Big City, Bad Blood

By: Sean Chercover

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Disillusioned newspaper reporter-turned-private detective Ray Dudgeon doesn't want to save the world; he just wants to do an honest job well. But when doing an honest job threatens society's most powerful and corrupt, Ray's odds of survival make for a sucker's bet.

A simple bodyguard job for a Hollywood locations manager uncovers a rat's nest of sexual blackmail, murder, and high-level political corruption...and Ray Dudgeon is caught in a war between the FBI, the Chicago police, and the mob. With the line between good and bad blurring, Ray doesn't know who he can trust - or if he can even trust himself.

©2007 Sean Chercover (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Gumshoe Award, Best First Novel, 2008
• Shamus Award, Best First P.I. Novel, 2008

"The author's considerable storytelling and characterization gifts compare favorably with those of Loren D. Estleman and other established masters of the crime genre." (Publishers Weekly)

Decent but not great.

I really should give this 3.5 stars. It's not really good enough to be a 4 star book, but it's better than average so 3 is too low.

A decent little detective/noire/mafia book. Some violence, some suspense, perhaps a bit too much politicizing, but oh well, you can't have everything. Oh, and there is way too much description of room decor - I don't really care who manufactured someone's couch or what the stairs are tiled with.

Ray Dudgeon is an interesting character. You like him and want him to make out okay, even though you suspect he won't in the long run.

Story has a bit of mob history and some anti-government sentiment, and a basic premise that the world is corrupt. If you like that sort of stuff and don't mind a resolution that is just slightly short of miraculous, you'll like this book. It is enjoyable and quick.

The narrator does a good job.

Please write another novel soon!!

What did you love best about Big City, Bad Blood?

I love the character developement, the title character is great with all his strengths and weaknesses

What did you like best about this story?

It was fun

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but will look for him in the future

Quintessentially Chicago

This is a very "noir" crime novel, as in the likes of Dashiell Hammett. Ray is a deeply flawed, very violent man, with a penchant for introspection. The character is drawn with exquisite detail. So is the city of Chicago in which it takes place.

The plot hums along at a most satisfactory pace. The narrator is superb. My one nit is his mispronunciation of the street name Armitage!

This award-winning novel is a must for all Chicagoans, and for devotees of crime fiction everywhere.

I wonder why Audible hasn't given it more visibility.

Film Noir

Where does Big City, Bad Blood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ya!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Ya!

Which scene was your favorite?

Ya!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Ya!

Any additional comments?

This is a great detective story told in the first person like the old Bogey films. Ray Dudgeon is an old school private eye and sticks with his case. Tough gritty action and a character I liked made this a favorite for me. Five stars and worth a credit.

Enjoyable & very up to date

I really enjoyed this book (except for the getting beat up part). The author was up to date & this was refreshing. The story line was intriguing too. I recommend others read it.

Don't get out of the car!

What did you love best about Big City, Bad Blood?

This is the second book I've listened to by Sean Chercover and he has a great pace, real-to-life characters, and a flawed protagonist. The sarcasm is a hoot and the situations that Ray Dudgeon gets himself into make for great storytelling.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was realistic - a PI gets himself into the middle of a mob war in Chicago. There is plenty of local flavor that keeps you in the city, while the characters float in and out with their own distinct personalities adding to the plot.

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Barrett was an excellent voice for Dudgeon He has a world-weary sarcasm that comes out well on the audiobook. He also captures the other character's voices well so that you can easily track whose involved in the conversation (Chicago cops; uptight feds; Italian Business Men; street pimps; British nurses and Japanese forgers)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was hard to break away from the story and get on with the day. However, it always made going for a drive that much more enjoyable

Any additional comments?

I look forward to more Dudgeon audiobooks

A nice trip back to Chi

There are a lot of weak elements in this book. The supporting characters are, for the most part, very one-dimensional and uninteresting; the dialog is often flat, cliched, and predictable; the lead character spends way too much time obsessing over his girlfriend who doesn't like guns, and he describes room decor as though he were an interior decorator. I found myself thinking repeatedly, "I want him to be TOUGH -- and this ISN'T TOUGH!"

But there are a lot of good elements here too, starting with the narrator. The tone he sets -- a little tough, a little jaded, but never over the top -- is just perfect. He also does a good Chicago accent, and does a great job on several others to boot. The plot and the pacing are also pretty good, if not especially original, and as a transplanted Chicagoan, I loved all of the Chicago references (although I also cringed on the mispronouncing of Armitage -- shouldn't there have been SOMEONE from Chicago to check pronunciation?).

I probably won't read another book from this author because I did find his weaknesses a little too much to want to sit through again, but I'm not displeased I got this one -- it was a good listen.

Ray Dungeon is a P.I. In the Sam Spade Style

Gritty P.I. Ray Dungeon finds Chicago too small for him and the 'outfit.' He takes a job as bodyguard for a mid-level LA production manager who has been threatened with death by the 'outfit' for seeing a hit and seeing a top City Official in the car. Dungeon lives in his head a lot so he is always talking to himself about issues, did it really happen, will Jill answer his calls. It is a very well written story about an investigator with morals. He has friends on the CPD (Chicago Police Department) but not too close of friends. You learn about his childhood bad boy friend, his grandfather, and his past life as a Chronicle reporter. It is a well written book and leaves you thinking that Ray will survive. There is one more book.

Joe Barrett is an excellent narrator for this gritty P.I. He made the story pop to life. The torture scene, only one, was vividly alive.

Big City

Great listen. love the author and the narrator. Full of Chicago color and good characterizations. Will definitely listen to any other books by Chercover.

Decent story

The story was engaging enough that I wanted to keep listening tho it was not too difficult to figure out how it would end. I love the Chicago setting. It seems so many detective stories take place in NYC or LA and I liked this one being closer to home and in a city I knew.
The narrator was terrific except for one thing....his British accent is godawful. The "girlfriend" is supposed to be British but every time her character spoke she sounded exactly like the Geico gecko and I'd start laughing. But she was never a humorous character so the laughing spoiled the mood. And to me it sounded more like a really bad Aussie accent than
British as well. But his other characters were great so I had to try to overlook the absurdity of her accent. But truly.....all I could see was that silly gecko in the commercials.