Murder, Chicago Style

Chicago has always had the reputation for being a tough, rough-and-tumble town, complete with tough politicians, tough cops and tough crooks. Numerous mysteries have been written in recent years that have reflected the city’s gritty reputation while also showcasing the many faces of Chicago as a backdrop for their stories.

Here are a few suggestions for anyone looking for a Chicago-based mystery story:

Trigger City by Sean Chercover

Unable to believe police reports that blame a mentally ill co-worker for his daughter's murder, a retired army intelligence colonel hires Ray Dudgeon to discern the truth, triggering a confrontation between the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Terror Town by Stuart Kaminsky

Detective Abe Lieberman works to discover a common link between a baseball player whose career has been cut short by tragedy, a religious fanatic who employs unorthodox conversion methods, and a murdered single mother.

Close Call by John McEvoy

Jack Doyle is hired as the publicity director at Monee Park, a struggling race track owned by Celia McCann. Doyle soon discovers that Celia is being threatened by thugs who are pressuring her to sell the valuable property to real estate developers.

Well Read and Dead by Catherine O’Connell

After a long, decadent European vacation, widowed Chicago socialite Pauline Cook returns to learn she's lost nearly $20 million in bad investments, Air France lost her Louis Vuitton luggage, and her best friend, Whitney, who's been taking care of her precious cat, Fleur, has vanished. Whitney's grief-stricken husband offers Pauline a multimillion-dollar reward to find Whitney, taking the daring amateur sleuth all the way to Thailand and Vietnam.

Person of Interest by Theresa Schwegel

Her marriage to Craig, an undercover Chicago cop, cracking under the stress of his job, Leslie McHugh launches her own investigation when $1000 mysteriously vanishes from their joint bank account and Craig cannot provide an explanation.

City of the Absent by Robert W. Walker

As the great Chicago Exposition of 1893 draws to a close, the city is rocked by the assassination of its mayor. Meanwhile, Inspector Alastair Ransom launches his own investigation into the brutal killing of Nell Hartigan, a Pinkerton agent posing as a prostitute, to find an unspeakable murderer preying on the city's most vulnerable--and disposable--citizens.

The Last Striptease by Michael Wiley

Sick of violence, Chicago private detective Joe Kozmarski reluctantly agrees to assist Judge Rifkin, who wants him to investigate his assistant, Bob Piedras, the prime suspect in the murder of his lover. The case becomes complicated by the judge's murder and the disappearance of Piedras.