Book info

• Title Til Death
• Author Ed McBain
• Year 1959
• Genre Mystery

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.

Thoughts

I was a bit concerned at the start of this, that including members of Steve Carella’s family in the story was just reaching for a way to bring emotions into it. But actually, it did work and the story made sense. It was nice, that some of the other cops sacrificed their day off to come in and help him out, and it was good to see how the relationships grew and changed across the course of the wedding.

The I liked that there were several potential suspects and although not quite a whodunit, the story did guide you towards and away from characters as and when required. An interesting book, and another new take on the 87th Precinct series that I’m just getting more and more involved in.

Rating: 3 / 5