KILL HER TWICE

A Chicago shamus probes a high-profile murder for a sketchy client.

A distraught Martin Tripp calls police in the middle of the night from suburban Weston to report that an intruder has attacked his live-in girlfriend, Sara Jansen. She lies brutally stabbed to death, near a hidden cache of jewelry. Veteran police detective Harry Slage quickly concludes that Martin is lying, and guilty. When savvy defense attorney Reginald “Apples” Aplon argues that his client’s not guilty by reason of temporary insanity, a hung jury sets him free. The distraught Tripp, a ruined man, appeals to private eye Vlodek “Dek” Elstrom, who unloads on him before reluctantly agreeing to look into Sara's murder. Like most of the city, Dek thinks Tripp is a coldblooded killer and takes the case more to nail than to exonerate him. But he finds several unsavory details of bank teller Sara’s past and, more significantly, corroboration for several of Tripp’s claims. Neighbors, co-workers, and colorful Aplon are among the first people Dek questions. Secretive neighbor Julianna Wynton, who took a powder shortly after the murder, seems key to unraveling the tangled truth. Fredrickson’s Chicago is reminiscent of Chandler’s Los Angeles, and the dearth of modern detail suggests an appealing timelessness; it could as easily be 1930 as 2020. Hard-boiled Dek’s eighth case is long on crackling dialogue and atmosphere, with another suspicious character seemingly lurking around every corner.

A sleek Windy City noir with a distinctly retro feel.