Shadows in the White City: An Inspector Alastair Ransom Mystery (Inspector Alastair Ransom Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert W. Walker (Author)
Key Phrases: dance boatman dance, blue gun, leather apron, Bloody Mary, Cook County, Alastair Ransom (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The nation and the world gaze in awe at Chicago's magnificent "White City" in this summer of 1893. But Inspector Alastair Ransom sees the rot beneath the splendor of the great Exposition—and he is consumed with an over-powering need for vengeance. "The Phantom of the Fair," a blood-thirsty fiend who nearly added Ransom to his ever-growing list of slaughtered victims, is still lurking somewhere in the shadows of Ferris's gargantuan Wheel. And to end the maniac's reign, Ransom refuses to play by the rules established by the police brass and the corrupt politicians—appointing himself judge, jury . . . and executioner.

But white-hot hatred and zealous fury can blind a determined manhunter to a more terrible truth. And dangerous missteps may lead to even greater bloodshed . . .

About the Author

Robert W. Walker, a graduate of Northwestern University, is the author of thirty-six novels, including the acclaimed PSI Blue featuring FBI Psychic Rae Hiyakawa, the Instinct Series with FBI Medical Examiner Dr. Jessica Coran, and the Edge Series featuring Texas Cherokee Detective Lucas Stonecoat and psychiatrist Meredyth Sanger. He has also recently published the serialized thriller set in India entitled Fleshwar on Amazon.com\shorts. Robert was born in Corinth, Mississippi; grew up in Chicago, Illinois; and currently resides in Chicago and Charleston, West Virginia. In between teaching, lecturing, and book touring, Rob is busy tackling his next two novels, City of the Absent and Deja Blue.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 339 pages
• Publisher: Harper (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060739967
• ISBN-13: 978-0060739966
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #491,012 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thud-and-Blunder in the White City, June 10, 2007

By	L. E. Cantrell (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a historical mystery set in Chicago by an author who obviously doesn't know Jack ... er, stuff about Chicago history. Consider this passage:

"Still ... we have to cover the bases, boys."

"Cover the what?" asked Behan.

Logan explained, "It's an expression, comes out of cricket, and now that new game people are betting on, base on balls." [Page 153 of the paperback edition]

Now, since it had been made abundantly clear long before page 153 that the World's Columbian Exposition was going on in full swing, although rapidly coming to its scheduled end, this exchange of dialogue must be dated to September or October 1893. Considering that the Chicago Cubs (ironically established under the name of Chicago White Stockings) started in 1874 and became founder-members of the National League in 1876, ending their inaugural season as the pennant winners with a 52-14 record, the cricket reference and the strange unfamiliarity with baseball terminology jangle--to say the least! (And don't forget that Thayer's "Casey at the Bat" had been a continent-wide hit since 1888.)

The jangling just goes on and on. The head of the Police Department is repeatedly called the Chief rather than the Superintendent. The sub-title of the book is "An Inspector Alastair Ransom Mystery". Considering that the rank structure of the Chicago force at the time consisted of a Superintendent, captains, lieutenants, sergeants and patrolmen, it's a bit difficult to see just where an "Inspector" fits. The plain fact that "Inspector" Ransom reports directly to the "Chief" (whom he despises) and to no-one else in the entire department is even more puzzling. No-one seems to work for Ransom, either, except for two other "inspectors" temporarily placed under his direction for the duration of a single investigation.

There are odd lapses of thought, suggesting a deplorable lack of proofreading and editing. My favorite is this: "Alastair, you have to remember our reality is an absolute three-hundred-sixty degrees from theirs." [Page 175] Not a trifling one-hundred-eighty, mind you, but a full three-hundred-sixty degrees--not a degree less!

"The hansom coach stopped, the two horses lifting on hindlegs, fearful." [Page 271] Once again, lack of knowledge or poor editing or both, for a Hansom cab was a two-wheeled, one-horse vehicle, while a Hackney coach--usually called a hack--had four wheels and two horses.

This sort of thing occurs throughout the book: the odd notion, for example, that a phonograph of the period would be capable of producing soft music to soothe nerves or to accompany a quiet meal, or Ransom's extraordinary lack of knowledge about the architecture of the so-called White City, or his amazing blindness with regard to that brand new civic wonder, the elevated railway.

But far more significant than all of these is the wholesale grafting of current ideas and attitudes onto characters living in the 1890s. Sheesh, the hand-wringing of various of the book's characters about the fate of the "homeless" would be out of place in a story set in the 1950s, which I well remember, and all but unthinkable in the 1890s. In those days--heck, even in the 1950s when I was a boy--people in general were far more hard-nosed and unforgiving than all but the most trogladytic individuals today. I can clearly remember when that nice, non-judgmental word, "homeless," shouldered aside the uglier terms of the past: unfortunates, derelicts, vagrants, skid-row dwellers ... bums.

Put the historical howlers aside to consider this book purely as a mystery novel, and it turns out to be a very strange mystery novel, indeed.

