Michael Harvey (1)Reviews

A fun and engrossing read that blends some of the noir of Chandler (think The Big Sleep) and the hard-nosed, streetwise, rough and tumble, blood-soaked sleuthing of Spillane's Mike Hammer. Michael Kelly is an ex-Chicago Homicide Detective railroaded off the force by a crooked Cook County DA and now working as a private investigator. The mystery here is solvable in some respects--and I was happy to be both correct in my major deduction while also having plenty of other twists thrown into the mix as the case wound to its inevitable conclusion. If you like the vintage detective novel, the city of Chicago, and the humor that accompanies a lifetime of Cubs fandom, you will enjoy this book!

A strong 4. A family in Brighton, Boston on the fringe of society. Some try to escape the town but it drags them back. Except Kevin who returns after 25 years away having just won the Pulitzer Prise.
When his prosecutor girlfriend asks for his help in an old case he is tested about the meaning of family, the price of friendship and the cost of survival where one misstep can cost you everything.

Kevin has two sisters, one is in the drug supply but very low profile, the other one marries and moves away.
The one involved in drugs is just borne a killer. Anyone who gets in her way including her sister, her brother in law, her boyfriend, two dealers and her grandmother. It's not for the money, she can't spend it because she can't exist outside of Brighton.

As the elder generation of great American crime novelists gives up the ghost, or retires from the scene (any chance you have another Matt Scudder novel in you, Lawrence Block?), Michael Harvey gives aficionados of the form some hope. This is a first-rate, stone whodunit, destined, I would hope, to become a classic of the genre. Very highly recommended.

I really enjoy Michael Harvey's mysteries. Although this isn't a part of the Michael Kelly series, he makes an appearance.

Twisty, dark, and very, very good.

I am being a tiny bit generous here, but the novel (very short) has the style of Philip Marlowe. Story is interesting and I'd read more of the series.

VERY close to a 5-star book. As a rule, I'm not a fan of authors and books featuring the same character(s) over numerous titles, but since this was the first book I've read by this author, I will let it slide. Glad I stuck with it - the first 50 pages or so I thought I was in for another wisecracking PI tale, which it was, but it got much better. Didn't see where it was headed and I enjoyed the plot twists and journey to the conclusion. A fast read, recommended if you're looking for something easy yet enjoyable.

At first I thought this book was just an average hard-boiled detective novel. My favorite part was when one of my favorite true crime shows (Cold Case Files) was mentioned since the author was a co-creator of the series. I thought I had easily figured out who was behind the mystery. Then I looked down at my audiobook and realized I still had an hour of listening left. Harvey had a few twists and turns to throw my way. I enjoyed the story, and will definitely read more in the series.

Some of the plot was a bit convoluted but the premise was interesting.

Kevin Pearce—baseball star, honor student, the pride of Brighton—was fifteen when he left town in the back of his uncle’s cab. He and his buddy Bobby Scales had just committed heinous violence for what they thought were the best of reasons. Kevin didn’t want a pass, but he was getting it anyway. Bobby would stay and face the music; Kevin’s future would remain bright as ever. At least that was the way things were supposed to work, except in Brighton things never work the way they’re supposed to.
Twenty-six years later, Kevin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist for the Boston Globe. He’s never been back to his old block, having avoided his family and, especially, Bobby Scales. Then he learns his old friend is the prime suspect in a string of local murders. Suddenly, Kevin’s headed home—to protect a friend and the secret they share. To report this story to the end and protect those he loves, he must face not only an elusive, slippery killer, but his own corrupted conscience

I picked this book up off a shelf in the library, unrecommended. Never read a book by Michael Harvey and I was not familiar with the Michael Kelly series. Not bad. A bit like the Spenser series by Robert Parker though Spenser had a quicker wit about him. The yarn was pretty interesting but evolved into a more complicated and to me less necessary ending. Some decent twist and turns and a few surprises as the story played out.

Kelly is hired online by an anonymous client to find a missing Illinois governor who escaped jail and from pursuers after he absconded with some millions of dollars.

Kelly focuses on the Governor's Wife who has some explaining to do of her own...

Wow. A good thriller. Clancy style. I even remember when the train fell off the El. It was good to read about home. Not a good book for school. Too much cop/shop talk.

I was unsure about this book at first. I almost gave up on it. I have never lived in America and I have no interest in baseball and there did seem to be a lot about this at the beginning of the book which did not appeal to me. However, I kept going and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.

I AM one of those who read and loved this book! Born and raised in Mass., tho not in this area but on the south shore, i think this was one of THE most Massachusetts-y books i've read in a long while. Along the lines of an up and coming Dennis Lehane. Gritty, real, with characters filled with dreams, anger and self- delusion for the most part. Survival on the streets.
Lots of references to places and things i know which struck a chord. Dunkin' Donuts, Weymouth, my dad grew up on Joy St. in Boston, to name a few.... This book is going on my KEEP shelf, THAT'S how much i enjoyed it.

Description
It’s been two years since disgraced Illinois governor Ray Perry disappeared from a federal courthouse in Chicago moments after being sentenced to thirty-seven years in prison on corruption charges. P.I. Michael Kelly is sitting in his office when he gets an anonymous e-mail offering to pay him nearly a quarter of a million dollars if he will find Perry, no questions asked. Kelly’s investigation begins with the woman Ray Perry left behind - his wife, Marie. As he hunts for her husband, Kelly begins to unwind Marie Perry’s past. Everyone in Chicago has secrets, including the governor’s wife. Some of them she shared with her husband. Some of them she kept to herself. And some of them could get Michael Kelly killed.

Kelly is tough with a soft heart, willing to take on the bad guys a bit too recklessly because they’ve wronged somebody who didn’t deserve it. This story wasn’t really my style. Although it did have some action and surprises, it was not really believable and only mildly entertaining.

Bioterrorism. Lucky for Michael Kelley that he has lots of folks watching his back. The most terrifying part of the book is that the USA still doesn't have a plan to deal with a bioterrorism attack in our own back yard.

The Chicago Way is the first in what I assume will be a series. If so, Harvey should do pretty well. The first book usually sets the scene for the series and introduces the character, without developing him too much. That happens over the course of the series. Such was the case for this book, which introduced P.I. Michael Kelly but didn’t manage to flesh him out beyond the surface layer. Although the story is well told and the ending held more than one surprise for me, it didn’t break any new ground for the genre. And I think Harvey made a mistake in killing off one particular character too soon. This was just a good story, well told.

Fascinating story of personalities in conflict and in the irresistible draw of the past. The crime story which is the frame for the characters' actions seems implausible but it all comes together as a good read.

Book # 3, in Michael Kelly, PI series

Thrillers are all about fast-paced plots and a hero that faces impossible situations and somehow get himself/herself out just in the nick of time. Definitely Michael Harvey has patted down this formula to a tee and is exploring it to the max. In the previous novels some historical incident were the bases for the plot, “The Third Rail” is no deferent, the story in the 3rd book relates to an accident which happened in 1977 when a four cars on E1 derailed and plunged to the street killing 11 persons. In this mystery Kelly was on board, his father was the conductor….fast forward to today, Kelly is drawn into a deadly cat- and mouse game when one morning while he was waiting for a CTA commuter train a man shoots and kills a woman near him….this is déjà vu all over…..and the start of random killings…and a PI on the chase.

This story is pure adrenaline rush as its peels its mystery one page at a time in a tone that is tough reflecting the protagonist rough side. The author deftly alternates between Kelly’s first-person perspective and third-person accounts of the men Kelly seeks. The many intersecting plot threads in this convoluted tale need our full attention although they do come together by the end, you will miss out if your attention wavers just a bit. This book is an engaging and a pretty good action thriller featuring tough, cynical characters in a bleak setting and is one hard to put down.

Good crime novel with some local flavor. Liked it more than I thought I would.

“At the centre of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin & by illusion, a point of pure truth….”

By the time Bobby Scales quotes Thomas Merton, you already know he’s not your garden variety thug. But then he never really had a chance to be anything else.

