The 87th Precinct is a series of police procedural novels and stories by American author

Ed McBain Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his 87th Precinct novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film '' Blackb ...

(a writing

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of Evan Hunter). McBain's 87th Precinct works have been adapted, sometimes loosely, into movies and television on several occasions.

Setting

The series is based on the work of the police detective squad of the 87th Precinct in the central district of Isola, a large fictional city obviously based on

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Isola is the name of the central district of the city (it fulfills the role of the borough of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

within New York City). Other districts in McBain's fictionalized version of New York broadly correspond to NYC's other four boroughs, Calm's Point standing in for

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Majesta representing

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, Riverhead substituting for

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, and Bethtown for Staten Island. The books feature a large ensemble cast, often but not always centered on about half a dozen police detectives and other supporting characters. Detective Steve Carella was a major character in the series, alongside officers Bert Kling, the ambitious youngster, the hot-tempered Bert Havilland and

comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

from the unfortunately named Meyer Meyer. A mysterious antagonist known as The Deaf Man appeared in several of the books over the years.

The 87th Precinct Mysteries

*''

Cop Hater ''Cop Hater'' (1956) is the first 87th Precinct police procedural novel by Ed McBain. The murder of three detectives in quick succession in the 87th Precinct leads Detective Steve Carella on a search that takes him into the city's underworld and ...

'' (1956) *''

The Mugger ''The Mugger'' is a 1958 American film noir crime film about a police psychiatrist who is attempting to catch a mysterious mugger that has been attacking women in his city, stealing their purses and slashing their left cheek. The film is a police ...

'' (1956) *''The Pusher'' (1956) *''The Con Man'' (1957) *''Killer's Choice'' (1957) *'' Killer's Payoff'' (1958) *''Lady Killer'' (1958) *''Killer's Wedge'' (1959) *til Death'' (1959) *'' King's Ransom'' (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) - collection of three short novellas *''Like Love'' (1962) *''Ten Plus One'' (1963) *''Ax'' (1964) *''He Who Hesitates'' (1964) *''Doll'' (1965) *''80 Million Eyes'' (1966) *''Fuzz'' (1968) *'' Shotgun'' (1969) *''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) *''Calypso'' (1979) *''Ghosts'' (1980) *''Heat'' (1981) *''Ice'' (1983) *''Lightning'' (1984) *''Eight Black Horses'' (1985) *''Poison'' (1987) *''Tricks'' (1987) *''Lullaby'' (1989) *''Vespers'' (1990) *''Widows'' (1991) *''Kiss'' (1992) *''Mischief'' (1993) *''And All Through the House'' (Novella - 1994) *''Romance'' (1995) *''Nocturne'' (1997) *''The Big Bad City'' (1999) *''The Last Dance'' (2000) *''Money, Money, Money'' (2001) *''Fat Ollie's Book'' (2002) *''The Frumious Bandersnatch'' (2003) *''Hark!'' (2004) *''Fiddlers'' (2005)

Short stories and novellas

*''And All Through the House'' (1984), later published as a 40-page novella in 1994 *''Reruns'' (1987) *''Merely Hate'' (2005) a novella in the anthology titled ''Transgressions'', edited by Ed McBain The following books excerpted chapters from 87th Precinct novels: *''McBain's Ladies (Short Stories)'' (1988) *''McBain's Ladies, Too (Short Stories)'' (1992)

Novelette

*''The Jesus Case'' (1974) - this is actually an excerpt from "Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man"

Other media

Theatrical films *''

'' (1958) starring

Robert Loggia Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...

and Gerald O'Loughlin *''

'' (1958) starring

Kent Smith Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television. Early years Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith. He was born in New York City and was educated ...

Nan Martin Nan Martin (July 15, 1927 – March 4, 2010) was an American actress who starred in movies and on television. Life and career Early life Born in Decatur, Illinois, and raised in Santa Monica, California, she attended Santa Monica High School. ...

and

James Franciscus James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in six television series: '' Mr. Novak'', '' The Naked City'', '' The Investigators'', '' Longstreet'', '' Doc Elliot'', ...

*''

The Pusher "The Pusher" is a rock song written by Hoyt Axton, made popular by the 1969 movie ''Easy Rider'' which used Steppenwolf's version to accompany the opening scenes showing drug trafficking. The lyrics of the song distinguish between a ''dealer ...

'' (1960) starring

Robert Lansing Robert Lansing (; October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as Counselor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I, and then as United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wi ...

*'' Tengoku to Jigoku'' (''High and Low'') (1963) Japanese film directed by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

starring

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ' ...

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

and

Kyōko Kagawa is a Japanese actress. During her 70 years spanning career, she has worked with directors like Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse, appearing in films such as '' Tokyo Story'', ''Sansho the Bailiff'', ''The Bad Sleep ...

*'' Sans Mobile Apparent'' (''Without Apparent Motive'') (1971) French/Italian film starring

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...

Carla Gravina Carla Gravina (born 5 August 1941) is an Italian actress and politician. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her role in '' La terrazza'' (1980). Her other notable roles were in ''Love and Chatter'' (1957), '' Esterina ...

Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...

and

Dominique Sanda Dominique Marie-Françoise Renée Varaigne (born 11 March 1951), professionally known as Dominique Sanda, is a French actress and former fashion model. Life and career Sanda was born in Paris, to Lucienne (née Pichon) and Gérard Varaigne. She ...

*'' Fuzz'' (1972) starring Burt Reynolds,

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch ( Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress. She first won attention for her role in '' Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hamm ...

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in th ...

Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', '' Top Gun'', '' A ...

and

Jack Weston Jack Weston (born Morris Weinstein; August 21, 1924 – May 3, 1996) was an American actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1976 and a Tony Award in 1981. Career Weston, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, usually played comic roles in fi ...

*'' Les Liens du Sang'' (''Blood Relatives'') (1978) French/Canadian film starring

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

and David Hemmings * "Способ убийства" ("Killer's Wedge") (1993) Ukraine/Russia movie TV series and TV films *''

87th Precinct The 87th Precinct is a series of police procedural novels and stories by American author Ed McBain (a writing pseudonym of Evan Hunter). McBain's 87th Precinct works have been adapted, sometimes loosely, into movies and television on several o ...

'' (

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

- 62

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

) television series co-starring

Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations w ...

Ron Harper Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2001 and is a five-time NBA champion. Early life Harper was born ...

Gregory Walcott Gregory Walcott (born Bernard Wasdon Mattox, January 13, 1928 – March 20, 2015) was an American television and film actor. Although he had roles in many Hollywood films and television series, he is perhaps best known for having appeared in th ...

, and

Norman Fell Norman Fell (born Norman Noah Feld; March 24, 1924 – December 14, 1998) was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom ''Three's Company'' and its spin-off, ''The Ropers'', and his fi ...

*'' Columbo: No Time to Die'' (based on ''So Long as You Both Shall Live'') (1992) (TV film) *''Columbo: Undercover'' (based on ''Jigsaw'') (1994) (TV film) *''Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning'' (1995) (TV film) Aired on NBC starring

Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in '' The Last Detail'' ...

and

Ving Rhames Irving Rameses Rhames (born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles as IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the ''Mission: Impossible'' film series and gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in ''Pulp Fiction''. He also a ...

*''Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice'' (1996) (TV film) Aired on NBC starring Dale Midkiff and

Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions. After his early roles in the television series '' M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy '' Risky Bu ...

*''Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave'' (1997) (TV film) Aired on NBC starring Dale Midkiff and

Erika Eleniak Erika Eleniak (born September 29, 1969) is an American actress, ''Playboy'' Playmate, and model known for her role in ''Baywatch'' as Shauni McClain. Her film debut was in '' E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982). She starred in the films ''The B ...

Literature *''87th Precinct'' (1962) (Comic Book series) *''Polishataren'' (''Cop Hater'') (1990), a Swedish

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

written by Claes Reimerthi and drawn by Martin Sauri *'' The Stand: the Complete & Uncut Edition'' (

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

) by Stephen King has a minor character, "Edward M. Norris, lieutenant of police, detective squad, in the Big Apple's 87th Precinct" (pg 71). Steve Carella is briefly mentioned. *''The Last Best Hope'' (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

), a novel in McBain's Matthew Hope series, features Steve Carella as a supporting character. *Stephen King novella, "The Mist", one of the major characters is named Ollie Weeks, a detective from the neighboring 88th Precinct.

Podcasts

Hark! The 87th Precinct Podcast
2016 - ongoing) udio PodcastA podcast dedicated to a book-by-book exploration of the 87th Precinct series, its adaptations and

spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

. The podcast also explores some other works by

Evan Hunter Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his 87th Precinct novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film '' Blackb ...

and has featured interviews with

Otto Penzler Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Biography Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The ...

(writer and proprietor of

The Mysterious Bookshop The Mysterious Bookshop is an independent bookstore and publisher specializing in mystery fiction, located in New York City. It is one of the oldest mystery bookstores in the U.S. In addition to housing its own imprint, the shop contains the offi ...

in New York) and

James Naughtie Alexander James Naughtie FRSE (surname pronounced ; born 9 August 1951) is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC. Between 1994 and 2015, he was one of the main presenters of Radio 4's the '' Today programme''. In his 21-plus years ...

(British radio presenter and writer). *
Paperback Warrior
' (2019) udio Podcastfeatures a segment on Ed McBain's ''87th Precinct''. The episode delves into the author's bibliography and explores his police procedural series as well as the debut novel ''Cop Hater''. Co-Hosts Tom Simon and Eric Compton both suggest that the ''87th Precinct'' was influenced by the television show '' Dragnet''.Compton, C.E., Simon, T.J.(Hosts).(2019, November 18).Paperback Warrior Podcast: Ed McBain udio podcast/ref>

References

Prial, Frank J., "Why readers keep returning to the 87th Precinct"
The New York Times, July 9, 2005. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
Tipping My Fedora / 87th Precinct
reviews of all 55 volumes in the series. Retrieved 8 December 2017
Ed McBain sings Hill Street Blues
Associated Press story, in TV Week, printed in Ocala Star-Banner, April 30, 1983. Retrieved April 12, 2011 {{Ed McBain Crime novel series Police procedurals E. P. Dutton books Book series introduced in 1956