'57, Chicago

"Bobby the Lip, " a scheming, down-on-his-luck sports promoter, intends to score big by setting up -- and fixing -- a bout between a big-time heavyweight and a young black contender. But everyone wants a piece of the action, and the Lip finds himself having to outsmart a hungry little crowd of crooks, bookies, detectives, and mob goons.High bets knock the odds in the air as both the police and the mob begin to close in on the Lip, smelling the fix and a profit. And just before the big night, a couple of dead bodies turn up, threatening to upset the big plan.Thick with period color and detail, Monroe's well-received debut novel brings a city and its dark underside to thrilling life, illuminating an era.Monroe, Steve is the author of ''57, Chicago' with ISBN 9780786867301 and ISBN 0786867302.