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When A Rook Takes The Queen
Chicago Tribune Reporter Larry McKay has his hands full. He has been assigned to investigate the recent assassination of Chicago’s Mayor Janice Kollar in a tumultuous summer that has included riots, looting, and a city out of control. With Mayor Kollar’s long list of political enemies, McKay doesn’t know where to start. But he soon discovers a weekly gambit at St. Simeon’s Church Rectory on West 79th Street between two of Chicago’s most notable individuals; Former grand chess master and now Catholic priest, political activist Fr. Colin J. Fitzgerald, and organized crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo. Their weekly chess matches have allowed ‘Fr. Fitz’ to become the new family consigliere, and he is now Little Tony’s most trusted advisor. Together, they have been plotting ways to circumvent the recent city violence using ‘The Outfit’s’ brutal methods to control its gangs and outlaws and bring peace back to the Windy City. But their unusual plan to restore peace to an already violent city begins to unravel, delving the Second City deeper and deeper into an uncontrollable state of intense chaos.McKay’s life is now in danger, as the ‘Chicago Gambit’ of real-life players are now all out to permanently silence the Tribune reporter from blowing up the city’s biggest crime story since the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
456 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2021
12 people want to read
About the author
Edward Izzi
15 books31 followersA full-time CPA and Chicago businessman, Edward Izzi had always had a flair for creative writing. But he didn't start taking his writing talents seriously until much later in life. He has now written a countless number of short stories, poetry, and has completed several fiction thriller novels, including "Of Bread and Wine", "A Rose from The Executioner", "Demons of Divine Wrath", "Quando Dormo", "El Camino Drive", "When A Rook Takes The Queen", "The Buzz Boys", and "They Only Wear Black Hats".
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 7, 2021
First and foremost, a large thank you to Reedsy Discovery and Edward Izzi for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Edward Izzi is back with another explosive thriller set on the streets of Chicago. The highly controversial mayor of the city has been assassinated in her backyard and the media circus is only beginning. Alongside the hunt for a murderer, a keen reporter trips on a connection between a local crime boss and an highly activist priest. Might there be something there that no one’s yet realised? Izzi spins a tale like no other in his latest thriller, When a Rook Takes the Queen, that is sure to captivate the reader’s attention.
In the heart of the summer, a gunshot rings out and Chicago Mayor Janice Kollar lies dead in her garden. A controversial politician in her own right, Kollar had many enemies around town, on both sides of the law. However, it’s an investigation the CPD rushes to begin. With such a list of suspects, it will be hard to pinpoint who might have wanted the city’s first openly gay mayor lying in a casket.
As the story hits the wires, Chicago Tribune reporter, Larry McKay, rushes to make sense of it all and begin following leads. While the murder attracts a great deal of attention, McKay learns of a weekly chess match at St. Simeon’s Church between Fr. Colin Fitzgerald and organised crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo. This baffles McKay, as Fitzgerald is known to be a staunch political activist and a former grand chess master. What business he has with a powerful mobster seems to make little sense. A few calls ruffle some feathers, but McKay is not dissuaded from proceeding.
Inside these weekly chess matches, it would seem ‘Father Fitz’ has been able to serve as a new family consigliere, providing inside and guidance to Little Tony in an advisory role. Their discussions look to how one might control the powder keg that Chicago is becoming with the murder of Mayor Kollar, turning to force and violence to quell things before a new incarnation of Black Lives Matter comes to fruition.
As McKay digs deeper and peddles his views to a fellow television reporter, his life is in danger. This unlikely ‘Chicago Gambit’ want nothing more than to silence McKay and keep their association off the radar. McKay cannot back down, especially with a killer still out there. What happens next is anyone’s guess.
Edward Izzi does a masterful job tying in his thrilling political story with a criminal angle. Adding his usual flavourings of organised crime and the Catholic Church, the story gains momentum throughout and keeps the reader guessing how all the players will turn the plot throughout the piece. As always, there are some wonderful twists that only Izzi can deliver in his great style.
While the story is split between a number of storylines, Larry McKay does appear to hold firm to the role of protagonist. His gritty style and unwillingness to bow to the pressure only adds to his character. I admit, if he was a character in a past Izzi novel, he was minor, so I have little backstory for him. However, he grows on the reader with ease and is able to make an impact throughout with great development. His interactions with others, both major and minor characters, helps create a story that does not stop until the final page turn.
