Book ~ "Trigger City" (2009) Sean Chercover

It was so nice out this morning so I sat outside and finished this book.

From Amazon ~ When Isaac Richmond, a retired army colonel, asks Chicago PI Ray Dudgeon to look into his daughter's murder, Dudgeon, who's still recovering from the injuries he sustained in Big City, Bad Blood, reluctantly agrees to take the $50,000 case in this engrossing follow-up. Joan Richmond's death looks straightforward: a deranged co-worker, Steven Zhang, shot her in her home and then committed suicide. Never one to accept the simplest answer, Dudgeon starts digging and discovers that Joan's former employer was Hawk River, a military contract company under congressional investigation. Steve's widow soon reveals her husband's ties to China, and Dudgeon realizes that Joan's murder could lead back to both the Department of Homeland Security and some ruthless military contractors.

I enjoyed Big City, Bad Blood but it had been over a year since I'd read it so it took me a while to remember the background and characters.

It took me a couple chapters to get into this book ... I found it a bit cold.

And as a Canadian, I don't know all the agencies in the States so some of that didn't make sense.

But I eventually got into the story and enjoyed it.

Book ~ "Big City, Bad Blood" (2008) - Sean Chercover

From Amazon.com ~ Real-life Chicago PI Chercover, in his impressive hard-boiled debut, introduces Ray Dudgeon, a former Chicago reporter disillusioned with the newspaper business who has turned private detective. When Bob Loniski, a locations manager for Hollywood films, hires Dudgeon for protection after running afoul of a mid-level gangster, Dudgeon finds himself in the middle of an organized crime war. A number of forces hamper Dudgeon's efforts to keep his client alive, even as his probing reveals that Loniski may have witnessed a prominent local politician keeping unsavory company and that the violence may be connected to a broader conspiracy. Like many a classic PI, Dudgeon behaves according to his own subjective code. The author's considerable storytelling and characterization gifts compare favorably with those of Loren D. Estleman and other established masters of the crime genre.

I discovered this book in an newspaper article announcing the International Thriller Writers Association nominees. And the fact that Sean is originally from Toronto added to the appeal.

I really enjoyed this book. Sean has a fun sarcastic writing style which I like. And I liked the characters, Joe and the friends with whom he surrounds himself.

This book definitely deserves its Best First Novel nomination.

I look forward to seeing more adventures of Joe Dudgeon!