Bordering on cozy territory ‘Til Death, one of the three 1959 entries in the 87th Precinct series, ‘Til Death is a solid read, but feels like an entry which is drifting away from the police procedural genre pioneered in books like; Cop Hater, The Mugger and The Pusher. This is not to say that I didn’t like McBain’s tale of Det. Steve Carella looking into a threat to his sisters fiancé on their wedding day.
Setting two sets of plot in motion, the protection of the groom and the investigation of the prime suspect, McBain gives a quick, driving novel with just enough of the 87th Precinct style to keep me reading. What I am left wondering is if at the point the book was written if McBain had yet to realize the opportunity he had in front of him. I don’t know that he realized three years into the series that he had the chance to show the evolution of police and their culture over the decades. I do realize that he book is still early in the series and that marketplace pressures might have played a role in the softening of the series.
I plan to keep on reading the series, and up next is King’s Ransom, a notable entry in the 87th Precinct series as it is the bases for Kurosawa’s High and Low (which received a Bluray release from Criterion recently).Thoughts, Comments, Feedback?
1 comment:
Still haven't red one of these, keep thinking I will but there are way too many other things here crying for attention.
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