Scan barcode
bogglemom's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as some of his others, interesting study of PTSD though
raven88's review against another edition
4.0
I am an avid fan of George Pelecanos and always look forward to this time of the year which holds the promise of a new book from him, so was as keen as mustard to read this follow-up to The Cut featuring ex-soldier and private investigator Spero Lucas. Unfortunately, The Double didn’t quite live up to my expectations, comprising mostly of sex, cycling, a bit of canoeing, sex, a murder investigation, sex and a missing painting, but here are my thoughts…
There can be no argument that Lucas is a wonderful creation being a true man’s man and combining a mix of moral ambiguity, showing moments of charm and empathy underscored by a propensity for violence and womanising. The tables are turned nicely in this one with Lucas being called upon for his prowess in the bedroom by a sexually voracious married woman (a neat re-working of the McNulty/D’Agostino storyline from The Wire) but despite his growing infatuation discovers that there is little else to this relationship. Hence, a large part of the book is devoted to this mismatched physical relationship, while Lucas struggles with matters of the heart (or in his case- the trouser department) and endeavours to put his mind to what he should actually be doing. The central plot is also somewhat undone by the focus on Lucas’ other physical activities with his seemingly endless scenic cycle trips, where each location is dutifully pointed out and described in some detail, that quickly lost my interest, as I was more keen to return to his tracking down of the bad men doing bad things. Where the book got back on form for me, was seeing Lucas in his tough guy role, with the references to both his former soldiering career and the interaction between him and his other ex-military cohorts, as the race to track down a nasty, violent group of con-artists got into full swing. Additionally, Pelecanos is great on the socio-political side of his plotting, and the observations he makes on the US involvement abroad and the social decline of certain areas of Washington DC outside the corridors of power is as sharp and focused as usual. Lucas is commissioned to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice, seeking to try and prove a man innocent of a murder, but to me this plotline was slightly lost and unbalanced within the central narrative, as his other mission to recover a stolen painting from an emotionally unstable woman took precedence in the story. I would have liked the book to have been concerned with one or the other, rather than producing a weakness to both strands in a relatively slim book so in short a rather mixed affair all round.
The book is peppered throughout with Pelecanos’ trademark cultural references to music, films and books and I liked the quote that reading should comprise of “ a good story with clean, efficient writing, a plot involving a problem to be solved or surmounted, and everyday characters the reader could relate to”. Although The Double does not quite fit this manifesto on some levels for this reader, it was nevertheless good to see the return of the entertaining Spero Lucas in a generally engaging, though slightly patchy read, from one of my favourite American crime authors.
There can be no argument that Lucas is a wonderful creation being a true man’s man and combining a mix of moral ambiguity, showing moments of charm and empathy underscored by a propensity for violence and womanising. The tables are turned nicely in this one with Lucas being called upon for his prowess in the bedroom by a sexually voracious married woman (a neat re-working of the McNulty/D’Agostino storyline from The Wire) but despite his growing infatuation discovers that there is little else to this relationship. Hence, a large part of the book is devoted to this mismatched physical relationship, while Lucas struggles with matters of the heart (or in his case- the trouser department) and endeavours to put his mind to what he should actually be doing. The central plot is also somewhat undone by the focus on Lucas’ other physical activities with his seemingly endless scenic cycle trips, where each location is dutifully pointed out and described in some detail, that quickly lost my interest, as I was more keen to return to his tracking down of the bad men doing bad things. Where the book got back on form for me, was seeing Lucas in his tough guy role, with the references to both his former soldiering career and the interaction between him and his other ex-military cohorts, as the race to track down a nasty, violent group of con-artists got into full swing. Additionally, Pelecanos is great on the socio-political side of his plotting, and the observations he makes on the US involvement abroad and the social decline of certain areas of Washington DC outside the corridors of power is as sharp and focused as usual. Lucas is commissioned to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice, seeking to try and prove a man innocent of a murder, but to me this plotline was slightly lost and unbalanced within the central narrative, as his other mission to recover a stolen painting from an emotionally unstable woman took precedence in the story. I would have liked the book to have been concerned with one or the other, rather than producing a weakness to both strands in a relatively slim book so in short a rather mixed affair all round.
The book is peppered throughout with Pelecanos’ trademark cultural references to music, films and books and I liked the quote that reading should comprise of “ a good story with clean, efficient writing, a plot involving a problem to be solved or surmounted, and everyday characters the reader could relate to”. Although The Double does not quite fit this manifesto on some levels for this reader, it was nevertheless good to see the return of the entertaining Spero Lucas in a generally engaging, though slightly patchy read, from one of my favourite American crime authors.
chalicotherex's review against another edition
4.0
Spero Lucas is like a millennial James Bond.
