A Body in Belmont Harbor: A Paul Whelan Mystery

by Michael Raleigh

Book Overview

"A shaggy, satisfying valentine to Chicago's seedy uptown." -KIRKUS

The body of a small-time drug dealer washes up in Belmont Harbor among the yachts of Chicago's wealthy. Convinced that this murder connects to her husband's suicide two years prior, wealthy widow Janice Fairs hires private eye Paul Whelan to investigate.

Whelan's investigation takes him into the rarefied air of the wealthy, where he begins to discover unlikely connections...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1626817642
• ISBN13: 9781626817647
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: Diversion Books
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Writing this in hopes someone is looking

This was my first Raleigh book, which I bought as a remainder. Some of his other books were already past their first printing by then. I was so fascinated with the style and flavor that I bought and read all of them. He really nails down the food chain with his chomping dectective, besides describing the neighborhoods in Chi-Town. I don't understand how he did not get involved with Mystery Guild, as they have a full line of authors, great to mediocre. While I was reading his, I noted that S. J. Rozan had some of her mysteries published through MG. I really wish Raleigh would go back to writing Wheelan novels. he does it well.

This Chicago mystery writer is a great discovery

I lived in CHicago for many years and love the city, so I was pleased to discover this mystery series written with a love for Chicago and a sense of place. Raleigh described the city so perfectly I felt I was back there. In fact, you could make an argument that the central character in the film is not the private investigator, Paul Whelan, but the city, particularly the lakefront area (Lincoln Park, Belmont Harbor, and Uptown). The story begins on a dark Chicago night with a man -- a small time drug dealer -- being murdered at Belmont Harbor. Then the author cuts to Paul Whelan, private investigator/former Chicago cop living and working in Uptown, being asked by a north suburban woman of means to investigate her husband's apparent suicide 2 years previously. The woman says she thinks her husband's partner killed him or had him killed. Paul thinks that the body found in Belmont Harbor may have something to do with her husband and his business partner, so he starts poking around. There's an active investigation going on into the murder of the drug dealer, so the police aren't too happy. But Paul has a sort-of friendship with the police detective, so they share information in various Chicago restaurants. This mystery is written in "noir" style: Paul Whelan is tough but kind (buys doughnuts for people who are broke, gets involved when someone is being hassled). I couldn't put it down, even though I was not the least surprised by the turn of events in the book (but I read a lot of mysteries and that's an advantage). I intend to read more in the series.

Intriguing murder mystery thriller

This being his follow up book to "Death in Uptown." Raleigh doesn't fail to disappoint his fans. The story moves along very well. As your read the book you can picture everything in your mind perfectly as he describes the worlds and characters in the book very well.I would definitely recommend this book if you've read "Death in Uptown"