Homicide in Chicago

by Edward Marston

Chicago, 1931. While the Great Depression has tightened its grip on the world, there are still some who have the means to make their dreams a reality. One of these men is Hobart St John, who wants a mansion in the suburb of Oak Park. For young Welsh architect Merlin Richards, the opportunity to work on the house is an answer to his prayer.

But Richards' elation soon turns to confusion and fear. A body has been found on site hanging from a rafter. The authorities dismiss it as suicide but how can that be the case when his hands were tied behind his back? Richards' dream assignment is fast becoming a nightmare, and he realises that the answers he wants might cost him his life.

Genres: Mystery

352 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston

Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.


Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal

Reviews

[Annie Weatherly-Barton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Edward Marston books and read most of them, but this book is not one I would recommend. Slow and boring and then the end was like one of Railway Detective fast trains. However this time the fast train left a whole load of unanswered debris along the way.

Truly disappointed. Just wondering if someone else wrote this on behalf of Mr Marston.

[Kathy Kassulke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very slow start. The first third of the book is scene setting and while it is well written I found it a struggle to persevere. The plot is somewhat predictable. I’d say not the authors best effort.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written and thoroughly enjoyable story from Edward Marston.
Merlin Richards is now a struggling architect, living in Chicago. The firm he works for is awarded the contract to design a big house in Oak Park for a local businessman, who is known to get whatever he wants, when he wants it.
The site is cleared and building begins. Everything seems to be going well. But, after a while, life becomes too good to be true. Merlin finds a dead body in the wine cellar of the part built house.
All would have been well if Merlin had reported his findings to the police and left them to investigate. If he had done so, there would have been no story.
But Merlin has a strong sense of right and wrong. He involves himself in the investigation, and gets into all sorts of trouble. At every turn, Merlin is 'advised' to stop, but he has selective hearing, so keeps going, until he has the answers he wants.

[Nishka Laungani · Rating 1 out of 5]

The third book in my life that I could not finish. Too slow and too boring.

[Annie Gautam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read and you find yourself immersed in the book quite early on. The original buildup was really great but the rest of the book quite slow until one middle scene and then the very last few pages. Still an enjoyable read but not interesting enough for me to read again or personally recommend to anyone.

The story set up was quite well done, but unfortunately, I didn't take a personal liking to any of the characters - granted it wasn't the longest book but I felt character development wasn't quite there and more could have been done for readers to bond with any characters or even find them interesting/enjoyable to read about or even connect with. The only one character I was interested in came into the book very late and was quite a minor character (LM). It would have been more interesting if they delved into more side characters as they had potential whereas the main character wasn't the most interesting.

[Steven Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chicago, 1931. While the Great Depression has tightened its grip on the world, there are still some who have the means to make their dreams a reality. One of these men is Hobart St John, who wants a mansion in the suburb of Oak Park. For young Welsh architect Merlin Richards, the opportunity to work on the house is an answer to his prayer.

But Richards' elation soon turns to confusion and fear. A body has been found on site hanging from a rafter. The authorities dismiss it as suicide but how can that be the case when his hands were tied behind his back? Richards' dream assignment is fast becoming a nightmare, and he realises that the answers he wants might cost him his life.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, I didn't really like anyone in this book. Not even Merlin, our alleged hero.
The mystery isn't really a mystery because it's obvious who the bad guys are. And the ending, well let's just say it all came to a head and resolution in a couple of pages.
This is book 2 of this series and, unlike his other series, it doesn't seem to have continued after this. I'm unlikely to search out book 1.

ETA: Well, it looks like this is his newest series, so maybe there will be more of Merlin. But I don't think I'll be reading them

[Martin Hollands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the years I have enjoyed Edward Marston's tales.

However the first 2 Merlin Richards stories buck the trend.

I struggle with these and lose focus completely. I haven't taken to the main character and how he is portrayed and interacts with the other characters. To be honest I don't care about anything that happens to the guy in the stories and wouldn't lose any sleep if he was killed off!

[Geraint Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent. Set in Chicago in 1931.
Enter a young Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 architect named Merlin Richards.
A body has been found in the cellar of the house he had designed. Murder is his conclusion and when everyone says it’s suicide Merlin decides to find the truth. Enter two ladies and you get a darn good read as you follow Merlin’s route to find the truth

[Maria Dellaporta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a 'slow burn' I quess. The murder doesn't even take place until you page 80 (one third of the book). I would have liked a faster pace. The author spent lot of time introducing the characters but I ended up not liking anyone including the hero/detective/architect. I have to admit I picked this book because I liked the cover.

[Declan Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but not a great one either really felt like this book was a movie that somebody had turned into a book if you like 90 minutes action mysteries you will have some fun with this book

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first by this prolific author...why I have not read previously is unbeknown.
I found this an easy read and the prose competent.
I will read more by this author.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Not Marsden best but an easy read.

[Sally Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read till the very last page

[Maddy Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off pretty slow but I kinda liked it as you got to know the characters and build up a visual. The aesthetic of these books r so good I love them so much

[Jo Banks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple, predictable. But a very easy read.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read but a lot of scene setting and a very fast end. I think I prefer the railway settings in previous books.

[Zeynep Suner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very predictable, shallow characters, unrelatable cause of action, worst murder mystery i read in a long time

[Mike Rymarz · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok but not great. Great lead character but the plot was a tiny bit weak compared to some of his other mysteries