Tricks by Ed McBain

On Halloween night in the 87th Precinct, a liquor store owner is shot, by costumed children, a headless torso is discovered, and Detective First Class Eileen Burke, disguised as a hooker, hopes to trap a serial killer.

One night. One shift. No rest. Featuring the 87th Precinct’s entire cast of characters, this Halloween takes them into the darkest corners of depravity the city has to offer. And sometimes, surviving is the greatest treat of them all.

From a liquor store hold-up ending with a dead owner and four costumed “kids” making off with the money to the pieces of a man showing up around the city, the Day of the Dead is turning the streets into a carnival of violence and murder. Meanwhile, a magician disappears in a stunning final act, and Detective First Class Eileen Burke poses as a hooker to lure in a serial killer. The question is, will the detectives all live to see the dawn of November?

Newsweek declares bestselling author Ed McBain “has virtually reinvented the police procedural.” Interweaving rich characters, taut plotting, and sharp dialogue, Tricks is a multi-character masterpiece.