City of the Absent

by Robert W. Walker

Book Overview

Chicago's magnificent White City will soon be fading into memory. As the grand Exposition of 1893 reaches its final day, the metropolis is rocked by the public assassination of its popular mayor. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060740124
• ISBN13: 9780060740122
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Story of Chicago Crime set in the Past but very Contemporary

City of the Absent begins with a murder and ends with the main character being arrested for another murder, one which he wanted to commit but didn't. The first murder is that of the mayor of Chicago and occurs on the last night of the Columbian Exposition in 1893. When a female Pinkerton operative is killed shortly afterward, police Inspector Alastair Ransom swears to find her killer. Soon, however, Ransome finds himself being pulled into an intrigue which can result in nothing short of his own death and nothing good for his associates. Haunted by past deaths for which he feels morally--if not actually responsible--and because he's bent, if not actually fractured the law in previous cases in order to dispense justice, Ransom has to watch his step as his own police chief, as well as certain other influential citizens and the head of the Pinkerton Agency seem bound and determine to bring him down. At last, it appears they have succeeded when he's arrested for a murder and his attorney is soon after poisoned and hospitalized. This is a dark but entertaining tale which, except for the mention of Mr. Edison's electrical inventions and the "new-fangled telephones" Hansom cabs. etc., could be contemporary in its storyline. Public officials are corrupt and doing everything to maintain their power, including ridding themselves of anyone who is an obstacle; undercover private police are killed in the line of duty; priests are accused of improper behavior with their acolytes; derelicts are being killed and their organs removed for sale--not for transplantation, however, but for study. My only argument with the story is that it ends on a cliff-hanger. Since this is the third in a series, I hope the next one has already been published for I'd certainly like to find it and discover if Ransom escapes the noose waiting so patiently for him and brings his accusers to justice. He's such a vibrant and determined character, I'd hate for this to be his ignominious end.

A mysterious visit to crime filled 1893 Chicago

This story starts during the closing day of the Worlds Fair in 1893 Chicago. We must remember that in that time of history things were much different. There were no modern conveniences that we take for granted today. But, there was much crime in many sections of the city that kept Police Inspector Alastair Ransom, as well as the rest of the Chicago police force quite busy. Things really heated up when the mayor of Chicago was killed on the day the fair closed. It even interrupted Inspector Ransom's lovemaking with Dr. Jane Francis Tewes, the love of his life, when he was called immediately to the scene of the crime. In those days no one respected or wanted a female physician to care for them. Women were fine for nursing but not for patient care and diagnosis. As a result, Dr. Tewes had to masquerade as a male with appearance and clothing as well as changing her voice when she appeared anywhere in public in an emergency situation, such as the mayor's killing. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was very evident in the time of this story. They worked for the police at times as well as many corporations and well-to-do individuals. They were generally well respected so when an undercover female Pinkerton Agent, who was posing as a prostitute, was found murdered, the Chicago Police took interest. Especially Detective Ransom since he thought very close to this woman and wanted to get her killer. After seeing her body torn open and all her internal organs cut out, Pinkerton and all the police wanted this killer badly. Upon investigation they found others have been missing from the streets, mostly those that wouldn't be missed by anyone because they were derelicts, bums, or homeless people. The female Pinkerton agent was the first well-known person that had been found but her discovery had opened up a "can of worms" to investigate and find who was performing these foul deeds. Ransom did not get along well with his superiors and they loved to accuse him for many things he might or might not have done. He was a very experienced cop and knew the ropes and how to have things appear as they might not be. He was very instrumental in the search for these killer/killers despite butting heads with superiors. He had his list of suspects that didn't always correspond with his bosses but he plowed onward in his investigation. He intermingled with Dr. Tewes, both the male and female version of her/him, and their love became an integral part of the story, as did Dr. Tewes daughter, Gabriel. As you read this book it makes you think of what we have today compared to the rather primitive ways things were done in those times. One thing that was really different was having to get around in their taxis. Taxies were horse-drawn carriages, far different from our transportation modes today. They had to use that mode of transportation, as there were no cars or trucks. The police and fire departments rolled to a scene in their horse-drawn carriages too. Re

