High Chicago

By Howard Shrier

After his successful debut, Buffalo Jump, Howard Shrier is back with High Chicago, the next in the Jonah Geller series.

Toronto investigator Jonah Geller has opened his own agency, World Repairs, and he and his partner, Jenn Raudsepp, are immediately drawn into investigating the apparent suicide of a young girl — and the high-stakes world of construction and development on a long-neglected parcel of Toronto’s waterfront. Clues lead them to suspect that fabled real estate tycoon Simon Birk — the partner of the dead girl’s father — is killing people who get in the way of the project, but the evidence isn’t rock solid. And Jonah has to craft an audacious plan to take down one of Chicago’s most powerful men.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 14, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307373533

Reviews for High Chicago

[bucketyell · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I generally love murder mysteries and was especially looking forward to this one because I thought it was set primarily in Chicago. Instead, most of the book is set in Toronto which is crammed down one's throat on every page. Now I am Canadian myself and I like seeing the occasional reference to a place I have been but this novel was way over the top and it took away from the plot. Once the setting moved to Chicago, the author did the same thing with that city as well so I really can't say that he is just a proud Canadian. Perhaps a little less research would have helped the story. The plot itself was highly predicable and disappointing. I can suspend reality when warranted but this one was way too farfetched and unbelievable. Overall, I had high hopes but it just fell flat.

[datrappert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In High Chicago, Jonah Geller, who has just started his own detective agency, is hired to investigate why a young woman, the son of a real estate magnate, killed herself by jumping off a Toronto balcony. This requires investigating her father and his business partner, a notorious American developer obviously modelled on Donald Trump--though he isn't Trump, since Trump himself is mentioned in the book more than once. Jonah makes some progress in Chicago, and figures out that it probably wasn't suicide--no surprise there. Then things inevitably take a nasty turn and it is time to call upon the help of restauranteur, but former hitman, Dante Ryan. In this series, Ryan's presence ratchets up the excitement level to at least 11. As usual, there is lots of violence and more than a few people get hurt. The evolution of Geller's character as he continues to deal with his Israeli military experience and the trauma it left him with, while fighting for justice no matter what the cost or the perception of others, is fascinating. Luckily, Geller isn't working alone. Highly, highly recommended.

[victoria_beach_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book featuring PI Jonah Geller. As I received it via the early reviewer feature, I had not read the first one and was initially hesitant. Happily, I did not have difficulty following the storyline or the characters and I enjoyed it enough to want to read the first one. The story itself jumped back and forth, though not to a point that it detracted from a smooth reading. Set in both Toronto and Chicago, Jonah Geller's character spent a little more time than I would have liked reminding us he was Canadian (and Torontonian) with all that entails. I'm a proud Canadian but it was a little much... A good read; borrow it from your local library! Recommended for fans of mysteries that are not overly demanding of their books.

[edkupfer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second book in the Jonah Geller series repeats most of the things that made the first book a pleasure to read: crisp dialogue, unusual scenery for your typical PI novel (Buffalo, Toronto, Chicago), interesting bad guys. The resolution of both books was not typical, however -- without spoiling the endings, I'll just say that the protagonist was placed in a bind that was resolved through morally ambiguous means. I love it when that kind of thing happens.

[rosses_9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Based on the cover and blurbs I likely wouldn't have bought it in a bookstore, but I might have taken it out from the library. Maybe. So I am very glad to have received this through the Early Reviewer program. Shrier can write! P.I Jonah Geller is well conceived and has enough depth that I want to find out more about him. Some of the supporting cast seem to be flat, particularly Dante who is a caricature of a mobster restaurateur and retired hitman. Shrier acknowledges this by having Dante complain about being stereotyped - so I expect better things in the future.High Chicago is exactly what a mystery thriller should be. It is fast paced, exciting and kept me reading until I reached the end. This was a two sitting book. There is a nice little cameo appearance by a native high steel worker that is a scene stealer, and the humour reminded me of Thomas King. The plot has few sneaky little twists, nut the big reveal at the end was a little forced, and not quite the surprise it could have been. Unlike a previous reviewer I didn't find the Toronto setting overdone - and most of the action takes place in Chicago as the title suggests. It was nice to have a bit of Canadiana thrown in. Over all this is a solid beach or bathtub read; not too serious, not too intellectual, but clever and entertaining. Like previous reviewers I will definitely have my eye out for more from Howard Shrier! A welcome addition to the noir genre.

