Ex-cop, newly minted PI Nick Acropolis, a Chicago native, is familiar with the West Side, having grown up in the area. He is sent by a law firm to investigate an insurance claim/ car accident that occurred near Westerfield’s Pharmacy. Nick is sad to note that the pharmacy is one of the few remaining buildings in his boyhood neighborhood, but unlike its neighbors, seems to still retain an air of prosperity.

At the store Nick meets the owner’s daughter, Becky Westerfield. The young woman is visibly upset and when she learns that Nick is a PI she starts a conversation with him. Although her mother assures Becky that her father is taking some well earned vacation time at a Colorado retreat, she is certain that his absence connotes something infinitely more sinister. A close friend of her father has been gunned down, gangster style, just prior to her father’s disappearance. Becky is insistent that, as an experienced private investigator, Nick will be able to unravel the mystery of her missing father and hires him to look into the matter.

Westerfield’s Chain is a first mystery by Jack Clark. Though Mr. Clark clearly demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of the geography of Chicago, and the relative prosperity of various neighborhoods, the mystery itself has numerous weaknesses. There are a plethora of characters whose personalities and roles are only vaguely developed. Unless the book is consumed at one sitting, an ample amount of rereading will be required to avoid confusion.

In addition, the dialogue is, at best, uninspired. Most exchanges between characters are short phrases rather than complete sentences, and while improper grammar may be expected from those with little education, those with several years of higher education make some glaring grammatical mistakes. Also, given the characters stated professions, they don’t act knowledgeably. A man who is employed by the state Public Aid Commission meets Nick at his home. A woman unknown to this employee is present. He proceeds to give Nick sensitive information about a case in front of this woman. Is this logical? I think not. Employees that do things like that would soon find themselves unemployed.

Another shortcoming of the novel is the author’s reliance on coincidence to drive the plot. When Nick needs more information there is always someone available and ready to provide it. Even the police, many of whom have a prickly relationship with Nick because of the circumstances under which he left the force, willingly share what they know with him. He also propitiously avoids dangerous situations by checking his messages on his answering machine and noting the order in which they were left.

Mr. Clark does demonstrate some ingenuity in helping his protagonist extricate himself from a closet. Nick logically has the background he needs to think of a solution, and the equipment he selects to carry out his idea is logically at hand. The presence of his companion in the closet is not so easily explained, but remains within the realm of possibility.

It is noted in the short biography that Mr. Clark is a cab driver in Chicago. That fact is clearly demonstrated in his protagonist’s travels throughout the city. Nick ably makes his way around without the use of a Global Positioning Device and knows the most efficient route to get from one place to another. In my view, this cook’s tour of the city is one of the most enjoyable parts of the book.

--Andy Plonka