Evan Hunter, once again writing under the Ed McBain pen name, began a second series in 1978 with the publication of Goldilocks. Unlike the 87th Precinct novels the new series was set in Florida and featured a local real estate attorney, Matthew Hope, who gradually converts his practice to criminal law, and as the series has progressed, he has spent more time solving crimes than litigating them. Each title in the series is taken from a fairy tale or nursery rhyme.

The Matthew Hope novels have allowed McBain to branch out in his crime fiction. As he readily admits, Matthew is more upscale than the characters in the 87th Precinct series and the narratives tend to be more graphically violent and sexual. Strange as it may seem McBain has kept the violence and sex fairly muted in the police novels in spite of the urban realism and...