City for Ransom

I don't usually read historical mysteries. I like modern thrillers the best and usually stick to those. My husband bought City for Ransom, and I picked it up after he put it down. And didn't put it down again until I had finished it. Wow! I grew up in Chicago and the book struck a chord with me as I read about what life had been like just two decades after The Great Fire, how the slaughterhouses pervaded life (I swear I could still smell them sometimes some 70 years later), how important the railroads are to the city, and most of all, how Corruption with a capital "C" has always been the way in my old hometown. Mr. Walker weaves all of this into a compelling tale of a sick and frightening serial killer and the flawed, tarnished but still amazingly likable and heroic detective who has the thankless job of stopping this killer. With the added issues of women's rights and equality, cutting edge technology like fingerprinting and setting up the prototypes for data bases, as well as the economic inequalities that still haunt this great city, Mr. Walker has created a fun read that also has substance and grit. Maybe I've been missing something with historical mysteries? (Oh, and I have read Devil in the White City. Other than period and backdrop, these two books have nothing to do with each other, any more than Killer Angels and Gone With the Wind have anything to do with each other.) Great read! Thank you, Mr. Walker. And now I must hurry out to get the rest of the books...

This book is a must-read for all fans of dark mystery. Walker paints a vivid picture of 1893 Chicago, a metropolis that's threatened by a Jack the Ripper style killer who is tracked relentlessly by Inspector Alastair Ransom, a real cop's cop. Do yourself a favor and read City for Ransom. It's my favorite book of the year, thus far. Just make sure all your windows and doors are locked before turning to the first page.

I love Chicago. The name itself intrigues. When I was a kid in Ireland it was a famous name in my head, filed there from many Hollywood movies: the dark side with Capone, O'Bannion, and the St. Valentine's Day massacre; the crying side with Mrs.O'Leary's cow almost burning the city to the ground; and the political side of Chicago's Irish bosses, with pride and shame in equal measure. Later in life I became intimate with Chicago when I attended Northwestern's Kellogg School and looked forward to every weekend spent in the windy city. And, tell me, whose heart doesn't find a home in Tony Bennett's `Chicago, Chicago, my home town." Chicago today, what could be better? I'll tell you what: Chicago of 1893 in Robert W. Walker's CITY FOR RANSOM, which takes you back in time as surely as any H.G. Wells time machine, back to a city that's the most important character in this superb, dark, skillful, hypnotic work. Calling it a mystery, or crime noir, or thriller, or work of suspense or horror would be short-changing this masterful creation. Yes, it's a gripping dark suspense filled story but always, always, it's Chicago that marches proudly through these pages, breathing life into them as only a master like Rob Walker can accomplish. I won't review the story, the plot, or the marvellous characters. I'll leave that to other reviewers. I'm just glad that Rob Walker chose Chicago for this new series. If you know Chicago, read this. If you don't know Chicago, then you must read it to understand and share my passion.

As a major fan of historical thrillers, it takes a lot to impress me, but Robert W. Walker's CITY FOR RANSOM did so admirably. This is a first-rate thriller bolstered by a moody atmosphere, gripping prose, and key details that lend themselves to the authenticity of the time and place: Chicago's World's Fair, 1893. Forensics are in their infancy, and criminal investigations are often hampered by inaccurate sciences and beliefs. But Inspector Alastair Ransom trudges forward after a heinous serial killer, playing a deadly cat-and-mouse game that turns even more chilling when Ransom finds that he's next on the killer's list of potential victims. Walker writes with an intense, focused prose style that fully fleshes his characters' and gives us an understanding as to their motivations and the demons that drive them. An evocative, fascinating plot unfolds with greater and greater momentum until you might suffer flashburns from turning the pages so fast. Highly recommended and very much looking forward to the sequels.

I have never read a historical novel, but as a huge fan of Walker's Instinct and Edge series, I decided to try this history-mystery because I knew Walker would make history exciting. In fact, he makes it compelling and it comes alive. In fact, I can't get some of these scenes out of my mind, and I read somewhere where that's the defintion of good fiction -- what effect it leaves on the reader. Walker writes in a no nonsense, fast paced style, and does not slow down his normal speed for City for Ransom. It reads like a speeding thermo-dynamic train out of control, yet the story is controlled. Fact is, City for Ransom has hooked me and I am ready to be "Ransomed" again -- in the sequel. This is Walker's sixth series character and his best. Great read, great story, great incidents thru-out.