Friday, January 03, 2014

FFB: McQuaid in August -- Shepard Rifkin

More than two years ago, I read this review on Steve Lewis' Mystery*File.  There are two comments on the review, one of them mine, in which I say that I've ordered the book.  The other is Steve's, in which he says he thinks I'll enjoy it.  It's taken me all this time to get to the book, but I did enjoy it, as I have several books by Rifkin over the years.

This is the third book in the series about a New York cop named McQuaid.  I have the paperback edition of the first, and I've never read the second.  I might have to remedy that.

The book opens with McQuaid agreeing, against his better judgment, to do a favor for a woman he doesn't know.  He winds up spending the night in her apartment, and partially because of fatigue and partially because of having had too much to drink, he falls into a deep sleep on her couch.  When he wakes up the next day, the woman has been murdered.  

McQuaid knows nobody's going to believe his story, so he calls in sick and begins to try to solve the case himself.  He figures he has two days before anyone finds the body, so the clock is ticking.  He identifies his primary suspect pretty quickly, and the cover gives you a clue about what's going to happen.  The suspect is an expert chess player.  McQuaid isn't, but he's about to be involved in an intricate game.  All he has to do is stay cool (not easy in New York in August) and not go crazy.  It's not easy.

This is a very different cop novel.  Now I have to look around for the middle book in the series.

5 comments:

George said...

I've been a fan of Shepard Rifkin's work, too. Very underrated writer.

Anonymous said...

I thought I had read this one but apparently not, though I read McQUAID back in 1975. I loved his THE MURDERER VINE, which Hard Case Crime reprinted several years ago.


Jeff

Anonymous said...

I also read his non series LADYFINGERS but don't remember anything about it.


Jeff

Unknown said...

I remember that I liked it, but that's all.

Anonymous said...

OK, I ordered the second book (THE SDNOW RATTLERS). My library has #3.


Jeff