Lorde of Chicago

by G.Y. Riggs

A young co-ed is brutally murdered and her body is found in an alley, on the wrong side of the tracks. A dying millionaire is desperate to be reunited with his missing daughter, but is she really his long lost child? A dapper gent is seeking to recover a lost artifact, but death seems to follow that object wherever it goes. A teenage thief is jailed for a murder he says he didn’t commit, but all the evidence points to him. A writer is poised to hit the big time on radio, but a blackmailer threatens her future.

Welcome to Chicago!

It’s May of ’32 - the Golden Age of Mystery. The city is reeling from shuttered factories, bank failures, prohibition, gangsters, crooked cops, corrupt politicians, Hovervilles, soup kitchens, bonus marchers, shape-ups, and legions of the unemployed. All of this has combined to create a landscape with more craters than a Great War battlefield. Spend a week in the shoes of Joe Lorde, a hard-nose private detective who’s intimidating size and cold penetrating gray eyes suggest that he’s nothing more than muscle-for-hire. So go ahead, underestimate him...that'll be fun!!

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Genres: Mystery

285 pages, Paperback

Published January 20, 2021

About the author

G.Y. Riggs is an American author who was born in Santa Monica, California, and grew up in California, New Jersey, Cairo Egypt and Freeport Bahamas.

He holds a BA from Northeastern University and two Master's Degrees From Cleveland State University.

He spent 40 years in international business working, living and traveling through six continents and 86 countries. He currently resides in Philadelphia.

Please follow GY on:

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Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid writing, with strong Chicago setting and varied characters. Hardboiled P. I. "with heart of gold" a bit of a trope I suppose, but works well here as he comes from a tough background. There's some violence, but I wouldn't call it "graphic" for concerned folks. It held my interest well, with the racial, and even a minor LGBT aspect, handled well without seeming heavy-handed. Definitely worth purchasing. However...

I wasn't wild about the lengthy italicized passages indicating conversations in other languages. I found that a bit annoying, wishing the author had found a better was to handle that; came across as "bragging" that Joe is a linguistic genius. More to the point, the resolutions at the end (criminal and personal) didn't work for me. It'd be a spoiler to say more, but until nearly the end I would've considered reading it as a series. Instead, I'll consider it a decent stand-alone, open to reading other Riggs fiction.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy this time period. The characters were very descriptive and I enjoyed the twists and turns. I also loved the little synopsis of what happened to characters in the future. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime saga. Since I’m from Illinois, I also enjoyed the Chicago references. Great read!

[Carol Hunsicker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice detective story! Enjoyable to read.

[Grump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun but at times sloppily written. Cliched but still compelling. It's sort of an ultra-typical detective noir story set in prohibition era Chicago. The book follow Joe Lorde as he sniffs out multiple cases at once. That's what I liked most about the book. That it wasn't just about one case. There was the Italian kid who was on the hook for the city planner's murder, the horny radio-play writer being blackmailed, the questionable heiress and the mysterious puzzle ball. I like how each case had a follow up at its end that told us where what happened to the people involved in it down the road. Could have used a proofreader though.

[Diane E]

Great story

Chicago 1932. What a fascinating time , so much history. It seems the author covered a lot of it in this book. The story revolves around Joe Lorde, veteran of the Great War, successful PI in spite of the depression friend of many . The history is well woven in the story of one week in Joe's life . In that week he solves 5 cases. I like the field notes which adds a general view of Chicago. Good policing and touches of humor .

[STEPHEN TORNIO · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has set this novel in Chicago of the 1930's. He then takes a private eye, Joe Lorde, and leads us through a week of cases he is working on. Day by day we follow Joe and his staff in their efforts to solve the many cases against the backdrop of a very believable Chicago. One week, six cases solved with a surprise ending that shouldn't have been that surprising but with the final twist, all the more enjoyable.

[Becky Ballinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great period piece

This is the first I have read from G.Y. Riggs and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The atmosphere was true to form. Even tho I figured out “who done it “ before he did the big reveal the solving was every bit enjoyable. I can’t wait to read more about Joe Lorde.

[Bill Hipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. Good atmosphere. Well researched. Good story.

[John Kryewinske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it alot. Very surprised that it is a first book, quite well written, nice plot, interesting organization, and hoping for another.