Rating: 
Summary: Strong, gritty suspense
Review: Washington D.C. private-eye Derek Strange, a black ex-cop in his mid-fifties, is hired by the mother of a slain young cop to clear her son's name in this gritty, character-driven novel. The dead cop, Chris Wilson, an off-duty black man in plain clothes with a gun to the head of a white man in a tough neighborhood, was shot by a white cop while trying to identify himself. Sound familiar?In Pelecanos' capable hands the story takes several quirky turns. Strange interviews the shooter, Terry Quinn, who subsequently joins his investigation, determined to prove himself colorblind. Although cleared, Quinn left the force and now works in a second-hand bookstore, passing his days reading Westerns. A cocky, impulsive young man, quick with his fists or whatever else comes to hand, Quinn makes an unlikely match for Strange, laconic and self-assured, who feels no need to defend every slight to his manhood. But Quinn makes himself useful and a wary partnership develops as Strange delves into Wilson's life, seeking reasons for his presence with that white man on that dark street. The D.C. streets, the ones our country's leaders never see, teem with simmering rage, wrecked lives, drug dealers, crumbling neighborhoods held intact with affection and traditions, good music, family restaurants, friends. Gritty, dangerous and lively, the city is home to a varied cast. The narrative shifts among them from Strange to Quinn to the leaders of a black heroin operation and their vicious white-trash go-between suppliers, with cameos by various girlfriends, hangers-on, and junkies. Each character is placed firmly in their home setting - the abandoned-warehouse headquarters of the heroin operation, the rural fortress of beer-soaked Earl and his hopped-up son, Critter, a pair who make their city connections look wholesome. Strange punctuates his methodical investigation with stops at favored neighborhood haunts, leaves his lonely rowhouse for evenings with his longtime girlfriend, Janine and her teenage son Lionel, but remains wary of commitment. Quinn moves in a new world, trying to be his cocky white self in black society, proving himself. The story is well-paced and absorbing. Pelecanos ("Shame the Devil," "King Suckerman") explores racial and social issues without sentimentality or preaching and with a hefty dose of dark, city humor. But the real movers in this fine novel are the characters, particularly Derek Strange, and the D.C. he calls home.
Rating:
Summary: Why isn't Pelecanos better known?
Review: With Elmore Leonard, Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane writing blurbs on the book jacket, you know this guy can write a crime story with great characters and dialogue. It's set on the streets of D.C., different from what you see on Brokaw and Rather. Derek Strange, a retired black cop, is asked by Chris Wilson's mother to clear her son's name. He was a black off duty cop with a gun standing over a white guy when he was shot and killed by Terry Quinn, a white off duty cop. Derek and Terry become buddies. The story reels in redneck Earl Boone and his dumb son Ray (Critter), a couple of dope smugglers, a few Colombians and Cherokee Coleman, a local hoopster of some note, good point guard but not good enough for the big time, who runs the drug operation. When you cut to the chase, Terry's old partner Eugene Franklin was a bad guy and Chris Wilson was onto him. Strange figures things out, of course, there's some great action and the kind of not quite tied together ending that Pelecanos presents so well. The Metro Police don't know exactly what happened, but they have enough to give Chris Wilson the posthumous recognition he deserved. Derek and Terry go back to their separate day to day lives, but they'll be back in "Hell to Pay". I thought both stories were great!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful crime fiction
Review: With every book George Pelecanos writes a new standard is set for others to reach for. Right as Rain is by far the best crime novel I have read since I read the last Pelecanos book, Shame the Devil. If you enjoy crime fiction and have not read Pelecanos, all I can say is your missing out on one of the best authors in the genre.
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