Person of Interest

I won't repeat the synopsis of the book, because it's already been done. I will, however, say this book caught me on page one and didn't let go until the end. The author has created riveting characters, a complex and compelling story, and a wonderful look at the life on the fringes in Chicago. Highly recommended, as are Schwegel's other two novels.

Theresa Schwegel is the best contemporary mystery writer today. "Person of Interest" is another super example of this writer"s ability.

Theresa Schwegel is frighteningly good. There is no other way to say it. She came out of the gate with OFFICER DOWN, a debut novel that continues to draw accolades and new readers some two years later. PROBABLE CAUSE, published in late December 2006, showed no hint of a sophomore slump or reticence, demonstrating a strong, confident tone that resonates long after the final sentence is read. Now, not even a year later, Schwegel favors us with PERSON OF INTEREST, which arguably is her best work to date. The book is equal parts crime novel and domestic tragedy, a puzzle of parts that interlock so exquisitely that, after one has finished reading this work, it is hard to resist immediately delving into it again, in order to precisely examine how Schwegel accomplished what she did. PERSON OF INTEREST is not so much about one person as it is about a family. All of the McHughs --- Craig, husband and father; Leslie, wife and mother; and Ivy, teenaged daughter --- are unhappy with their lives and each other. Craig is an undercover cop who is so deep into his role --- infiltrating an Asian gang as a hapless gambler --- that he is unable to trust anyone with anything, even his own wife. Leslie has trust issues of her own, exacerbated by money inexplicably missing from the joint bank account she keeps with Craig and a cryptic message on a matchbook in Craig's pocket. Ivy, meanwhile, is keeping late hours with an unknown boyfriend who her parents would never approve of, even as Leslie, lonely and seeking comfort, finds herself being oddly and improbably attracted to a young jazz musician who is in Ivy's orbit. The secret lives of the McHughs begin to draw them catastrophically and ironically together on a collision course that is almost sure to destroy them individually and collectively. The only thing that will save them, physically and spiritually, is the truth --- yet it is the truth that also risks destroying them. I cannot overstate how well Schwegel constructs PERSON OF INTEREST, the way the characters put themselves in such disadvantaged positions --- and not in spite of their best efforts, but because of them. It takes a terrible and violent act for Craig to break the freefall that he and his family find themselves in, but it's this very act that will bring the greatest risk to him and the person in whom he has put his trust. Schwegel's cinematic, kaleidoscopic point of view brings a breathtaking vantage point to her work in general and to PERSON OF INTEREST in particular. At points in the narrative, one can only hang on and take a deep breath, sympathizing with the characters in knowing that, even though the best that can happen may not be very good at all, it is still worth struggling for. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

The dual plot line in this novel, combining the trials and zeal of an undercover cop and the effects of the job on his wife and daughter, make for a poignant and gripping tale. The story centers on the human aspects in a highly charged and moving story in which Craig McHugh, a Chicago detective, goes beyond the last mile in attempt to gather information on an Asian gang distributing bad narcotics. His wife, Leslie, is at the center of the plot, as she struggles to come to grips with the effects of the conflicts inherent in his duties, which he has always tried to keep separate from his family life. But when she discovers he is withdrawing money from their savings account and sleeping in a seedy hotel, and suspects he is having an affair, she reaches the breaking point. Unknown to her, the money, which is being provided to him by the CPD to continue his cover as a poker player in the rear of a Chinese take-out, has run dry, but he won't give up the task. The hotel of course is part of his cover. Person of Interest is a superb follow-up to the author's Edgar-winning first novel. It portends even better things to come, and is highly recommended.

Chicago police detective Craig McHugh is undercover investigating a deadly Chinese-American gang the Fuxi Spiders, who peddle illegal drugs. Craig knows he needs to get in closer with members if he is to get the proof that they sell heroine including a lethal bad batch. To do so he plays card with Moy and other Fuxi Spiders, who take gambling as a sacred pastime, losing his entire official allotment and some of his own money in the game. While he is away from his family, they have issues. The police found his brooding teenage daughter Ivy at a party where ecstasy was being used. His wife Leslie assumes he is having some sort of early middle age affair and feels entitled to one too so she chooses her daughter's boyfriend. However, his professional and personal lives converge forcing a good cop to take drastic measures to keep his loved ones alive from vindictive thugs. This exciting thriller will be on the short list for police procedural of the year as the action, some quite graphic, never slows down for even a paragraph. Besides a strong undercover subplot and a close look at the underbelly of the Windy City, the key that makes this a strong tale is a deep look at a cop whose keeps him away from his family leading to a dysfunctional relationship. Readers will seek Theresa Schwegel's previous Chicago PD tales as they come highly recommended (see PROBABLE CAUSE and OFFICER DOWN) Harriet Klausner