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Book Review of The Chicago Way (Michael Kelly, Bk 1)

The Chicago Way (Michael Kelly, Bk 1)
duplica123 avatar reviewed on + 150 more book reviews


A good mystery set (obviously) in Chicago. A fast read with interesting characters and a neat twist.

Honestly, I didn't think I would make it past the first few chapters. The main character, Michael, narrates the way you would imagine an old detective would in a film noir. The author has weird inner monologues and observations - for instance, Michael goes to a TV station and sees the receptionist "She was...drinking what looked like coffee and smoking what looked like a cigarette." huh?

Thankfully that sort of stuff stopped five short chapters in and Michael got interesting just for his own sake, not his "witty" observations.

I haven't read many mysteries, but I liked this one a lot because the author doesn't take you down any wrong turns or false leads. Everything you learn builds up the mystery and points towards solving the cold case and the new mysteries that begin to surround Michael's investigation. Enough of Chicago is accurate to give you a good feel of the city, though the author notes he did take artist license in some instances.

This was a fast read, enjoyable once you got past the first couple chapters of weird writing, and it all wrapped up nicely. Very good for the author's first novel.