Izzi has always used an interesting technique for his secondary characters. As I have mentioned in past reviews, Izzi positions minor characters to have their time in the spotlight before fading away. Some are mentioned in passing and receive their cameo in a novel, only to slink back away, while others prove prominent and are paid lip service in subsequent novels. Here, there are a number of ‘has been’ prominent people who receive mere mention, as well as a few heavy hitters whose presence makes the book what it is. Izzi’s ability to use this technique, which I have seen elsewhere done almost as effectively, provides a standalone option for his novels, while luring fans to stick around and read them all, to tie the threads together.
The book itself was well paced and full of exciting plot development. While there are Catholic and organised crime themes throughout, their stereotypical presentation does not turn this into a mob novel. The story flows well, with a strong narrative that keeps the reader moving along. Short chapters can easily be devoured, allowing things to develop quickly and remain intense throughout. Edward Izzi is an author I only recently discovered, but I cannot get enough of his books. It could be the stories, the writing, or the ease of flow. Whatever that might be, I love when I see that another is ready for me.
Kudos, Mr. Izzi, for another winner. I am excited to see two more books in the pipeline and will gladly clear my schedule when that time comes!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Edward Izzi is back with another explosive thriller set on the streets of Chicago. The highly controversial mayor of the city has been assassinated in her backyard and the media circus is only beginning. Alongside the hunt for a murderer, a keen reporter trips on a connection between a local crime boss and an highly activist priest. Might there be something there that no one’s yet realised? Izzi spins a tale like no other in his latest thriller, When a Rook Takes the Queen, that is sure to captivate the reader’s attention.
In the heart of the summer, a gunshot rings out and Chicago Mayor Janice Kollar lies dead in her garden. A controversial politician in her own right, Kollar had many enemies around town, on both sides of the law. However, it’s an investigation the CPD rushes to begin. With such a list of suspects, it will be hard to pinpoint who might have wanted the city’s first openly gay mayor lying in a casket.
As the story hits the wires, Chicago Tribune reporter, Larry McKay, rushes to make sense of it all and begin following leads. While the murder attracts a great deal of attention, McKay learns of a weekly chess match at St. Simeon’s Church between Fr. Colin Fitzgerald and organised crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo. This baffles McKay, as Fitzgerald is known to be a staunch political activist and a former grand chess master. What business he has with a powerful mobster seems to make little sense. A few calls ruffle some feathers, but McKay is not dissuaded from proceeding.
Inside these weekly chess matches, it would seem ‘Father Fitz’ has been able to serve as a new family consigliere, providing inside and guidance to Little Tony in an advisory role. Their discussions look to how one might control the powder keg that Chicago is becoming with the murder of Mayor Kollar, turning to force and violence to quell things before a new incarnation of Black Lives Matter comes to fruition.
As McKay digs deeper and peddles his views to a fellow television reporter, his life is in danger. This unlikely ‘Chicago Gambit’ want nothing more than to silence McKay and keep their association off the radar. McKay cannot back down, especially with a killer still out there. What happens next is anyone’s guess.
Edward Izzi does a masterful job tying in his thrilling political story with a criminal angle. Adding his usual flavourings of organised crime and the Catholic Church, the story gains momentum throughout and keeps the reader guessing how all the players will turn the plot throughout the piece. As always, there are some wonderful twists that only Izzi can deliver in his great style.
While the story is split between a number of storylines, Larry McKay does appear to hold firm to the role of protagonist. His gritty style and unwillingness to bow to the pressure only adds to his character. I admit, if he was a character in a past Izzi novel, he was minor, so I have little backstory for him. However, he grows on the reader with ease and is able to make an impact throughout with great development. His interactions with others, both major and minor characters, helps create a story that does not stop until the final page turn.
Izzi has always used an interesting technique for his secondary characters. As I have mentioned in past reviews, Izzi positions minor characters to have their time in the spotlight before fading away. Some are mentioned in passing and receive their cameo in a novel, only to slink back away, while others prove prominent and are paid lip service in subsequent novels. Here, there are a number of ‘has been’ prominent people who receive mere mention, as well as a few heavy hitters whose presence makes the book what it is. Izzi’s ability to use this technique, which I have seen elsewhere done almost as effectively, provides a standalone option for his novels, while luring fans to stick around and read them all, to tie the threads together.
