31 December 2011

Book Log 2011 #45: The Third Rail by Michael Harvey

Two women are shot and killed on the El, with the only apparent tie being Chicago PI Michael Kelly, who is on the platform for the first shooting and is contacted by the killer after the second. Kelly winds up on the task force investigating the shootings, but is also approached by the mayor to make sure that the killer, once found, doesn't get to trial. From the start Kelly feels like the case is being handled incorrectly, and as that plays out he finds that he has another, more personal connection to the shootings. 

This is the third book involving Kelly, and it lives up to the standard set by the other two books. I wasn't fully satisfied by the ending, but it worked well enough that I was able to put my misgivings aside. It's not necessarily as noirish as the other two, but there's plenty of Chicago flavor to make up for it. I also like how Kelly continues to be developed as a fully-realized person, and not just someone who spends his time either on cases or drinking (though he spends plenty of time on both). What isn't sitting well is the introduction of FBI and Homeland Security types, as I worry that future books will be less Chicago-centric. But for now, another good book in the series.

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For want of anything better to post, here's a breakdown of if I've been to the most populous 100 cities in the US, and if so for how...