87th Precinct
The 87th Precinct is a pioneering series of 54 police procedural novels authored by Ed McBain, the pseudonym of Evan Hunter (born Salvatore Lombino), chronicling the investigations of detectives in a fictional New York City precinct from 1956 to 2005.[1] Set in the imagined metropolis of Isola—a thinly veiled stand-in for Manhattan—the series explores gritty urban crime through ensemble storytelling, emphasizing realistic police routines, interpersonal dynamics, and the challenges of law enforcement in a diverse, bustling environment.[1] The author's books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and the series stands as one of the longest-running and most influential crime fiction series, redefining the genre by shifting focus from lone-wolf heroes to the collective effort of a squad room.[2] At the heart of the series is Detective Steve Carella, the dedicated lead investigator whose personal life, including his marriage to the deaf-mute Teddy, adds emotional depth to the procedural narratives.[1] Supporting him are a vivid ensemble of colleagues, such as the philosophical Meyer Meyer, the hot-tempered Andy Parker, the hulking "Fat Ollie" Weeks, and others like Cotton Hawes, Bert Kling, and Arthur Brown, each bringing distinct personalities that evolve across decades of stories.[1] Recurring antagonists, notably the cunning "Deaf Man," provide ongoing threads of suspense, while Lieutenant Peter Byrnes oversees the precinct's operations. The novels, beginning with Cop Hater in 1956 and concluding with Fiddlers in 2005, delve into varied crimes—from murders and heists to corruption—often highlighting social issues like racial tensions and urban decay.[1] The series' impact extends beyond literature, inspiring adaptations including four films in the late 1950s and early 1960s (Cop Hater, The Mugger, The Pusher, and Japan's High and Low), a short-lived NBC television series in 1961–1962 starring Robert Lansing as Carella, later TV movies in the 1990s, and the 2025 Spike Lee film Highest 2 Lowest based on King's Ransom.[1][3] Praised for its authentic portrayal of police work and as "the greatest sustained literary exploration of New York City," the 87th Precinct influenced generations of crime writers and elevated the police procedural to a cornerstone of American fiction.[1]Overview and Creation
Series Concept and Genre
The 87th Precinct is a long-running series of 54 police procedural novels and several short stories and novellas written by American author Evan Hunter under the pseudonym Ed McBain, spanning from 1956 to 2005.[4][5][6] The core premise centers on the collective efforts of detectives in a bustling urban precinct, rather than a solitary hero, as they investigate a wide array of crimes including murders, robberies, and petty thefts. This ensemble approach portrays police work as a collaborative, often mundane process, drawing from real-world procedures to emphasize teamwork over individual brilliance.[7][4] Launched with the debut novel Cop Hater in 1956, the series established the modern police procedural subgenre by prioritizing procedural accuracy, interwoven multiple plotlines, and a rejection of sensationalized violence or melodrama typical of earlier detective fiction.[4][7] McBain's innovation lay in treating the precinct squad room as a central "character," capturing the rhythm of daily operations and inter-officer dynamics, which influenced subsequent crime literature and television.[4] Critics have acclaimed it for defining the genre's focus on institutional realism, with Anthony Boucher praising its "semi-documentary flavor" akin to shows like Dragnet.[4] Thematically, the series delves into the intricacies of police bureaucracy, such as paperwork and departmental hierarchies, alongside the personal lives of officers—depicting their family struggles, illnesses, and everyday vulnerabilities to humanize them.[7][4] It also uniquely explores broader societal issues, including racism, urban decay, and postwar social tensions in a fictionalized New York-like city, integrating these elements into the procedural framework without overshadowing the crime-solving narrative.[7] This blend of institutional detail and social commentary set the 87th Precinct apart, offering a grounded template for realistic urban crime fiction that endures in the genre.[4]Author Background and Publication History
Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino on October 15, 1926, in New York City, was a prolific author who legally changed his name to Evan Hunter in 1952 after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He wrote across genres including science fiction, juvenile fiction, and screenplays—such as the adaptation of The Blackboard Jungle (1954)—but achieved his greatest acclaim under the pseudonym Ed McBain primarily for the 87th Precinct series, which he launched at age 30.[8] Hunter employed multiple pen names, including Hunt Collins, Curt Cannon, and Richard Marsten, to separate his varied outputs, with McBain used for his crime fiction.[9] His career spanned over 100 books, but the 87th Precinct became his signature work, influencing the genre until his death from laryngeal cancer on July 6, 2005.[2][10] To ensure authenticity in depicting police work, Hunter immersed himself in New York Police Department (NYPD) operations, visiting precincts almost daily, interviewing officers, and observing procedures during the mid-1950s.[7] This research informed the series' realistic procedural style, debuting with Cop Hater, a paperback original published by Permabooks in September 1956.[11] The novel introduced the ensemble of detectives at the fictional 87th Precinct in Isola, a stand-in for Manhattan, and quickly established McBain's focus on collective police efforts over individual heroes. The series maintained a rigorous publication schedule, releasing novels nearly annually from 1956 through the 1990s, resulting in over 50 titles by the early 2000s.[6] Key later milestones include The Last Dance (2000), which explored precinct dynamics amid personal losses, and the concluding Fiddlers (2005), published the year of Hunter's death.[2] Initially issued as affordable paperbacks to reach mass audiences, the books transitioned to hardcover editions in the 1960s as their popularity grew, broadening distribution through publishers like Doubleday and Simon & Schuster.[12] Commercially, the 87th Precinct series sold over 100 million copies worldwide, cementing McBain's status as a crime fiction powerhouse.[2] Translations appeared in numerous languages, including Japanese, French, German, and Italian, expanding its global reach and inspiring international adaptations.[13] Over time, the narrative evolved from self-contained case files emphasizing procedural minutiae in the early volumes to incorporating serialized elements, such as characters aging gradually, evolving relationships, and shifts in precinct leadership and technology to reflect societal changes.[14] This progression mirrored Hunter's deepening exploration of urban policing's human toll while maintaining the series' core ensemble focus.[15]Fictional Elements
Setting and Location
The 87th Precinct series is set in Isola, the central borough (analogous to Manhattan) of a fictional metropolis closely modeled after New York City. This borough forms the primary jurisdiction of the 87th Precinct, a bustling urban district characterized by its mix of affluent residential areas, industrial zones, and high-crime corridors.[16] The precinct's station house anchors the narrative, representing a hub of law enforcement amid the ceaseless rhythm of city life, where detectives navigate everything from routine patrols to major investigations.[17] The broader fictional metropolis expands beyond Isola to include analogous boroughs that parallel New York City's layout, providing creative liberty while evoking real-world geography: Calm's Point corresponds to Brooklyn, Riverhead to the Bronx, Majesta to Queens, and Bethtown to Staten Island.[1] This invented structure allows McBain to avoid direct libel risks by not mapping precisely to actual locations, yet it grounds the stories in a semi-realistic urban framework that feels intimately familiar.[18] The 87th Precinct's territory specifically encompasses diverse ethnic neighborhoods, reflecting the multicultural fabric of immigrant communities and working-class enclaves, often highlighting tensions arising from poverty and cultural clashes.[19] Spanning from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s, the series portrays an evolving cityscape marked by gritty urban decay, shifting socioeconomic dynamics, and the relentless pulse of metropolitan change.[20] Atmospheric elements like seasonal weather frequently shape the mood and action, with winter tales featuring snow-swept streets that complicate pursuits and isolate crimes, as seen in stories where blizzards transform the precinct's jurisdiction into a frozen labyrinth.[21] These environmental details underscore the precinct's role as a microcosm of broader societal issues, including immigration pressures and economic disparity, unique to its high-density, varied locale.[19]Characters and Ensemble
