Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
$3.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime
 
 
Start reading Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime [Hardcover]

Sam Reaves (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Price: $25.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want it delivered Thursday, February 2? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $9.57  
Hardcover, Bargain Price $9.26  
Hardcover, November 24, 2008 $25.00  
Paperback, Bargain Price $5.54  

Book Description

November 24, 2008
A bluesy neo-noir crime thriller pitting an Iraq war vet against the Chicago mob.

A veteran of the war in Iraq, where he suffered extreme injury, and a refugee from a sad Kentucky family history, Tommy McClain places his faith in a beat-up blue Chevy and his future in the city of Chicago. He's got a friend there he can count on.

What he doesn't count on is Lisa DePietro. She's pretty, openhearted, with dark eyes you could drown in, and she's being stalked. In a bar, on the El, outside her house; by a big guy in a brown leather jacket. She's seen him in the shadows of his Lexus, heard him on her building's speakerphone. He's put notes in her mailbox, and she's sure he's even been inside her apartment—someone's been rifling through her drawers.

Tommy figures he'll scare the creep off. Only he does more than that, and the shot from his automatic does more than settle a score. It sets off a gangland war that will catch Tommy in the crossfire between two mob bosses and their goons as well as tangle him in police department investigations and the operations of an FBI special task force.

With that shot, too, a taut, suspenseful stalker tale erupts into a craftily wrought, unpredictable crime thriller with mob family honor and half a million dollars (in cash) at stake. Snared in the fray, Tommy has some advantages, like his infantry training and combat experience. He's going to need them. Because everyone in this mean town, it seems, wants to take Tommy's future away from him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Reaves's intricate stand-alone thriller, 27-year-old Tommy McLain suffers a stomach wound in the current Iraq war that ends his army career. Back in the U.S., he decides to seek a new life in Chicago, where he has an old high school friend, Brian Dawson. Through Brian, Tommy meets lovely Lisa DiPietro. When Lisa tells the men she's being stalked, Tommy offers to talk to the stalker, a decision that sets him on a collision course with two Chicago mob families, two police departments and the FBI. Tommy finds himself in increasingly tricky positions as he draws on his infantry training to protect others, including Lisa. Reaves (A Long Cold Fall and six other Chicago-based crime novels) has devised plenty of clever traps, escapes and a few surprises, but Tommy remains a less than compelling hero and unremarkable secondary characters fail to lift this effort to a higher level. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

A superbly crafted story, with plenty of action, danger, and suspense. -- Booklist starred review

No one is trustworthy except the author, who skillfully whips up a satisfying thriller. Reaves' novels continue to charm. -- Publishers Weekly

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Pegasus; 1 edition (November 24, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 160598003X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1605980034
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,599,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Reaves has written seven Chicago-based crime novels, including the Cooper MacLeish series, the Dooley series and the stand-alone Mean Town Blues. As Dominic Martell he has penned a European-based suspense trilogy. Reaves has traveled widely in Europe and the Middle East but has lived in the Chicago area most of his life. He has worked as a teacher and a translator.


 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Chicago thriller, December 24, 2008
This review is from: Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime (Hardcover)
As a avid mystery/thriller fan, I wanted to recommend Mean Town Blues - author Sam Reaves Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime. This is one of those lean action driven thrillers that has an echo of Stark in it. Not a lot of deep subtext or angst, instead hard driven action that seems like a snowball rolling downhill. Further, the Chicago locale is totally authentic as only a long-time resident can portray.

All-in-all, one of the premier thrillers of 2008!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mean Town Blues, September 5, 2009
This review is from: Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime (Hardcover)
Allow me to sum up my experience with author Sam Reaves' novel 'Mean Town Blues' this way:
I had not read the work of Mr. Reaves before. After reading 'Mean Town Blues,' I ordered another of his books. Nuff' said.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, January 5, 2009
By 
This review is from: Mean Town Blues: A Novel of Crime (Hardcover)
A young soldier invalided out after serving in Iraq moves to Chicago and becomes involved in some serious problems. He had a sister who was killed by a stalker so when a young women he knows is stalked, he helps. But that leads to complications. Reminds me a bit of Maltese Falcon and the character could be out of a Robert Parker book. If you like Parker and would enjoy a Chicago background you will enjoy this.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews



Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Joe Salerno, Rocco Salerno, Maywood Park, Pete Catania, Star Capital, West Side, Merchandise Mart, Premier Enterprises, Lincoln Park, Oak Park, First Avenue, North Avenue, Vincent Spina, River Road, Des Plaines, Blue Island, All Tommy, Jesus Christ
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject