Shoedog

Rating:
Summary: If you like crime fiction and can find a copy, read it
Review: I've now read all but one of Pelecanos' books and, while I wouldn't rank Shoedog as even one of the top five, I still rate it a five star book. The author has so many tools to work with that he can produce a terrific book even if he's not hitting it on all cylinders. I thought this book was a little short, which limited the character and story development a bit. And, several of the heist characters were also not as interesting as many others I've encountered in this author's books.

Having stated my criticism, I'll have to say I loved reading the book anyway. Randolph, the Shoedog character, was superb. The planning and execution of the robberies was gripping. The Washington, D.C. and music references were characteristically well done. The story had enough twists and turns and the ending was not that predictable. If you like crime fiction and can find a copy (it's kind of scarce), I think you should read it.

Rating:
Summary: If you like crime fiction and can find a copy, read it
Review: I've now read all but one of Pelecanos' books and, while I wouldn't rank Shoedog as even one of the top five, I still rate it a five star book. The author has so many tools to work with that he can produce a terrific book even if he's not hitting it on all cylinders. I thought this book was a little short, which limited the character and story development a bit. And, several of the heist characters were also not as interesting as many others I've encountered in this author's books.

Having stated my criticism, I'll have to say I loved reading the book anyway. Randolph, the Shoedog character, was superb. The planning and execution of the robberies was gripping. The Washington, D.C. and music references were characteristically well done. The story had enough twists and turns and the ending was not that predictable. If you like crime fiction and can find a copy (it's kind of scarce), I think you should read it.

Rating:
Summary: Another hit.
Review: Pelecanos does it again in SHOEDOG. He hits on all counts, the writing is superb, and the characters, as always, are deep and interesting. I couldn't get enough of this book. This is one that I was sad to come to the end.

Rating:
Summary: Noir in DC
Review: Pelecanos takes a break from the Nick Stefanos series to tell the noir tale of a drifter who, while simply hitching a ride south, gets caught up in shady dealings with deadly consequences. The protagonist, Constantine, is extremely similar to Pelecanos' Nick Stefanos (and even spends a night in Stefanos' bar) he's a loner, able to hold his own, at home with the underbelly of society and a keen sense of what is right and wrong. He gets caught up in with some petty criminals and their controlling boss and ends up in a sticky situation. As usual, Pelecanos uses Washington DC and environs as a backdrop for this gritty little tale.

Rating:
Summary: an early caper, worth the read
Review: SHOEDOG is an early work by George Pelecanos, which I recently read for the first time when it was reissued in paperback. The plot involves a drifter named Constantine who stumbles into a half-baked liquor store robbery run for no good reason by a man named Grimes. There's really no reason Constantine can't leave at any time except for his attraction to Grimes' girlfriend.

All of the Pelecanos trademarks are here - Washington, DC....old soul music....drug use described into detail, etc. While I enjoyed SHOEDOG, it lacks the thematic richness of some Pelecanos' Derek Strange books and the conclusion was somewhat unsatisfying....All of the characters, except Constantine, are pretty one-dimensional....

If you've read Pelecanos' other books this will be a fun diversion, but RIGHT AS RAIN might be a better place to start for the novice.....

Rating:
Summary: Efficient heist thriller-harbinger of better things to come
Review: Shoedog is the debut novel of George P Pelecanos and while it works perfectly well in its own right it has most interest to admirers of this splendid writer as a prototype for the bigger and more ambitious books to come-,more specifically the Nick Stefanos novels.
Its protagonist ,Constantine,is very similar to Stefanos-a well educated young man of Greek extraction,possessed of an encylopedic knowledge of popular music and in thrall to wanderlust and working in mainly menial jobs,especially keeping bar.He falls in with veteran criminal Polk,who involves him in a double robbery of liquor stores in Washington D C.
We are taken through the planning and execution of the robbery,witness the conflict between gang members who the author takes the time and trouble to delineate and render as individuals with their quirks and quiddities .
Efficient plotting and crisp dialogue with a believable cast of characters.The book is reminiscent of what to me is still the best caper novel The Asphalt Jungle and the result is pleasing if minor Pelecanos,which is still pretty major by most people's standards