The book itself was well paced and full of exciting plot development. While there are Catholic and organised crime themes throughout, their stereotypical presentation does not turn this into a mob novel. The story flows well, with a strong narrative that keeps the reader moving along. Short chapters can easily be devoured, allowing things to develop quickly and remain intense throughout. Edward Izzi is an author I only recently discovered, but I cannot get enough of his books. It could be the stories, the writing, or the ease of flow. Whatever that might be, I love when I see that another is ready for me.
Kudos, Mr. Izzi, for another winner. I am excited to see two more books in the pipeline and will gladly clear my schedule when that time comes!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
February 8, 2021
Gripping, thrilling, and full of surprises, Izzi’s latest reveals the mayhem that lurks behind the cunning facade of corrupted bureaucracy and religious figures.
When the gutsy Janice Kollar, Chicago’s first woman mayor, is assassinated brutally, all hell breaks loose. Chicago Tribune Reporter Larry McKay is assigned to look into the case by his boss. Larry’s investigation leads him to the unlikely pair of the former grand chess master and now Catholic priest, political activist Fr. Colin J. Fitzgerald and organized crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo. With powerful enemies out to get him, Larry must tread carefully or risk losing his life.
Izzi capably balances his large cast of characters and their connecting stories, and the narrative ties that bind the various characters stay intact over the story’s course. Well-constructed interplay among the main characters, especially the bond between Fitz and Tony DiMatteo and the romantic tension that lingers between Larry and Talia keep the reader turning pages fast.
Izzi skillfully weaves multiple plot strands, including gang violence, racism, police brutality, corruption into the affecting narrative. Sharp twists and expert pacing compliment the plausible, shocking plot twists. The lovers of political thrillers won’t want to miss this intelligent page-turner.
When the gutsy Janice Kollar, Chicago’s first woman mayor, is assassinated brutally, all hell breaks loose. Chicago Tribune Reporter Larry McKay is assigned to look into the case by his boss. Larry’s investigation leads him to the unlikely pair of the former grand chess master and now Catholic priest, political activist Fr. Colin J. Fitzgerald and organized crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo. With powerful enemies out to get him, Larry must tread carefully or risk losing his life.
Izzi capably balances his large cast of characters and their connecting stories, and the narrative ties that bind the various characters stay intact over the story’s course. Well-constructed interplay among the main characters, especially the bond between Fitz and Tony DiMatteo and the romantic tension that lingers between Larry and Talia keep the reader turning pages fast.
Izzi skillfully weaves multiple plot strands, including gang violence, racism, police brutality, corruption into the affecting narrative. Sharp twists and expert pacing compliment the plausible, shocking plot twists. The lovers of political thrillers won’t want to miss this intelligent page-turner.
July 23, 2023
“When A Rook Takes The Queen” by Edward Izzi is a book about a newspaper reporter named Larry McKay who has been assigned to investigate the assassination of the the Chicago Mayor Janice Kollar. The windy city has had a chaotic summer full of political unrest from many sides. Trying to figure out the person who committed the assassination proves to be a difficult task since the mayor has an extensive list of enemies, such is the case in the world of politicians. McKay discovers a weekly chess match between a duo that have been working together in their vision of addressing the violence in the city. The duo, the crime boss “Little Tony” DiMatteo and the Catholic priest/political activist Fr. Fitzgerald, are attempting to control the chaos by using their own brutal methods but this actually ends up adding to the intense chaos. McKay has an enormous crime story at the tip of his fingers but he faces grave danger at the hands of all who want the truth deeply buried. I watch crime mystery shows quite often and I have also recently gotten into watching a couple new chess-related shows, so I enjoyed that this book tied that theme with this genre. It is a great use of symbolism. Avid fans of crime mystery novels and political thrillers that are loaded with suspense will enjoy reading this book.
April 21, 2021
Amazing political thriller about Chicago and all of its current chess players!
February 8, 2021
Izzy delves into organized crime and dirty politics of bureaucracy and Catholic church in this brilliantly executed thriller, an engaging tale of murder, mayhem, and conspiracies.
