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Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear

by Ed McBain

Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear is one of Ed McBain's Matthew Hope novels. Even with his prodigious output, Mr. McBain is still able to rivet one's attention with just about every effort he makes in the writing field. Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear is no exception. Based on the childish misconception of a hymn tune featuring the passion of Jesus Christ, “Gladly the cross I'd bear” becomes something a lot more familiar to a child. And although the novel is nearing the ten-year-old mark at this writing, like all of Ed McBain's books, Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear is well worth your reading.

The substance of Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear is divided into three separate plots: One is the court case instigated by Elaine Commins (Lainie) against Toyland, Toyland for infringement of copyright, trade mark, and trade dress. The second concerns one of Matthew Hope's best men, Warren Chambers, a black man attempting to free another of Matthew Hope's people of an addiction to crack – Toots Kiley. The third plot revolves around Lainie Commins being accused of murdering Brett Toland, top man for Toyland, Toyland.

In the court case, Brett and Etta Toland claim that Lainie had the idea for Gladly while she was still working for them. Lainie claims the idea was her own, and the special corrective lenses (looking like normal eyeglasses) to be sold with the teddy bear cost her a good deal of money paid to an optometrist who designed something with mirrors which appeared to correct the teddy bear's crossed eyes. The Tolands' design simply had normal eyes painted on the pair of eyeglasses. The judge defers his decision.

Warren Chambers kidnaps Toots Kiley and takes her thirty miles out to the sea in a borrowed boat in order to break her cold turkey of the habit. Most of the time Toots is chained to the wall, and knowing Warren well, she hides the fact that she's becoming more and more desperate for a fix. Toots tries her best to convince Warren she is still 'clean' – and he's wavering since she's not shown the usual signs of desperation.

Then Brett Toland is discovered murdered on his boat, named Toy Boat, a magnificent floating palatial structure which could accommodate the numerous guests he and his wife were likely to invite for cocktails. Lainie is arrested – seen leaving the boat parking lot near the time the murder was evidently taking place. Lainie wants Matthew to represent her – in spite of the fact he doesn't normally accept homicide cases. She claims she was only on his boat for a short time, and it was only because Brett had offered her a settlement to the court case. He wanted to see her face to face about it. Lainie claims she couldn't possibly have been there when the witness says she was. Matthew is able to free Lainie on bail.

Matthew interviews several of the prosecution witnesses, but it's not until he makes a discovery aboard Toy Boat and the further information from another witness the prosecution has ignored that he eventually gets the truth from Lainie. Meanwhile, Warren's borrowed boat is taken over by two Spanish-speaking men who need to deliver their stash of cocaine to Miami, since their own boat has broken down. They bind Warren up, not realizing that Toots is still in the head.

The ultimate resolution of all three plots comes after a succession of surprises and twists, frustrating Matthew as Lainie gradually admits to more and more; Toots helps Warren overpower the toughs, and the judge makes his final decision. Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear leans heavily on the murder case, but since they both involve Lainie Commins, who also has a wandering eye (in the optical sense), the novel is decidedly well-named. I must admit I was slightly disappointed with one ending of the three plots, but all in all, it's a wonderful story with Ed McBain's work at his best.

Alan Paul Curtis

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