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Big City, Bad Blood [Kindle Edition]

Sean Chercover
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $7.99
Kindle Price: $0.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers

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Book Description

A disillusioned newspaper reporter turned private detective, Ray Dudgeon isn't trying to save the world. He just wants to do an honest job, and do it well. But when doing an honest job threatens society's most powerful and corrupt, Ray's odds for survival make for a sucker's bet. . . .

While working on a movie in Chicago, Hollywood locations manager Bob Loniski saw something he shouldn't have. Now he's a prosecution witness against a suspected member of the Chicago Outfit. Petrified, he comes to Ray for protection. Ray's mob contacts insist that they have no interest in Loniski, so he takes the bodyguard gig.

Then people start dying and everything goes to hell.

Ray's investigation leads to a stash of blackmail files involving the sex trade, Washington political corruption, and a deadly power struggle among Chicago's organized crime bosses—setting the FBI, the Chicago police, and the mob on his tail. He now holds evidence against top-ranking cops and politicians . . . but with the line between good and bad blurring, he doesn't know who he can trust.

If he does the right thing, Ray is sure to die. But if he doesn't, how can he live with himself?

From the back alleys of Chicago to the man-sions of Beverly Hills to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., Sean Chercover's Big City, Bad Blood propels readers relentlessly forward on a bullet-fast, adrenaline-pumping ride they will not soon forget.



Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Real-life Chicago PI Chercover, in his impressive hard-boiled debut, introduces Ray Dudgeon, a former Chicago reporter disillusioned with the newspaper business who has turned private detective. When Bob Loniski, a locations manager for Hollywood films, hires Dudgeon for protection after running afoul of a mid-level gangster, Dudgeon finds himself in the middle of an organized crime war. A number of forces hamper Dudgeon's efforts to keep his client alive, even as his probing reveals that Loniski may have witnessed a prominent local politician keeping unsavory company and that the violence may be connected to a broader conspiracy. Like many a classic PI, Dudgeon behaves according to his own subjective code. The author's considerable storytelling and characterization gifts compare favorably with those of Loren D. Estleman and other established masters of the crime genre. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Formerly a private investigator in Chicago and New Orleans, Sean Chercover has since written for film, television, and print. His first novel, Big City, Bad Blood, won and was nominated for numerous awards. He lives in Chicago and Toronto, and the commute is killing him.


Product Details

  • File Size: 275 KB
  • Print Length: 350 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0061128686
  • Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 13, 2009)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B000OI0E1S
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,615 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 52 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One Hell Of A Debut January 28, 2007
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the best debut novels I've read in over a decade. I rember when I read the first books by Robert Crais, Denis Lehane and Michael Connelly, and I got the same kind of buzz that I got while reading this.

Chercover writes about Chicago as only a native can, and he writes about a Chicago you don't see advertised on TV. It's a gritty dark place, and if you are smart you'll have Ray Dudgeon watching your back.

Dudgeon is a fromer reporter turned PI working a body gaurd job for a Hollywood location scout. Things quickly get out of hand and he has to make some tough choices.

Fast paced and smooth as silk, this does not read like a first novel, it reads like the work of a seasoned pro.

I predict big things for Mr. Chercover
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars "Stormy, Husky, Brawling, City of the Big Shoulders" February 20, 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kudos to author Sean Chercover and his irreverent Chicago PI Ray Dudgeon in this smart, well paced, debut. Dudgeon, a former investigation reporter for the Chicago Chronicle, takes on an assignment to guard Bob Loniski, a middle level Hollywood exec who sees something he shouldn't have while managing the logistics for film shoot on location in Chicago. In less time than it takes for the Cubs to blow any shot at a pennant, Dudgeon and Loniski are up to their kielbasas in Chicago mobsters and a rising body count. Chercover lays out a plausible plot early on, so there's not a lot of guessing, but any lack of intrigue is amply compensated by lively dialogue, a rich cast, and political scandal that is as much a part of the Windy City's legacy as Al Capone. More Mike Royko than Carl Sandburg, Chercover does a good job of capturing Chicago's gritty charm, especially in contrast to Hollywood's mind-numbing plastic pretentious vacuum.

