CRIMINAL ELEMENT
by Hugh Holton
Things are never dull in Holton’s Chicago, and in his latest outing, things haven’t gotten any simpler for series hero Police Commander Larry Cole (The Devil's Shadow, p. 363, etc.). Ambitious city Alderman Skip Murphy is set up by barely veiled psychotic police detective Joe Donegan to believe he murdered a young woman. When Donegan makes the evidence disappear, including witnesses, Murphy becomes his puppet, and he’s soon a puppet with a good shot at a congressional seat. An inventive and satisfying stew of procedural, gangs, vengeance, low-level politicians, oddities, and local color of all sorts: Holton’s deft pacing and plotting should satisfy fans and win over a few more.
Better than usual genre fare from an increasingly skilled writer.