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loujoseph's review against another edition
3.0
read this b.c pelecanos is a writer for The Wire, and was curious enough to give this a try. the one is the second in a series, the first is right as rain- both are pretty good, solid crime fiction.
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. We all know that sequels are never as good as the original (except for Empire...), so I went in with a slightly lower expectation. This was a close call, though. Almost a full 4 stars. I enjoy Pelecanos' command of his characters and their drive. The morals and strength they have is so visceral and it feels like a real person is behind their choices.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Strange and Quinn take on two cases, one of a runaway turned prostitute and the background check of a longtime friend of Strange's daughter's new suitor. Complications ensue when a young boy on the football team Strange and Quinn are coaching is gunned down. Will Quinn be able to keep his temper in check long enough to get the girl back? Will Strange find dark secrets lurking in Calhoun Tucker's closet? What is the secret connection between the dead little boy, Strange, and the boy's unknown father?
Strange and Quinn are at it again. This time, most of the book is about the relationships between Strange and Quinn and the supporting cast. Strange and Janine's relationship is explored, Quinn meets another woman, and Strange and Quinn coach a peewee football team. Lurking in the background are Garfield Potter and his gang, a pimp named Worldwide Wilson, and druglord Granville Oliver.
The Derek Strange books, while detective fiction, are also Pelecanos' way of showing the rough way of life of poor black children in Washington DC, showing a different side of DC than we've seen with Nick Stefanos and the DC Quartet. Each of the antagonists grew up rough and while they are all pieces of garbage, they didn't have much choice in the matter.
I really like that Strange is committing to Janine and likely giving up his happy endings at the massage parlor. I also like that Quinn has a girlfriend now that will likely reign him in. Strange and Quinn are much more complex than they appeared at first glance.
Some of this book is hard to take, like the death of Joe Wilson. Hell, the fight between Worldwide and Quinn was one of the more brutal fist fights I've ever read. The connection between Strange and Granville was unexpected but made a lot of sense once it was revealed.
At this point, I'd read the phone book if Pelecanos had a hand in writing it. Four stars.
Strange and Quinn are at it again. This time, most of the book is about the relationships between Strange and Quinn and the supporting cast. Strange and Janine's relationship is explored, Quinn meets another woman, and Strange and Quinn coach a peewee football team. Lurking in the background are Garfield Potter and his gang, a pimp named Worldwide Wilson, and druglord Granville Oliver.
The Derek Strange books, while detective fiction, are also Pelecanos' way of showing the rough way of life of poor black children in Washington DC, showing a different side of DC than we've seen with Nick Stefanos and the DC Quartet. Each of the antagonists grew up rough and while they are all pieces of garbage, they didn't have much choice in the matter.
I really like that Strange is committing to Janine and likely giving up his happy endings at the massage parlor. I also like that Quinn has a girlfriend now that will likely reign him in. Strange and Quinn are much more complex than they appeared at first glance.
Some of this book is hard to take, like the death of Joe Wilson. Hell, the fight between Worldwide and Quinn was one of the more brutal fist fights I've ever read. The connection between Strange and Granville was unexpected but made a lot of sense once it was revealed.
At this point, I'd read the phone book if Pelecanos had a hand in writing it. Four stars.
readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
4.0
"Can't no murder ever be solved. Not unless the victim gonna get out of his grave and walk, breathe in the air. Hug his mother and play ball and grow up to be a man and lie down with a woman . . . live a life, Terry, the way God intended him to."
This was definitely another completely different take on this genre from what we've looked at in my crime fiction class so far. Though I know that as a white reader who has grown up in a very privileged environment who could never truly understand the circumstances which the black characters of this book face, I still felt Pelecanos' ability to root you in the black communities of urban D.C. and create a gripping environment for him to play upon the conventions of crime fiction.
In a lot of ways I was strongly reminded of [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190], in that both books outrightly confront the systemic injustices that so often lead to the untimely end of young black lives, a phenomenon I myself am very often far removed from, and thus need solid reminders, even fictional ones, of that reality which plagues the lives of so many.
