Talking without thinking is like shooting without taking aim. Proverb

[michael draper]

The action begins in the Four Corners section of Chicago, a place that is gang dominated. Two brothers, Bobby and Ruben Vargas join the Chicago PD.

 

Coleen Brennan was Bobby's childhood girlfriend but was murdered when she was age thirteen. Now "The Chicago Herald" is about to run an expose stating that Bobby and Rubin were the two boys who murdered her

Anton Dupree was arrested, found guilty and executed for the murder. Now his mother is suing threee city claiming that he was of low intelligence so easy to manipulate into confessing. She's suing the city and Bobby fears that the city will settle and he and his brother will be fired and face civil action.

 

There are a number of levels to the story which is told in a darkly realistic manner that has a momentum of its own. There was certain activity by Japan during WWII that should have ended with criminal persecution. Now, a member of the company responsible for the wrongdoing is influential in financing the Chicago Olympics in 2016. In addition, Coleen's twin sister, Arlene returns to the city and begins a romantic attachment with Bobby.

This is an excellent story with good dialogue and characters who jump out of the pages with their realistic manner. Bobby is the kind of character we enjoy reading about. He's loyal, brave, honorable and the center of an excellent novel.