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Fiddlers : A Novel of the 87th Precinct (87th Precinct Mysteries) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Ed Mcbain, Otto Penzler
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 956577
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.7 x 1
ASIN: B000F5ZH5S
Publication Date: September 12, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Ed McBain's latest installment in the 87th Precinct series finds the detectives stumped by a serial killer who doesn't fit the profile. A blind violinist taking a smoke break, a cosmetics sales rep cooking an omelet in her own kitchen, a college professor trudging home from class, a priest contemplating retirement in the rectory garden, an old woman out walking her dog--these are the seemingly random targets shot twice in the face. But most serial killers don't use guns. Most serial killers don't strike five times in two weeks. And most serial killers' prey share something more than being over fifty years of age. Now it falls to Detective Steve Carella and his colleagues in the 87th Precinct to find out what-or whom-the victims had in common before another body is found.
With trademark wit and sizzling dialogue, McBain unravels a mystery and examines the dreams we chase in the darkening hours before the fiddlers have fled.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
 Good August 16, 2008
This kind of novel is a little off the beaten path for me, but I had always wanted to read a McBain mystery, and now having done so, I'm glad I did. Good light reading featuring very human "good guys" and a villain with a credible back story.
 A decent end to a landmark series of novels February 14, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Having read more than half of the fifty-five 87th precinct novels written by the recently deceased Ed McBain, I think they break down into two categories. First, there are those that grip you from the get-go and, more important, can be read as an enjoyable" stand alone" novel even if you are not a fan. The three that come to mind for me are "Ice," "Lullaby" and "Hark." On the other hand, there are the ones that are seemingly a bit more plodding but if you are into the characters and McBain's style, you will stick with the book more as a fan and a way to continue watching your old pals move on with life. For me, Fiddlers fits into the latter category. Not as good as his previous work(the aforementioned "Hark") but decent enough where if you stick with it, the end result will be bittersweet - a good read tinged with the sadness this is the end of a landmark series.
A series of execution style murders, with the victims all being old enough to apply for their AARP membership, gives just about the entire group of recurring 87th precinct detectives their moment in the spotlight. Most of the detectives we have seen in this series all get a murder tossed their way and the fun is in us following them on their investigation. Of course, the climactic moment when everyone has to come together to connect the dots is vintage McBain.
As I mentioned, this book may not be a great starting point for a non-fans since I believe the investigation is more fun to read when you know the detectives already. Yet if you are a fan, this is a must read just so you can say a fond farewell to a writer who truly set a standard others may never be able to duplicate.
 Five Star Finale October 16, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Though it had to be, what a shame to end the series on such a downbeat note, with Steve Carella's little April, once the apple of his eye, turning into a gang girl, and her opposite number, the boy twin, becoming a snitch, a rat, of the worst description, telling on April as soon as it's convenient. Those twins once were the highwater mark of cute kids in the detective novel, now they're just like slimy movie kids. Their mother seems incapable of keeping up with the changes puberty brings. Yes, she can sign "No drugs!" as loudly as she can, and it may work the first time, but eventually the kids will do their own thing, rebelling against the unusual home setup (obsessed cop dad and signing Mom) and wanting to be like other more normal families.
However, Ed McBain's tragic death deprives us of resolution, and I expect something in the man delighted in this, for he had a pretty good opinion of himself and, much like you and I, considered himself one of the great American novelists. Irreplaceable. I for one don't want any V C Andrews scam occurring to the 87th Precinct series. We loved him for his writing pure and simple.
FIDDLERS is pretty good and it's miles better than that wretched book where Ollie Weeks was writing a novel, remember that? Its lame parody of bad writing, presented in standard 87th Precinct facsimile form? Yikes was that awful. This one is much better, and although the actial revenge plot borrows quite a bit from Cornell Woolrich's two 1940s thrillers THE BRIDE WORE BLACK and RENDEZVOUS IN BLACK, the addition of the red-headed prostitute, Reggie, turns the human interest up a notch, so we become interested in the unlikely pairing of serial killer and call girl.
Why "FIDDLERS" though? OK, the first victim played the violin. Maybe there's some larger, overarching metaphor here. Funny thing that FIDDLERS should be Ed McBain's last book, while FIDDLERS THREE was the last play that Agatha Christie wrote. Nothing but a coincidence, but I'm just saying.
Fiddlers September 11, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Fiddlers" is the 55th and last novel of the 87the Precinct by Ed McBain who passed away in 2005 shortly before this novel was published. "Fiddlers" is an excellent novel that reminded me of many of the earlier 87th Precinct novels. Max Sobolov, a blind violinist, is murdered outside the club in which he was playing. Then, Alicia Hendricks, a cosmetics salesperson, is murdered. Then college professor Christine Langston is murdered followed by a priest Father Michael and a 70+ year old woman named Helen Reilly. All five murders were shootings from the same Glock hand gun, and all the victims were over 50 years of age. Almost all the cops of the 87th are involved in the investigation as well as Fat Ollie Weeks from the 88th who has been in many of the 87th Precinct novels. Ed McBain was the master of the police procedural and this novel won't disappoint his long time fans. He will be greatly missed. I will sorely miss the 87th Precinct novels which were written frequently by McBain. American mystery fiction has lost one of its best. "Fiddlers" is very highly recommended.
I hate to see these draw to a close... July 10, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm sad to see the 87th Precinct series draw down to a close... This is (I believe) the first 87th Precinct novel released after Ed McBain's death... Fiddlers.
Carella's group draws a case where a blind violin player was found shot twice in the head behind the restaurant where he worked. This quickly becomes more than "just another murder" when a sales rep for a cosmetic company is found dead in her home, same killing wound, and same murder weapon. Five murders in two weeks, all the same modus operandi, all the same gun, means they have a serial killer on their hands. But how do you tie together victims that have little in common except for the fact they're all over 50? All of the detectives of the 87th Precinct are tracking the murders, trying to find the common thread that will point to the killer. Meanwhile, the killer is on a mission to correct errors that only he knows and understands...
As with all other 87th Precinct novels, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I did find it a bit bittersweet, however. McBain passed away recently, so there's not much hope for too many more episodes. I've heard it rumored that he had one last novel "in the can" to be released upon his death. I'll have to keep an eye open for that, and for any other episodes that happened between this release and now. McBain is a true master of the police procedural, and his passing is a sad event for many of us. Fiddlers is a quick page turner that draws you into the life of the killer, as you try and figure out his motive and story.
Classic McBain, and one to savor...
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