by Gary Krist
First published 2012
Chicago in 1919 stands poised to become the greatest metropolis in the world. City planners have drafted ambitious blueprints to transform the rough industrial hub into a gleaming modern capital. Then disaster strikes on a sweltering Monday afternoon when a flaming blimp crashes through the roof of a downtown bank, killing everyone inside. The catastrophe triggers a cascade of violence and chaos that threatens to destroy the city's grand ambitions. A racial confrontation at a packed South Side beach explodes into one of America's bloodiest urban riots. A transit strike brings the entire city to a standstill. Police discover the mutilated body of a missing six-year-old girl in a basement, sending shockwaves through already traumatized neighborhoods. As Chicago's leaders struggle to maintain order, the very forces that built the city threaten to tear it apart. Krist weaves together these interconnected crises to reveal how a metropolis on the brink of greatness nearly collapsed under the weight of its own contradictions.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, cities, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-events, social-unrest
Setting: Chicago
Period: 1919
347 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: violence