Opening paragraphs.........................

The night air was thick and damp.  As I drove south along Lake Michigan, I could smell rotting alewives like a faint perfume on the heavy air.  Little fires shone here and there from late-night barbecues in the park.  On the water a host of green and red running lights showed people seeking relief from the sultry air.  On shore traffic was heavy, the city moving restlessly, trying to breathe.  It was July in Chicago.
-Sara Paretsky,  Indemnity Only