The Chicago Way (Michael Kelly Series)

Stunning debut overall...until you get to the ending and the plot is revealed. As others have stated, the PLOT lacks credibility and is a stretch. It's too bad, because I was pulling for the book and the author. I still say Harvey is one hell of a talented writer!Scene where P.I. Kelley visits serial killer Grimes in prison is absolutely authentic and chilling, as are some others. Snappy dialogue and insightful observaions about the Windy City and humans in general.I just wish writers didn't feel obligated to throw in a murder every 30 or 40 pages or so from fear of losing the reader. Look, you do not have to sweat that at all. Yes, a certain degree of violence is required, this is accepted, but if you begin with a murder and this obviously results in a mystery...you do not have to pile on the killing, you do not have to start killing off your characters just because you feel that the reader's interest will wane. Because it isn't so, so long as the rest is there: dialogue, interesting characters and the reader gets a strong sense of place, etc.I can't be more specific than that without revealing too much of the plot.Slightly off-topic: I wonder if other readers are as tired as I am of seeing the overrated Chandler and Ross Macdonald mentioned whenever a new writerappears on the scene?I mean, Chandler was a depressing juicer and his similies are tiresome. Macdonald was another one tough to get through, especially when we don't know enough about his Lew Archer to give a damn one way or another.So, please, reviewers/publishers--please stop invoking Chandler and Macdonald. Not all of us are in love with their writing just because certain critics (who may not even have ACTUALLY read their books) continue to tell us how great they were.Final bit: Am glad they went with a different cover for the recent edition, because upside down Chi-town cityscape and the rest of the brownish tint and the dirty moon (or whatever that is) by Gregg Kulick, has got to be one of the most horrendous covers of all time.The new cover, with the P.I. in silhouette (in the distance) and large, partial profile of a looker looking down (I imagine) is a vast improvement.Yes, the cover carries weight, major weight. Think noir, folks.

Having read The Third Rail, The Fifth Floor and now The Chicago Way (reverse order), this was the third novel I have read by Michael Harvey and enjoyed this debut the most. The self-depreciating humor he adds to the dialogue reminds me a bit of the style that David Rosenfelt used in the Andy Carpenter series.While Harvey is not my favorite author, The Chicago Way is a quick and engaging thriller debut that kept me flipping pages from beginning to end.Cubs fan, Michael Kelly is a former divorced cop and now tough private investigator in Chicago. The story begins when retired police officer and his former partner from the decade before, John Gibbons gets him involved in a cold case involving the near stabbing death and rape of the beautiful victim, Elaine Remington.In short order Gibbons turns up murdered as do so many others who were part of the cold case. Organized crime and dirty politicians and city employees help set the scenes and keep the story interesting.Through the stories of many victims of sexual assault and support groups aimed at helping those who have been raped, Kelly learns more than he bargained for and meets some attractive women along the way.Kelly's childhood best friend, DNA analyst Nicole Andrews is involved with a Rape Victim's support group headed up by her friend Judge Rachel Swenson. Also involved in the group is Diane Lindsay, 6 p.m. Chicago Action Television News announcer.The flow of the plot involves solving the puzzle of how death row murderer and rapist, John William Grime and possible accomplice Daniel Pollard are connected to Elaine's rape and the murders of others. Through Mike Kelly, the author unravels the case and ties up loose ends while he prepares the way for his next novel.I enjoyed this book, I think you will too.

Private investigator Michael Kelley lives his life guided by the ideas of the ancient Greeks, whose works he reads in the original Greek. This is an interesting trait for an Irish ex-cop with a talent for fighting.Kelley’s client in this story is him ex-partner, retired cop John Gibbons. After John gets shot dead, Kelley inherits Gibbon's last client – a woman who wants her rapist found. She packs a gun and is one tough cookie. She’s not the only piece-packing Fury in the plot.The more Kelly finds out, the less he understands of what's actually transpiring. He just knows that the official people connected with this cold rape case are dropping like flies. And he's surprisingly acquired a girlfriend, a gorgeous TV anchorwoman, who is probably out of his league. Does she really care for him – or just have an eye for a story?Kelley's investigations bring him into contact with lots of colorful characters – a creepy serial killer on death row, a repulsive landlady who imagines her cats have migraines, an 86-year-old Mafia boss who gives Kelly some fatherly advice about suicide...Kelly has a couple of true friends who help him out. One of them doesn't survive the story, and I didn't like this. But I did like Michael Harvey's writing style. He has a poet's ear for a perfect line of prose. The writing is tough, but packs an emotional punch.This looks to me like a must-read series for aficionados of crime fiction.

