The Irish And Chicago

The Irish came to Chicago in droves, searching for a better life and prosperity and freedom and all the things that any other ethnic group sought.

Those who study such things claim that no city has more Irishness than Chicago when it comes to celebrating St. Patrick. They dye the river green, and that's an indication of some serious Irishness on the 17th of March.

Immerse yourself in Chicago-style Irishness this year with a copy of THE KING OF THE IRISH, available in all formats and ready for download. You could buy a trade paperback if you jump on it quickly, but to really get into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day in the Midwest, download the novel that features Chicago's Irish in the infancy of their political might.

Follow the journey of Daniel Coughlin as he grapples with the immigrant's dilemma, a position unique to the Irish. The son of a fierce nationalist, Coughlin had to find his place in a city that loathed the Irish newcomers and their foreign religion. For Dan, it will become a question of loyalty, to his adopted homeland or the land of his ancestors, a country yearning to be free if British rule.

In 1889, Chicago was the center of Irish nationalism, with its secret societies pushing for rebellion in Ireland. It was the Irish in Chicago who supported insurrection with money and influence, with the covert backing of the Archdiocese. This is the world that Daniel Coughlin inhabited as a police detective whose job depended on clout, and whose vehement support of the cause of Irish liberty may cost him his life.

THE KING OF THE IRISH is an engrossing story that readers cannot put down, an intriguing novel of double-dealing, espionage and the determination of the city's Irish population to control City Hall.

It won't be a proper St. Patrick's Day without this incredible debut from Jack O'Malley.