Cool News
RIP Evan Hunter (alias Ed McBain)
Ahoy, squirts. Quint here with some more sad news for us Hitchcock fans. Ernest Lehman, who wrote NORTH BY NORTHWEST, died recently and now we have heard that Evan Hunter, who wrote THE BIRDS (one of my personal favorites) and also revolutionized detective fiction under the pen name Ed McBain, has died. He also wrote the novel BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, that was adapted into the classic film.
I'm not very familiar with his work outside of the films he worked on, but I just read the first chapter of one of his McBain novels in a preview from the good people at HARD CASE CRIME called The Gutter and the Grave. I can tell I'm gonna fall headlong into his work. I know that will be coming out from Hard Case Crime soon... I hope you folks out there who are like me and haven't gotten around to his work will now pick up one of his books. I'm sure people in talkback more educated than I will point you in the direction of his best novels. My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans.
Hi Harry,
I don't know if this stirs the hearts of geeks out there or not but something should be said about the death of Evan Hunter. He wrote a zillion "cop novels" under the name Ed McBain which modernized the detective novel. Sure, that's cool and all if you like that kind of stuff; he was also the screenwriter for Hitchcock's "The Birds". Hitchcock's best? Heck no, but who didn't get a geeky nerdly tinge when they saw all those god damned birds in the playground the first time? Perhaps not geeky but worth noting is that he wrote the screenplay for "Blackboard Jungle" as well. His style under both names (Hunter/McBain- sounds like a Simpsons movie!) was different. Funny enough one of his last novels was written by Evan Hunter and Ed McBain- and it has that diverse style in it. There's a much better written obituary than I could write at:
Chadillac69
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Best to his loved ones.
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I started reading the 87th precinct books when I was a kid (my dad got me this slightly inappropriate for a 10yo book when I was ill!) and was hooked. I'll miss Carella and the Deaf Man :(
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The Ed McBain 87th Precint novels are absolute classics. THunter was writing them since the 50's and they are by and large absolutely superb. Am shocked and saddened to hear of his passing. Condolences to his family and also to his legions of fans, for now we will never get a new 87th mystery. Quint and anyone else out there, you really must read these books. If you're into crime or mystery fiction at all they will blow your bollocks off.
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The 87th Precinct novels revolutionized the police procedural, and were a strong influence on Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues could have *been* the 87th) and Dick Wolf (the cop segments of Law & Order).
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Just watched this the other day, it's a Kurosawa movie based on one of his novels. It's worth checking out.
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what is with the people involved with North by Northwest dying?
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One of my great pleasures has been digging around used book stores tryiong to find out-of-print 87th books. McBain was a master of never wasting words, using just enough in each of his books to grab you and not let go for the entire ride. As Evan Hunter, The Concrete Jungle was (and is) an absolute classic. It's a sad day indeed.
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That is truly sad news. The 87th precinct books are great police procedurals and the characters, realism and dialogue made McBain one of the best. Now we'll never know what will happen to Carella, Meyer, Kling, Brown, Willis, Teddy, the Deaf Man et al and that is a damn shame. He will truly be missed by this fan.
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Read the fucking novels, you git. To dismiss the 87th is to dismiss much of crime fiction post-Hunter.
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Jul 08, 2005 2:35:05 PM CDT
Sad to hear about the passing of one of the great crime fiction
by johnnytremaine
At least we still have Lawrence Block. Can you guys recommend any good new up and coming thriller writers?
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The boys at the 87th precinct along with defense attorney Matthew Hope will be at your funeral paying their respects. Det. Steve Carella will share his most treasured memories of you.
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He was my favorite author behind Elmore Leonard. His 87th Precinct novels were NYPD Blue before NYPD Blue. Vespers was a great book, along with Widows, Eight Black Horses, Ice, Lightning, Let's Hear It For The Deaf Man and on and on. The Deaf Man was one of the great characters. The mere mention of his name would put panic in those cops. Anyone unfamiliar with this talented writer should give him a shot. Please pay no attention to the horrible television movies of his works. They don't do this man justice.
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McBain, Hunter or Sal Lombino which was his real name sold, his King's Ransom story to a Japanese company an they made it into a feature film. Successful as it was, a spin-off tv series of the film called S.A.S had the same characters solving crimes throughout the city ala 87th Precinct style. I don;t think any of the shows are on DVD, but it might appear on your local tv station that shows Japanese programs. Worth checking out by all means and a nice "homage" to Steve Carella and his crew.
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Police procedurals that were worth reading, not this CSI shit we get served on TV. Still he did write about a thousand novels. I'm sure his family have better things to do now than read this shit but my sympathies to them anyway.
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He was one of my two favourite authors. This year sucks so far...
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This is sad news. I've only recently gotten myself acquainted with most of the giants of crime and mystery writing of the last 70 or 80 years. Hunter/McBain was one I was familiar with by name and reputation, but I regret to say I've read very little of his work. His passing represents, in many ways, the passing of a lot that was great about a genre we love in so many ways, and one which has had a huge influence on cinema, particularly movies which we like to think of as 'cool'. Johnny Tremaine, as far as up-and-comers goes I personally don't know that many beyond Dennis Lehane, although, with 'Mystic River' and now 'Gone Baby Gone' having been/being made into Hollywood movies I'd say he's already firmly established. For snippets of less well-known writers it might be worth checking out the annual 'Year's Best American Crime and Mystery Stories' compilations. Also, generally, if anybody knows of a good, comprehensive anthology of Donald E Westlake's short fiction I'd love to know where I could find one. I haven't been able to track one down as yet.
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