[lavermeer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

High Chicago is a midway ride of a book. Shrier writes in a propulsive style — the story starts at a run and keeps running until the final page. Jonah Geller, the wise-ass narrator, maintains an appealing banter with his associates, as the genre demands, but his smart-cracking exterior hides deeply human thoughts and feelings. Jonah has an ominous history and might be difficult for many readers to like, but his complex character makes judgement difficult. Most of the supporting cast is similarly drawn: superficially conforming to expectations but with unexpected back stories and depth. That said, the good guys are as good as they need to be, and the bad guys are really bad. As the genre demands, the violent encounters are plentiful and plenty violent (although much of the worst violence happens off-stage), and the pace is rapid-fire and relentless. Breathless escapism, but very well crafted. I want to read the first Jonah Geller adventure now — and I hope other titles in the series will follow.

[yells-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I generally love murder mysteries and was especially looking forward to this one because I thought it was set primarily in Chicago. Instead, most of the book is set in Toronto which is crammed down one's throat on every page. Now I am Canadian myself and I like seeing the occasional reference to a place I have been but this novel was way over the top and it took away from the plot. Once the setting moved to Chicago, the author did the same thing with that city as well so I really can't say that he is just a proud Canadian. Perhaps a little less research would have helped the story. The plot itself was highly predicable and disappointing. I can suspend reality when warranted but this one was way too farfetched and unbelievable. Overall, I had high hopes but it just fell flat.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is set in Toronto Canada and in Chicago, and there is enough action here to satisfy any thriller junkie!. The tension does not let up throughout the whole book. Jonah Geller is a no-nonsense private eye who has a black belt in martial arts. He doesn't pack a gun (good Canadaian boy that he is) but he doesn't take any nonsense from anyone either. He gets drawn into the high flying world of big construction with the case where he is helping a friend of his mother's, and encounters a whole bunch of really bad people. He gets some help from his beautiful partner Jenn and his ex-connected buddy Dante Ryan while he tries to take on the big guys single-handed. This was a great story and a page-turning thriller. I really enjoyed it. And I really like the characters. Jonah is a peach, and his friend Dante is way too cool.

[bhowell_35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

High Chicago is the 2nd book by Howard Shrier featuring private investigator, Jonah Geller. The action takes place in Toronto and Chicago and it never stops. I read the book in two sittings. This is a hard -hitting Lee Child sort of thriller. Don't wait for a pyschological portrait of the terrors lurking behind the surface of apparently ordinary people. The characters in this book are not ordinary and Geller storms into the lives of dangerous and powerful people in his quest to discover the truth behind the death of his client's daughter. As others have ably recited an outline of the plot , I will not do so but focus on genre and the sheer entertainment delivered by this book. There is a scene in the book where Geller and his side kick, Dante Ryan, a former hit man, do battle woth a powerful Chicago real state tycoon and mobster at the top of a high rise office building under construction. It is heady stuff and worthy of a high action movie. There is humour and violence delivered up with a punch. The characters are fascinating but more importantly, exactly what is needed for the delivery of this high adventure thriller. The characters are not introduced with any fine psychological finesse. They burst on the scene and act their part. Shrier quickly tells the reader their background and the rest is for the reader. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. I predict that Howard Shrier is going to take his place beside other favourite Canadian writers of thrillers, such as Peter Robinson, L. R. Wright, Giles Blunt, and Louise Penny.

[pmarshall_82 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jonah Geller is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of a young woman. This leads him into the world of construction and corruption. A big time player in construction with a bad reputation, Simon Birk of Chicago, is a partner with Rob Cantor; father of the dead girl; in building a large apartment/condo/retail complex in an environmentally unsound area on the Toronto waterfront. Soon the bodies begin to pile up. Geller takes his investigation to Chicago and faces attacks on his person as he continues to look into Birk’s involvement in the Toronto deaths. He is forced to call on his partner and a friend from Toronto for help.The ending is somewhat contrived but otherwise the plot is realistic in this well paced, hardboiled detective mystery. The characters have depth and add realism to the novel.I am looking for the first in the Jonah Geller series “Buffalo Jump” as I enjoyed “High Chicago.”