Windy City Blues (A Jules Landau Mystery, #2) by Marc Krulewitch
Alibi, 2015
Crime Fiction; 254 pgs
Last summer I had the opportunity to read Marc Krulewitch's The Maxwell Street Blues, and described it as having a "little bit of grit and a lot of personality." Windy City Blues had quite a bit more grit and is just as entertaining.
In the second novel of the series, Jules Landau, a Chicago Private Investigator, takes on his second ever murder investigation when he is hired by a concerned neighbor of the victim. The victim appears to be an upstanding citizen, Georgian immigrant Jack Gelashvili who came to the United States to make a better life for himself. He took a job enforcing parking laws. As Jules begins to look into his death, he doesn't like what he finds: cover-up, greed, a prostitution ring, a possible mob connection, and even more murder.
Jules is one persistent P.I. and isn't one to give up easily no matter the obstacles thrown in his way. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty. In many ways, he strikes me as your traditional private investigator, one who hits the pavement and knocks on doors to get his answers. He uses what connections he has to help him along the way.
While the main focus on Windy City Blues is the murder investigation Jules takes on, the reader also gets a little more of a look into Jules' personal life--his relationship with his mentor, Frownie, and both Frownie's and his father's declining health. Jules still struggles with the legacy his father and grandfather left behind, their reputations steeped in crime. It is part of what makes Jules the character he is. Still, I found this novel just as entertaining as its predecessor, but admit I liked the first better, feeling it delved a little deeper into Jules character than this second novel in the series did.
Like with the first book in the series, Windy City Blues has its share of dirty politics, dubious ethics, and even a little flame of romance. Although it was pretty clear the direction Jules' investigation was going the further into the book I got, it was interesting to see the many twists it took to get there along the way.
Rating:
(Good)
Last summer I had the opportunity to read Marc Krulewitch's The Maxwell Street Blues, and described it as having a "little bit of grit and a lot of personality." Windy City Blues had quite a bit more grit and is just as entertaining.
In the second novel of the series, Jules Landau, a Chicago Private Investigator, takes on his second ever murder investigation when he is hired by a concerned neighbor of the victim. The victim appears to be an upstanding citizen, Georgian immigrant Jack Gelashvili who came to the United States to make a better life for himself. He took a job enforcing parking laws. As Jules begins to look into his death, he doesn't like what he finds: cover-up, greed, a prostitution ring, a possible mob connection, and even more murder.
Jules is one persistent P.I. and isn't one to give up easily no matter the obstacles thrown in his way. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty. In many ways, he strikes me as your traditional private investigator, one who hits the pavement and knocks on doors to get his answers. He uses what connections he has to help him along the way.
While the main focus on Windy City Blues is the murder investigation Jules takes on, the reader also gets a little more of a look into Jules' personal life--his relationship with his mentor, Frownie, and both Frownie's and his father's declining health. Jules still struggles with the legacy his father and grandfather left behind, their reputations steeped in crime. It is part of what makes Jules the character he is. Still, I found this novel just as entertaining as its predecessor, but admit I liked the first better, feeling it delved a little deeper into Jules character than this second novel in the series did.
Like with the first book in the series, Windy City Blues has its share of dirty politics, dubious ethics, and even a little flame of romance. Although it was pretty clear the direction Jules' investigation was going the further into the book I got, it was interesting to see the many twists it took to get there along the way.
Rating:
(Good)
I hope you will check out what others had to say about Windy City Blues on the TLC Book Tours route!
Many thanks to the TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour. The publisher provided me with an e-copy of the book via NetGalley for review.
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This sounds like a solid edition to the series.
ReplyDeleteKathy - I think so too. I will be curious to see what the author comes up with next.
DeleteAddition not edition. Geez.
ReplyDeleteKathy - I knew what you meant. :-) I do that too--probably too often.
DeleteThis sounds good. I really like the opening line.
ReplyDeleteIrene - I enjoyed it. It's entertaining, and I really like Jules.
DeleteThis sounds interesting. I don't have many non-cozy mystery authors anymore so I'm trying to expand a bit. It does always make me nervous when a book starts with a kid though. I want a signed statement from the author that all children will survive the book!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - At risk of spoiling the opening of the novel, no children are harmed. :-) The little boy in the beginning doesn't appear beyond that first section. So, you're safe.
DeleteThis sounds like an intriguing read with interesting characterisations. :)
ReplyDeleteMelody - I do wish he would have spent more time with his father in this one, but given his father's health issues, it's understandable why he didn't.
DeleteThanks for being a part of the tour!
ReplyDeleteHeather - It was my pleasure. :-)
DeleteThis sounds like a series that I would enjoy!!! I love finding new mystery authors to check out so on to the TBR list this goes :)
ReplyDeleteSamantha - I am really curious where the author will take the series next.
DeleteThis is one of the types of books I probably wouldn't gravitate too if it wasn't for reviews from book bloggers. I'm not very much into series which seem to have a lot of city politics involved, but you make this one sound very good!
ReplyDeleteIliana - City politics do seem to play a part in this series so far--but it's all very plot focused in that regard. Too much of it, especially when it overwhelms the book, I can do without.
Delete