The Heckler (87th Precinct Book 12)

This series is interesting and fun to read with good characters.This one was more involved plot wise than s on of the o thers

This is the twelfth book in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series and the first in which a character known as the Deaf Man appears. The Deaf Man is a criminal mastermind who will appear in several subsequent books and who has a special gift for tormenting Steve Carella and the other detectives of the 87th.The Heckler begins when a businessman reports that he has become the victim of an apparent practical joker who phones him repeatedly, warning him to vacate the loft where he runs a clothing business or he will be killed. Later, someone begins shipping the clothier paper supplies, furniture and other such things that he didn't order, causing chaos in the man's day-to-day affairs.The detectives have no luck trying to determine who might be tormenting the businessman or why. Then other businessmen begin calling and reporting similar problems. Then, in a seemingly unrelated development, an elderly man is found murdered and left naked, save for his shoes, in a city park. Carella finds a burned uniform of some sort that may have belonged to the dead man, but who was the man and who would have killed him, stripped him and then burned his uniform?The detectives work as best they can, trying to puzzle out solutions both to the killing and to the harassment that is being perpetrated upon the complaining businessmen. In the meantime, we watch the Deaf Man and his confederates planning a very carefully calculated crime. All of it will lead to an explosive climax and the reader will be treated to a very entertaining ride along the way. This is one of the better books in the series and fans of the 87th Precinct will not want to miss it.

The plot was riveting and the characters were interesting. The only distraction that I found was the author 's insistence of taking the name if The Lord in vain. This is indicative of someone without talent who has to resort to this language. The book would have been perfect without the nasty, unnecessary words.

Every hero needs a worthy adversary: Sherlock Holmes matched wits with Professor Moriarity; James Bond battled Goldfinger; and in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct, Steve Carella and the boys take on the wily Deaf Man. In the twelfth number, Meyer Meyer investigates a series of complaints about a caller threatening businessmen. Carella grapples with a homicide, a naked man wearing US Navy shoes. Eventually, via the newspapers, a caller identifies the corpse as John Smith. Meanwhile, the Deaf Man is hard at work on a caper that will net him two and half million dollars. He's creating diversions based on the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Red-headed League." The businesses being threatened are near banks and jewelry stores, and the men of the 87th are spread awfully thin trying to cover every eventuality. McBain is a clever stylist who works on the reader subliminally. Carella's nemesis is deaf; his other senses are heightened because of it. Carella's wife, Teddy is also deaf. I'd be interested to know if there is some deafness in Evan Hunter's background. Also, when the situation fits, McBain takes a dig at the politically correct. If you don't believe me, get a load of Ollie Weeks (He's not in this one). McBain (Hunter) is also not afraid to combine humor and dramatic action. There's a fantastic twist toward the ending that made me laugh out loud, and I was alone. He's also not afraid to break convention; Carella and the 87th fail as often as they succeed, especially when they're up against the Deaf Man. Also, it's a convention in most mysteries that the hero be involved in the capture of the villain. Carella is in a coma when the Deaf Man is foiled (by a beat cop). I started reading the 87th Precinct novels way down the line with LULLABY. As a result, I stumbled across the Deaf Man when I happened to pick up LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE DEAF MAN. I've been trying to find the rest ever since. There are five of them: THE HECKLER, FUZZ, LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE DEAF MAN, EIGHT BLACK HORSES, AND MISCHIEF. I can't remember if they finally got him in MISCHIEF, but if not, isn't it about time for another, Ed?

Set in a fictional section of NYC, this police drama slowly unfolds a cunning plan to execute a major theft. Several local businesses are plagued with constant phone calls demanding they vacate their premises by a certain date, or else. It's all misdirection to fool the cops. When the date arrives, everything goes according to plan, until... Great finish.

Such a wonderful series - each by themselves, or one following the next. As interesting to read today, as during the time they were written - no reliance on technology but just men, with all their strengths and weaknesses, and the way the pieces fall together for them as the case develops. I enjoy the language of the day, and the way this author tells the story.

Ed McBain/Evan Hunter amazes me with the quality of his novels, especially when you consider how many he wrote. Carella is out cold for part of the book, so we get a more detailed picture of the crooks, one of whom will make a return appearance. You will enjoy this book.

For me, books featuring the Deaf Man have never ranked as high as other entries in the 87th Precinct series. This book, which introduces the Deaf Man, did nothing to change that.Still this is an Ed McBain novel and his worst is far better than many writers’ best.

The book is, regrettably, in a lamentable condition.

Ed McBain is the master of the "police procedural". These books are easy to read, the principal characters are engaging, the stories are superb.

Un petit jeu autour des probabilités, savoureux, surtout quand sait que ce qui est fortement probable peut ne pas arriver, et les probabilités >= 100, ça n'existe pas.Très drôle.

Unless you are a knowledgeable and fervent card player, there is a long, boring game to go through before getting back to the story. Not the best of McBain.

A bit disappointing, because our hero was laid out, and more of the story involved the bad guys too much. Since this is the 12th and presumably the last, in this series, does poor beaten nearly to death Carella have to hang up his handcuffs? I'm going to to haul out some of the earlier books to enjoy his detective work some more.Syllabuss