The problem is Frank DiMarco does not own the building. The police tracked down DiMarco and arrested him. He’s been charged with felony theft by deception. The strongest witness against him is Bob Loniski.

One of the other tenants is killed, and Loniski gets a phone call telling him that testifying against DiMarco would be bad for his health. Loniski is advised to get a bodyguard. Terry Green believes that DiMarco is probably running the same scam with other buildings. DiMarco may be connected to the Outfit, the Chicago version of organized crime.

Dudgeon agrees to check around to see if Loniski is in any danger. He learns that mob boss Johnny Greico isn’t out to get Loniski, but DiMarco may be working for another boss. Dudgeon takes the job as Bob Loniski’s bodyguard. It’s not an easy assignment because Loniski is enjoying his new-found fame in the movie industry where keeping a high profile is everything.

Meanwhile, Dudgeon’s love life is getting a bit tenuous. His girlfriend Jill, a nurse, is increasingly worried that Dudgeon’s job is too dangerous. She’s afraid of what the future could hold.

Dudgeon begins to suspect that there’s more to protecting Loniski than first appeared. There are definite signs that a criminal conspiracy reaching into high levels of government might be implicated.

Written in the first person, Big City, Bad Blood is one of those gritty private eye stories that reek of atmosphere and testosterone. Ray Dudgeon is the ultimate hero – strong, principled, sensitive, insightful, brave, and nobody’s fool. The kind of hero who is bound to get beaten to a pulp before the end of the book but will insist “it’s just a scratch.”

The Chicago setting is an integral part of the story. It begins “in the shadows of the John F. Kennedy Expressway.” Narrator Dudgeon makes observations about many Chicago locales over the course of the narrative. Readers familiar with Chicago will feel right at home.

Big City, Bad Blood is the first novel by author Sean Chercover, but he’s written for other media in the past. With this strong debut, it seems likely that Ray Dudgeon will return to star in a future book. This one is certain to appeal to fans of the detective subgenre.

--Lesley Dunlap