Blood Relatives: An 87th Precinct Mystery
By Ed McBain
Center Point Publishing - Large Print, (2002)
ISBN: 1-58547-183-6
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by Auggie Moore - August 28, 2002
Blood Relatives is one of Ed McBain's celebrated 87th Precinct mysteries. In this installment, Police Detective Steve Carella is faced with the grim task of tracking down a psychopathic killer before he can strike again. Following McBain's tried-and-true police procedural formula, this book follows Carella step by step as he tries to catch the killer.
The story opens with the crime - a seventeen-year-old girl is sexually assaulted and brazenly murdered in front of her terrified, fifteen-year-old cousin Patricia Lowery, who barely escapes a similar fate. As events transpire, Carella is investigating the murder of Muriel Stark before he discovers that there is a witness to the crime as Patricia, despite being wounded, managed to get to the 87th Precinct station on her own.
This is a bloody, and gruesome story is filled with red herrings and unlikely suspects. The story will keep you guessing, along with Carella, who the real killer is, and why he attacked the two girls so brutally. Added to this, at one point, Carella fingers the wrong man as the killer. When he discovers his mistake, he has to entirely rework his hypothesis on what happened and why the information that Patricia gave him led him to make such an error.
Throughout, McBain writes in a crisp, snappy manner that fits the story line to a tee. This is a short book with a powerful punch! Overall, this is a typical 87th Precinct mystery that has some nice twists and a shocking ending. Without doubt, fans of this genre, and McBain, will find Blood Relatives to be a most satisfying read.
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