Chicago Bound

Having spent many years searching for Mary Cassatt’s 1893 mural done for Chicago’s World’s Fair, I was delighted to encounter Sean Vogel’s Chicago Bound in which the young Jake and his pals visit the city and discover that Jake’s mother was murdered in her own hunt for the mural. Tracking down the killer, and the Cassatt painting, takes the teenagers on a thrill-packed adventure from the Art Institute of Chicago, to a tea room in Marshall Fields, to the grand finale in, of all places, a retirement home. Chicago Bound is loving and eventful, and most of all a great read.
—Sally Webster, author of Eve’s Daughter: Modern Woman, a Mural by Mary Cassatt


Chicago Bound is a powerful new Jake McGreevy novel that provides another thriller for young adult audiences; this one centered on Jake's search in Chicago's art world for clues to his mother's untimely death.

When Jake accepts an invitation to join an elite group of students visiting Chicago for a two-week performing arts fundraising camp, he suddenly realizes that he'll be seeing, for the first time, the place where his mother was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Moreover, he'll be viewing the huge Mary Cassatt mural which his mother had been in the process of authenticating in the days before her death. With the discovery of a puzzling note from his mother hidden in the teddy bear which was her last gift to him, he comes to understand that his mother recognized a threat to her work and possibly her life - and provided a cryptic message to her family in the one place that would likely reach them.

Spicing his visit to Chicago is the opportunity to spend time with his friends Ben and Julie, both of whom match his skill at drawing quick conclusions and using technology to extend abilities, and who support his determination to investigate his mother's death.

Right away they encounter a formidable obstacle in the form of one Dean Stanley, a take-charge director determined to keep their group in line and prevent any mishaps. When Jake discovers the reasons behind Dean Stanley's fierce commitment to obedience and safety, it only lends fire to his evolving determination to find out what really happened to his mother in Chicago so many years ago.

Supported by his best friends, Jake follows his mother's last footsteps which reveal art clues, issues of authenticity, and possibly a masterpiece which has yet to surface.

Mixed emotions accompany the protagonists at each step of their discoveries, making for a fast-paced and involving story line: "“My mother spent her life looking for this. She died because of it. I don’t know if I like the mural or hate it.”

Factor in unknown assailants who become determined to do anything to prevent Jake from learning the truth and the factor of time (his investigation must be done in the course of a short holiday, which is supposed to include performing for fundraising efforts) and add in the uncertainties of romantic possibilities with two very different girls and the stage fright of a friend who needs to overcome his fears to move ahead and you have a fine, multi-faceted read that pairs psychological overtones with a vivid, fast-paced plot.

Time is running out on many levels: for Jake, for his revelations about his mother's last days and final contribution to the art world, and for a short stay in Chicago which is likely too quick to solve much of anything.

Like a compelling musical piece, Chicago Bound opens with an interesting promise of mystery and moves quickly and solidly to a crescendo of cat-and-mouse moves between Jake and his friends and unknown assailants who are committed to hiding the truth.

Readers will be fascinated to the end — and surprised by an ending which blends an art history investigation, a mother and son's lasting connections, and commitments between good friends.
—Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review, eBook Reviewer

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