Jitterbug

Estleman is a versatile writer moving easily -or so it appears -between the Western and the crime novel and between various sub-genres within both styles .Jitterbug is one of a series of historical mysteries centred around the history of Detroit and its focus is on the city during World War Two . The city is booming due to the demands of wartime production on the engineering industry and plants are operating round the clock .With so many able bodied men and women in the military major demographic and cuiltural change is all around .The police force is down to a small group of relatively eldrly and less physically fit officers not to mention the just plain misfits of the department .In addition large numbers of black people have migrated to detroit and are working -for the first time -alongside whites on the production lines ,earning good money.Rcial tensions are running high Into this volatile situation is stirred a seriel killer -a movie nut with a Robert Taylor fixation ,who is killing food coupon hoarders and believes he is doing a patriotic service by his actions .In fact he is nothing of the sort-just a basic screw-up who has been rejected by the army on psychiatric grounds and he is a very nasty piece of work indeed.Tracking him down is the job of Lieutenant Zagreb and his understrength squad ;they are also having to cope with a series of large scale race riots in the city . This fascinating and well written book throws new light on Detroit at a time of change and works admirably as both a piece of well researched historical fiction and as a serial killer novel.The riot scenes are especially vividly described and help give it a sense of time that is often lacking in the genre .The mystery elemnt is not a main plank of the book as we are told the identity of the killer very early -rather ,the focus is on the hunt and the person of Zagreb ,who is a well realised man battling his own demons,as well as on the sociological aspects of the age Recommended unreservedly

Having grown up in Detroit during the fifties I can vouch for all written in the Novel. Dad worked in the Auto Shops and many of his stories were repeated by the Author. I remember as a teenager the next generation of the Detectives in this story. They were the Big Four. A black unmarked Buick with two giant Detectives and two a little smaller uniformed officers that never smiled. We still respected the law in those days. They made sure of it. The novel was teriffic with plenty of known landmarks and memories including streetcars. I highly recommend reading it.

i liked this book a lot for the atmosphere and the serial killer, but unfortunately his capture is sewed up too soon and simply for me. Contrary to what one reviewer has said, I think the cops were portrayed rather well. I was pleased to discover yet another very competent and creative detective novelist.

It's the 1940's, the country's at war, most of the young healthy men of Detroit have left to fight, and there is a serial killer loose in the city. Enter four jaw busting, foul mouthed middle aged cops, teamed to find the killer. (These guys are definitely not the Untouchables) The serial killer is not the main character and the reader knows who he is from the beginning so there is little mystery. The investigation is a vehicle for meeting the characters and presenting 1940's Detroit, a city of corruption and bigotry. The book is populated with sarcastic and cynical characters and description is usually sarcastic and cynical. Historical characters, such as Henry Ford and FDR, are portrayed unsympathetically. In contrast to the rough characterizations, though, are the compassionate portrayal of the two young black men, Dwight and Earl.I found this a book that held my attention all the way through. The characters seemed real, although, for the most part, unlikable and the story successfully casts a rather somber mood.

During World War II, Detroit becomes a Mecca for manufacturing weapons and aircraft for the war. Many southern blacks flock to the city as employment is readily available. However, the number of inductees for the war leaves the city's police force in jeopardy. Experience is lacking and the number of cops are at a critical low. Lieutenant Maximillian "Zag" Zagreb and his three experienced detectives lead a law enforcement team made up of 4-F rejects sprinkled with reemployed annuitant officers, who had previously retired. The cops are already overworked when a patriotic serial killer emerges. The "Kilroy Killer" is slaying anyone who allegedly is hoarding ration stamps. As the police struggle to retain order and uncover the identity of a dangerous mass murderer, race riots rock the city in the summer of 43. Even as the police cope with the rioting, they continue to seek out the identity of a demented patriot before more lives are lost. JITTERBUG is one of the best historical police procedurals this reviewer has ever read. The story line is gritty as it combines fact with fiction to paint a rarely seen picture of the home front during the big war. The characters are all brilliantly developed and their motives, even that of the deranged killer, is understandable. Loren D. Estleman demonstrates why he is an award winning author, who deserves new accolades for a fantastic novel that will leave readers dancing in the streets.Harriet Klausner