Murder For Love

ed mcbain

The story that follows is true. Well, not exactly, but the events described did take place, and the characters are based on real-life people. The time and the places described are real, too, and you'll recognize them from the gangster movies and television programs you've seen over the years.

A period piece is not the story one would have expected from Ed McBain, who is best known for his landmark series about the 87th Precinct, and in more recent years for the bestselling Matthew Hope novels.

But, under his real name of Evan Hunter, the author has a wide range of books to his credit, including The Blackboard Jungle, written when he was only twenty-eight, Love, Dad, a variety of science fiction novels, children's books, Lizzie, a superb fictional account of the Lizzie Borden murder case, and the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

What you didn't know is that this hugely versatile and popular writer started his professional life as a jazz musician who dreamed of a different career-he wanted to be a painter. When one is born with talent, it simply finds a way to manifest itself. Evan Hunter was born with more talent than any one person deserves!

– O. P.