Ed McBain's Ax - Episode 18, Bonus: Chief Superintendent Strange Noise

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast Bonus Episode!

Following on from our main episode discussion of Ed McBain's 1964 87th Precinct novel, Ax (or Axe, if you like), we take our usual dive into the editions we own and the original publications. In a shocking turn of events, Morgan reveals that his edition has re-awoken his dormant sense of smell. This is book huffing To The Max.

We then ruminate on matters such as what Crimey things we've been watching and reading, where you'd set a US adaptation of Inspector Morse, before the evening takes its toll and reduces us all to helpless idiots whilst Stevo attempts to perform another story from the "TRUE CRIME?" canon. Please, forgive us our indulgences!

Apologies, also, for the sound of loose-elbows hitting microphone boom arms. We'll list the books we've read/recommended on our blog/website. Join us next time in 1965 for "He Who Hesitates". Chop chop!

Ed McBain's The Heckler - Episode 12: The Magnificats!

Hark! It's the 87th Precinct Podcast

The year is 1960 and the second of McBain's 87th Precinct books was The Heckler - a tale of threatening phone-calls, actual murders and some bombs along the way. Marvel at the machiavellian machinations of the 87th Precinct's nemesis-to-be and witness the inside of Detective Steve Carella's unconscious mind.

Along the way we discuss the real-life women who changed the world Ed McBain wrote about - Detective Mary Fitzgerald and crime-fiction critic Marilyn Stasio and we offer some critique of his rather chest-obsessed prose in this novel.

K.E.N.N.E.T.H. comes out of winter retirement to calculate the scores and we ponder what it would be like to have to try and apprehend a criminal whilst wearing 85 police shields on your uniform.

Join us soon for the bonus episode and then our look at Kurosawa's High & Low. The next book in the sequence is "See Them Die" - get your reading eyes washed and ready to go! Thanks for listening - remember a rating, share or review would be greatly appreciated.