Chicago Blues (Mysteries & Horror)
Lurid, pulpy violence drives the third outing of Chicago police commander Larry Cole (Windy City), a twisty tale of mob power and politics. When two hit men are murdered before they can carry out their contract on a U. S. senator, Cole suspects a connection to four unsolved 15-year-old murders. Cole believes that a young police officer, Reggie Stanton, did the earlier killings, but the case was quashed by top brass. Now Stanton is back, claiming to be an FBI agent detailed to protect the senator. Sadistic crime boss "Tuxedo" Tony DeLisa, still determined to thwart the senator's organized crime investigation, calls on an aging German assassin to do the job right. This puts two killers, local police and the FBI on a collision course. A Chicago PD commander himself, Holton knows his cop shops and politics, but here he lets the blood flow like ketchup (or, in one case, "strawberry pie"). Cole, the putative hero, plays an oddly secondary role, with Stanton and DeLisa given the best lines. With multiple action scenes involving such cartoony gimmicks as expert dagger-throwers and bazookas, this one is less puzzler or gritty urban crime story than action-adventure fantasy.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.