Murder in Canaryville

Starred review from November 23, 2020
In this riveting account, Coen (Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled Chicago’s Mob) paints a vivid picture of underworld Chicago while detailing one man’s quest to close a cold case. In 1976, 17-year-old John Hughes was partying with friends in a park when he was shot dead by someone in a passing car. What should have been a simple case wound up going nowhere. Forty years later, Det. James Sherlock, on loan from the Chicago PD to the FBI’s cold case file, pulled a slender file on the murder and began to reconstruct the case. Though it was never officially solved, Sherlock’s dogged police work pretty much makes it clear who killed Hughes, why the incident led to a second murder years later, why there was a cover-up, and just how high it went. One of the suspects had a relative in the police department, judges were likely bribed, and Coen alleges that Mayor Richard Daley could have been involved. Along the way, Coen details the history of the mob in Chicago and the corruption within the city’s police department. With this fascinating survey, Coen burnishes his reputation as a top-notch crime writer.

December 15, 2020
In 1976, teenager John Hughes' murder on the streets of Canaryville, a working-class Chicago neighborhood, sparked little concern outside the community's narrow confines. Positively identifying the shooter proved problematic, and the case languished for years until FBI investigator Jim Sherlock took it up just prior to his own retirement. The more he dug, the more Sherlock realized that the pursuit of Hughes' murderer was inextricably connected with the violent intersection of Chicago crime, corruption, and politics. Police detectives had been pulled off the case by the district commander, who apparently had a direct pipeline to the mayor. Sherlock went back and interviewed the principals in the case, unearthing ever-deeper layers of corruption. Chicago journalist Coen (Golden, 2012) links this particular murder to the larger issue of police accountability, and he brings the story up to present-day Chicago police abuse and corruption cases. Fans of true crime and of police procedurals will find much to relish here, but familiarity with Chicago history and geography is vital to appreciating this whole complex story.

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January 1, 2021

Chicago Tribune crime and justice writer Coen (Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled the Chicago Mob) explores the 1976 unsolved murder of John Hughes, a 17-year-old shot in a park on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The death appeared to be the result of a post-party scuffle; tensions between the Italians, who hung out in McGuane Park, and the Irish, who kept to Boyce Field, ran high. But Detective James Sherlock's investigation of this cold case reveals a cover-up involving individuals with suspected ties to organized crime and police corruption. Armed with a scant case file and decades-old accounts from key players, Sherlock is an effective central figure whose empathy and dedication add humanity to a complex story. Coen contextualizes the case with a brief overview of misconduct in the Chicago Police Department. VERDICT In-depth and compelling investigative journalism that will resonate with those interested in organized crime and Chicago history and politics. Readers intrigued by this era in Chicago's history may also enjoy Charles Hager's Chicago Heights: Little Joe College, the Outfit, and the Fall of Sam Giancana.--Kate Bellody, SUNY New Paltz

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