Rating: 
Summary: A good place to jump on the Pelecanos bandwagon with me
Review: Another fine effort by Pelecanos. I had run across Nick in some of the author's other work, but I didn't really appreciate him until I read Nick's Trip. Nick Stefanos is a strong character in his own right - witty, versatile and resourceful. He handles a pretty tough situation in this well crafted story.Better than any other crime mystery writer I'm familiar with, Pelecanos knows how to develop characters, paint interesting word pictures of what's going on and produce a fine story. If he writes it, I'm reading it and I'd recommend you check him out. This book is as good a place as any to start.
Rating:
Summary: A good place to jump on the Pelecanos bandwagon with me
Review: Another fine effort by Pelecanos. I had run across Nick in some of the author's other work, but I didn't really appreciate him until I read Nick's Trip. Nick Stefanos is a strong character in his own right - witty, versatile and resourceful. He handles a pretty tough situation in this well crafted story. Better than any other crime mystery writer I'm familiar with, Pelecanos knows how to develop characters, paint interesting word pictures of what's going on and produce a fine story. If he writes it, I'm reading it and I'd recommend you check him out. This book is as good a place as any to start.
Rating: 
Summary: Zzzz....
Review: By page forty I had lost all interest in "Nick" and decided not to follow him on his trip. "Slow and drab" describe the well built atmosphere Pelecanos offers. The texture is there, but it lacks color and contrast. Nick himself is a dreary loser with few redeeming qualities, and the supporting characters offer no help. A snooze.
Rating: 
Summary: drugs, music, crime .. and reflections of wasted youth
Review: George Pelecanos is certainly a writer worthy of better notice. He writes in a very literate yet street-wise manner. His reflections of youth (in his home town of Washington) are poignant, and he throws in a fine crime story for good measure. "Nick's Trip" is no exception. Not classic Pelecanos but certainly a fun ride. "Nick's Trip" is not a "road book". I think the title is somewhat metaphorical, describing the journey in life by a young private detective named Nick Stephanos. He reflects on past friendships, boozing and life when he bumps into an old friend with a problem (missing wife, big money involved, etc). He becomes more reflective when he calls for the aid from an old family acquaintance, someone well connected into local organized crime. Then the adventure takes off. A fast read, great characterizations. And a real treat for 1970s music buffs. Bottom line: one of several jewels by Pelecanos. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: drugs, music, crime .. and reflections of wasted youth
Review: George Pelecanos is certainly a writer worthy of better notice. He writes in a very literate yet street-wise manner. His reflections of youth (in his home town of Washington) are poignant, and he throws in a fine crime story for good measure. "Nick's Trip" is no exception. Not classic Pelecanos but certainly a fun ride. "Nick's Trip" is not a "road book". I think the title is somewhat metaphorical, describing the journey in life by a young private detective named Nick Stephanos. He reflects on past friendships, boozing and life when he bumps into an old friend with a problem (missing wife, big money involved, etc). He becomes more reflective when he calls for the aid from an old family acquaintance, someone well connected into local organized crime. Then the adventure takes off. A fast read, great characterizations. And a real treat for 1970s music buffs. Bottom line: one of several jewels by Pelecanos. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Not Your Average P.I.
Review: Nick Stefanos is a private eye who helps make ends meet by working behind the bar at a place called the Spot. An old buddy from school tracks him down and asks him to find his wife. While working the case we are continually taken back to Nick's youth as he remembers old friends and family. The storyline lurches from chapter to chapter. One minute he's working on the case in search of a missing woman, the next he's running down leads about a murdered friend leaving us to make the necessary mental adjustments. Nick's a hard-drinking, hard-smoking bloke who's marching to the beat of his own drummer. This is not a light hearted romp, rather, we trudge through the seedier parts of town with a character who tends to fit right in. The method of chasing up leads seems to be an endless series of visits to bars throughout the D.C. area with a necessary shot and a beer at each. You've got to be prepared to accept that Nick Stefanos has many faults and weaknesses and is not your average private investigator. Oh, by the way, even with all his faults, I still found the story quite enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: A good (not great) read
Review: Nick's trip is a well written but structurally flawed piece of work. Mr. Pelecanos has a real gift for creating characters and displays it well here. My only gripe is that he fails in trying to keep 3 story lines going simultaneously. Instead of each story successfully reflecting and adding to the others to build a stronger whole, the book winds up feeling slightly disjointed and episodic. Despite this caveat it is definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Nick Rocks
Review: Pelecanos's pace, plotting, and ear for street talk are light years beyond most mystery fare with plodding dialog and flat characters. Like him or not, and like a lot of alkies, there's something about him ya gotta love, Nick's trip is one you want to tbe on. The DC locales are depicted with a neat folding in of history and the contemporary scene. The locales hum with etched characters and sharp dialog. The writing has restraint, dark humor, and a relentless complex and ultimately satisfying plot. The lesbian sex scene is a classic, anti-erotic but pinging on male and female sexuality and aspects of relationship that invoke something deeper. Everyman whose been with a woman whose interest was somewhere else can take something from it. Did I say it was funny as hell?
Rating:
Summary: Nick Rocks
Review: Pelecanos's pace, plotting, and ear for street talk are light years beyond most mystery fare with plodding dialog and flat characters. Like him or not, and like a lot of alkies, there's something about him ya gotta love, Nick's trip is one you want to tbe on. The DC locales are depicted with a neat folding in of history and the contemporary scene. The locales hum with etched characters and sharp dialog. The writing has restraint, dark humor, and a relentless complex and ultimately satisfying plot. The lesbian sex scene is a classic, anti-erotic but pinging on male and female sexuality and aspects of relationship that invoke something deeper. Everyman whose been with a woman whose interest was somewhere else can take something from it. Did I say it was funny as hell?
Rating:
Summary: Nick Ain't Happy
Review: The three Nick Stefanos mysteries (of which this is the second) follow the linear descent of their hero from rebellious career stiff to hard drinking private eye to hopeless alcoholic. Along the way, Nick bares his soul more completely than do most first person narrative P.I.'s. His stories are also among the most darkly violent and gritty that I've come across in the genre. "Nick's Trip" is better than "A Firing Offense," the first Stefanos book, if only because it is more plausible and more focussed. Along the way, Nick reunites with an old friend who has become an obnoxious yuppie and whose wife has disappered. He also manages to lose his girlfriend and become a surrogate father. The whole book has an overwhelming feeling of lonliness to it, like a late night country song. It is definately NOT for readers of light mainstream fiction. Overall, a must read for fans of authors such as James Crumley and Andrew Vachss and anyone else who likes their P.I. fiction truly hard boiled.
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