexity of the case grows. The author uses various side stories to enliven the procedural plot. Some - not all - are maudlin, lame, or cliché, like, for instance, Detective Kling's tribulations after the divorce from Augusta, and his obsessive thinking about "the gun."
There is an uncharacteristically brutal, for McBain's books, scene of torturing a woman with a razor (the epigraph contains a short passage) This horrifying scene is central to the arc of the plot and is certainly not gratuitous like brutal scenes in so many authors' books, aimed at titillating the readers with porn of gore. Also, the scene is even more gut-wrenching because it does not show much of what is done to the victim but is viewed partly from the victim's point of view who imagines what will be done to her.
There is even some humor in the book. My wife tells me that I have a 12-year-old-boy's sense of humor, but isn't the following passage really funny:"[he] had an erection, but perhaps that was due to the supreme satisfaction of having beaten that pool hustler to within an inch of his life; it was sometimes difficult to separate and categorize emotions, especially when it was so cold outside."
And finally, perhaps the best feature of the novel: the characters of Brother Anthony and Fat Emma - an unforgettable duo whose portrayal confirms Ed McBain's literary talent: they seem to be such cliché evil characters, yet from the pages of the book they come close to real people.
Three stars.
-
Better than others in the 87th Street Precinct series, perhaps because the book had more plots than usual. Also, I was anxious to see what had become of Bert Kling following his discovery of his wife's infidelity, especially on top of his prior love life disasters. A .38 caliber gun is used in a series of murders of seemingly unrelated people: a low level drug dealer, a dancer from a show, and a jewel merchant. Meanwhile, two street smart partners are trying to capitalize on the dealer's death. McBain does a nice job in weaving a story around these stories, and has even gotten modern enough to include money laundering.
-
Firstly I think it's only fair that I point out that despite this being no 36 in the 87th Precinct series this is the first that I've actually read (it was sent to me by a friend and I thought that I would at least give it a go) and murder/mystery isn't a genre that I habitually read . Both may have a bearing on my rating.
The story takes place during a brutally cold winter in an unnamed US city that is obviously New York with a dancer from a successful show walking home late at night after a performance. As she nears her apartment building, someone steps out of the shadows and shoots her dead. Ballistics soon reveals that the same gun had been used in the murder of a small-time drug dealer a week or so earlier.
Steve Carella of the 87th Precinct, and his fellow detectives work diligently, but are unable to find a link between the two victims or any plausible motive so when another apparently unconnected person is shot with the same gun it seems that they are after crazy person killing people at random. This is the worst possible scenario for the team.
Meanwhile Detective Bert Kling spends most of his nights lying awake staring at his gun following his recent divorce and there are also a couple of other crimes taking place simultaneously.
I'm not sure if this the norm or if have they had been fully fleshed out in previous books but there was little in the way of characterisation here. I managed to work out who the perpetrator was quite early on as well as the conclusion, the action was largely procedural with few twists and turns but no great leaps either. Overall I felt that this was a steady rather than spectacular piece of writing and whilst I wouldn't avoid reading other books in the series I wouldn't rush to grab them either. -
A standout in a series of standouts. This is one of the very best novels in, and a great introduction to, the finest series of police procedurals ever written. Action, mystery, humor, pathos, and villainy. To even set up the plot could give too much away. If you are a McBain fan, this is a must read. If you haven’t read him, this is where you begin. Amazing, chilling, and a lot of fun.
-
One of his best,and it's very hard to pick.Best police procedurals EVER.
-
I have no idea what I find so appealing about Ed McBain's books, but I have yet to find one I don't really like. Perhaps it's the naturalness or banality of the conversation. Perhaps the element of humor in what otherwise would be dismal surroundings and events. Perhaps it's the relationship between Carella and Teddy, his deaf/mute wife. Perhaps the way he interweaves the characters into an ensemble. Or perhaps the honesty of his human portrayals. Whatever, each of his books is really good. They just suck you into the world of the 87th precinct.
Ice can be many things: cold, diamonds, slipperiness and something related to the theater - to say more would be giving away a clue. All of these elements are present in this 1983 novel (36th in the 87th precinct series). A Broadway dancer is shot while walking home. Ballistics reveals she was shot wih the same gun used on a drug pusher and later a diamond dealer killed in a garage. What's the link that connects all these crimes?
An example of why I like McBain: At the dinner table, ten-year old April complained that she had received only one Valentine's Day card and that one was from a doofus. She pronounced the word with a grimace her mother might have used more suitably. . . Her ten-year-old brother, who resembled Carella more than he did either his mother or his twin sister, offered the opinion that anyone who would send April had to be a doofus, at which point April seized her half-finished pork-chop by its rib and threatened to use it on him like a hatchet. If you've never had children, you won't get it. And not just one child.
