Kiss

Ed McBain's forty-fourth 87th Precinct novel runs two parallel tracks: detectives Carella and Meyer investigating a woman who reports multiple attempts on her life, and the ongoing trial of the man who murdered Carella's father. McBain at his best is plain, streetwise, and human, and the trial storyline delivers exactly that. Kirkus gave the book a split assessment — the courtroom thread is praised as solid McBain, while the Emma Bowles plot is called a contrived sex-triangle melodrama. That assessment is fair. The dual structure keeps pages turning even when one thread frustrates. Adult content including violence and a mature romantic subplot; not for children. Series fans will find it a reliable if uneven entry, worth it for the trial material alone.