Chicago, May 30, 1956: On a quiet corner in a working-class immigrant neighborhood, a heavy suitcase is discovered on the sidewalk late at night. Inside is the body of a young boy, naked and hacked into pieces.
The sheer cruelty of the case’s multiple murders demands coarse language, at which Guzlowski excels. But in describing the saintly Sisters of St. Joseph nuns who live near the murder scene as 'tough broads, eyes like razors,' he lets us know that, back in the day, the city of Chicago was an all-around rough town.
James Ellroy fans will appreciate this grim portrayal of the hunt for a serial killer ... Guzlowski’s credible depiction of his cop leads, who believe in administrating their own brand of justice, compensates for the straightforward whodunit plotline.
