The Third Rail
Knopf, April 2010
A woman is shot as she waits for her train to work. An hour later, a
second woman is gunned down as she rides an elevated train through the
Loop. Two hours after that, a church becomes the target of a chemical
weapons attack. The city of Chicago is under siege, and Michael Kelly,
cynical cop turned private investigator, just happens to be on the
scene when all hell breaks loose.
Kelly is initially drawn into the case by the killers themselves, then
tasked by Chicago's mayor and the FBI to hunt down the bad guys and,
all things being equal, put a bullet in them. Kelly, of course, has
other ideas. As he gets closer to the truth, his instincts lead him to
a retired cop, a shady train company, and an unnerving link to his own
past. Meanwhile, Kelly's girlfriend, Rachel Swenson, becomes a pawn in
a much larger game, while a weapon that could kill millions ticks away
quietly in the very belly of the city.
The Third Rail is stylish, sophisticated, edge-of-your-seat
suspense from a new modern master.
harcover | ISBN: 9780307272508 | Publication Date: April 2010
Reviews:
"A major new voice."
--Michael Connelly
"Michael Harvey should be read by all."
--John Grisham
"Michael Harvey has quickly become one of the brightest lights in crime
fiction, and this book shows why. A white-knuckle thriller with a
heartbreaking human story at its core, The Third Rail is a
helluva book. Don't miss it!"
--Sean Chercover, author of Trigger City
"[A] stellar third novel. . . . Harvey stakes a persuasive claim as the
preeminent contemporary voice of Chicago noir."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[A] book-length jolt of pure adrenaline."
--Kirkus
"The expert use of Chicago politics that distinguished Harvey's
previous novel, The Fifth Floor, is much in evidence here as
well. . . . [T]he action is nonstop, Harvey once again captures the
unique zeitgeist of the city, and Kelly, tough, smart, and a bit rough
around the edges, is a true native son."
--Thomas Gaughan, Booklist
"Harvey drives his third Michael Kelly entry (after The Fifth Floor)
like
an
efficient
train.
. . . The mixture of high-speed drama and
historical elements showcases the author's journalist roots. It comes
off like a juicy true-crime story with abundant twists, ensuring that
the reader is left feeling unbalanced most of the time. Harvey shares
his passion for Chicago, much like Gabriel Cohen does with his Brooklyn
crime novels."
--Teresa L. Jacobsen, Library Journal