The 87th Precinct series features an ensemble of detectives who collectively embody the procedural's emphasis on teamwork, with no single protagonist dominating the narrative. Instead, viewpoints rotate among over ten recurring officers, each bringing distinct traits that form a "conglomerate hero" representing the squad's collective strength and diversity. This approach highlights interrelationships like mentorships, rivalries, and shared burdens, portraying the precinct as a family-like unit navigating personal and professional challenges.[22][1] At the moral core is Detective Steve Carella, the senior investigator of Italian descent, depicted as a tall, athletic, honest, intelligent, and tenacious officer in his late thirties or early forties, often infused with dry humor. Married to the beautiful and insightful Teddy Carella, who is deaf and non-verbal from brain damage, he is a devoted father to their twins, with his family life humanizing his relentless pursuit of justice and underscoring themes of empathy amid chaos. Carella's development reflects gradual recognition of his Italian-Jewish heritage and occasional defeats that temper his idealism.[8] Carella's long-term partner, Detective Meyer Meyer, a middle-aged Jewish officer who is balding and philosophical, provides commonsense stability and moral grounding to investigations, often defending his toupee with wry humor. Their dynamic exemplifies the series' focus on enduring partnerships, with Meyer's slow-burning temperament contrasting Carella's drive.[8][1] Other key investigators include Cotton Hawes, a puritanical detective embarrassed by his Puritan-derived name, who loves police work and offers social commentary on urban decay, frequently partnering with Carella; Arthur Brown, a huge, thoughtful African American detective whose collaborations prompt reflections on race relations; and Bert Kling, a white Midwestern officer who evolves from an inexperienced idealist to a seasoned detective over decades, enduring personal tragedies such as his fiancée's murder and navigating marriage and infidelity.[8][1] The precinct's leadership falls to Lieutenant Peter Byrnes, the authoritative squad commander and family man who oversees operations with a balance of discipline and paternal concern, having risen from patrolman ranks. Supporting figures like the female detective Eileen Burke, a past paramour of Kling, add layers to the ensemble's interpersonal tensions.[1][23] Character arcs unfold gradually across the series' five-decade span, with the ensemble aging slowly in "comic-book time"—Carella remaining in his thirties to forties—while maintaining core traits amid promotions, losses, and evolving societal contexts, such as Kling's maturation through adversity and Hawes' impulsiveness leading to growth. This progression emphasizes mentorships, like veterans guiding rookies, and rivalries that strengthen team cohesion without overshadowing the collective procedural focus.[8][24]Literary Works
Novels
The 87th Precinct series consists of 54 full-length novels penned by Ed McBain (the pseudonym of Evan Hunter), spanning from 1956 to 2005 and establishing the foundational works of modern police procedural fiction. These books chronicle the investigations of the fictional 87th Precinct detectives in the imagined city of Isola, drawing on meticulous depictions of police routines, forensic processes, and urban dynamics without relying on a single protagonist but rather an evolving ensemble. Published primarily by Doubleday in the United States during the early years, the novels saw frequent reissues by publishers such as Pocket Books, Signet, and later Thomas & Mercer, reflecting their enduring popularity and adaptation to changing formats like paperbacks and e-books.[25] The following table lists the novels in publication order:| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Cop Hater | 1956 |
| The Mugger | 1956 |
| The Pusher | 1956 |
| The Con Man | 1957 |
| Killer's Choice | 1957 |
| Lady Killer | 1958 |
| Killer's Wedge | 1958 |
| Killer's Payoff | 1958 |
| King's Ransom | 1959 |
| 'Til Death | 1959 |
| Give the Boys a Great Big Hand | 1960 |
| The Heckler | 1960 |
| See Them Die | 1960 |
| Lady, Lady, I Did It! | 1961 |
| The Empty Hours | 1962 |
| Like Love | 1962 |
| Ten Plus One | 1963 |
| Ax (also published as Axe) | 1963 |
| He Who Hesitates | 1965 |
| Doll | 1965 |
| Eighty Million Eyes | 1966 |
| Fuzz | 1968 |
| Shotgun | 1968 |
| Jigsaw | 1970 |
| Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here! | 1971 |
| Sadie When She Died | 1972 |
| Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man | 1973 |
| Hail to the Chief | 1973 |
| Bread | 1974 |
| Blood Relatives | 1975 |
| So Long as You Both Shall Live | 1976 |
| Long Time No See | 1977 |
| Ghosts | 1980 |
| Calypso | 1980 |
| Heat | 1981 |
| Ice | 1983 |
| Lightning | 1984 |
| Eight Black Horses | 1985 |
| Poison | 1987 |
| Lullaby | 1989 |
| Vespers | 1989 |
| Tricks | 1989 |
| Widows | 1991 |
| Kiss | 1992 |
| Mischief | 1993 |
| Romance | 1995 |
| Nocturne | 1997 |
| The Big Bad City | 1998 |
| The Last Dance | 1999 |
| Money, Money, Money | 2001 |
| Fat Ollie's Book | 2002 |
| The Frumious Bandersnatch | 2003 |
| Hark! | 2004 |
| Fiddlers | 2005 |