'46, Chicago

by Steve Monroe

Crime fiction readers who insist that the good guys win and the bad guyslose, and that you ought to at least be able to tell the two apart, should steera wide course around Steve Monroe's '46, Chicago. Moral compromise andrelativism are the very foundations of this somber yet compulsively driving yarnabout power and greed and the corruption they engender.Gus Carson used to be as mendacious and brutal a cop as the Windy City couldproduce. But after barely surviving a World War II Japanese submarine attack inthe Pacific, he's turned positively respectable. "No fights, no bribes, noextortion," his superior recalls, approvingly, "not even a restaurant ownercomplaining that you demanded free doughnuts and coffee." Then one night, Carsonshoots a black man who's just killed a white lawyer in a brothel, and he'ssuspended from the force--just in time to go to work for a Republican mayoralhopeful, who promises him reinstatement and $500 if he can find a kidnappedblack racketeer named Ed Jones. Sounds straightforward enough, except thatCarson suspects the attorney's death and the Jones case are connected. To whosebenefit, though? And how do these crimes relate to an underworld struggle forcontrol of Chicago gambling?As he did in his first novel, '57, Chicago, Monroe bringsdistinction to a fairly conventional noir plot. His juxtaposition ofcaviar-class white and worker-class black cultures adds depth to thisoccasionally violent drama, his exposure of Carson's conscience is patiently andconvincingly done, and some of the dialogue here is sharp enough to cut lips.'46 Chicago treads where more practiced detective novelists, such as MaxAllan Collins, have already been, but still leaves tracks worth following.--J. Kingston Pierce

Genres: Noir, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2002

About the author

Steve Monroe is a real-estate broker who previously worked as a stringer and sports writer. He splits his time between Chicago and Seattle.

You can connect with Steve on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SteveMonroeB...

Reviews

[lorinbocol · Rating 2 out of 5]

«sono 126 miglia per chicago. abbiamo il serbatoio pieno, mezzo pacchetto di sigarette, è buio, e portiamo tutti e due degli occhiali da sole». ah no, questo lo dicevano da un'altra parte.
però, al di là dell'epoca di ambientazione, l'atmosfera più o meno è quella. però, al di là di tutto, da quell'altra parte gli riusciva infinitamente meglio.
qui si leggono frasi di una banalità disarmante. ma il peggio viene quando l'autore ha un singhiozzo di originalità: «il sole faceva capolino da dietro le nuvole come una lucciola che spunta da un barattolo di vernice grigia. maggio a chicago: l'inverno faceva il filo all'estate, ma non scopavano mai». monroe fai il piacere, resta a galleggiare nella banalità che è decisamente più decoroso.

[Massimo Carcano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sicuramente mi è capitato di leggere di meglio, però, per essere un noir pescato a caso non mi lamento. Atmosfere cupe, omicidi, personaggi ambigui e il buono a lottare contro il male. Unica pecca, che non lo fa arrivare alle 4 stelle, la trama un po' troppo intricata.

[Zach Eiting · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thrilling ride through Chicago in 1946, police officer Gus Carson is tasked with finding the kidnapped Ed Jones. However, Carson soon realizes this is no ordinary kidnapping and must turn to his underworld connections to get the job done.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"good enough"

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot from an interesting time in Chicago's history.