Matter of Honor
by Eugene Izzi
from Avon
There are two Chicagos: One, a bustling center of commerce, vibrant and alive, with spacious lakeside dwellings for the affluent and comfort able...and the other, a gray and crumbling hotbed of rage and resentment. No walls or law can truly separate them.
During the hottest summer on record, the ruthless politics of hatred and fear are driving a giant metropolis to the edge of the abyss. The assassination of Chicago's first black woman mayor three years earlier ignited a race riot of near apocalyptic proportions. And now the Second City is bracing for a second Armageddon.
An ever-spiraling series of seemingly random and brutal events is about to have a devastating effect on the lives of every Chicago citizen, the innocent and the culpable alike. What begins with the killing of a homeless crack addict escalates with the senseless drive-by murder of a blameless young woman--and explodes in a massive demonstration of destructive fury in one of the city's safest, most opulent sectors.
But there are those, black and white, who refuse to stand by idly while their city dies-- urban heroes empowered by circumstance, bravely battling greed, violence and corruption, the dark legacy of politicians, criminals, charlatans, hate-mongers and media-manipulators who would divide a city along racial lines to benefit from anger and catastrophe.
Two brothers, their bond strengthened by personal loss; two wives, proud and strong, and determined to remain so for the sake of those they love; a female police sergeant, dedicated to order; and a black Homicide cop, inspired by a son's courage and heart. These are the unlikely champions--ordinary people who recognized a sinister shape and form to the madness, something that goes far beyond gang warfare and racial unrest, beyond black rage and white supremacy. Because, for them, it is no longer about law and order, politics and power, or even saving a city. It's about life, loyalty, real justice. . .and family
The Criminalist
by Eugene Izzi
from Avon
The saddest thing about Eugene Izzi's last book, completed just before his bizarre death by hanging in 1996, is that it could very well have been the start of a very successful series--just what this talented crime writer needed to get his career back on track after some false moves and setbacks.
Dominick DiGrazia, the criminalist of the title, is a fascinating, gifted Chicago homicide detective who has carefully avoided the promotions that would remove him from the actual work of investigating crimes. He has trouble keeping his explosive anger in check as less-qualified superiors try to misuse or take advantage of his expertise; his thorny personality and high standards also mark him as a loner. But when a pregnant young prostitute is murdered and savagely butchered on the 20th anniversary of another similarly horrible killing, DiGrazia asks Janice Constantine--a tough street cop in her 50s--to become his partner. It's a smart choice for him and a pleasure for readers: Constantine is a wonderfully real, totally unglamorous character with raspy edges that help keep DiGrazia honest.
Suspects in the new murder include Dr. Tom Moran, the psychiatrist whose pregnant wife was the first victim two decades before; Dr. Moran's cop brother, Terry Moran, whose career is frozen by rumors of his own involvement in that case; and Mike Schmidt, DiGrazia's former partner, obsessed to the point of alcoholism and insanity by the earlier case. And, as in Izzi's earlier books, Chicago in its many mean and meaty guises plays a major role in this final effort. --Dick Adler
A brilliant chronicler of life in the urban darkness, Eugene Izzi has crafted an unforgettable novel of men who break the law, men who are broken by it, and those who have to pick up the pieces.
Terry Moran's promising future with the Chicago Police Department was destroyed when he was accused of butchering his brother's wife-an accusation that was never proven. Twenty years later, he is a pariah among his peers; a lost and broken soul operating from the depths of his despair. And now the mutilated body of a young woman has been discovered in a downtown alleyway-and the flames of suspicion have been fueled once again.
Veteran Homicide Detective Dominick DiGrazia sees this latest murder as a chance to put the final nail in Terry Moran's coffin. But Terry's brothers-street-level alcoholic Frank and selfless, heroic Tommy- are also connected to the recent slaying in bizarre and frightening ways. A slumbering, two-decades-old nightmare has suddenly reappeared, screaming in the night, to plague an already decimated family. And as DiGrazia and his tough but inexperienced partner Janice Constantine close in for the kill, the brothers Moran will have to confront their darkest demons-and take painful, inevitable steps toward salvation...or damnation.
The Booster
The Take
Safe Harbor
by Eugene Izzi
from Avon
Before his strange death in 1997 (his body was found hanging outside his Chicago office), Eugene Izzi wrote some of the best crime fiction in recent memory. His hard-edged books like A Matter of Honor and The Criminalist are told from the criminal's point of view.
Safe Harbor was first published in England in 1995, when Izzi was having trouble finding an American outlet. It's a familiar story: the mobster who becomes an informer for the best of reasons (in this case to protect his child) and then enters a witness protection program and goes on to lead a blameless life. Mark Torrence (called Tommy Torelli in his criminal days) is threatened in his new and secret life by a ghost from the past--a vengeful hit man named James Bracken. This vicious and depraved killer has his own very good and perversely logical reasons for hunting down Torrence.
What gives the book new life and lots of energy is the way Izzi develops his characters using small strokes of reality. Even the incredibly obnoxious next-door neighbor who accidentally leaks Torrence's true identity is made human because we get to peek into his daily life.
Not having any more new books by Izzi to look forward to is a great loss, but the late arrival of Safe Harbor makes it a bit more bearable. --Dick Adler
Mark Torrence is a decent man--a dedicated youth counselor; a loving husband and father; a person whose ingrained honesty and integrity is evident in his every action and all his personal dealings. But in a previous New York City life, before he "ratted" and vanished into the Witness Protection Program, Mark Torrence was Tommy Torrelli, an associate of wiseguys who made their bones through violence, extortion, thievery, and worse. Now a world-class hit man with a swollen bank account has agreed to take Torrence/Torrelli down gratis, in order to satisfy inner demons who will only be appeased by vengeance and with blood. As an ever-tightening circle of terror closes in around him, Torrence realizes that his new identity has suddenly become a liability. And the only way he can save his unsuspecting family--the only way he can survive--is by becoming something he truly despises: the man he once was.
PRIME ROLL, THE (Crime Line)
by Eugene Izzi
from Crimeline
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