
The wedding day of Detective Steve Carella’s sister Angela should be the most romantic, special day of her life. But it might turn out to be the worst if her brother can’t figure out which man on the guest list has come to murder the groom.Carella and the men from the 87th Precinct find themselves on the clock as they desperately hunt amongst the name cards and catered dinners for the would-be assailant. Trouble is, the crowd has numerous people with viable motives: the best man who stands to inherit everything the groom owns, the ex-boyfriend with a homicidal crush, and even an ex-GI with a score to settle. But time is ticking, and if they don’t act fast, Angela will become a bride—and a widow—on the same day.Another riveting installment of the 87th Precinct series, 'Til Death is one of bestseller Ed McBain’s finest, an intense, life-and-death nerve-wracker hailed by the Literary Review as “zestful, inventive, and utterly compulsive.”
Detective Steve Carella must identify a potential assassin hidden among the wedding guests of his sister before the ceremony concludes in tragedy. Carella and his colleagues from the 87th Precinct operate under a strict temporal constraint, navigating the social complexities of a wedding to isolate a killer. The narrative follows the police as they vet various suspects, each possessing distinct motives ranging from inheritance to personal vendettas. The story utilizes a third-person perspective to track both the mounting tension of the event and the methodical investigative process of the precinct team.
Readers frequently highlight the balance between the personal stakes of the Carella family and the professional rigor of the 87th Precinct detectives. Discussion often centers on the author's ability to maintain suspense within a confined setting like a wedding venue. Critics often point to the sharp, efficient prose that characterizes the series and keeps the narrative momentum high. The work is recognized for its effective use of multiple suspects to create a classic whodunit atmosphere that remains grounded in realistic police work. Readers appreciate the consistency of the character development across the long-running series.
Page Count:
160
Publication Date:
1964-01-01
Publisher:
Penguin Crime
ISBN-10:
0140021647
ISBN-13:
9780140021646
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