My one complaint with this book was the plot; it seemed Pelecanos couldn't pick just one and kept using different crimes to piggyback upon one another, rather than letting the intrigue develop on its own. But at the same time, that convergence of different narratives roots this more in reality than concocted fiction really would, doing much more to explore the injustices he is concerned with, so I suppose I can see the benefits of that lack of focus.
As with many of the books on the reading list for this module, I never would have picked this up on my own, but I am so glad I did, as not only was it a gripping read, it also served as a reminder of the injustices that, even two decades after its publication, continue to plague our society in incredibly relevant ways. In light of the recent uptake in the BLM movement, it probably doesn't need to be reiterated here, but it really is books like these that can offer a more thorough perspective and understanding of these issues which a white reader like me perhaps would not otherwise have access to.
jimmypat's review
1.0
This is the eleventh book in a series that I am calling “quarantine life.” With all of our public libraries closed due to the corona virus, I have turned to my bookshelves and the unread books awaiting me there.
I gave up on this one- I felt that it was a retread if the first book and the story wasn’t that interesting. I could write more, but don’t want to.
I gave up on this one- I felt that it was a retread if the first book and the story wasn’t that interesting. I could write more, but don’t want to.
and_ii's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
greenej's review against another edition
2.0
This is not really my kind of book. I read it because a book challenge I do with friends had one category, "book by a local author," and I wanted to fulfill it with a Silver Spring writer. Not DC or Baltimore. Pelecanos is surely SS's most prolific and best known writer. He has written many books, and was a key writer for The Wire and for Treme. This was a pretty good detective novel, I guess. Fast moving. Evocative. Good politics. And it was fun to have a lot of SS, MoCo, and DC spots discussed. That's about it. Now I just have to get his voice out of my head.
martyfried's review against another edition
4.0
Another down to earth and gritty visit to the D.C. underbelly (no, not the White House), where Black Lives don't matter, except to the readers. I personally felt the pain of these people, especially the young blacks who have few choices in life, and staying alive every day is the number one choice. This story was really sad when a young boy is shot and killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The really sad thing is that it's also hard not to feel bad for the boys that shot him. Their behavior is the only way they know how to cope with their pathetic lives of kill or be killed.
Fortunately, there are also some good people in the stories - good, but not perfect. Some are far from perfect, but still likable, and capable of improving, so we cheer them on from the comfort of the other side of the book pages, which is where I want to be when reading these stories.
The main hero is strange - Derek Strange, actually, a PI/former cop and owner of Strange Investigations. He has a couple of interesting assistants - the first being a younger, black man who worries more about his fancy clothes than most anything else. He doesn't like to wear his fancy coat in the car because it'll get wrinkled and look like something from Burlington Coat Factory. Then there's a newer part-time assistant, a former white cop, Terry Quinn, who left the force after accidentally killing a black undercover cop in what many thought had racial undertones. A somewhat strange pair, but they become good friends pretty quickly.
The book is written with a realism that makes everyone come to life, and the language sounds genuine and entertaining. I worked with a lot of Blacks in Oakland at the main post office way back, and got to know the talk pretty well, and this sounds right to me.
Fortunately, there are also some good people in the stories - good, but not perfect. Some are far from perfect, but still likable, and capable of improving, so we cheer them on from the comfort of the other side of the book pages, which is where I want to be when reading these stories.
The main hero is strange - Derek Strange, actually, a PI/former cop and owner of Strange Investigations. He has a couple of interesting assistants - the first being a younger, black man who worries more about his fancy clothes than most anything else. He doesn't like to wear his fancy coat in the car because it'll get wrinkled and look like something from Burlington Coat Factory. Then there's a newer part-time assistant, a former white cop, Terry Quinn, who left the force after accidentally killing a black undercover cop in what many thought had racial undertones. A somewhat strange pair, but they become good friends pretty quickly.
The book is written with a realism that makes everyone come to life, and the language sounds genuine and entertaining. I worked with a lot of Blacks in Oakland at the main post office way back, and got to know the talk pretty well, and this sounds right to me.
bmip666's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5