‘The Fifth Floor’ first rate as mystery novel

  Would-be mystery writers should read Michael Harvey’s “The Fifth Floor.” It also wouldn’t hurt for some established writers to take note of an author with effective, powerful prose who doesn’t write like he’s getting paid by the page.
   Despondent Cubs baseball fans also might relate to this novel. The main protagonist has no illusions that his team will ever win a World Series. Some of the action takes place in The Billy Goat Tavern, a favorite spot in Chicago named after the curse placed on the Cubs when tavern owner William Sianis was kicked out of  Wrigley Field at the 1945 World Series for trying to bring his goat to the game.
  Former cop turned private investigator Michael Kelly returns after his adventures in “The Chicago Way” (Harvey’s first novel) to take on a new case involving ex-girlfriend Janet Woods, who wants to find a way to stop her husband from beating her up.
  Kelly’s a tough guy and a true descendant of Sam Spade and other mystery-noir heroes from back in the day. But Johnny Woods is the fixer for the mayor of Chicago (the title of the book refers to the mayor’s base of power in City Hall). The action escalates after Kelly follows Johnny Woods and sees him flee a house where a corpse is hanging.
  The mystery deepens and is linked to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that destroyed much of the city, including the slums inhabited by Irish immigrants. Kelly enlists the help of a veteran, cynical reporter, but that doesn’t keep him out of trouble with the mayor and others. Through all his troubles, Kelly focuses on saving Janet and her daughter, Taylor, even though he has no idea of the magnitude of the dysfunction of the family he is trying to help.
  Kelly mixes history with a close look at how hardball politics work in Chicago. "The Fifth Floor” is an outstanding mystery and I’m looking forward to the third installment in the series.