To Larry McKay, the gusty Chicago Tribune Reporter, the brutal shoot-in death of Chicago’s American-African, openly gay Mayor, Janice Kollar, is just the beginning of a dangerous investigation. The city is already in chaos with communal riots, looting, and violence when the Mayor is assassinated. With a long list of Janice’s political enemies, McKay is finding it hard to pinpoint the murder on a single person. But his discovery of a weekly gambit at St. Simeon’s Church Rectory on West 79th Street between two of Chicago’s most notable individuals, former grand chess master and now Catholic priest, political activist Fr. Colin J. Fitzgerald and organized crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo unravels new clues. As Larry digs deeper, he discovers a direct link between Fr. Fitz and Tony’s weekly gambit sessions and escalating violence in the city. But are they the only players in the bigger scheme of things?
Sporadic, ingenious, and entertaining, Fr. Fitz’s cunning plan of manipulating Tony unravels gradually against an adeptly sketched background of upheaval, chaos, and bloodshed. Strong narrative, crisp prose, and tight plotting are added bonuses. Izzy’s splendidly developed characters are vivid and convincing. Larry, with his persistence and courage makes for a likeable hero. Readers will admire his commitment to the case that never wavers despite the personal troubles and powerful enemies at his trail.
Tony DiMatteo, Michael Prescott, Chaz Rizzo, Detective Dorian impress, but it’s Fr. Fitz who takes the limelight away from others. His intelligence, cunningness, and moral ambiguity makes him an apt antagonist. The undercurrent of unease that accompanies him while on his mission of manipulating Tony is conveyed with skill.
Izzi’s depiction of the way Fr. Fitz uses his intellect and ingenuity to manipulate things in his own favor gives his character depth and complexity. An unusually large cast of characters and several mini storylines complicate the storyline. But Izzy handles the multifaceted plot with perfect ease while navigating the nearly endless surprises. The alternative third-person omniscient narrative and Larry’s first-person voice add to the intrigue.
Izzy effortlessly conveys the dirty politics, police brutality and violence against people of color, racial and class disparity, Journalism details, policing practices, and working of organized crime and gang violence.
Readers will eagerly anticipate Larry’s further adventures.
To Larry McKay, the gusty Chicago Tribune Reporter, the brutal shoot-in death of Chicago’s American-African, openly gay Mayor, Janice Kollar, is just the beginning of a dangerous investigation. The city is already in chaos with communal riots, looting, and violence when the Mayor is assassinated. With a long list of Janice’s political enemies, McKay is finding it hard to pinpoint the murder on a single person. But his discovery of a weekly gambit at St. Simeon’s Church Rectory on West 79th Street between two of Chicago’s most notable individuals, former grand chess master and now Catholic priest, political activist Fr. Colin J. Fitzgerald and organized crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo unravels new clues. As Larry digs deeper, he discovers a direct link between Fr. Fitz and Tony’s weekly gambit sessions and escalating violence in the city. But are they the only players in the bigger scheme of things?
Sporadic, ingenious, and entertaining, Fr. Fitz’s cunning plan of manipulating Tony unravels gradually against an adeptly sketched background of upheaval, chaos, and bloodshed. Strong narrative, crisp prose, and tight plotting are added bonuses. Izzy’s splendidly developed characters are vivid and convincing. Larry, with his persistence and courage makes for a likeable hero. Readers will admire his commitment to the case that never wavers despite the personal troubles and powerful enemies at his trail.
Tony DiMatteo, Michael Prescott, Chaz Rizzo, Detective Dorian impress, but it’s Fr. Fitz who takes the limelight away from others. His intelligence, cunningness, and moral ambiguity makes him an apt antagonist. The undercurrent of unease that accompanies him while on his mission of manipulating Tony is conveyed with skill.
Izzi’s depiction of the way Fr. Fitz uses his intellect and ingenuity to manipulate things in his own favor gives his character depth and complexity. An unusually large cast of characters and several mini storylines complicate the storyline. But Izzy handles the multifaceted plot with perfect ease while navigating the nearly endless surprises. The alternative third-person omniscient narrative and Larry’s first-person voice add to the intrigue.
Izzy effortlessly conveys the dirty politics, police brutality and violence against people of color, racial and class disparity, Journalism details, policing practices, and working of organized crime and gang violence.
Readers will eagerly anticipate Larry’s further adventures.
August 27, 2023
I am really loving this author. He take on crime, church and more just leave me riveted. Crime, politics and church seem to have gone on since the beginning of time, an the author takes you on a journey that just leave you wanting more. Especially with the topics of death and 'who' it was that died. Very good book. I can't wait to read more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 28, 2023
Plot-driven, the book is a slow-burn and gritty story. The story mixes politics and crime, purposefully implementing the rules of chess.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews