cover image Pursuit

Pursuit

Steve Monroe. Open Road (openroadmedia.com), $13.99 trade paper (266p) ISBN 978-1-5040-1262-1

This gritty, one-note crime novel from Monroe ('46 Chicago) finds 75-year-old mobster Vitus Gorski on a killing rampage, while an FBI task force led by agent Martin Lowell focuses on an operation designed to shut down mob activity in Chicago. Det. Wally Greer of the Chicago PD catches the call about Gorski's first murder, and discovers a surprising link between it and the double killing of a police officer and a mobster's brother. Lowell is intent on preserving the federal case, while the extraordinarily vicious Gorski eludes capture and continues to add to the body count. Minimal and grudging cooperation from Lowell complicates things after Greer discovers that not all of the top mobsters were caught in the FBI sweep. A victim close to Greer ups the stakes even further as a showdown between the relentless cop and the remorseless killer builds to the inevitable climax. The cunning and savagery of Gorski, a hulking monster of a mobster despite his age, and the determination of Greer make for an even and exciting match. (Aug.)