The 87th Precinct is a series of novels and stories written by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter). Hunter's 87th Precinct works have been adapted into movies and television on several occasions. Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Lombino (October 15, 1926 - July 6, 2005), was a prolific American author and screenwriter. ...

The series is based on the work of the police detectives of the 87th Precinct in Isola, a fictional city based on New York City borough of Manhattan. Other districts in McBain's fictionalized version of New York correspond to NYC's other four boroughs, Calm's Point standing in for Brooklyn, Majesta representing Queens, Riverhead substituting for the Bronx, and Bethtown for Staten Island. Isola is a fictional city that is the setting for the 87th Precinct series of police novels written by Ed McBain (aka Evan Hunter). ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... A borough is an administrative division used in the Canadian province of Quebec, in some states of the United States, and formerly in New Zealand. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... A map of New York City, highlighting Brooklyn. ... Queens Borough in New York City, in yellow Queens is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... Staten Island, in yellow, lies to the southwest of the rest of New York City. ...

Each novel begins with the same disclaimer:

"The city in these pages is imaginary. The people, the places are all fictitious. Only the police routine is based on established investigatory technique." In interviews and articles, McBain has freely admitted that his series was heavily influenced by the radio and TV series Dragnet. This introduction, simultaneously evoking and contradicting Dragnet's introductory phrase, "The story you are about to see is true. The name's have been changed to protect the innocent," was apparently McBain's way of acknowledging the debt, yet announcing his intention to go his own way, in every book. A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. ...

The main characters are Detective Steve Carella, his wife Teddy Carella, Lt Peter Byrnes, and Detectives Arthur Brown, Eileen Burke, Cotton Hawes, Bert Kling, Meyer Meyer, Hal Willis, Andy Parker and Ollie Weeks. Another recurring character is the Deaf Man, a criminal who enjoys plotting elaborate crimes.

Hunter's final book Learning To Kill, is scheduled be published in July 2006 under his Ed McBain pseudonym. It is a volume of short stories written between 1952 and 1957, including some that inspired and became 87th Precinct mysteries.

The 87th Precinct Mysteries

• Cop Hater (1956)
• The Mugger (1956)
• The Pusher (1956)
• The Con Man (1957)
• Killer's Choice (1957)
• Killer's Payoff (1958)
• Lady Killer (1958)
• Killer's Wedge (1959)
• 'til Death (1959)
• King's Ransom (1959)
• Give the Boys a Great Big Hand (1960)
• The Heckler (1960)
• See Them Die (1960)
• Lady, Lady I Did It (1961)
• The Empty Hours (1962)
• Like Love (1962)
• Ten Plus One (1963)
• Ax (1964)
• He Who Hesitates (1964)
• Doll (1965)
• 80 Million Eyes (1966)
• Fuzz (1968)
• Shotgun (1969)
• Jigsaw (1970)
• Hail, Hail the Gang's All Here (1971)
• Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man (1972)
• Sadie When She Died (1972)
• Hail to the Chief (1973)
• Bread (1974)
• Blood Relatives (1975)
• So Long as You Both Shall Live (1976)
• Long Time No See (1977)
• Calypso (1979)
• Ghosts (1980)
• Heat (1981)
• Ice (1983)
• Lightning (1984)
• Eight Black Horses (1985)
• Poison (1987)
• Tricks (1987)
• McBain's Ladies (Short Stories) (1988)
• Lullaby (1989)
• Vespers (1990)
• Widows (1991)
• McBain's Ladies, Too (Short Stories) (1992)
• Kiss (1992)
• Mischief (1993)
• And All Through the House (1994)
• Romance (1995)
• Nocturne (1997)
• The Big Bad City (1999)
• The Last Dance (2000)
• Money, Money, Money (2001)
• Fat Ollie's Book (2002)
• The Frumious Bandersnatch (2003)
• Hark! (2004)
• Merely Hate (2005) a short story in the anthology titled Transgressions, edited by Ed McBain
• Fiddlers (2005)

Other media

• Cop Hater (1958) movie
• The Mugger (1958) movie
• The Pusher (1960) movie
• 87th Precinct (1961-62 NBC) television series
• 87th Precinct (1962) comic book series
• Tengoku to Jigoku (aka High and Low) (1963 Japan) movie - directed by Akira Kurosawa
• Sans Mobile Apparent (aka Without Apparent Motive) (1972 France/Italy) movie
• Fuzz (1972) movie
• Les Liens du Sang (aka Blood Relatives) (1978 France/Canada) movie
• Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning (1995 NBC) television movie
• Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice (1996 NBC) television movie
• Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave (1997 NBC) television movie
• Polishataren (Cop Hater), Graphic Novel published in Sweden 1990, written by Claes Reimerthi and drawn by Martin Sauri.