Review: The Chicago Way

The Chicago Way

by Michael Harvey

303 pages

My mom and I picked up this book off the "buy two get a third free" table at Barnes and Noble a couple weeks ago. We each picked one book then needed a third. As we were browsing we picked this one up, read the back (which looked intriguing), saw that John Grisham pimped it on the front, and I needed a book with a city, country, or continent in the title for WBC so we got it. And I got to read it first.

This book is about Michael Kelly, an ex-cop turned Private Investigator in downtown Chicago. His former partner, John Gibbons, who he hasn't seen in years, shows up at his office on day to get his help on a attempted murder/rape case that occurred years before and was somehow "lost" and never solved. The girl who had been the victim had come to John recently since he was the one who had found her and originally arrested the suspect (who was released for some unknown reason). Later that night, Gibbons was found murdered. Michael Kelly began investigating the murder of Gibbons, the attempted murder/rape cold case, and serveral other murders that seem to somehow all be connected.

I got so into this book! The writing style was very fitting for a Chicago, Irish P.I. so I fell right in with the character. And the ending, oh I didn't see this one coming at all! It was a great example of the "good guys" not always being good and "bad guys" not always being so bad, and I kind of love that. I've already told my mom that this book was definitely worth reading, told my husband that he should read it (he's not really much of a reader so it's tough finding things that he might like!), and I put Michael Harvey's second book on my PaperBackSwap wishlist! And maybe I'll even start watching Michael Harvey's show Cold Case Files on A&E, which he hilariously plugged in the book. Hey, can't blame a guy for getting new people to watch his show!

9 out of 10 stars.

Recommended by Hubs

Title: Bleachers

Author: John Grisham

number of pages: 192

I picked up this book because I needed a fiction (or nonfiction) book about football, basketball, or hockey for the Winter Book Challenge. Originally, I was going to read Tony Dungee's (former coach of the Indy Colts) autobiography, but when my husband saw the list he said that I should read Bleachers. I'm glad I listened to him!

Bleachers is about a man named Neely Crenshaw who returns to his small hometown of Messina when he finds out that their "beloved" head football coach is set to die of cancer any day now. Neely was the star quarterback in high school 15 years ago and looking like he was going to win the Heisman when he blew out his knee during his sophomore year of college and never played again. He never wanted to return to Messina since football was the way of life there and he would never play again, and he never wanted to see his coach again because of an altercation during the state finals game his senior year. During his 4 day stay in Messina, Neely reconnects with old friends, remembers why he loved football in the first place, and realizes whether he loved or hated his former coach.

This book was one that had a lot more to it than just football stories. It talked about different kinds of love and loss, and realizing how things in your past shape you to be who you are at the present. I was definitely crying at the end! Oh, and it only took me maybe 4-5 hours to read.

7 out of 10 stars.