Cop Hater
OCLC 8478204 | | |
Followed by | The Mugger |
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Cop Hater (1956) is the first
Written by Evan Hunter using the name Ed McBain, the book was inspired by a television show he greatly admired,
Plot summary
The city has surrendered to a heat wave in July 1956. When
David Foster is the next victim, at the entrance of his apartment, where the killer has left behind a footprint at the crime scene. Steve Carella and Hank Bush question the family and wives of the deceased, as well as some suspects, but to no avail. A few nights later the unknown killer ambushes and murders Det. Hank Bush. Bush fought back however and shot and wounded the murderer. Steve Carella fears he will be the next target if he fails to stop him.
When Carella is leaving the precinct, he finds a reporter, Savage, waiting for him. He asks Carella his thoughts on who the killer might be, stating that everything is off the record. Carella reveals that - due to the evidence collected from Bush's murder - the police now knows certain attributes of the killer, i.e. weight, profession, and build. Carella leaves telling Savage that he is going on a date with his girlfriend, Teddy. The next day we find out that Savage has published the conversation between him and Carella, including Teddy's name and address.
When Carella finds this out he rushes to Teddy's apartment, hoping the killer is not already there. When Carella arrives at Teddy's apartment he hears shouting and cursing coming from inside. With his .38 in hand, Carella enters Teddy's room and is immediately faced with a man aiming a .45 right at him. Carella drops to the floor the instant he enters the room and shoots the man holding the .45 twice in the thigh. After making sure Teddy is okay, Carella interrogates the man, finding out that his name is Paul Mercer and that he was the murderer of all three cops.
After further interrogation it is discovered that Alice Bush was behind the whole plot; she had convinced a previously unknown man named Paul Mercer to commit the murders. Apparently she had promised him her affections once he had killed off her husband. In the end, both are sentenced to death for their crimes and Det. Carella marries his girlfriend, Teddy Franklin.[3]
Character list
In order of appearance
- Det. Mike Reardon, first victim, shot twice in the back of the head
- Det. Stephen Louis Carella, protagonist
- Det. Hank Bush, third detective to be murdered
- Det. David Foster, only black detective, Mike's partner, second victim,
- Lieutenant Byrnes, in charge of 87th detective squad
- Frank Clarke, first suspect of shootings
- Thomas Perillo
- Alice Bush, wife of Det. Bush
- Teddy Franklin, girlfriend of Det. Carella, deaf
- Danny Gimp, police informant
- Harry, bartender at The Shamrock
- Cliff Savage, a newspaper reporter
- Bert Kling, patrolman who was shot at a bar on Culver by a member of The Grovers
- David Brockin, suspect of detective shootings
- Captain Frick, commanding officer of the 87th precinct
- Det. Roger Havilland
- Oretha Bailey, woman who told Carella the cockroach-men were responsible for the murders
- Det. Hal Willis, relatively small detective, Judo expert
- Paul Mercer, murderer
Critical reception
The New York Times called the book "a tough, sexy novel with inherent honesty and decency."[4]
References
- ISBN 978-0786489480. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ISBN 978-1476666853. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ISBN 978-0230344334. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ "From 'Criminals at Large'". archive.nytimes.com.
External links
- IMDb page for movie version of Cop Hater (1958)
- Obituary for Evan Hunter New York Times July 9, 2005