This book is the second of a series. It takes up where the first, "City for Ransom," breaks off. I mean that quite literally. "City for Ransom" does not come to an end. It merely stops. Pages 1 through most of page 88 of "Shadows in the White City" are entirely devoted to bringing the plot of "City for Ransom" to a resolution--I'll refrain from calling it a satisfactory one. That done, at the bottom of page 88, an entirely new plot begins--new crimes, new villains, new everything. It's almost as though one fine morning, author Walker sat down, looked at his manuscript and said to himself, "I'm tired of that, let's try something new."

What then of the second story occupying the back 250+ pages of the book? It's all right--not convincing in the least, but that's hardly a fatal flaw in a mystery novel.

This is a thud-and-blunder mystery. In "Inspector" Alastair Ransom, it has a thud-and-blunder hero. When I read about Ransom, I can't help but visualize him as that wonderful old ham actor, Victor MacLaglan, a real thud-and-blunder kind of guy. And, d'you what? It's a lot of thud-and-blunder fun. Forget the impossible Chicago Police Department; replace it with a corrupt County Sheriff standing toe-to-toe against Town Marshal Ransom. Forget Chicago; make Ransom's town a seedily corrupt suburb of Ankh-Morpork or Lankhmar or Far Carcosa or Wherever. And it's all kind of fun! When I get to the bottom of each page I want to know what's on the next, and the next, and the next....

Considering the innumerable historical clunkers and the downright weird plot structure, I ought to give this book two stars. Considering the fact that I'll undoubtedly snap up the third "Inspector" Ransom book on sight for the sheer, lurid pleasure of pulling it apart, I ought to assign at least four stars. Caught between these two extremes, I'll go with three.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadows in the White City, October 29, 2007

By	Lee Carper - See all my reviews

Book Title: Shadows in the White City
Author: Robert W. Walker
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: April, 2007
Reviewer: Lee Carper

Robert W. Walker has really outdone himself with his recent novel, Shadows in the White City. I have to admit, I've never had the desire to read historical fiction, but this book had me hooked from the get-go. The setting remains the same as Walker's previous novel, City for Ransom, with Chicago in the late 1800's, during which time commerce, magnificent skyscrapers, and the World's Exposition leave the public in awe.

Reprising his role from City for Ransom, protagonist Alastair Ransom takes center-stage once again. While others view the World's Exposition as something no less than amazing, Inspector Ransom sees quite the opposite. The Phantom of the Fair has wreaked havoc among fair-goers, and when the Inspector makes an arrest only to see them freed, he decides his way of justice is the only way to stop this bloodthirsty killer. Some view Ransom as a hero, while others carry their own agenda.

The novel also features Dr. Jane Francis, a strong female who is forced to circumvent society's prejudice against women. Along with Ransom, she and her daughter Gabrielle, find themselves facing an even worse adversary than the Phantom of the Fair when bodies of the homeless begin surfacing in extraordinary numbers. Inspector Ransom manages to not only grasp the workings of forensics, but also bears a crucial understanding of the criminal mind, what we've come to know as profiling today. Dr. Jane Francis utilizes her skills as a physician, and Gabrielle steps up to the plate as she learns more about the down and destitute, a far cry from the cushioned world she's known so far.

Author Robert W. Walker is certainly on top of his game. Not only does Inspector Ransom come alive on the page, but Walker succeeds in the female characters as well. Shadows in the White City is a riveting tale that will keep you awake until you turn the last page. It is not for the faint at heart.

Walker's sequel, City of the Absent, is due out in December.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History and murder combined nicely with great characters, July 17, 2007

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Inspector Alastair Ransom is fighting more than just the heat in 1893 Chicago. He's fighting murder (which he's not above committing himself for the "right" reasons); his superiors on the police force (who aren't above murder if it's to their benefit); and public opinion (which the inspector couldn't care less about--unless it helps or hinders his quest to get to the truth).

While the world's attention is centered on the wonders of the great fair, children are being slaughtered in a heinous fashion. Beyond the glamour and laughter, beyond where the average person will look, evil lurks in the shadows of the city, making the most vulnerable its prey. No one other than Alastair Ransom has the tenacity or the single-mindedness to combat evil and corruption in order to make the city safe.

But lest you think Ransom is some sort of a super hero--he's not.

This is the first Robert Walker book I've read. Perhaps because I don't read many historical novels of any genre, or perhaps because I hadn't read the predecessor, City for Ransom--it seemed to start a little slow. I found Ransom tedious in his trigger anger, and the repetition of thoughts and events overdone. But I stuck with it, mainly because of Walker's reputation. And I'm glad I did.

Walker paints a time and place of gas-lit street lamps and horse-drawn carriages--a time on the dawn of great inventions waiting to catapult this country into a different age. He brings people into our lives who are forward thinking and compassionate, and whose hearts are hardened and feel their cruelty justified.

By the end of Shadows in the White City, I felt a kinship with 1893 Chicago and many of the characters Walker has drawn and given dimension to. Even his secondary characters are fully formed and interesting in their own right.

And Ransom? I would be proud to count him as a friend.

Armchair Interviews says: Shadows in the White City is highly recommended.