I loved this book, it was the 1st one in the series by Michael Harvey, I had a feeling of emotions when reading this.The characters are superb especially the main character, you get to understand his flaws but also his brilliance that goes hand in hand with his method of working.It inspired me that much I went out and bought the next 3 books in the series. Fantastic writer who has a passion for the city- CHICAGO.Doesn't gloss it up just to get an audience or leave anything untouched, loved it.

I found this quite a riveting read. I suppose in other hands it could've been a by-the-numbers thriller-without-thrills but, considering this was Harvey's first novel, his style is so confident and readable it managed to push any of my doubts aside. Those doubts, initially, weren't helped by the use of a quote from De Palma's movie version of The Untouchables, actually crediting Sean Connery for the quote - you know the one:"You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way."It seemed kind of hokey to have that quote up in lights before the first chapter had even started, and I must admit it had put me off reading any further for quite a while. I was in the mood for a crime novel, though, and this was the one I'd had the longest, so . . .Written in the first person, the writing has that hard-bitten, noir-ish feel that you'd associate with the likes of Elmore Leonard and Dashiell Hammett. Obviously, it's not quite on the level of those two authors, but it's laconic, full of self-deprecating humour and neat turns of phrase. For a change, the 'hero', Michael Kelly - an Irish-American ex-cop turned private investigator - is not down on his luck, scratching around for cases and money. In fact, money doesn't seem much of a stumbling block for him, especially as he has an envelope full of the stuff thrust at him very early on.The crime itself is one of those cold case types. His ex-partner, John Gibbons, comes to him about a rape case that happened some eight years previously. The victim has suddenly reappeared and enlisted Gibbons's help in trying to close the still unsolved crime. Gibbons believes Kelly to be the best detective he ever worked with, and wants his help (cos if he didn't it wouldn't be much of a book!). From small beginnings the story quickly spirals outwards, and it's full of surprises, right up to the necessarily downbeat ending. As it deals with the aftermath of this most unpleasant crime, it is never graphic or gratuitous. I thought he handled it with a welcome degree of subtlety.As I've only recently been to Chicago, and many of the streets and landmarks in the novel are fresh in my memory, this only added to the enjoyment. Harvey has a great knack with description, and the atmosphere of the city comes across very well. Perhaps some of the peripheral characters could have done with a little more depth (there are some definite stereotypes that crop up), and Kelly himself has perhaps a few too many cliched skeletons in his closet, but overall I thought it was a cracking debut, and I'm looking forward to reading more.

I really only bought The Chicago Way as it was offered as one of the Amazon/Kindle Daily Deals and I thought it sounded interesting. I generally enjoy detective fiction and am a big fan of a noir-type of stories.Michael Harvey reminds me very much of Raymond Chandler in his "Farewell My Lovely" and "The Big Sleep" days. Harvey really writes noir detective fiction with a modern-day take and it works incredibly well. His characters are very believable and his stories are very cohesive and easy to follow. He doesn't over-complicate the plots but, at the same time, you do have to pay attention! He has a knack of drawing you in from the first page and I'm now a committed fan of his writing.After reading this book, I downloaded pretty much everything else he'd written as I genuinely enjoyed it so much.But, be warned, this is the type of book you'll start reading at 11 o'clock at night and then, at four in the morning when you're still reading, you'll be annoyed with yourself for not going to sleep earlier! His books are real page-turners and I find it almost impossible to put them down once started.I'd highly recommend any of his books.

I must agree with many of the other 5 star reviewers that this is a book which is hard to put down. So what if it follows a tried and tested formula ... it's not the formula that's important but what you do with it!And more importantly, is it entertaining? Rest assured, it is. An ex-cop, now PI, who is investigating a cold case but never quite sure who the bad guy (or gal) really is. Consequently, neither do we. It had quick, witty dialogue and was descriptive and exciting so it met all the criteria I want in an American mystery novel. Added to which, it needed (a little bit) more concentration than is required for some other authors of this genre so I felt I'd had a "bumpy ride" with twists and turns galore by the end.I'm now looking to download the second and third book in this series which is usually a good sign. Highly recommended if this type of book usually appeals.

This one is an entry in the vast array of Raymond Chandler-type novels. It has all the elements - a tough-guy hero with a smart mouth, brutal and often corrupt cops, a mystery from the past, a selection of broken and lonely people, and some pretty and promiscuous women.The story is perfectly readable but in emulating the style of a master it is always going to fall short in much the same way as Robert Parker's Spenser novels also miss the mark. All the way through reading it I felt that there was something missing - possibly the spark of originality.Readable but not remarkable.