EIGHT BLACK HORSES

by Ed. McBain ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 9, 1985

First there's the creepy murder of a young woman. Then another woman is killed--after being seduced by a man pretending to be detective Steve Carella of the 87th Precinct! Meanwhile, Carella & Co. are receiving cryptic illustrated messages in the mail: six police shields, eight black horses, etc. And then there's a nasty attempted super-robbery at a big downtown department store, with two store employees cold-bloodedly murdered. Who's behind all this mayhem? It's ""the Deaf Man,"" of course--the tall, blond super-villain who previously terrorized the 87th in The Heckler (1960) and Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man (1973). So once again the cops mostly just react helplessly as this cartoony, canny psycho toys with them during the holiday season: those cryptic missives turn out to be warnings of the outrages ahead--timed to coincide with the Twelve Days of Christmas. (The Deaf Man shoots eight police horses, blows up nine police cars--you get the idea.) But, thanks mainly to the epic stupidity of plodding Patrolman Genero, the Deaf Man's intended finale--the ""roasting"" of twelve ""pigs""--fails to come off as planned. No detection, no mystery, and little real suspense: an energetic mixture of vulgar pulp-melodrama and contrived black comedy, full of silly irritating implausibilities--as the narrative jumps back and forth between the cloddish coppers and the indestructible criminal mastermind.

Pub Date: Aug. 9, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Arbor House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1985

Categories: FICTION