Maxwell Street Blues

Jules Landau comes from a long line of crooks and thieves but as well all know, your family history doesn’t always dictate your future.  Attempting to make a career as a P.I., Jules takes on a case involving the murder of Snooky (no, not that Snooky), a family friend who just happens to be an expert money launderer.  Hired by Jules’ own ex-con father, can Landau track down Snooky’s executioner or will his family name draw deadly attention?

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Landau must have scored top spot on the dean’s list at the Philip Marlowe school of hard knocks.  Landau is a P.I. who takes a beating and throughout his quest to nab Snooky’s killer, he ends up with more bumps and bruises than Johnny Knoxville in a shopping cart.

Author Marc Krulewitch crafts an interesting and compelling mystery filled with drugs, murder and political maneuvering.  Landau deals with a wide cast of characters with help from a plucky journalist, an old school detective mentor and a sultry tattoo artist along the way.  There’s a lot to like about this book although I felt at times the case became just a tad convoluted.  However, like a great Chandler book, Krulewitch’s prose flows smoothly and keeps the reader turning the pages.

Krulewitch originally released Maxwell Street Blues independently a few years back but it has since been picked up by Random House’s crime imprint Alibi and set for release in August 2014.  I’m hoping this is the start of a series as I’d love to read more from him in the future.

Release Date: August 05th, 2014