A Long Time Passing

by William Cheevers

A Long Time Passing follows a man's journey from a teenage thief to a private detective and into disillusionment. The detective calls himself a creature of the past. He laments the twilight of streetcars and classical architecture, walks the streets of Chicago in the early morning, treasures his close friendships and works cases with a police lieutenant, his closest friend since childhood. Prosperous and set in his ways, he is drawn into a brutal murder case he cannot refuse or ever forget. The case will reveal that the price of success has been a shocking indifference to deception, violence and murder. Falling into disillusionment, he boards an overnight train with the only woman in his life and in the privacy of their compartment, he comes to an understanding of truths long suppressed and hopes to find peace of mind in an old dream.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

William Cheevers writes historical fiction with themes of contemporary interest. He also enjoys writing mysteries featuring Chicago private investigator Frank Lydecker, police detective Andrew Brooke and defense lawyer Adrian Tiller in the transitional world of the 1950s. William's favorite writers are Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Hemingway, Faulkner, Hammett and Chandler, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Jean Edward Smith and Cormac McCarthy and two of the people from history he admires most are Mark Twain and Albert Einstein.

Reviews

[Yvonne Garside · Rating 4 out of 5]

In less than 200 pages, William Cheevers delivers the goods. How about a detective team of good ole boys, having sharp as a tack senses, and assigned to solving a gruesome murder? This is not a book with heart-pounding action, but of a detective connecting the dots to solve a murder while questioning his purpose and future. I think this is the perfect book to read between intense or lengthy novels – not overly descriptive of every little thing, but just enough narrative to paint a picture in my mind’s eye. Not a page-turner, but has just the right “stuff” to urge me onward throughout the book. This simply written book would be great choice for a wide range of reading levels from teens to seniors.

Pros aside from above:
1. A detective-themed novel void of foul language that would make a sailor blush. Refreshing!
2. Cheevers not waiting until the very end to reveal the murderer. I enjoyed knowing the criminal’s identity a little earlier and reading on to wind down the story.

Con: Cheevers introduces too many characters in the beginning of the book. It took me a while to sort them all out.

I loved the characters with the nostalgic restaurant scenes, the orchestration of the murder and the only super detailed description in the book – the murder scene. I sandwiched this book between two intense novels and so glad that I did. If you enjoy Agatha Christie, Perry Mason, and Sherlock Holmes and are looking for a quick and easy read, you will delight in this book!!

Many thanks to William Cheevers and Goodreads Giveaway for the opportunity to read and review a digital copy of this new book. My review is unsolicited and an honest opinion of the book.

[jamie Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to recommend this powerful little book it’s such a packed masterpiece beautifully written and will keep you glued to the story and the characters! I truly enjoyed this book!