Ed McBain's Blood Relatives - Book 30, Bonus: Mad As A Hairbrush

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct podcast bonus episode.

As per usual, we follow up our main episode discussion (all about Blood Relatives) with our examination of the covers of the various original editions and the obligatory book-huffing test for our copies, before delving into the media of 1975 to provide context for the time in which the book was written. This time, we get quite silly. Marvel at Morgan's Alice Cooper enthusiasms, Gasp at Paul's impression of Oliver Reed and be wowed by Stevo's development of an entire new form of cinema!

We also look at the fantasy casting of Forensic specialist, Lt. Sam Grossman and for the next episode you need to start thinking about who you'll cast as Detective Bert Kling. Until then, Fare Thee Well.

Ed McBain's Blood Relatives - Book 30: Binyon's Gulch

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast.

It's a dark and tragic tale that Steve Carella finds himself investigating in 1975's Blood Relatives. This shocking story was adapted into the 1978 film Les Liens De Sang by Claude Chabrol, featuring Donald Sutherland in the Carella role. It's a scary and shocking tale.

We round out our discussion of the book by taking our usual run-down of things-from-the-year-that-we've-noticed for context, look at some contemporary reviews and what else Evan Hunter/Ed McBain was up to in print and in the theatre.

Join us soon for the bonus episode and we'll see you soon for the next book in the series - matrimonial bliss with Bert and Augusta in So Long As You Both Shall Live. Please rate and review and share wherever you can! Fare thee well.

Ed McBain's Bread - Book 29, Bonus: Mid-70s Derek Nimmo

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct podcast bonus episode.

We follow up our main episode's discussion of the 29th Book in the series, Bread, with our usual examination of the various editions of the original publication (and Paul does some Show & Tell for this!) and then delve deeper into the music, television and films of 1974, including some serious discussion on how the policy of OPEC might have affected the career of Perry Como.

Lastly, we sift through examples of those folk who've portrayed Detective Meyer Meyer on screen and who we could get to play him in our Fantasy Casting 87th Precinct series. Thank you for all your suggestions! Next time, we'll cast everyone's favourite lab guy, Lieutenant Sam Grossman.

See you soon for Book 30 - BLOOD RELATIVES. Fare thee well.

Ed McBain's Bread - Book 29: Pronts

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast!

After book 28, the satirical Nixon-baiting Hail To The Chief, we're back on firmer procedural ground with 1974's Bread - a complex tale of arson, fraud, smuggling, violence and deprivation. Roger Grimm's warehouse of little wooden animals has burned down, but what has that got to do with Diamondback Developments? Readers will meet the 83rd Precinct's Detective 'Fat' Ollie Weeks for the first time. Get used to him folks, there's lots more of Ollie to come!

We also look at a few items of interest in 1974, find out what else Ed McBain/Evan Hunter was publishing and creating at the time and then get stuck into trying to follow the money. 

Join us soon for the bonus episode and we'll back soon for book number 30 - Blood Relatives. Fare thee well.

Ed McBain's Hail To The Chief - Book 28, Bonus: A Double Donald Scenario

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct bonus episode!

We follow up our discussion about 1973's HAIL TO THE CHIEF with a bit of a quiz of the year in music and film, a look at the book covers of our and the original editions and then look at screen portrayals of Teddy Carella - with your fantastic suggestions for our Fantasy Casting under scrutiny.

Paul also discovers that Stevo and Morgan have some strangely specific knowledge of fast food retail outlet origins in the UK. It has almost no relevance to anything else. Check out www.instagram.com/hark87podcast for supporting photographs and content.

See you soon for Book number 29 - Ed McBain's BREAD.

Fare thee well.

Ed McBain's Hail To The Chief - Episode 28: Grotbags?

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct Podcast!

Here we are, still in 1973, but sat next to Ed McBain, examining his typewriter which surely took some beating as he punched out the text of his Nixon-hating Gang-Warfare Allegory, HAIL TO THE CHIEF. Join us as we spot the parallels (based on our rather limited knowledge of the politics of the US in the early 70s...) and discuss this most violent and unusual 87th Precinct novel.

Also: we're over half-way through the series! If you'd like to get us a present as a reward, then head to https://ko-fi.com/hark87podcast and buy us a digital coffee for $3. It'll help us with the costs of keeping going. Otherwise, please rate and review on your podcast app. We'd very much appreciate it. 

See you soon for the bonus episode and then for the podcast about book 29, BREAD. Fare Thee Well.

Ed McBain's Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man - Episode 27, Bonus: Little Jimmy The Croc

Hark! It's an 87th Precinct podcast bonus episode.

Here we are, off the back of our review of the 27th book in the series, Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man, with our usual blend of book cover and design chat, the great quiz of '73 (first bit of the year) and most importantly - Fantasy Casting for THE DEAF MAN! Thanks so much for all your contributions. Apologies to Cary Elwes for my terrible pronunciation of his name!

Next time you need to think about who you'd cast as our central civilian female character, Teddy Carella!

See you next time for HAIL TO THE CHIEF. Fare thee well!