Fuzz

Mysterious death threats against city officials seem like a joke at first. Then the bullets and the bombs come out, and the boys of the 87th Precinct realize that they're dealing with another caper by their old nemesis, the Deaf Man. This is an exceptionally well-crafted police procedural. The characterizations of Carella, Meyer, and Cotton Hawes are like being reunited with old friends, and the subplots all dovetail to support the main plot. Another great book by McBain -- fun, interesting, and absorbing. Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

Vintage McBain, and it reads as if it was written yesterday, with some minor exceptions ("fuzz" means police, "dig it", and 60's jargon like that). Keeps you reading, and turning the pages. Definitely worth the 7 bucks I spent. HOWEVER, the version I read was the online version by Rosetta Books. This publisher does not include the graphics (Deaf Man's letters) in the books, and does not allow you to print out the book. So, I was stuck reading the thing in front of my computer all day. Yuk. I advise you, Gentle Reader, to not buy anything from Rosetta, unless you are seriously hard-up for the book. Oh well. Live and learn. BTW, I have inside information from a *very* reliable source that Pocket is coming out with 87th Precinct Deaf Man books later this year. Wait for them, and get a *real* book.

Fuzz is a five, to me anyway. There are really three stores going on at the same time. One is: someone is throwing gasoline on bums as they sleep and setting them on fire. Carella goes undercover for this one and gets burned himself. Another is: who is after John the Taylor? He is to be robbed but different people show up at the time of the robbery. The other story is the main one.A commissioner is killed after a threat. The Deputy Mayor is killed after a threat. The Mayor is to be next. The squad figures it is the "deaf man" again. All the 87th precinct people work on this. Carella considers him to be a "master criminal"--can he be caught???????? Read as the entire group try to bring this man to justice. As usual McBain writes so you can believe you are there.You get to where you have feelings for each officer and really think you know them. This is the 22nd book I have read by McBain and I think there was only one I did not like. The odds are pretty good you will like this one also.

Ed McBain's 1968 "Fuzz" is a terrific read and a lot of fun from a great writer. Notable mostly for the second appearance of the Deaf Man, whom the reader learns more about his brilliance, and the 87th Precinct detectives who try to thwart his every move. Unfortunately, the Deaf Man will try to stop the detectives by making them look stupid and incompetent in the process.I loved this book. The more I learn about the Deaf Man, the more I want to know. Congratulations to Mr. Ed McBain, the master, for creating such a terrific character. Maybe I could learn a few things or two from the Deaf Man about being a criminal genius.I also enjoyed the background story about the squad room painters and the Tailor Shop. As for the reader from Minneapolis, MN, did it ever occur to you that not all cops are corrupt and rascist? Even then, remember reading about Detective Andy Parker? Next time, try reading the book before writing a bad review and insulting a great writer.

Since McBain has written a zillion books, I wanted to be caught up with the 87th Pct books by enrolling to my nearest public library. The Fuzz caught my eye because it was one of his earliest, printed in 1968. The book I picked up was reprinted in 1972. Great book, I must add! Carella always gets a beating--and to a pulp! Somebody teach this man self-defense!A money-hungry deaf man terrorize the city, making the 87th pct go berserk! He's demanding money from them, but when they don't deliver, some well-known city official is murdered. There is lots of action: car bombing, shooting, beating, etc. The Fuzz was hilarious and a great read--a page turner. Although, I stumbled into some British-custom vocabulary for a U.S.A. plotted book (and I found this odd), it was written well. I'm sure that if McBain revised this book, it would contain American lingo and a year 2000's style. Excellent book! I recommend it to anyone who wants to read it. As a matter of fact, GO TO YOUR TO NEAREST PUBLIC LIBRARY TO GET IT IF IT'S OUT OF PRINT.