Sadie When She Died

'Tis the season to be reading and, while I blogged about it a few days ago,  have decided to properly give as a reading suggestion for the Season Sadie When She Died by Ed McBain. Which as you may have guessed features the cops of the 87th Precinct. Mainly Steve Carella and Bert Kling. Sarah Fletcher is murdered in what appears to be a burglary turned horribly wrong. A junky suspect is quickly apprehended and accused and it appears to be an open and shut case, but quickly you see that nothing is quite as it seems. Her husband is openly glad she is dead and it turns out that Sarah had lead a double life as serial adulteresss and borderline nymphomaniac Sadie Collins. While Carella is playing a strange cat and mouse game with the not grieving widower, Bert Kling, still heartbroken from a recent breakup, is trying to flirt with a new girl...whose mysterious and unseen boyfriend seems to be te jealous type. And with connections to the underworld to boot. This is dark, bloody, Hitchcockian by moments (something to expect with McBain) and it's the perfect Christmas crime read.