"Big City, Bad Blood's" Dudgeon may remind you a lot of a Midwest version of Robert Crais' LA detective Elvis Cole, complete with the wise cracks and woman troubles. But far from LA's politically correct brand of bland, Dudgeon is a welcome throwback to the hardboiled heroes of Jim Thompson and Raymond Chandler, lubricating his progress with dark rum on the rocks with a pack of smokes always within easy reach. While some violent relief in the form of Cole's stoic Joe Pike is conspicuously absent, Dudgeon's childhood friend "Gravedigger" emerges late in the book, portending a larger role for the half-crazed sidekick in the inevitable sequels.

In short, a well-crafted and entertaining page-turner that deserves to put Chercover on the crime fiction map. I look forward to the next installment
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves more buzz February 10, 2007
Format:Hardcover
I've tried to write this review three times and I give up. I can't say any better what others have already said except that this is the best new PI novel I've read in ten years. The plot is smart and well-built, the action well paced and vivid, and the rendering of character and setting is spot-on. I really liked protagonist Ray Dudgeon, even when he was messed up, hardheaded, and doing the right thing for the wrong reason (and vice versa) and I couldn't put the book down. If you like hardboiled detective fiction, you must keep your eye on Chercover.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Chicago hard boiled
I love great mysteries and I love Chicago. This well written novel had both. Made me want to book a trip and hang out down town.
Published 4 days ago by J. Marino
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read...
A good read but I found the ending to be lacking. It was abrupt and seemed incomplete. I've read other books by this author and felt they also ended in this manner.
Published 21 days ago by Elisa
3.0 out of 5 stars PI vs. the Mob
This is the second book that I have read by Chercover. It was ok and I did like the PI in the story. It can be slow reqding at times.
Published 28 days ago by h. alan forkos
4.0 out of 5 stars Good fast paced story
This is my first time to read something from this author. Entertaining, fast paced story. Enjoyed it a lot! Definitely will read more from Sean.
Published 1 month ago by JoeP
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and entertaining
Cleverly written, believable characters, and interesting venues make this a good read. I especially like series books (principal character) and look forward to Chercover... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joseph Dean
5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty PI story revolving around Chicago Mafia
Phenomenal book, loved the protagonist and one-liners! Need a strong stomach as there are many gruesome deaths and a violent torture scene towards end of book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Don Kidwell
4.0 out of 5 stars Page turner!
I really like his books. They are interesting, thrilling, creative and gripping.

Don't get this book if you plan to go to sleep early! ;)
Published 2 months ago by WarpSpeedReader
4.0 out of 5 stars Action kept the reader's interest
An action novel that kept one's interest as the PI befriending the "mob boss" ??? sought out to take care of business. Enjoyable read for it's entertaining value. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joseph Rath
3.0 out of 5 stars Good detective read.
Easy reading. Its not difficult to follow the plot or characters. All in all, its a worthwhile book to read.
Published 3 months ago by Ernest Moragne
5.0 out of 5 stars Great debute
I read another of his books first, it was awesome so I decided to read them all. Well developed story line that leaves you curious throughout the entire book. Highly recommended!
Published 3 months ago by sonja holmberg
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More About the Author

Sean Chercover is a former private detective turned novelist and screenwriter. A native of Toronto, he has held a motley assortment of jobs over the years, including video editor, scuba diver, nightclub magician, encyclopedia salesman, and truck driver. He is the author of two award-winning novels featuring Chicago private investigator Ray Dudgeon: Big City, Bad Blood and Trigger City. After living in Chicago; New Orleans; and Columbia, South Carolina, Sean has returned to Toronto where he lives with his wife and son. His fiction has won the Anthony, Shamus, CWA Dagger, Dilys, and Crimespree awards, and been shortlisted for the Edgar, Barry, Macavity, Arthur Ellis and ITW Thriller awards.

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Big City, Bad Blood
I really enjoyed this book too. Ray Dudgeon is a fantastic character... slightly flawed, afraid to reveal a softer side, occasionally doing the wrong things for the right reasons- he's a guy that I can relate to. Chercover's Ray Dudgeon has the potential to become Chicago's answer to Michael... Read more
Jan 14, 2007 by J. A. Cornett |  See all 3 posts
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