Don’t Crowd Me

To escape the daily grind, Steve Richmond leaves his advertising firm for a vacation on Lake George, hoping for two weeks in paradise. Instead, he finds mosquitoes, a drafty cabin, damp blankets, and locals desperate to take him for every penny he's worth. On the bright side, there are plenty of beautiful girls, and the adman has just settled in when he finds one at the end of his dock, stark naked and dripping wet from a swim in the lake. They share a cigarette and a kiss, and Steve is starting to feel love's bloom . . . until he meets her sister. Caught between two women, Steve's vacation takes another cruel turn when he returns to his quarters after a day on the lake to find one of the locals with an icepick buried in his back. There's no doubt the sisters are involved. To survive his vacation, this executive will have to find the killer, but first, he'll need to overcome the temptation of the ladies of the lake. Don't Crowd Me is one of the first novels published by Ed McBain-who went on to become one of the greatest crime writers of the twentieth century-and showcases the mastery of character, storytelling, and blood-red suspense that would make the author a legend.

To escape the daily grind, Steve Richmond leaves his advertising firm for a vacation on Lake George, hoping for two weeks in paradise. Instead, he finds mosquitoes, a drafty cabin, damp blankets, and locals desperate to take him for every penny he's worth. On the bright side, there are plenty of beautiful girls, and the adman has just settled in when he finds one at the end of his dock, stark naked and dripping wet from a swim in the lake. They share a cigarette and a kiss, and Steve is starting to feel love's bloom . . . until he meets her sister. Caught between two women, Steve's vacation takes another cruel turn when he returns to his quarters after a day on the lake to find one of the locals with an icepick buried in his back. There's no doubt the sisters are involved. To survive his vacation, this executive will have to find the killer, but first, he'll need to overcome the temptation of the ladies of the lake. Don't Crowd Me is one of the first novels published by Ed McBain-who went on to become one of the greatest crime writers of the twentieth century-and showcases the mastery of character, storytelling, and blood-red suspense that would make the author a legend.