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Book Review of The Heckler (87th Precinct, Bk 12)

The Heckler (87th Precinct, Bk 12)
perryfran avatar reviewed on + 1184 more book reviews


Another good entry in the 87th Precinct series from McBain. I have enjoyed several of these police procedurals and this was one of the best so far. In this one, a business man is being threatened to leave his establishment by the end of the month or he will be killed. He has received several phone calls stating this but are the calls serious or is it just a heckler? But then other businesses in the city receive similar calls. At the same time, a man is found stripped and dumped in the park with a shotgun wound to his chest. He is left wearing only his shoes and socks. Could this murder be tied to the harassment phone calls? The cops of the 87th don't have much to go on but both cases are linked to a mysterious deaf man who seems to be plotting something big. Can he be stopped before chaos hits the city?

This book was originally published in 1960 and the methods used by the police are definitely dated. However, these novels are still quite enjoyable with McBain's experienced writing making for a great crime novel. I'll be looking forward to reading more of these.