MY BOOK
King’s ransom
Ed McBain
Ondřej Chromečka
2.A
• About author
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Evan Hunter (who is also known as Ed McBain) was born in
New York, 1926.
During Word War II he served in the US Navy, then he took a
university degree; he also taught on a high school
His first success (published under the name Evan Hunter) was
The Blackboard Jungle (1954) – novel of NY life, about
idealistic teacher in a slum high school.
He has written more than eighty novels, he has also written
many screenplays.
He is author of the 87th Precinct stories (more than 40) –
possibly the most popular crime series in the world.
In 1998 he received the Diamond Dagger Award from the
British Crime Writers Association (as a first American writer).
• Main characters
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Douglas King – rich and successful man, he works hard
all his live and now he has chance to be president in
Granger Shoe company, but his close friends are also his
enemies who want to destroy him.
Steve Carella – policeman, he hate criminals –
especially kidnappers
Charles Reynolds – King’s chauffeur, his son is in great
danger, but he couldn’t afford to save him.
Sy Barnard – criminal, he has plan how to earn a lot of
money
Eddie Folsom – he’s criminal too, but more sensitive
than Sy, his wife is:
Kathy Folsom – she doesn’t like their criminal life
• Story
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One day, when two eight years old boys were playing
outside the house, came back home only one of them.
When was Mrs. King asking Bobby where he lost Jeff the
phone became ringing. Mr. King answered it. They
kidnapped Jeff. They wanted five hundred thousand dollars
as ransom till the next morning.
They kidnapped wrong boy, Bobby and Jeff were very quite
similar, fair hair, same height, …
But Mr. King didn’t have enough money, becouse he had to
invest to business and Reynolds like a chauffeur of course
neither.
Next day morning Mr. King went to place where they had to
exchange boy and money. He received informations about
place meeting by telephone by Eddie. (He didn’t have the
money.) Steve Carella was hidden in the back of the car.
• Story
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Mr. King was on a road when suddenly Kathy shouted into the
microphone where the boy is hidden. She was already from the
beginning against the kidnapping and she wasn’t very happy
that her husband (Eddie) could done this thing. But he was
manipulated by Sy and he must done it.
When Mr. King and Carella heard it, he got there as fast as
they could.
When they reached the farmhouse (where was boy hidden) Sy
started to fire at their, missing their both times. Then he fired
several more times till the gun was empty and he started
running into a wood. Mr. King caught him and started fighting
with Sy (Sy has knife).
Mr. King beated him, then Carela came to help him, and then it
was all over.
• Story
 The two policemen found the boy sitting on
a bed in the farmhouse.
 Jeff said nothing about people who were
keeping him there.
 Sy’s story was the same as Jeff’s, so Eddie
with Kathy might be somewhere in Mexico
what was their big dream, who knows? 
 Anyway Sy was locked and Jeff was happy
to come home.
• Likes
 I like the storyline, this detective story was
very interesting and I completely like it.
 I like that it wasn’t only about the
kidnapping the boy, there was the business
problems too, then a fake friends what are
in fact enemies, love between thieves and
so on.
 There wasn’t too many unknown words.
 Everything has a good end.
• Dislikes
 Sometimes I had to read some parts
more than once to understand the
point of the story.
 I quite didn’t like the sudden end, it
was too fast. Suddenly was boy safe
and it was end.