THE LAST DANCE: A NOVEL OF THE 87TH PRECINCT

In the 50th installment of his 87th Precinct series that began in 1956, McBain (a.k.a. screenwriter Evan Hunter) shows off his trademark punchy dialogue while exploring, once again, the camaraderie of a big-city police precinct. But this time, the coyly fictionalized metropolis of Isola (a dead ringer for NYC) and McBain's tired plot (about some murders committed over the theatrical rights to a forgotten stage musical) seem more like a last gasp than a last dance -- as if a past-her-prime Agatha Christie had accidentally wandered onto the set of NYPD Blue. Maybe Isola's mayor should shut down the old 87th for good. C