'46, Chicago

Rating:
Summary: Estelman meets Pelecanos
Review: If you like gritty city tough guys Chicago '46 is for you. It has the taste of inner city grime in every bite. As George Pelecanos flays D.C.'s skin open to reveal the infernal workings of the city's walking wounded, down and out junkies and brown bag alchoholics, Monroe shows us the stomach if not the heart of post-war Chicago. Monroe echoes Estelman in Gus Carson as a post military angel with skinned knuckles and part time conscience. All in all Monroe has built an extraordinary foundation for multi-volume series. Dave Robichaux and Earl Swagger watch out!

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: Steve Monroe has done it again. His second book is every bit as dominant as the last. If you are an Ellroy fan or a fan of crime fiction, buy this immediately. I wish he had more books out. very soon his name will be mentioned among the best authors of this time. I expect him to become a household name among readers.

Rating:
Summary: Enthralling Book
Review: Steve Monroe sends the reader back to gritty 1946 Chicago for a pageturning who-done-it. The combination of street slang and tangible, realistic characters pulls you in won't let you go. After the plot gets moving, it moves at a pretty good pace.

'46, Chicago has a distinct feel of The Great Gatsby with a bit of Road to Perdition. The dialogue and action are consistent with what you would expect from the city streets of Chicago.

This book is an excellent read. It's neither too long nor too short -- worth every minute you spend reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Not just another mystery thriller
Review: Steve Monroe's '57 CHICAGO brought us the seamy world of late '50's Chicago. Now, '46 CHICAGO takes us back a decade, exposing the pain of post-war trauma, and the effects on a man caught in the middle. I loved this book. The words, sentences and structure fit the short, brunt, to-the-point nature of the characters of this story. Good guys, bad dames, chump or hero? We really don't know which is which or who is who until the last pages. This was a fun read.

Rating:
Summary: Going back gets even better
Review: Steve Monroe's '57 CHICAGO brought us the seamy world of late '50's Chicago. Now, '46 CHICAGO takes us back a decade, exposing the pain of post-war trauma, and the effects on a man caught in the middle. I loved this book. The words, sentences and structure fit the short, brunt, to-the-point nature of the characters of this story. Good guys, bad dames, chump or hero? We really don't know which is which or who is who until the last pages. This was a fun read.

Rating:
Summary: Not just another mystery thriller
Review: This book is awesome. This just isn't another waste of time Patterson/Grisham or Balducci book. This guy has talent. It's a page turner and not predictable. As the title suggests set in Chicago shortly following the war, this book follows a rogue Chicago cop caught in a whorehouse and follows him in his chase as Chicago politcs intermingle with North Suburban money. Monroe describes it as if he were there.