A fair amount of the book deals with the brands Lucas associates himself with, all more attainable and current than Bond's throwback style and working to shape a more modernized masculinity; the possibility of a movie version must be a marketer's wet dream. On the other hand, it's fun watching Lucas track people down, and the shadier side of the rapidly-gentrifying D.C.'s history is fascinating.
A fair amount of the book deals with the brands Lucas associates himself with, all more attainable and current than Bond's throwback style and working to shape a more modernized masculinity; the possibility of a movie version must be a marketer's wet dream. On the other hand, it's fun watching Lucas track people down, and the shadier side of the rapidly-gentrifying D.C.'s history is fascinating.
moreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not giving this three stars based on my strong dislike for Spero Lucas, it's just that I didn't really find the story here as interesting as usual. It's a good, quick read, just not very griping. That said, can we talk about how much I'd like to shake my fist at Spero? I find him so unimpressive. To take only The Double from Billy King's bad guy stash is unforgivably lazy; since that's obviously a total tip-off to King that Grace Kinkaid was involved, it's pretty much Spero's fault that she got stabbed. His dubious moral code allows him to murder a bunch of guys who are perpetrating Internet scams & stealing paintings from needy women; hey, I get that this is some not-nice behavior, yet he'll let the guy who raped & murdered a teenage girl off with a sap to the head & I can't get behind that. I think I liked The Cut as much as I did because he was getting played by the guy in prison the whole time. I love the hell out of George Pelecanos & our one-sided love affair is still on, but Spero Lucas, consider yourself on notice.
guiltyfeat's review against another edition
4.0
Meaty. Not sure if Spero Lucas will survive another book or two, but I loved this one.
rosseroo's review against another edition
4.0
Pelecanos has been writing Washington, D.C.-set crime novels for twenty years now, and I've been reading them for just about as long. This is his 19th book, and if you liked what you got in the previous 18, well, you're gonna get more of the same. All the familiar authorial tics are there -- themes of family and manhood, seasoned with liberal doses of cars, guns, music, sex, bars, fashion, and more than a few slices of social commentary.
This book is the sequel to The Cut, which introduced ex-Marine, current private eye/problem solver Spero Lucas. He came back home from service the Middle East without a clear plan, but with a lingering thirst for the thrill of action. The book's title is that of a painting he is hired to recover, but also a declaration of the book's main theme: Lucas's id and ego. Ostensibly working in the service of people who need help, he's also working to get his 40% recovery fee, and to test himself.
Here, Lucas is testing himself again a trio of criminals, the leader of whom seduces and then preys on lone women in order to rob them. As in many Pelecanos books, the characters are set into motion, and the pages race by as the inevitable showdown between hero and main villain gets closer and closer. And as in all his work, the violence (and sex) is quite graphic. A few things set this one apart: Lucas's romantic interest is a married woman, and that's an interesting new twist in male/female dynamics for Pelecanos. Also, a good chunk of the story takes place in the Maryland counties south of Washington, D.C., where sensibilities are a little more rural and redneckish.
It's a solid entry, nothing flashy or amazing, but solid. I was a little disappointed with the final showdown, which features a somewhat implausible macho display between Lucas and the main bad guy. I'm not sure there's anywhere really interesting to take Lucas, and his taste for violence is such that I can easily imagine him getting killed off in the next book or two. Whatever happens, I'll keep reading.
This book is the sequel to The Cut, which introduced ex-Marine, current private eye/problem solver Spero Lucas. He came back home from service the Middle East without a clear plan, but with a lingering thirst for the thrill of action. The book's title is that of a painting he is hired to recover, but also a declaration of the book's main theme: Lucas's id and ego. Ostensibly working in the service of people who need help, he's also working to get his 40% recovery fee, and to test himself.
Here, Lucas is testing himself again a trio of criminals, the leader of whom seduces and then preys on lone women in order to rob them. As in many Pelecanos books, the characters are set into motion, and the pages race by as the inevitable showdown between hero and main villain gets closer and closer. And as in all his work, the violence (and sex) is quite graphic. A few things set this one apart: Lucas's romantic interest is a married woman, and that's an interesting new twist in male/female dynamics for Pelecanos. Also, a good chunk of the story takes place in the Maryland counties south of Washington, D.C., where sensibilities are a little more rural and redneckish.
It's a solid entry, nothing flashy or amazing, but solid. I was a little disappointed with the final showdown, which features a somewhat implausible macho display between Lucas and the main bad guy. I'm not sure there's anywhere really interesting to take Lucas, and his taste for violence is such that I can easily imagine him getting killed off in the next book or two. Whatever happens, I'll keep reading.
More...