For those who care about such things, McBain is the pseudonym for Evan Hunter, whose birth name was Salvatore Lombino. I also recommend
Learning To Kill (available for the Kindle) that is a collection of Hunter's early work for magazines and show the development of his characters. Each story is preceded by a short biographical and bibliographical note. -
The back cover of this book lists it as one of the top 10 crime novels, as determined by Newsweek magazine. Though I can't find that list online anywhere, I have to agree with the assessment.
A tight, well-paced police procedural again relying on dogged police investigation and interrogation technique rather than lucky happenstance. As with his other novels, the crime opens the story and the police assigned to the case have virtually nothing to go on. Following an orderly investigative procedure, they are eventually led to the killer. This novel had a bit more character development then others I've read in this series; just enough to make you care and not so much that you're distracted from the investigation. -
A longer book than the predecessors, pulling together 3 homicides, seemingly unconnected until ballistics brings them together. Carella and Meyer in the lead on the first two, with Kling and Brown on the third, then combining forces. And two side stories involving pretty Detective Eileen Burke acting as a decoy, who also starts to bring Kling out of his post- divorce depression
-
Always good to see the regular characters. McBain has created a funny, tough, likeable bunch. This novel, as seems common with longer detective stories, features several subplots that don't exactly mesh seamlessly, but the overall story is enjoyable if a little chopped off.
-
Ed McBain is one of my favorite authors. I love the 87th Precinct books.
-
Sal Lombino (d/b/a McBain) is one of the great Bronx authors.
-
I can’t go around giving every 87th Precinct book 5 stars, but this one is pretty close. 4.5 really.
This is more of a police procedural than the last McBain novel I read (Tricks). The word “ice” refers to multiple plot points, from weather to cocaine to diamonds, and even a slang for “ice” which I’d never heard before.
The 87th Precinct series has a large cast of recurring characters and we get a nice spotlight on Kling and Burke during the B plot.
As noted, this is a police procedural and you get a crisp and realistic view of how detective work is done.
This book is frequently hilarious in a black humor sort of way. It can also be violent. I don’t think McBain ever goes too far in his descriptions of violent acts, but it’s right on the edge sometimes.
This series will hook you matter where you start. I’d recommend getting a handful of these books and read them in publication order. The 3-pack omnibus I am reading is out of order for some reason, and I wish I had noticed it before starting the omnibus. -
At 370 pages this is the longest book in the 87th series that I have read so far. With such extended length comes increases complexity and detail. In this case there are several homicides and the initial connection is the gun used.
Most of the book is pavement pounding police procedural and even with four of the 87ths detectives working on it the case takes a long time to piece together the clues. Slowly it all comes together and most things are obviously not as they first appeared. A couple of side plots and secondary characters are also added for good measure.
So far one of the best books in the series. The title is a bit of a play on words as there are several things in the plot that it can refer to. -
ICE (Police Procedural-Isola (Fict. City)-Cont) – VG
McBain, Ed - 36th in series
Arbor House, 1983- Hardcover
Members of the 87th Precinct are faced with three seemingly unrelated murders but the victims—a drug dealer, a dancer in a hit show, and a diamond merchant--were all killed by the same gun. Add to plot someone who is brutally slashing their victims, a stackout to catch The Dirty Panties Bandit and Carella worrying about what to get his wife for Valentine’s Day.
*** McBain was the master. I don’t know of any other author who is as good at creating an ensemble cast of characters with distinctive personalities, multiple plot lines and combining them together with excellent dialogue and a very strong sense of place. Even the title is tied into the story by four meanings of the word which relate to the plot lines. If you’ve not read McBain, particularly the 87th Precinct series, I highly recommend them. While each book stands alone, I’d start at the beginning. I’ll miss having new books by this excellent author, but always be grateful for his being as prolific as he was. -
Considered by many to be one of the masterpieces in the 87th Precinct series, Ice is a lot more detailed than the earlier books I've read, although the mystery at its core is as simple as the others. What McBain does this time around is flesh out the lives of the detectives to a greater degree, and not just the two on the case, but some of the peripheral characters as well. The case involves several seemingly unrelated murders with the same gun - a Broadway actress, a diamond merchant, and a drug dealer. It's up to Carella and Meyer to sort it out. A subplot, just as potent, involves Detective Kling, who has just been through a divorce, and his involvement with an undercover police officer named Eileen. The threads all come together and the characters seem very much alive - When McBain was firing on all cylinders, he was able to transcend popular literature.
-
The books open with a murder. A dancer walking home is surprised by someone from the shadows and is shot. The person leaves the .38 which is later discovered to have been used in another crime weeks earlier. With a winter ice storm bearing down on them this only hurts their investigation. Now when another female is murder Carella has to work at if any of these are connected or if they are all separate while still working each case.
