Blog Tour: Windy City Blues by Marc Krulewitch

Author: Marc Krulewitch
Publisher: Alibi (Random House)
Date of publication: January 2015

Jules Landau feels right at home in the ethnic stew of the Windy City, where he’s indebted to the hopes and schemes of his criminal ancestors. Street-smart and college-educated, Jules wants nothing more than to go straight and atone for his family’s past. But when he investigates a horrific killing, Jules uncovers a hidden world of lucrative corruption.

Jack Gelashvili had his head bashed in and no one knows why. The most obvious answer is that he was a parking cop, a universally loathed job—especially in Chicago. Turns out there’s a lot of money to be made on expired meters, and when Jules starts making noise, he starts making enemies—from the head of a media empire to the mastermind of a prostitution ring. When rumors of bloodthirsty Mob connections arise, Jack’s gorgeous cousin Tamar objects, and Jules is increasingly swayed by the logic and charms of the sexy baker. Following this beautiful woman into the cloistered world of Georgian immigrants, Jules brings his hunches, his family connections, and his gun. But he’s just one man against a pack of criminals with a million reasons to shoot first…

Windy City Blues is the sequel to Maxwell Street Blues. I enjoyed the first book and was eager to read this one.    This time around, Jules is hired by a concerned citizen to investigate the murder of a parking cop in his neighborhood.  That opening scene of a toddler finding the body was pretty gruesome!  What a way to open a book.  As the investigation goes on, Jules finds himself neck deep in city corruption, lazy cops and questionable newspaper practices.  I found the book enjoyable but not as good as the first book. I found this one a little more convoluted and drawn out.  I was saddened by the loss of one of the characters that I liked from the first book.  I always hate when a character that I like dies.

This one could be a stand alone. But if you haven't read the first one, I would recommend reading that one first.  I think you will get a better feel for Jules and what he is trying to get away from by being a PI.

About the author:

Marc Krulewitch’s Jules Landau mysteries take place in Chicago, where he was born and where his family has lived for generations. He now resides in Colorado.

Marc Krulewitch’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, January 5th: Bell, Book & Candle

Tuesday, January 6th: Words by Webb

Wednesday, January 7th: Omnimystery News – author guest post

Wednesday, January 7th: Vic’s Media Room

Thursday, January 8th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Monday, January 12th: Fiction Zeal

Wednesday, January 14th: Reading Reality

Thursday, January 15th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Friday, January 16th: Reading to Distraction

Tuesday, January 20th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, January 21st: Queen of All She Reads

Wednesday, January 21st: Back Porchervations

Thursday, January 22nd: Rhodes Review

Friday, January 23rd: By the Book Reviews

Monday, January 26th: Dwell in Possibility

Tuesday, January 27th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Wednesday, January 28th: The Year in Books

Blog Tour: Maxwell Street Blues by Marc Krulewitch

Author: Marc Krulewitch
Publisher: Random House Alibi
Date of publication: August 2014

Chicago runs in Jules Landau’s veins. So does the blood of crooks. Now Jules is going legit as a private eye, stalking bail jumpers and cheating spouses—until he gets his first big case. Unfortunately, the client is his ex-con father, and the job is finding the killer of a man whom Jules loved like family. Why did someone put two bullets in the head of gentle bookkeeper Charles Snook? Jules is determined to find out, even if the search takes him to perilous places he never wanted to go.

Snooky, as he was affectionately known, had a knack for turning dirty dollars clean, with clients ranging from humble shop owners to sharp-dressed mobsters. As Jules retraces Snooky’s last days, he crosses paths with a way-too-eager detective, a gorgeous and perplexing tattoo artist, a silver-haired university administrator with a kinky side, and a crusading journalist. Exposing one dirty secret after another, the PI is on a dangerous learning curve. And, at the top of that curve, a killer readies to strike again.

Maxwell Street Blues was a very enjoyable read.  I have to say, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the book at first, but before I knew it, I was halfway through.  I was sucked in that fast.  I had a fun time following Jules on his path to find out why his mentor, Snooky, was killed.  I thought the mystery was very well planned out and the number of suspects was just enough to had me doubting my guesses along the way.
I loved the main character Jules.  He is really trying to make something different out of his life than following family tradition of a life of crime.  He kind of took me by surprise because he is a vegetarian, doesn't drink,  loves his cat and has a pretty good sense of humor.  I was expecting someone more dark, so it was a really nice change!  The book is also filled with other interesting characters to make the book a great start to a series.  I highly recommend this one and look forward to reading more with Jules Landau in it.

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About the author:

Marc Krulewitch’s Jules Landau mysteries take place in Chicago, where he was born and where his family has lived for generations. He now resides in Colorado.

Marc Krulewitch’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, July 28th: Reading Reality

Tuesday, July 29th: Mystery Playground

Wednesday, July 30th: Dwell in Possibility

Monday, August 4th: Omnimystery News - author guest post

Thursday, August 7th:  Rhodes Review

Thursday, August 14th: Book Dilettante

Monday, August 18th:  Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, August 19th: From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, August 19th:  Words by Webb

Monday, August 25th:  By the Book Reviews

Tuesday, August 26th: Fiction Zeal

Thursday, August 28th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Wednesday, September 3rd:  Kritter’s Ramblings

Friday, September 5th: A Book Geek