Windy City [Hardcover]

Hugh Holton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995

Breaking through Margo and Neil DeWitt's portrayal of an affluent, loving couple, Chicago police Commander Larry Cole exposes their sexually deviant behavior as rapists and child molesters, only to have the DeWitt's target Cole's own young son. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two of the least believable killers in recent crime fiction stumble and cackle their way through Chicago as Holton (Presumed Dead) loses his way somewhere between a procedural and a parody of gothic horror. Chicago billionaire Neil DeWitt likes to torture and kill young women. Margo, his wife, likes to kill young black boys. They're nasty and deranged?and stupid, which becomes apparent when Margo blurts out murder details at a party attended by Chicago Police Commander Larry Cole. Soon, the witnesses to the first murders end up at the morgue as the body count rises. The DeWitts take many of their killing moves from the books of Chicago-area mystery writers, whom Cole calls on for help to spring a trap. Cole zeroes in on Margo, who has tortured her way across several states, intent on emulating a mythical witch from a classic horror tale. Her ultimate target is the commander's young son. This outing might have been fun and/or gripping if Holton had stopped straddling the fence between writing a camp cartoon or a realist cop tale. The best moments center on one minor character, a crime writer with a surprisingly violent past.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Holton's first novel, Presumed Dead (LJ 6/15/94), was an imaginative blend of mystery and horror. In Windy City, Chicago cop Larry Cole reprises his role as defender of good folks when a rich, sadistic couple run afoul of the law.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 319 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031285711X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312857110
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,772,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fan-Freaking-Tastic!, December 28, 2001

By 

Larry Eischen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windy City (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Detective Story about Detective Stories, June 6, 2002

By 

TundraVision (o/~ from the Land of Sky Blue Waters o/~) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windy City (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Page Turner, February 14, 2000

By 

Jason Birkby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windy City (Mass Market Paperback)

Trying a change of pace from reading and reviewing my usual novels, I picked up the Chicago based novel"Windy City' by Hugh Holton. I do feel that I have a new author to add to my library.

"Windy City" is about gruesome murders that parody the deaths written in best selling novels. The killer the wealthy Margo DeWitt believes that she is her favorite character "Magda: from her favorite novel. Det. Larry Cole the main character enlists the help of a team of authors who try to figure what DeWitt's next move will be. When they figure out that Cole's young will be the next victim. the story really gets rolling. I finished the last 160 pages in one night.

Holton's quick short chapter writing style makes for an easy read. Watch out for some corny parts which makes me think that a movie is on the way. Putting that aside the thrills and chills are non-stop.