Everything you need to understand or teach Nocturne by Ed McBain and Evan Hunter.
The 87th Precinct novels contain a variety of themes which have varied over the years. In Nocturne, McBain focuses on aging and the faded hopes and misplaced dreams of the elderly, fractured family relationships, and the disappointments of the American Dream.
The murdered woman whose body is discovered at the opening of the novel, Mrs. Franz Helder nee Svetlana Dyalovich, is portrayed as much a victim of aging as of urban violence. Her...