Once again you have a Bert Kling storyline this time he is getting over his divorce. He is once again not part of the team and is not sleeping but staring at his gun next to his bed at night. With all of the different characters that he has added than taken away, it is nice to see the same ones. Another good book with a great twist at the end. -
This Ed McBain 87th Precinct novel captures, frozen in the ice of a cold, cold, February, the daily grind of detective work in McBain's gritty fictional city of Isola as detectives Carella and company struggle to connect a series of brutal murders. Reading this book was not unlike watching an episode of Law & Order, albeit an episode set back in the bad old days of 1980s New York. You get a tease of character (well, secondary character) development, and a few snapshots of some criminal mindsets, but otherwise it's all about the knocking on of doors, stakeouts, and witness interrogations. Recommended for police procedural fans.
-
This was a fun police procedural, although I don't think there's any reason for me to keep reading these 87th Precinct books, which McBain wrote a ton of. The detectives are a well-drawn bunch, and the most enjoyable parts of the book are simply their banter and interactions. The mystery itself is almost beside the point - the cops basically fall backwards into solving it.
Edit to add - this book is set in "Isola", which is clearly intended to be a fictional Manhattan. Why not just set it in real Manhattan? -
One of McBain's best. This is packed full of things I love about the 87th Precinct, all drawn together masterfully.
He does spend more time focusing on a female character here, which, while being a good thing, isn't done without missteps.
Generally speaking though, it ticks all the boxes - gritty crime, offbeat characters, humanity balanced with complex shades of morality, vivid dialogue... A good starting point if you want to introduce the series to someone. -
36 books in and McBain is still firing on all cylinders. He’s moved seamlessly into the 80s despite first writing these characters in the 50s. There was a little more sex, a little more violence and several keys of cocaine, but the beating heart remains a solid procedural with Carella, Meyer and poor, poor Bert Kling doing their damn jobs.
-
Best police procedural novel ever.
-
Well written, engaging read. Police investigating crime thriller. Fast paced, well nuanced characters, engaging sub plots...
Down side - extreme violence, not very suprising end -
“Carella had learned early on in the game that if you wanted to survive as a cop, you either took nothing at all or you took everything that wasn’t nailed down. Accept a cup of coffee on the arm from the guy who ran the local diner? Fine. Then also take a bribe from the neighbourhood fence who was running a tag sale on stolen goods every Sunday morning. A slightly dishonest cop was the same thing as a slightly pregnant woman.”
I came across a copy of Ice by Ed McBain on the table of books being sold off by my library. The name’s familiar and the cover interesting, so I figured it was a chance worth taking. I didn’t pay much and the book was worth that at least.
I’m in two minds about it. There are some wonderful aspects to the novel and there are some unappealing ones, too.
It opens strongly with the murder of a young dancer as she returns home in the snow. The key to the killing in terms of the investigation is that the weapon was also used in the shooting of a small-time drugs dealer named Paco Lopez.
There’s a leap from here into a police station, the 87th Precinct. There’s a heavily pregnant prostitute, a cell full of vocal drunks and a cast of police officers as long as the law’s arm. I thought immediately of Hill Street Blues in terms of the feel of the station. What is much more difficult to settle into on the page as opposed to on the screen is the chopping and changing from one place to another. McBain flicks between one point-of-view to another without warning. I found that to be disconcerting and it had me re-reading at several points to catch the change.
This shifting from one head to another carries on throughout the book. I did get used to it, but never really was entirely convinced by the style. It’s not a matter of weaving together separate strands of a story, but it’s more of a scattergun approach.
There are also big changes of pace to cope with. The case of the murders itself is totally engaging, the back-stories and tangents often less so.
In contrast to that, there are some big pluses. The characters of the main detectives are well drawn, particularly that of Carella.
There are also some great crooks. Brother Anthony and the razor slashing Emma are rather special and might well be right up there in the all-time-baddies Hall Of Fame.
Throw in some great lines and a pretty engaging investigation and, in the end, I’m glad I passed that library table.
I enjoyed my visit to the 87th Precinct and I’m sure I’ll go there again, only not in any great hurry. -
The years are marching along in Isola, computers have arrived and the hierarchy and bureaucracy are increasing but resources for the squad are thin on the ground, hence the beaten up car that Brown always seems to be allocated. The Lt is caught up in the bureaucracy when murders kick off in the territory of other precincts and time is lost but the bodies pile up. At first, Carella and Meyer think they have a one off killing of a young female dancer on her way home from the theatre. That is until the ballistics lab come back with the news that the bullets match the killing of a Hispanic drug dealer. Where is the connection? This has the whole squad scratching their heads and then another shooting occurs and a woman is cut to death with a razer.
No big shoot outs in this one just plodding police work bring the boys to the perpetrator, a bit of a surprise here. On the side, Bert Kling is not over his divorce and Eileen Burke makes an appearance.
So the 87th marches on to the next episode.
4stars. I'm hooked on this series.
