The Empty Hours

"The Empty Hours" by Ed McBain is a mystery that contains 3 short novels of the 87th Precinct. In "The Empty Hours" Steve Carella and Meyer Meyer investigate the death of Claudia Davis, a wealthy young woman found dead in a slum apartment. In "J" rabbi Jacob Solomon is stabbed to death in an alley behind the synagogue on Passover. Carella and Meyer investigate. In "Storm: Cotton Hawes helps local police investigate the death of ski instructor Helga Nilson who was stabbed to death with a ski pole. All 3 of these early 87th Precinct novels are excellent. Ed McBain is the master of the police procedural.

As I ordered this book I did not know it is really three stores in one book until I received it. As McBain books are, to me, the three are good. The first one is "The Empty Hours" about a young wealthy woman who is found dead. Who is she and is she who you think she is? Why was she killed? Carella and friends run down clues until they find out. You will be surprised. The second one is simply "J". A Rabbi is found killed. Who would want to kill a Rabbi? There is a Jew-hater, was it him? Meyer Meyer leds the search to find the killer and finds something out about himself while doing. Again a surprise. The last one is "Storm". This one features Cotton Hawes and his sweetie going to a ski resort and an instructor ending up dead. Cotton is afraid the local police will mess up the investigation and trys to get involved. The locals resent him being there. He still gets involved and the killer is finally found. As three are three stories in one book they are all pretty short so it make for each one to ba a quick read. McBain will hold your attention and you won't want to put the book down.