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While other Michael Harvey novels have demonstrated the author's ability to write crisp, action-packed thrillers with an insider's knowledge of Chicago, WE ALL FALL DOWN has raised the bar. Harvey's newest novel is stunning, both in the depth of the issues he is willing to take on (bioterrorism within a major American city) and his understanding of the core failings of urban life (does the West Side matter enough to the city of Chicago?). When an unidentified pathogen is released on the Blue Line of Chicago's subway system, Michael Kelly is called in by the mayor as an outside consultant to help the Department of Homeland Security and a private counterterrorism lab track down its origins. Things begin to ratchet up when bodies start piling up on the West Side (notorious for its gangs and drug trafficking), and its hospitals soon turn into morgues. In a city where so many are on the take, it becomes difficult to sort out the motives of the bad guys (be they gangbangers, cops, business men, Mob bosses, or politicians straight out of the Mayor's Office). Kelly, along with some helpful friends in the media and police department, try to get to the truth of the matter, but this puts everyone in danger, of course. Soon, parts of the city are cordoned off, subway trains become rolling hearses, and there is a natural tendency to wonder just how far the bioweapon might spread, given the Blue Line subway's ultimate destination (O'Hare Airport). It's chilling, gripping reading, and author Michael Harvey takes his readers on an adventure they won't soon forget. At every level, the book offers food for thought, about the value of citizens' lives, about the vulnerable state of urban environments like Chicago, about the price that those who work to protect the population are willing to extract for their services, and so many other timely issues. Whether the book is read for the sheer thrill of Harvey's storytelling ability or as a take on the issues that haunt modern American society today, WE ALL FALL DOWN has much to offer its readers. § Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, July 2011
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