The Riverview Murders

Paul Whelan #5

by Michael Raleigh

Margaret O'Mara is desperate to find her missing brother, Joe Colleran. She doesn't have a clue or a dime, and she hasn't seen her brother in thirty years. The last she heard, he was running a bar in Florida with an old war buddy, Michael Minogue. But when Minogue is discovered murdered on a Chicago pier, Margaret asks private eye Paul Whelan to solve the puzzle of her brother's disappearance. As Whelan makes his rounds to the dilapidated apartment buildings and smoky bars of Chicago, he discovers that the case of Joe Colleran might not be hopeless after all. Before his death, Minogue often talked of his old gang of close friends, which mysteriously broke apart after World War II. Their stories take Whelan through the abandoned ruins of the landmark Riverview Park, once Chicago's famous amusement park and the site of a forty-year-old unsolved murder. This crime comes back to haunt a diverse group of men and women, formerly youthful friends or lovers, who still conceal the secret that binds them all.

213 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Michael Raleigh is the author of eleven novels. His novel POE STREET (Level Best Books) will come out in March. His most recent book is MURDER IN THE SUMMER OF LOVE (Coffeetown Press), 2021. Previous books include PEERLESS DETECTIVE, 2015 (Diversion Books), THE CONJURER'S BOY, 2013 (Harvard Square Editions), IN THE CASTLE OF THE FLYNNS (Sourcebooks 2002, reprinted 2012) THE BLUE MOON CIRCUS (Sourcebooks 2003) and the five Paul Whelan mysteries (DEATH IN UPTOWN, A BODY IN BELMONT HARBOR, THE MAXWELL STREET BLUES, A KILLER ON ARGYLE STREET, AND THE RIVERVIEW MURDERS, all originally published by St. Martin's Press and re-released by Diversion Books in February 2015). The Riverview Murders won the first Eugene Izzi Award. He has received four Illinois Arts Council Grants for fiction.

Along the way to becoming a novelist, Michael worked in a bank, tended bar for many years, operated a punch press in a factory, made microfiche, ran an office for the City of Chicago's anti-poverty program, wrote grants for the Salvation Army, and taught English and Chicago History at Truman College. He currently teaches freshman writing for DePaul University's Honors Program and First Year Writing Program.

Michael is married to Katherine and has three children, Sean, Peter, and Caitlin.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but have read other books by this author that were better. For some reason the writing in this mystery novel felt stilted and not in keeping with the author's previous books I had read, including some books with the same main character, Paul Whelan. However, I will be reading any other books of Raleigh's that I can find. Being from Chicago the settings in that City are very intriguing and I certainly enjoyed the references to Riverview, which I remember happily visiting many times as a child & young adult.

[Caroline Magsaysay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chicago

Excellent story, excellent writing. Never guessed “who did it”. Having grown up in Chicago and stilling living here, Mr. Raleigh certainly knows Chicago.

Give this book a read. You will not be disappointed.

[NK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Detective Whelan stories are good, with Chicago as the backdrop. I will seek more in this series.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was decent, more of a 3.5 stars. The mood and City play are well described. I didn't live here in the 80s, but it feels real. The plot and resolution could have been a little better.

[Teri Pre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad that's over! The first two were great. The last two? Not so much.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely more entertaining because it's set in the neighborhoods around mine, but still an entertaining read nonetheless.

[Rebekkila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often I pick up a book, look at the cover, and say to myself, "Why bother it looks terrible." Then I start the book and am proved very wrong. The story was good. Paul Whelan is a private eye hired to find out what happened to a group of friends that have all been dying mysterious deaths since the end of WWII. I was really into the mystery, I loved the banter between Paul and some of the other characters. But what was really great was the way the author loves Chicago. I love Chicago too, I haven't been there in a while but it is a fun city, there is so much to do and it is filled with people of all ethnicities. The author obviously is proud of his city and it's diversity, and mostly proud of all the restaurants in town. This book can make you hungary.
the story was published in the mid-80's. It has held up well over time, except for the pricey $5.00 burrito he ate one night.
This is one of those books that you find yourself reading with a mile on your face. I would love to find more books in this series.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

library audiobook. Apparently a 15 year old publication returning as an audiobook. The book had a lot of detail about Chicago and Chicago neighborhood life in the early 1940's through the end of WW II, then a lot more detail about restaurants in the 1980's. Most of the action is in the 1980's, but it seemed anachronistic. The 20-somethings of 1943 would be pushing around 60 at the time of the action but are depicted as older. Developed slowly, then multiple twists at the end.

[Abigail Grunst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many characters for me to keep track of. Disappointed that there was not more about Riverview in the book. A little about Riverview at the beginning and a little at the end. So for those of us who remember Riverview in Chicago a disspointment. It takes place in Chicago so it was nice to be able to visualize some of the places in the book. Interesting Mystery and a surprise ending.

[Ivah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good detective fiction, especially for Chicagoans interested in the north and northwest side neighborhoods. The story covers the mid 1940's to mid 1980's, with lots of neighborhood descriptions embellishing the mystery.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery. I love this kind of book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one as much for the tour of Chicago eateries as I did for the mystery.