Lady Killer

"I will kill the Lady tonight at 8. What can you do about it?"

This is the message on a pasted-up letter handed to Desk Sergeant Dave Murchison at 8:00 a.m. The detectives at the 87th Precinct have gotten these types of threats before, but there's something different about this one. Something ominous. Problem is, the city contains millions of women--finding the right one in twelve hours is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Detectives Steve Carella and Cotton Hawes go down the list of likely suspects but in a city this big, it's a best-guess scenario. And with the clock ticking and no other leads, guessing is the only card they have to play. All they need is one break--or they won't get a second chance.

A classic race-against-time thriller with relentless pacing and top-notch plotting, Lady Killer is a master class in detective fiction and a riveting addition to Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series.