Killer's Choice

SUMMARY: Someone killed Annie Boone, but was she an innocent victim or the target of a hit? As Detectives Carella and Kling of the 87th precinct pick up the pieces of her interupted life, they move relentlessly closer to some answers yet farther from others. Struggling to find the weak link, the detectives find themselves facing a cold, hard truth they'd prefer not to know. Annie Boone lay lapped in blood, alcohol and splintered glass - face down in the liquor store. She was shot by a pistol. As Steve Carella forked over the ground, conflicting facts came out. Employer, ex-husband, lover, boy-friends, girl-friend - they all placed the redhead someplace different. This book was first published in 1957, and was the 5th novel of the 87th Precinct series, not the first, according to a complete listing of all McBain's novels on Wikipedia.First book of the series was Cop Hater (1956) not 1987 as claimed by you.