I hope that Larry Shriner publishes more! His book grabbed my attention on the first page and I couldn't stop turning the pages! I love his work.

This book should receive a lot of attention. Shriner has done his homework. It is refreshing to read a novel that does not fill space with four-letter words and sex. I hope to read more of his novels.

Well written tale with strong plot line.

I started reading Hugh Holton's books this year. Just found it on the library shelf. I wanted to read them all. I have read all of his books and find "Time of the Assassins" to be the best one yet. I have ordered it, also his new book "The Thin Black Line" and "Red Lighting" which I could not get from the library. I am sorry that we will not be able to read more books by him. A sad lost to the readers and writers world. Gripping suspense and a surprise ending. What a writer he was. He writes about things we know, but are afraid to say. So today.

Another great one from Hugh Holton. The story begins when a young Larry Cole overhears a murder plot and the action just keeps going and going and going. Mr. Holton knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat. All I can say hang on and enjoy the ride as this novel has it all.

Hugh Holton has created an excellent Chicago based story that weaves in at least 3 main story lines with at least 3 more sub stories. I currently live in the windy city and it was fun to read the street locations, etc. and know that they did in fact exist and were accurate in their descriptions. I am usually not a fan of the author that tells the story by jumping from one character's view to another character's view but in this case it really works. You understand the psyche of the story teller of the moment and Hugh does an excellent job of tying one lead in to another. In other words you are never left hanging as to why he went from one point of view to another. That's usually where the some author's go wrong when trying to tell a story from multiple viewpoints.

If I had a complaint, mind you this is real small, it's that I would have liked a few more pages devoted to the cop Larry Cole. I suspect Hugh didn't give him more pages because he himself is a cop.

You'll find yourself sympathizing with Reggie,one of the main characters, his upbringing with his grandmother and uncle Ernst and then what the FBI does to him when all he wanted to be was a law abiding cop. Even though Hugh is busy telling you the story straight out you keep second guessing him and you end up surprised in the end. Although Hugh can be forgiven his slight digression of giving away who Reggie's father was so early in the book.

Speaking as one who is easily bored I have to say at every opportunity I had I would pick up this book to read it and managed to finish it in a couple of days. I can't wait to get to his other books.

See my review of "Presumed Dead."

See my review of "Presumed Dead".

I certainly enjoyed this work by Hugh Holton with its many characters, subplots and time periods. I have to give Hugh kudos for being able to jump between time periods without losing you. It helps that he dates the section prior to reading it but it also helps that what he brings up from the past is relevant to what is going on in the present. Some writers get carried away and go off on a tangent and Hugh doesn't do that.

In this novel Larry Cole has a major role with some of his history explained which I found to be enlightening. The bad guy is of course a looney but aren't they all... he is revealed way in advance but that's okay because you find out a lot more about him to still make him interesting as the book goes on.

You will find yourself talking back to the book.... wishing characters would do the right thing... you just get involved. I love it when a writer can get me involved as opposed to my looking at it from twenty feet above. It's always a good sign that there is good character development with some humor thrown in and you certainly get that here.

I live in Chicago and one of the joys of this book is that the author is dead on in his description of the city. He doesn't change street names, buildings or how the city functions just to make his book work. All the "EL stops" are correct for instance and if you know the city well you will be able to place yourself physically in the area he is describing which makes it all the better.

Holton puts Inspector Larry Cole into a complex web facing a nemesis returned from an 18 year old rape/murder. The nemesis has become worthy of Cole's attention by using stolen military hardware to create terrifying destruction. Holton's weaving Chicago PD politics into the novel is better done than his attempts to get the personal lives of his characters into the book. The series is still a fine one, and this book keeps up the tradition.

See my review of "Presumed Dead."

Chicago Alderman Skip Murphy kills his bedroom partner bargirl Sophie Novak during a rough sex incident. Knowing his career is dead if his deadly dalliance surfaces, Skip needs to cover up the crime. He turns to Violent Crimes Unit Detective Joe Donegan, an individual who uses the badge to successfully perform illegal activities, to help clean up his problem. Not only does the corpse burn to ashes, but also witnesses who have seen Skip with Sophie are killed.

Joe sees his new work as an upward mobility career move. Police Commander Larry Cole and his partner Sergeant Blackie Silvestri know the truth about Joe's revenue making actions, but struggle to find evidence to prove their case. Now they have a murder mystery that smells of Donegan, who slyly manages to keep one step ahead of his peers.

