Book Beginning: David Mamet's Chicago

Parlow and Mike sat quiet in the duck blind. A camouflage screen of marsh grass and twigs had been set before them; the blind itself was five feet deep, dug into the soft earth, and lined with discarded lumber. The day was dry, and the blind was dry.

...is the beginning of David Mamet's Chicago.

I was in the library the other day and they had this on the new releases shelf. My vague sense is that Mamet has become crotchety and conservative as he's aged, but I've liked his plays and his movies in the past. I'm a Chicago native, and his American Buffalo takes place in my old hood. So a gangster novel set in Chicago in the 20s sounds like it could be fun. Mike (Hodge) is a reporter in love with Annie Walsh who's loosely entwined with the Mob. Trouble ensues.

I'm about 30 pages in and I don't quite understand why a novel with that cover and that theme starts in a duck blind, but oh, well. We do learn Mike Hodge isn't a very good shot. (Though Parlow is.) I get the impression that will be important.

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a bookish meme hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader. To play, quote the beginning of the book you're currently reading, give the author and title, and any thoughts if you like. Or I'll play you a little tune on my violin, see...