Rating: 
Summary: like always: great stuff
Review: I have read all of mr.macbain's books-the 87h precinct ones, the mattew hopes (I hope it will not be the last) and the 'in betweens' like 'doors' 'downtown' where there is smoke' and so on.I read even the ones written before the 87th, death of a nurse, vanishing ladies.And of course books under his own name Evan Hunter.I was never dissapointed.Most of the times I did'nt want the books to end.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not the best of the series
Review: I have read all of the Matthew Hope books and most of the 87th Precinct books. This book was good, but most of the characters were unsympa- thetic and it didn't seem like Matthew Hope had his heart in his investigation. In the previous books, more of Matthew's personal life was ex- plored, instead of just mentioned in passing. I hope the series continues, but only if Matthew Hope gets over his spiritual funk.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the best of the series
Review: I have read all of the Matthew Hope books and most of the 87th Precinct books. This book was good, but most of the characters were unsympa- thetic and it didn't seem like Matthew Hope had his heart in his investigation. In the previous books, more of Matthew's personal life was ex- plored, instead of just mentioned in passing. I hope the series continues, but only if Matthew Hope gets over his spiritual funk.
Rating: 
Summary: Heart not in it.
Review: I have read all of the Matthew Hope series, and have always enjoyed them thoroughly, until now. I found this book just drifted along, and neither the main character or the author really seemed to have their heart in it, so I'm not quite sure why they bothered. I did not find the plot interesting at all, and the writing style was disjointed and unfeeling. I was very disappointed. I hope the new 87th Precint book, which I have sitting in my 'to be read' pile is better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: No hope for Matthew Hope
Review: I have read all the previous M. Hope books, and many 87 Precinct. In this one, none of the characters seemed worth my time. If I had met any of them in a bar, I would have turned away and talked to the bartender. Hope seems to have lost his reason for living, and along with it, my reason for reading about him. The people from the 87th novels were just tossed in. From the many 87th precinct books I know them as wonderful multifaceted characters, but little of that was shown here. Hope's legal partner was almost invisible, yet in the previous books, there was a complex ongoing relationship, both personal and in the business. If this were my first Hope or 87th novel, I think I would have been lost. As it is, I just hope Hope recovers more from the effects of the coma.
Rating:
Summary: A great story was lost along the way to the end.
Review: I love all of Ed McBain's books. This one started out so terrific but three-quarters of the way it got muddled, and ended with too many unanswered questions. I was kind of shocked because it sort of just stopped. Hope this isn't the last Hope. I'd hate to see him go out that way!
Rating:
Summary: Hope Hope Shapes Up
Review: I've read & enjoyed all the Matthew Hope books & many of the 87th Precinct ones, so looked forward to this conjunction of the two. Alas, I agree with those who found it disjointed; it didn't have the sharp focus of most of the others. Matthew himself seems dispirited & adrift, out of focus as well. Cheer up, Matthew: find a new love & get back into the action. I've just visited the Calusa region where you live & the weather was great, the women gorgeous. Regain that hope, Hope!
Rating:
Summary: Great work by a master storyteller
Review: In Florida, Jill Lawton hires private investigator Matthew Hope to locate her missing spouse, Jack. Nine months ago, Jack left Jill (don't say a word) to looking for work as a graphic designer in the north. He never came back to Jill, who assumes that he abandoned her. She wants to find him, divorce him, and collect alimony from him. Matthew follows Jack's trail which takes him to New York's 87th precinct. Matthew enlists the help of detective Steve Carella (star of McBain's 87th precinct series), but soon learns that Jack is apparently dead. However, Matthew has uncovered some discrepancies in the man's death that leads him back to his own hometown of Calusa. The local museum is about to unveil a Greek antiquity that has the attention of several folks, which may or may not include Jack. It is up to Matthew to thwart a robbery and uncover motives and identities without being killed during the climatic melee. Ed McBain, recognized as one of the all time greats, has written is best novel in several years with THE LAST BEST HOPE. Readers will enjoy Matthew meeting Steve, but in a lesser novel that would be a diverging gimmick. In this book, it is fun to watch them interact. However, what makes this fiction an earl contender as one of the best robbery novels of the year are the constantly changing loyalties and the fact that no one knows the rules to the game that they all are participating in, with their lives as the ante. After four plus decades of writing, Mr. McBain stil remains one of the best talents in today's writing field of stars. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: hope it is not the last -maybe enter :regret and love.
Review: once again better then before.please give us more:there still are several not yet mentioned fairy caracters:what about little tumb,now here must be something mcbain can do with.still preferring his books about others:for ex.:horse's head,downtown,every crook and nanny,buddwing,sentries or even he who hesitaded.please keep writing !look out for his big bad city-in audio and in paperback,and for some new hunter books.j.p.engels
Rating:
Summary: Nobody's better than McBain in his genre!
Review: Opened fast, proceeded at a swift pace, flushed out the characters as only McBain knows how to do (a little flushing at a time, thank you, to keep you guessing), and some sane, alongwith some "kookie" characters. A good read! A little more heavy on the sex, but, hey!, it fit the story nicely. And, I don't live too far from where the story took place...not a bad addition to my library.
It's got MY TEN!
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