87th Precinct Books in Order
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The 87th Precinct is a long-running crime fiction series by Evan Hunter (writing as Ed McBain) that follows the work of police detectives in a unnamed major city. The series centers on the challenges faced by officers as they investigate a range of crimes, from murders to suspicious deaths, often involving complex personal and criminal dynamics. Each novel explores the tension between law enforcement and the city's underbelly, with recurring themes of duty, morality, and the personal toll of police work.
Books in this series
Ordered by first publication where known. The official numbering for this series is incomplete in our sources, so we don't show series numbers we can't verify.
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1956 · Ed McBain
Cop Hater (1956) is the first 87th Precinct police procedural novel by Ed McBain, written under the name Evan Hunter. The murder of three detectives…
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Buy on Amazon1956 · Ed McBain
The Mugger is a 1956 novel by Ed McBain, the second entry in his 87th Precinct series. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1958. In 2002,…
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Buy on Amazon1956 · Ed McBain
The Pusher is an American detective novel by Ed McBain, pen name of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1956. It is the third novel in the 87th Precinct…
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Buy on Amazon1957 · Ed McBain
"Make Me a Believer" is an American police procedural novel by Ed McBain, the pseudonym of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1957. It is the fourth…
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Buy on Amazon1957 · Ed McBain
Victime au choix is an American police novel written by Ed McBain, the pseudonym of Salvatore Lombino. It was published in 1957 and is the fifth book…
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1958 · Ed McBain
Killer's Payoff is a 1958 book by Evan Hunter. It is book 6 of the series 87th Precinct. Catalog genres: Crime Fiction.
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Buy on Amazon1958 · Ed McBain
"Souffler n'est pas tuer" is an American police novel written by Ed McBain, the pseudonym of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1958. It is the seventh…
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Buy on Amazon1959 · Ed McBain
This novel is a continuation of Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" series of police procedural novels, published in 1959. It focuses on Det. Steve Carella…
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1959 · Ed McBain
King's Ransom: An 87th Precinct Mystery is a 1959 novel by Evan Hunter, published under the name Ed McBain, part of the 87th Precinct series of…
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Buy on Amazon1960 · Ed McBain
The Heckler is an 87th Precinct mystery by Ed McBain, originally published in 1960 in New York and in 1962 in London. It is part of a series…
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1961 · Ed McBain
See Them Die is an American police novel by Ed McBain, pen name of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1960. It is the thirteenth novel in the 87th…
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1961 · Ed McBain
The Man in the Glasses is an American police novel by Ed McBain, the pseudonym of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1961. It is the fourteenth book in…
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Buy on AmazonLike Love (87th Precinct Mystery)
1962 · Ed McBain
An American crime novel by Ed McBain, pen name of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1962. It is the fifteenth title in the author's 87th Precinct…
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Buy on AmazonTen Plus One (87th Precinct Mystery)
1963 · Ed McBain
An anonymous sniper on a deadly rampage puts the men of the 87th Precinct on edge and leaves the city with tattered nerves. They must find their man…
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1964 · Ed McBain
Ax is an American police novel by Ed McBain, pen name of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1964. It is the eighteenth title in the 87th Precinct police…
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Buy on Amazon1965 · Ed McBain
He Who Hesitates is a 1965 novel by Ed McBain, part of the 87th Precinct series. A craftsman visiting the city struggles to contact the 87th Precinct…
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Buy on Amazon1965 · Ed McBain
This is a 1965 American detective novel by Ed McBain, the pen name of Salvatore Lombino (credited here as Evan Hunter). It is the twentieth title in…
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Buy on Amazon1966 · Ed McBain
Eighty Million Eyes is a 1966 detective novel by Ed McBain, the pen name of Salvatore Lombino. Published in French as 80 millions de voyeurs, it is…
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1969 · Ed McBain
Shotgun is a 1969 book by Evan Hunter. It is book 23 of the series 87th Precinct. Catalog genres: Crime Fiction.
