Shadows in the White City
by: Robert W. Walker
Published by: Harper
Buy From Amazon.com
Reviewed by Peg Brantley
Inspector Alastair Ransom is fighting more than just the heat in 1893 Chicago. He’s fighting murder (which he’s not above committing himself for the “right” reasons); his superiors on the police force (who aren’t above murder if it’s to their benefit); and public opinion (which the inspector couldn’t care less about—unless it helps or hinders his quest to get to the truth).
While the world’s attention is centered on the wonders of the great fair, children are being slaughtered in a heinous fashion. Beyond the glamour and laughter, beyond where the average person will look, evil lurks in the shadows of the city, making the most vulnerable its prey. No one other than Alastair Ransom has the tenacity or the single-mindedness to combat evil and corruption in order to make the city safe.
But lest you think Ransom is some sort of a super hero—he’s not.
This is the first Robert Walker book I’ve read. Perhaps because I don’t read many historical novels of any genre, or perhaps because I hadn’t read the predecessor, City for Ransom—it seemed to start a little slow. I found Ransom tedious in his trigger anger, and the repetition of thoughts and events overdone. But I stuck with it, mainly because of Walker’s reputation. And I’m glad I did.
Walker paints a time and place of gas-lit street lamps and horse-drawn carriages—a time on the dawn of great inventions waiting to catapult this country into a different age. He brings people into our lives who are forward thinking and compassionate, and whose hearts are hardened and feel their cruelty justified.
By the end of Shadows in the White City, I felt a kinship with 1893 Chicago and many of the characters Walker has drawn and given dimension to. Even his secondary characters are fully formed and interesting in their own right.
And Ransom? I would be proud to count him as a friend.
Armchair Interviews says: Shadows in the White City is highly recommended.
Author’s Web site: http://www.RobertWWalkerbooks.comm
From our armchair to yours...