The book opens in 1970’s Brighton, a tough suburb of Boston where dreams of a better life tend to die young. Bobby was on his own by the time he hit high school. The closest thing he has to family is Mary Burke, a strong no-nonsense woman who runs a cab company. She looks out for him while keeping an eye on her grandson Kevin Pearce. Mary senses he’s special & vows he’ll make it out of Brighton. But first he’ll have to survive growing up in a house ruled by his drunk, abusive father.

By 1975, Bobby & Kevin are inseparable. Times are tough but they have Mary, baseball & each other. Then the unthinkable happens. One night Kevin arrives at his grandmother’s in time to see a young black man run from the building. After racing inside, the first thing he finds is one of his sisters bleeding from stab wounds. The second is Mary’s body. He can’t know it yet but the fallout from this senseless act will define his life for years to come.

Fast forward to 2002. Kevin left Brighton in 1975 & never looked back. He’s now an investigative reporter for The Globe & just won a Pulitzer for his series of articles about a black man wrongly accused of murder who was killed in prison. Add to that his relationship with Suffolk County prosecutor Lisa Mignot & life is good. Hold that thought, Kev.

Lisa’s office is called in after 2 women are killed in Brighton & she thinks they’re tied to the unsolved murder of a young black man in 1975. When Kevin sneaks a look at the files, his blood runs cold & he knows it’s time…..time to go home & pay his debt to Bobby.

Put the kettle on, curl up in your favourite reading spot & turn off the phone because once you crack the cover on this one, you’ll be ticked if you have to put it down. What follows is a complex & heart wrenching story of friendship, loyalty, betrayal & redemption. The author uses the first section to build the history of Kevin & Bobby’s friendship, ensuring that readers become invested. Brighton itself is a major character, so well rendered through descriptions of seedy streets, crowded apartments & hopeless lives that the grit sticks to you fingers.

But it’s only as action switches to the present that we learn the truth of everything that happened in the past. And holy crap, are there some shockers lurking in the pages. When Kevin begins his own investigation, his intention is to stay one step ahead of the law & protect Bobby. What he eventually uncovers will rewrite his childhood memories & strip the veneer off the life he’s created.

These characters don’t just appear on the page. They come out swinging, shouting & scheming. There are no stick people here. Each is a combination of good & bad, capable of great love & thoughtless violence. Part of the rising tension is due to not knowing who can be trusted when push comes to shove. And while you may dislike some of them, you can also understand how they became who they are. Although it’s ostensibly Kevin’s story, Bobby is the one that stuck with me. He’s a man who never caught a break but will go down fighting to protect a friend or keep a promise.

This is a dark & compelling story that will have you holding your breath in the final chapters. It definitely reminded me of books by Dennis Lehane (especially “Mystic River”) & Greg Iles, 2 authors who excel at creating stories that are richly atmospheric. This is the first I’ve read from Mr. Harvey. Guess my groaning TBR pile just got taller.½

This was not my typical mystery read (being in the noir style), and I loved it anyway. It's always fun to find a book outside my "comfort zone" that I really enjoy. This one was a recommendation from my dad.

Michael Kelly is a former cop turned private detective who is hired to solve a cold case. But this is a much more complicated case than first appears, with repercussions stretching all the way to the present.

Harvey knows how to write about a cold case. He was the executive producer of a great true crime show, Cold Case Files. This is a book full of twists and turns, especially a huge twist at the end that I did not see coming.

Wow! I almost didn't buy this book as it had -what is for me, the kiss of death on the cover- a recommendation from Stephen King. I usually really like Mr King's books, I almost always hate any he recommends. This book may change that.
An excellent story of friendship, murder, family, revenge and outstanding storytelling. The seedy side of Irish Boston starting in the 70's and ending in the 2000's. The story is perfectly laid out and is easily one of the top 5 books this year, or possibly any year. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Northwestern University has class for solving old cases. Three students decide on a case. Each student has baggage. The Professor has baggage. This leads them down circuitous path. Unusual but interesting.

Kevin and Bob are close buddies in terrible section of Irish Boston in the 70's. Kevin gets out and makes something of himself. Bob stays and covers for Kevin's sins.
Many years later Kevin wins a big journalism award and is living with a city attorney and his sins come back to haunt him.
This is a riveting thriller and a great read.