Ed McBain’s long-running series of police procedurals, published from 1956 to 2005, influenced two generations of mystery writers. The cops of the 87th Precinct in the fictional city of Isola pursued their investigations using the most sophisticated forensic technology available at the time. And that technology dominates the story in The Pusher, the third volume in the series. McBain’s meticulous description of the forensic tests conducted in the pursuit of a murder suspect in 1958 is remarkable. Much of it reads like a textbook. And that may sound boring but in context it fits. The story hangs on the evidence in these tests. And it highlights how much any murder investigation by a big-city police department must depend on the work of a very large team. Because neither The Pusher nor any of the other books in this series is about a hero cop working alone.
A dead young man and an unconvincing staged suicide
The story opens as a patrolman comes across the body of a young Puerto Rican man with an empty hypodermic syringe near one hand. However, the body was also hanging by a rope, presenting a puzzle for Detectives Carella and Kling. How had Aníbal Hernandez actually died? A forensic test soon found a massive dose of heroin in his body. Why, then, the rope? It was clear that Hernandez hadn’t committed suicide. He couldn’t have held the syringe if he was stringing up the rope, so he would have injected himself first. And he would have died instantly from the drug. Someone, then, had murdered him and staged the scene to suggest he had killed himself—but stupidly so. The case quickly becomes a murder investigation.
The Pusher (87th Precinct #3 of 52) by Ed McBain (1959) 212 pages ★★★★☆
Evidence identifies a cop’s addict son as the killer
At first, further tests draw a blank. The fingerprints on the syringe belong to someone who is not in the police records system. But then Lieutenant Peter Byrnes, the detectives’ boss, receives an anonymous phone call identifying the killer—as Byrnes’ own teenage son. And a comparison with the boy’s prints proves them to be a match. Terrified of the implications, Byrnes turns up the pressure on Carella and Kling to dig more deeply into the case, obviously in hopes they’ll find someone else responsible. And that turns into an intensive hunt for others who knew Hernandez.
Soon, every available police officer is involved, interviewing members of Hernandez’s family and other addicts. Eventually, the hunt focuses on a young man named Gonzo who proves to be elusive indeed. No one seems to know who he is. And the investigation begins to bear fruit only when Byrnes finally admits his son’s involvement in the case, if only as a drug addict himself. Then the clues finally begin to emerge and Gonzo’s mysterious identity becomes clear. He is, it’s clear, the murderer.
About the author
Ed McBain (1926-2005) was the pseudonym he used in writing the 52 novels of the 87th Precinct series. His own name, Evan Hunter, was itself adopted, as he was born Salvatore Albert Lombino. Hunter was born in 1926 and raised in New York City. Though best known for the series, critics celebrated his work on The Blackboard Jungle and the screenplay for the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds. Both won favor with the reading and viewing public.
Hunter studied English and psychology at Hunter College. He turned to writing professionally soon afterward, quickly finding success. Among other honors he earned for his work, the Mystery Writers of America named him a Grand Master of the craft. All told, he wrote more than 130 novels and collections of short stories. Hunter fathered three sons, but I can find no mention of their mother or mothers.
For related reading
I’ve reviewed the first two books in this series:
- Cop Hater (The first of the original police procedural series)
- The Mugger (When mugging turns to murder)
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