If you like gritty city tough guys Chicago '46 is for you. It has the taste of inner city grime in every bite. As George Pelecanos flays D.C.'s skin open to reveal the infernal workings of the city's walking wounded, down and out junkies and brown bag alchoholics, Monroe shows us the stomach if not the heart of post-war Chicago. Monroe echoes Estelman in Gus Carson as a post military angel with skinned knuckles and part time conscience. All in all Monroe has built an extraordinary foundation for multi-volume series. Dave Robichaux and Earl Swagger watch out!

This book is awesome. This just isn't another waste of time Patterson/Grisham or Balducci book. This guy has talent. It's a page turner and not predictable. As the title suggests set in Chicago shortly following the war, this book follows a rogue Chicago cop caught in a whorehouse and follows him in his chase as Chicago politcs intermingle with North Suburban money. Monroe describes it as if he were there.

Steve Monroe's '57 CHICAGO brought us the seamy world of late '50's Chicago. Now, '46 CHICAGO takes us back a decade, exposing the pain of post-war trauma, and the effects on a man caught in the middle. I loved this book. The words, sentences and structure fit the short, brunt, to-the-point nature of the characters of this story. Good guys, bad dames, chump or hero? We really don't know which is which or who is who until the last pages. This was a fun read.

I really wanted to like '57 Chicago more than I did. The reviews here have been raves, likewise for most print reviews. Some have even compared Monroe to noir writers such as James Ellroy. For some reason, however, the book didn't really grip me like Ellroy's books.

The story is somewhat convaluted for the first hundred pages or so. I felt it was too slow and without much tension. The characters were fairly interesting, especially Junior "The Hammer" Hamilton, a rising young black fighter who is troubled by many demons. Monroe does a great job taking you back to the era, with a lot of minute research that sets the scene well.

The second half of the book got it four starts instead of three. The police become involved, which introduces a very interesting couple of characters. The heat goes up, the tone gets darker as the creative cast of characters gets thrown into some desparate situations. The fight itself is the best part of the book, and the chicanery and larcey outside the ring compliments the brutal violence taking place inside.

All in all, a good book with a great ending. Monroe does show promise though, I will definetly give his new book a try.

I had the pleasure of meeting Steve in a Chicago bar, and when he told me his favorite writer was Elmore Leonard, I was hooked. '57 Chicago captures the city as it was some forty years ago, with all the dark characters, seedy activities, and those big shoulders. I didn't know who (if anyone) to root for, and the conclusion was in doubt until the final three pages. A great first effort that I highly recommend!

I was around in the year in which this book was based. I'm sure the author was, too. It depicts the gambling scene in 1957 Chicago to a T. The cover makes it look like this is a boxing book. It's not. It's a slice of underworld life and a suspense novel rolled into one. Real life murders and real life characters from the mob fill the background. A great, exciting read.

The authors treat each of Earth's Systems in a very straightforward manner, using clear and illustrative graphics. They also do a fine job of tying together Earth's systems and processes into an interrelated package, as opposed to simply a series of disconnected chapters. I use this text in my Washington Online course. Al Friedman, Everett Community College