Fiddlers - Tapa dura

Seldom has a series retained its vibrancy so well over half a century and 56 volumes. The puzzle is slowly completed by our ageing heroes, with never a lifeless page or wasted word. McBain's series will remain a landmark achievement. (THE GUARDIAN, 24 Sept)

McBain's dialogue is still lively... a reminder of one of the greats of crime fiction. (Susanna Yager THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 25 Sept)

Gripping. (DAILY MIRROR, 23 Sept)

Characters only McBain could dream up. Marvellous. (EVENING TELEGRAPH, 1 October)

"One of McBain's best¿ a great stylist, witty and inventive, who created a brilliant format which was hijacked without acknowledgement by TV. He will be sorely missed both by readers and wannabe writers who longed to be shown how to do it. No one else so far has discovered the knack." (LITERARY REVIEW, November 2005)

It moves at lightning speed... McBain's trademark heavy irony and light comic touch are much in evidence. A fitting end to a remarkable series. (EVENING STANDARD, 17 October)

A neat police procedural interspersed with engaging slices of the policemen's lives... always immensely satisfying. (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 12 Nov)

McBain's timing is impeccable. What makes (his) books work so well is his ease with character and dialogue. It is a gift few writers have - the ability to delineate a realistic character with just a few descriptive lines, which an absolutely authentic voice then fills in. I read FIDDLERS in one non-stop session... He'll be missed. (CRIME TIME, 1 Jan)

Beautifully written... a splendidly crafted story. (THE SCOTSMAN, 21 Jan)