Donegan steals this police procedural, as the veteran team (in books too) seems to fail to stop this master felon. The story line of CRIMINAL ELEMENT moves quickly forward though Larry and Blackie appear hopeless and even somewhat pathetic in their chase of Joe. Hugh Holton, who recently past away, provides fans of his Chicago police procedural series with a pleasurable entry though the villain owns the novel.

Harriet Klausner

Well-balanced, fast-moving, excellently written story of the author's view of the Chicago underbelly. I enjoyed the book as the best of the year, possibly of the decade, on Chicago cops.

Hugh Holton strikes again. I have made a point of reading all of his books and Devil's Shadow proves to be another police thriller in the "can`t put it down category".

Buy this one.

I was shocked to read in a previous review on this book that Hugh Holton died recently in Chicago. Does anyone have more information on the circumstances surrounding his death? How old was he? I just discovered his books and had looked forward to many years of entertainment from this talented writer.

Hugh Holton is gone into the pages of history. He died recently in Chicago and I fear that The Devil's Shadow will serve as his last work. Any true fan of Holton should read this last novel and remember the genius of the south-side cop who let us, but for a moment, into the life of the heroic Larry Cole.

Bona fide Chicago policeman Hugh Holton wrote this fresh, genre-blurring Ed McBain/Mayor Daley/Stephen King/Jessica Fletcher/Bela Lagosi/Cruella DeVille kind of book about a too-rich dastardly but dynamic Chicago duo who are stealing the modus operendi of murder mystery book villians. Can they be stopped? It's a vibrant, fast-paced tour of the Windy City from someone who knows wherefrom he writes.

My local library maintains a "recently deceased authors" display and when I was reading the obit on Robert Ludlum, I glanced over and saw the Hugh Holton display. Chicago police procedural-looked decent- picked up Windy City. Wow! what a rush! A procedural with "serial killer novel" moments of genuine horror and a golden age detective murder scheme. The murders are done in the style of various mysteries by some of the novel's characters. Sounds like a plotline from a Christie/Queen/Carr style puzzle book of the 30s but I don't recall them ever using it. Cole and his detectives are believable well developed characters. The villains are a truly evil couple who could hold their one against a certain cannibal named Hannibal in the creepy category. An excellent page-turner which has led me to Holton's other books.

See my review of "Presumed Dead."

This book started out with such a bang that I was sorely disappointed when it degenerated into such a clunky writing style shortly thereafter. Mr. Holton is in bad need of an editor; there's a good story here, but its clumsy execution keeps getting in the way. Not only that, but the title is a ripoff of a sci-fi classic, The Left Hand of God.

I read the reviews of others, and it seems the most enthusiastic are familiar with other works by this author on this character Cole. This is my first encounter with the series. The start is fantastic, and due to the style of writing, absorbing the cast of characters was easy. Yet, I don't feel particularly thrilled enough to recommend this book, nor do I feel inspired to check any other installments of "Cole & the Gang" <---(I thought I'd be clever...) All in all, it was an average book of it's genre. I was more excited reading the Harry Potter books.

See my review of "Presumed Dead."

O.K. read. Probably 2 1/2 stars. A little simplistic and predictable. Enough to keep you going, but kinda weak.

The goosebumps raised on my arms by page 15; should I continue reading? Should I leave well-enough alone and just be scarred without finding out why? Needless to say, I read and read and read. It's one of the best dectective books I have read in ages. I loved all the characters and, of course, Larry, Judy, Edna and the evil Mistress and good old Homer. What a talent behind the author. I commend you Hugh Holton for writing a good mystery - with a solution - or was there? Talk about a kicker ending!

And, because of the fact that I love familiar characters, I logged on (at 1:00 a.m, mind you) to find out what other books you have written and lo and behold found out there is a series on Larry Cole. Thank you - thank you. I shall read them all.

Well, what's to say except buy or borrow this series. Holton is turning out some entertaining stories. These books fall into the "is it over?" catagory. The type of stories that one wishes that they will never end. I just hope that the author does not run out of ideas for us, the readers. If it is a cold dark rainy night, with strange creaks in the house, and shutters banging in the wind, the stories take on another dimension. Turn off all the lights and read by candle lite.....BOO! Cheers and enjoy...

See my review of "Presumed Dead."

Hugh Holton is an excellent storyteller. Once you start reading one of his books you can't wait to finish but once you do you want more. I have followed Holton's book career from the beginning and all I can say is do it again Hugh, do it again.

Once again Hugh Holton has hit the police action on the head. Being a police officer for over 30 years, I find that 'Red Lightning', puts me into the life of Larry Cole. Hugh knows how to make you feel that you are there. His villians are bad and they know how to inflect pain and death on their victims. I plan to read his books as they are published. Also, 'ZORRO', will get his.