History is being repeated as women are being murdered in the streets of Chicago. Spencer Manning is drawn into the middle of it all by a friend who asks for a simple favor. The sinister, dark world of Chicago at night leads Spencer into dark alleys as he tries to unravel the confusing stories of prostitutes, some of whom aren’t as they appear. Follow Spencer as he tries to figure out what street walkers, a high-priced call girl, and a young girl who looks like she should be in college have to do with each other.
Reviews for Dark Alleys
In this second book of the Spencer Manning Mystery series, author Rick Polad ratchets up the tension. Way up. P.I. Manning is the kind of guy you’d like to hang out with, and who would never turn down the opportunity to do a favor. But when he’s asked for a simple favor this time, it leads him into a dark world of intrigue, serial killers, and sinister ladies of the evening. Polad masterfully weaves a complex mystery-thriller with intersecting plotlines and multiple suspects, and pulls off the difficult job of mystifying but not confusing the reader. This is a Chicago only seen late at night. And that may be the best time to read this haunting tale of obsession and revenge, set in the dark alleys of a city that substitutes for Victorian London in the days of jack the Ripper.”
–Gary Lindberg, #1 Bestselling author of The Shekinah Legacy and Sons of Zadok
Dark Alleys by Rick Polad brings private investigator, Spencer Manning, back to readers with two difficult murder scenarios to help solve. Manning remains close to Chicago police as an informer, yet he is left to his own cunning to help with this city’s tough murder crimes. As a sequel to Change of Address, this book not only doesn’t disappoint but it enamors me more with Manning, the one I’d like to call on for help when a police case is seemingly unsolvable. The characters are well developed and the suspense kept me reading chapter by chapter until I had finished it! Linking one set of murders to a copycat of Jack the Ripper is intriguing and genius. The short chapters made it easy to put down and pick up again as time allowed—amazing planning of character development while the mysteries unfold. The potential romance between Spencer and police detective Rosie is enticing. I want to know more! Where is mystery book # 3?! I want it asap!”
–Cheryl Roberts, Author of Lighthouse Families and numerous other lighthouse books
Polad does it again with another engrossing mystery. He expertly weaves the stories together and leaves you guessing after each chapter. This is the second time out of two books that I could not wait to continue reading. The character development continues and now we are starting to see the flaws in the characters, as well as the good traits. Can’t wait for the next installment in what looks like a very promising series.”
–A Reader, from Amazon.com
I read a lot of mysteries and this is one of the best I have had the pleasure of reading in the last several years. Spencer Manning, doing a favor for a public defender, gets into a bit of trouble trying to keep a lady of the night out of trouble and, in doing so solves two parallel crimes. The two cases are expertly woven together in a manner that kept me guessing but avoided getting too tangled in the weeds. This is a well-written book that I hated to have to put down and I’m eagerly awaiting the next one Mr. Polad writes.”
–A Reader, from Amazon.com