Brillian storytelling

The night brings an end to the Chicago Exposition of 1893 and with its closing two murders occurs separated by miles and class. Mayor Carter Harrison who thought he was invincible and had an open door policy even at his home was killed there. Across town Vanderfn and Philander Rolsky are seeking a nonentity that no one will miss. They set their sights on a grandmotherly looking prostitute to harvest her organs for use at a medical college. However, this time the brothers picked the wrong person because the victim was a Pinkerton Agent Nell Harrington in disguise and on the trail of a doctor who buys corpses and organs. Police Inspector Alastair Ransom was Nell's friend and he obsesses with finding her killer, but he also has enemies in high places like Police Chief Kohler. The Chief collaborates with a senator who hired Pinkerton to find evidence to lock Alastair up as a felon. Alastair knows the police chief and the senator are murderers, but lacks evidence to convict them. He does not make life easier for himself when he goes to castrate a priest defiling children, but was too late as someone took care of the ungodly father. Alistair's boss plans to nail him for the crime. Robert W. Walker is a master at evoking atmosphere; in this case the gaslight era that enables fiends and lunatics to hide in its shadows. Alastair uses the services of a homeless child as a snitch just like Holmes used the Baker Street Irregulars. In fact the protagonist reminds readers of Holmes as he laconically refuses to give up on a case in which the political and police brass of Chicago are corrupt and willing to hang this dedicated cop instead of seeing justice served. Harriet Klausner

Walker does it again

Walker does it again. Another brilliant novel in the historical thriller series featuring the unconventional Inspector Alistair Ransom. I truly hope HarperCollins continues with this series. The novel starts on the last night of the World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. It is October 28, 1893 and the Mayor, Carter Harrison, has been murdered on his own front steps. Inspector Ransom, a bear of a man with the tenacity and attitude of a bit bull, leaves his lover's bed to follow the police to the scene of the murder. His lover is Jane Francis aka Dr. James Tewes, a woman who must conceal her gender to function as a doctor in 1893 Chicago. She is a major player in this novels and almost losses her life. The mayor is well liked by Ransom who would like to find the murder and administer his own brand of justice. Inspector Ransom's reputation for such method makes him feared by the criminal element, off which there are many, but it also proves to be his undoing. Shortly after the major is murdered, two brothers kill a female Pinkerton agent who has been seeking information about missing persons. She was on the right track and was about to tie the two brothers back to a doctor who employed them to find cadavers for his medical school, however, the one brother is an enterprising business man who didn't bother waiting for death by natural causes. Now Ransom is trying to find her murderer but is ordered off by the Chief of Police. Chief of Police, Nathan Kohler, has a long-standing feud with Inspector Ransom. You will have to read the first two novels in this series to get a better feel about their mutual dislikes William Pinkerton, son of the famous founder of the Pinkerton Agency, is working with Chief Kohler and it appears that they are after Ransom and are trying to conceal information. Somebody high up in the government my be financing the medical school's heinous practices and Kohler may be covering for him. A young street urchin and snitch for Ransom, is molested by a clergyman. The boy tells Ransom, who seeks this pervert and ... You will have to buy the novel to find out how that turns out.

The Fair's End

On October 28, 1893, the World's Fair in Chicago came to an end, two days later than its scheduled closing, to allow former President Benjamin Harrison to visit. That Fair was the setting for a prior novel in the series featuring Inspector Alistair Ransom of the Chicago Police Department, Shadows in the White City. Both novels reflect the author's love of the Windy City and its history. As the Fair was being closed down, the Mayor was assassinated on his front lawn by an office seeker. Never a dull moment in the nation's second city. In addition, there occur a series of "disappearances" of persons who "wouldn't be missed." These didn't rate much attention until a disguised female Pinkerton agent was found murdered and disemboweled. She was a friend of Ransom's, and he leads the charge to solve the grisly murder. Ransom is a larger-than-life protagonist, allowing the author to make all kinds of observations about the city, its politics, graft and other characteristics. His methods are unorthodox, and in this episode he finds himself accused of one act of which he is not guilty. The book is written in the same tone as the era it depicts and is a page turner. Rcommended.