I originally reviewed Probable Cause by Theresa Schwegel on December 22nd, 2006.
Ray Weiss is a rookie police officer in Chicago. As a part of an initiation ritual rookies are expected to break into a store steal something for he senior officers and get out. When Ray’s time come he breaks into a local jewelry store and once inside finds the dead body of the store owner. In order to cover themselves the other officers sabotage the crime scene and destroy evidence. They eventually arrest a suspect that Ray knows is innocent, but if says anything then he will incriminate not only himself and the other officers but his long time best friend also. Rays father a lieutenant, is a cop also, and keeps a watchful eye over his son’s career. Rays is stuck in an uncomfortable position as he doesn’t want the wrong man to go to prison but cant do harm to himself at the same time. The other central dilemma is that Ray wants to earn his fathers respect but he also takes a lot or grief from everyone else because of his father’s position. As the investigation into the store owner’s death brings more information to light more elements get thrown into the mix like possible dirty cops and illegal immigrants. As Ray continues to vocalize his doubts he finds himself to be the target of supposedly random acts of violence and vandalism. The ending is unpredictable and more importantly is satisfying in its conclusion and wrap up of all the threads that came before.
The different relationships as they are presented are all fascinating. Rays relationship with his father has a couple of sides. His father is aware of the hassle of being his son but also is aware that he can’t do anything about it with out making it worse. Ray also has a strong desire to earn his fathers respect and wants to do right by him. Their relationship works on two fronts at one point their sharing some greasy food in a conspiratorial manner so Rays mother wont find out that her husband isn’t following his diet then later the Lt. is giving veiled advice to his son about a situation he may or may not know about. It’s wonderfully understated but realistic as well.
Rays relationship with his partner is strained to start with and only becomes more so as the wedge of the murder investigation drives them further apart. Rays best friend and fellow rookie Jed, was a willing participant in the cover-up, especially if it meant saving his friend. Ray wants to convince him that the investigation will come back around to them at some point but Jed is on the side of the officers and won’t listen to Rays reasoning.
The dialogue between the men simply crackles. It’s filled with tension, stress and the sometimes harsh joking that men are prone to. The verbal attacks on one another can be thinly veiled threats and meaningless banter, sometimes both at the same time. It can be duplicitous and confusing to someone caught at the cross roads like Ray is.
As Ray becomes increasingly isolated from those around him he also scrambles to retain some connection to them. Perhaps as a validation of his humanity and the good that he want to do, perhaps because he doesn’t want to be alone on this. He is a young man who is forced to keep his own council for the first time in his life and if he’s not careful he could loose his friends, family, job and possibly his life.
In fact the only frustrating thing about the book is something that is supposed to that way. Ray, sometimes at crucial times, makes rookie mistakes as he tries to keep from getting in over his head. These mistakes make you want to reach through the page and wring his neck. But again this isn’t a fault just a trait of the book.
This is a great book on many levels, as a crime novel and police procedural it is a success. It is a compelling character study that presents a wide variety of relationships in all of their complexities. Add to all of that a satisfying and unpredictable conclusion and this is a book that should be on everyone’s bookshelf.
