Local Author Taps Political Corruption in Murder Mystery, Great Read

If anticipation is the slice of life, Beverly author Bob Allen has been relishing in his life during these months leading up to the release of his current literary work.

The attorney and author announces the first in a series of book signings for “The Backdoor to Heaven” novel Sunday, December 15 from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at The Studio Beverly, 2501 West 103rd Street, Suite 207.

The event and book sponsor is Blue Island Beer Co. showcasing its aptly-named amber brew “Massive Political Corruption” - inspired by the Prohibitionists’ hysteria that legalized alcohol.

The novel is a follow up to last year’s debut novel “Let It Be At That” and “Opening Day” - his dramatic, one-act play that debuted in a lengthy run at the McKaw Theater Chicago in Rogers Park last year.

With a mind’s eye full of reflections from yesteryear, Allen carves out passages with plenty of Chicago intrigue and chock full of images that make up the Windy City, where the best way to get the word out is still to: tell a secret.

In “The Back Door to Heaven” the Hawk - and its frigid February winds - blow fiercely against the story’s protagonist as he does the devil’s work, going door to door to get the local alderman into what will be his final term, given the boss’ aged state and an uncertain election outcome in a racially charged ward with a shifting demographic.

The central character’s estranged son is pegged as “Public Enemy No. 1” when his troubled wife is slaughtered in her basement along with a sketchy, small-time drug dealer from the neighborhood.

“As anxious as I have been to see the book get out, I’m twitching to see how people react to the plot’s mystery,” said Allen. “In my life the only thing that compares to waiting for a book is the kind of restlessness my wife and I had waiting for our two daughters to be born.”

A practicing attorney for more than three decades, Allen is realizing a long-time ambition to write fiction, with his love of Chicago as a backdrop. Allen’s own walk through life is integral to bringing readers along for the ride. Allen earned his writing chops penning short stories and comedy entries years ago.

From his childhood days in the St. Justin Martyr Parish in Englewood, bordering Little Flower Parish, to the halls and five flights of stairs at Leo Catholic High School on 79th Street, Allen invites readers to a world just over his shoulder and a now-so-distant past.

“I carried this thing around for the past two decades in my briefcase, in the form of notes and outlines on yellow legal pads,” said Allen. “When I finally sat down and started writing, it just came out, especially the dialogue. I guess I’ve developed an ear for Chicagoese.”

Like many a Southsider, Allen grew up patching together jobs to contribute where he could in a Catholic family adjusting to a changing neighborhood. Heading into his adult life Allen remained nimble and resourceful as he headed toward law school by tending bar, making eyeglasses, loading airplanes, and performing as a stand-up comedian “among other things’ he says.

Allen plans to bring "Opening Day" to a local community theater following last year’s run on the North side, where Cub fans lurk. The dramatic subject matter centers on a father-and-son relationship during the onset of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2016. Theirs is a story many families can relate to and it features dramatic interplay with a comedic touch, as well as familiar Chicago dialogue.

Reader response to “Let It Be At That” spurred Allen to shape his current tome. In his initial launch, two Southside, unruly Irish Catholic boys separated by 16 years, but from the same parish, converge. The older of the two, Tommy Mallon returns in 1970 as a priest and finds answers for questions that he did not know he was asking. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Gary “Weezer” O’Donnell, experiences his own set of questions regarding life, religion and American Nazis skulking around Marquette Park. Their stories are weaved together in fateful ways neither can knowingly control.

BOOK SIGNING SUNDAY

Those attending the book signings can queue up in the warm indoors Sunday to purchase copies of “The Backdoor to Heaven” from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at The Studio Beverly, 2501 West 103rd Street, Suite 207.

"Thrilled to have the books in hand for the Christmas giving season," said Allen. "Author-signed books with clever inscriptions are a delightful gift for the bookwork in your life, especially cynical Chicago bookworms who can smell a rat."

Bob Allen is a long-time resident of Chicago’s Beverly community, where he and his wife Laura raised their two daughters, Lucy and Grace.