Title: Gold Coast Blues
Author: Marc Krulewitch
Genre: Mystery
Age Group: Adult (18+)
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
In Marc Krulewitch’s gritty new mystery, perfect for readers of Robert Crais and Marcia Muller, a beautiful missing woman and a mysterious wine lead Chicago shamus Jules Landau straight toward a killer with very bad taste.
Jules Landau’s father was mobbed up, as was his father before him. Jules takes a different path: He’s a licensed private eye, currently collecting his paycheck in cash from a young ex-con looking for his missing girlfriend, Tanya. But as Jules scours Chicago’s North Side, he realizes that any number of people might want to make sure Tanya stays gone. At the heart of her disappearance seems to be a thriving black market for expensive French wine—a vintage so lucrative that Tanya may have paid for it with her life.
Following a trail of cash and power with more twists than a corkscrew, Jules traces a criminal conspiracy back to a corrupt New Jersey cop. With nobody telling the truth, Jules knows he has to act fast . . . because a perfect crime only gets better with age.
In Gold Coast Blues, Jules Landau works as a private investigator. Both his father and grandfather worked for the mob, so that’s quite a turn for him. When an ex-con hires him to look for his missing girlfriend, Tanya, his connections to the underworld might prove in handy. The case is no straightforward missing perso’ns case, though. Tanya’s disappearance seems to be related to the black market for expensive French wine, and some people seem determined to make sure Tanya stays gone.
It’s the first book I’ve read by this particular author, but I enjoyed it enough that I’ll definitely give another one of his books a try in the future. Jules is as three-dimensional as characters can get. He has a rich history that actually plays a major part throughout the book, he’s witty, clever, and just an all-around enjoyable protagonist. The plot itself was a lot of fun too. With so many people trying to find Tanya and everyone having different reasons, and it feels like a genuine race against the clock to find her first.
The writing was great, especially the descriptions. A highly-recommended mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.
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