Preview of Fuzz Summary:

The themes of the 87th Precinct novels follow the social concerns and milieu contained in the narratives of the individual books. How does one survive in such an urban world? Who become victims, who are the victimizers? How does a person retain his or her humanity in the face of such overwhelmingly negative forces, many of which are violent to and destructive of civilized life? What ways do city dwellers learn to cope with the constant fear of violence? In an atmosphere of fear, how do families survive, raise children, earn a living, and care for themselves?

Is it possible to instill traditional American values of hard work, fair play, and upward mobility in a world so destructive of human values?

In spite of such a broadly based set of concerns, however, McBain's novels are not primarily sociological studies, and he particularizes each novel by tracing the personal...