Chicago: A Novel

Mike and Parlow are reporters monitoring the pulse of the Windy City in the 1920s. They have both been firsthand witnesses to carnage, war, and destruction. Mike served on the front lines in Europe during World War I. Parlow covered the devastation after a mega-quake in Japan. The carnage being chronicled in their current environment involves the territorial wars being fought in the wake of Prohibition. Mike is more preoccupied in his feelings for Annie Walsh, the daughter of a local florist. The florist has been extra busy as their works have become the centerpiece of the burgeoning funeral business. His staking out of the florist business leads to a whirlwind romance with Annie, who is unfortunately soon to meet a sudden tragic end. The loss leads Mike down a dark path where the bottle is his only true friend. Parlow and local madam Peekaboo attempt to help Mike find closure, if not solace. But is Mike willing to walk through fire for answers, and will he be able to get them?

Chicago is a new soon-to-be classic chockful of noir-like characters and plot. David Mamet has utilized the murderous Capone-O’Banion era to whittle out a tale of love, revenge, and truth that will leave the reader breathless and even pensive at the end. A classy work.