The McBain Brief

A collection of twenty short stories from the legendary crime author and creator of the 87th Precinct series.

Ed McBain was one of the most admired and prolific crime writers of the twentieth century. His long-running 87th Precinct series helped define the gritty police procedural. In The McBain Brief, he presents a series of short stories where desperation, greed, and violence lead to bad ends.


A collector who loves his porcelain more than his daughter; a hooker who melts the heart of a tough cop; an ex-fighter who goes berserk at Christmas; an automobile dealer out for a funny business ride. In The McBain Brief, readers will meet these and other colorful characters who run afoul of, and then into, the arms of the law . . .