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emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
Like popcorn. I started reading his books after seeing his credits on The Wire. Though the protagonist exercise routine made me feel extra-sedentary (biking, calisthenics, kayaking). Pelecanos is a guilty pleasure, though, for a book like this, his description of characters is often overboard.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
While trying to clear a man for the murder of his mistress, Spero Lucas takes on another case, the case of a painting stolen by a woman's former lover. Further complicating things is a love affair Spero is having with a married woman. Can Spero recover The Double and survive his new lady love with his health intact?
First, the official business. I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for reviewing it. This new Kindle is quickly paying for itself.
The first Spero Lucas book, [b:The Cut|9574917|The Cut|George Pelecanos|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344270535s/9574917.jpg|14461780], was also my first George Pelecanos. Since then, I've read the Nick Stefanos trilogy and the first two books in the DC Quartet. Pelecanos really does like his heroes damaged, doesn't he?
As in the first book, Spero Lucas is a Gulf War vet with some trouble adjusting to civilian life. He makes his living recovering stolen property for people in exchange for 40% of the value. The Double, the painting of the title, will net him 80 large should he manage to recover it. That's a thick slice of pizza. The addition of his love affair with Charlotte really sets this one above most other detective stories. When a ladies man like Spero falls for a woman, he falls hard. I found myself empathizing with him while he was waiting for her to call him.
The villains of the piece, Billy Hunter and his cronies, were reprehensible pieces of garbage and I couldn't wait for Spero to catch up with them. The thing that keeps this from becoming a mindless actionfest is that Spero has a lot of soul searching moments and a lot more baggage from his time as a marine than originally displayed. Not that he can't dish out the violence. The final fist fight in this one is among the most brutal I've ever read.
The Double was a little lighter on musical references but it still hit all the sweet spots for me and my unconventional tastes, namely Ernest Ranglin and numerous mentions of dub records. I like that Pelecanos brought back much of the supporting cast of the first book. I'll be sad once he starts picking them off.
To sum up, I liked this just as much as the The Cut. It's top notch and I'm reading for another Spero Lucas novel. Get writing, George!
First, the official business. I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for reviewing it. This new Kindle is quickly paying for itself.
The first Spero Lucas book, [b:The Cut|9574917|The Cut|George Pelecanos|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344270535s/9574917.jpg|14461780], was also my first George Pelecanos. Since then, I've read the Nick Stefanos trilogy and the first two books in the DC Quartet. Pelecanos really does like his heroes damaged, doesn't he?
As in the first book, Spero Lucas is a Gulf War vet with some trouble adjusting to civilian life. He makes his living recovering stolen property for people in exchange for 40% of the value. The Double, the painting of the title, will net him 80 large should he manage to recover it. That's a thick slice of pizza. The addition of his love affair with Charlotte really sets this one above most other detective stories. When a ladies man like Spero falls for a woman, he falls hard. I found myself empathizing with him while he was waiting for her to call him.
The villains of the piece, Billy Hunter and his cronies, were reprehensible pieces of garbage and I couldn't wait for Spero to catch up with them. The thing that keeps this from becoming a mindless actionfest is that Spero has a lot of soul searching moments and a lot more baggage from his time as a marine than originally displayed. Not that he can't dish out the violence. The final fist fight in this one is among the most brutal I've ever read.
The Double was a little lighter on musical references but it still hit all the sweet spots for me and my unconventional tastes, namely Ernest Ranglin and numerous mentions of dub records. I like that Pelecanos brought back much of the supporting cast of the first book. I'll be sad once he starts picking them off.
To sum up, I liked this just as much as the The Cut. It's top notch and I'm reading for another Spero Lucas novel. Get writing, George!
pete0926's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. It was entertaining and I'd probably read another book with this main character.
nigelbrown's review against another edition
2.0
Misogynistic macho BS. A novel that shoves the writers religiosity down the readers throats while treating them like idiots.
“Tanya Nikolic was tall and on the cusp of thirty, a black haired beauty descended from Eastern European stock.” Really someone called Nikolic from Eastern Europe. Wow! So astute, I’d never have been able to work that out on my own. *sigh*
I don’t remember Pelecanos being this bad.
On the bright side, it is action packed and fast paced, so if you’re into that…
Uhuhm.
“Tanya Nikolic was tall and on the cusp of thirty, a black haired beauty descended from Eastern European stock.” Really someone called Nikolic from Eastern Europe. Wow! So astute, I’d never have been able to work that out on my own. *sigh*
I don’t remember Pelecanos being this bad.
On the bright side, it is action packed and fast paced, so if you’re into that…
Uhuhm.
sirenpacific's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad, not bad. I can definitely see Pelecanos' style in "The Wire" especially with language and the Greek influence. I did not realize this is the second book involving Spero Lucas so I'll have to read "The Cut" now. I can see Pelecanos becoming a favorite of mine.
tfmcgill's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
monty_reads's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
teejayniu's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second novel in George Pelecanos' Spero Lucas series. This story didn't live up to the first book. Spero is clearly dealing with some inner demons that manifest in odd ways in this book without really diving into the problem. It feels like Pelecanos is setting up for further novels, but this is the last book in the series since 2013. I'll be interested to see if he continues it on. I would probably pick up the next one.
bogglemom's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as some of his others, interesting study of PTSD though