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Buy on AmazonSadie When She Died (87th Precinct Mystery)
1972 · Ed McBain
Sadie When She Died is a 1972 novel by Evan Hunter. Detective Steve Carella investigates the death of Sarah, wife of Gerald Fletcher, who announced…
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Buy on Amazon1973 · Ed McBain
Hail to the Chief (1974) is a novel by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain), the twenty-eighth novel in the 87th Precinct police procedural series, originally…
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Buy on Amazon1974 · Ed McBain
Bread, published in French as Flouze, is an American detective novel by Ed McBain, the pen name of Salvatore Lombino, published in 1974. It is the…
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Buy on Amazon1975 · Ed McBain
Blood Relatives is a 1975 novel by Evan Hunter, writing as Ed McBain, the pen name of Salvatore Lombino. It is the thirtieth novel in the 87th…
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Buy on AmazonSo Long as You Both Shall Live
1976 · Ed McBain
An American detective novel by Ed McBain (pen name of Salvatore Lombino), published in 1976. It is the thirty-first novel in the 87th Precinct police…
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Buy on Amazon1979 · Ed McBain
This is a 1979 crime novel for the 87th Precinct series, written in 1980 by Evan Hunter under the pseudonym Ed McBain. It is number 1653 in the Il…
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Buy on Amazon1981 · Ed McBain
Detectives Bert Kling and Steve Carella are called to investigate the alleged suicide of an illustrator whose father, an artist, had died by suicide…
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Buy on Amazon1983 · Ed McBain
Considered the best of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels, Ice follows detectives Carella, Kling, Meyer, and Brown as they investigate the murder of a…
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Buy on Amazon1984 · Ed McBain
Two women are found murdered, and several other young women are raped two or three times by the same man. The men and women of the 87th precinct have…
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Buy on Amazon1985 · Ed McBain
Eight Black Horses is a 1985 novel by Evan Hunter, part of the 87th Precinct series. It combines the day-to-day action of a precinct station house…
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Buy on Amazon1987 · Ed McBain
A series of murders targets attractive men who once had intimate relationships with Marilyn Hollis. Detective Hal Willis, who has broken police…
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Buy on Amazon1987 · Ed McBain
On Halloween, the quiet of the early evening is shattered by a series of sudden, violent incidents. These incidents take place during a shift at the…
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Buy on Amazon1989 · Ed McBain
When the symbol of a Satanic cult is left at the murder scene of a young Catholic priest, the cops of the 87th Precinct must prevent the discovery of…
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Buy on Amazon1989 · Ed McBain
Detectives Meyer and Carella investigate a savage murder as gang warfare suddenly erupts in the city and the drug business heats up, leaving the 87th…
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Buy on Amazon1991 · Ed McBain
Widows is a 1991 detective novel by Ed McBain belonging to the 87th Precinct series. In Italy it was published as Vedove, first in 1991 by Arnoldo…
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Buy on Amazon1992 · Ed McBain
Kiss is a 1992 novel by Evan Hunter in the 87th Precinct series, centered on Detective Steve Carella. It intertwines two storylines: the brutal…
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Buy on AmazonMischief (87th Precinct Mysteries)
1993 · Ed McBain
An 87th Precinct Mysteries novel by Evan Hunter in which Steve Carella faces the precinct's greatest foe, the Deaf Man, who returns to a life of…
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Buy on Amazon1994 · Ed McBain
Natale all'87º Distretto is a 1984 short story by Ed McBain, part of the series set in the 87th Precinct. The story, which has a clear Christmas…
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Buy on Amazon1995 · Ed McBain
Romance, a would-be hit play about an actress stalked by a knife-wielding attacker, becomes real when the leading lady is attacked outside the…
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Buy on Amazon1997 · Ed McBain
Nocturne is a 1997 book by Evan Hunter. It is book 48 of the series 87th Precinct.
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Buy on AmazonThe Big Bad City (87th Precinct Mysteries)
1999 · Ed McBain
Big Bad City is a 1999 novel by Evan Hunter set in a large, dangerous city. City tabloids depict a dead girl found near a park bench close to the…
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2001 · Ed McBain
Money, Money, Money is a 2001 police procedural novel that is part of the 87th Precinct series of novels written by Ed McBain. In Italy, the first…
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Buy on Amazon2002 · Ed McBain
Fat Ollie's Book is a 2002 novel by Evan Hunter. Detective Ollie Weeks, known for his foul mouth and short temper, has written a novel, but as Isola…
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Buy on Amazon2003 · Ed McBain
This 2003 novel by Evan Hunter opens with a description of a vessel arriving downriver, described as the city personified, covered in bright lights…
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Buy on Amazon2004 · Ed McBain
Ed McBain's 2004 novel features a master criminal known as the Deaf Man, who harasses the 87th Precinct with cryptic messages. The Deaf Man's…
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2005 · Ed McBain
"Traditori (Fiddlers)" is the last police novel written by Ed McBain in 2005 and published posthumously in Italy in 2008. It is part of the 87th…
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Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the 87th Precinct books in?
Read them in publication order — the list above is sorted by first publication where known, starting with “Cop Hater”.
How many books are in the 87th Precinct series?
We list 54 books by Ed McBain , published between 1956–2005.
Where can I buy the 87th Precinct books?
Each title above links to Amazon. See our affiliate disclosure.
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Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.