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duparker's review against another edition
3.0
Pelecanos write such a strong story. The nooks and dunes he dives into are really deep and fulfilling. It is a great ride. There is reality, grit, fantasy and some of the most atmospheric backgrounds you get to navigate, all the while the story hooks you, moves forward in a disjointed but real way. Very fun.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Derek Strange is hired to find evidence to keep Granville Oliver from getting the chair. Terry Quinn is helping his girlfriend find a missing girl. How will their cases intersect with a brewing turf war between two gangs?
In this Strange and Quinn outing, Pelecanos explores the gang life in Washington DC even deeper than he has in the past and Strange and Quinn are drowning in it. Strange is tracking down evidence that could keep a known gangster alive out of guilt for killing the man's father when he was a cop. Quinn's helping his girlfriend Sue Tracy find a missing girl. Dewayne Durham and Horace McKinley are heading toward a confrontation that can only end in violence. Dewayne's loser brother Mario touches a spark to a trail of gunpowder with an act of thoughtless violence that sends everything into motion.
Soul Circus has all the Pelecanos hallmarks: pop culture references, philosophical talk about the nature of guns, violence, and life in DC, and of course, Nick Stefanos. Things start getting tense once Mario finds himself in the soup and they don't let up until a couple bloody moments near the end.
The antagonists in Soul Circus are among Pelecanos' best I've read so far. Dewayne's crew and McKinley's crew are all much more developed than the heavies in most detective fiction. Monkey's feelings toward Juwan and his reluctance to harm the kid and Dewayne's feelings for his loser brother made the gangsters seem very real to me. Foreman and his code of ethics and love for his girlfriend made him surprisingly deep for a gunrunner, much more than I thought originally. Strange and Quinn were true to themselves throughout.
Strange and Quinn don't actually accomplish much in this book but the detecting is there, as is the violence. Too bad Pelecanos hasn't written more Derek Strange books since I only have one left.
In this Strange and Quinn outing, Pelecanos explores the gang life in Washington DC even deeper than he has in the past and Strange and Quinn are drowning in it. Strange is tracking down evidence that could keep a known gangster alive out of guilt for killing the man's father when he was a cop. Quinn's helping his girlfriend Sue Tracy find a missing girl. Dewayne Durham and Horace McKinley are heading toward a confrontation that can only end in violence. Dewayne's loser brother Mario touches a spark to a trail of gunpowder with an act of thoughtless violence that sends everything into motion.
Soul Circus has all the Pelecanos hallmarks: pop culture references, philosophical talk about the nature of guns, violence, and life in DC, and of course, Nick Stefanos. Things start getting tense once Mario finds himself in the soup and they don't let up until a couple bloody moments near the end.
The antagonists in Soul Circus are among Pelecanos' best I've read so far. Dewayne's crew and McKinley's crew are all much more developed than the heavies in most detective fiction. Monkey's feelings toward Juwan and his reluctance to harm the kid and Dewayne's feelings for his loser brother made the gangsters seem very real to me. Foreman and his code of ethics and love for his girlfriend made him surprisingly deep for a gunrunner, much more than I thought originally. Strange and Quinn were true to themselves throughout.
Strange and Quinn don't actually accomplish much in this book but the detecting is there, as is the violence. Too bad Pelecanos hasn't written more Derek Strange books since I only have one left.
bmlowry8's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
martyfried's review against another edition
4.0
This series is really good so far, but it always surprises me because for some reason, whenever I start reading one, I feel like quitting. Then, it begins to draw me in, and pretty soon, I can't stop. They do a great job of putting me in the middle of this world that is far removed from my normal life, but I've been close enough in the past to recognize a lot of the reality of it. It's sad and violent, where life is cheap. Many of the characters seemed to have little choice of where they ended up, and no chance to change even when they see the need. But Derek Strange seems to be an exception in many ways. He's far from perfect, but he does what he can to help people and improve their lives, mostly young people who still have a chance.
gawronma's review against another edition
2.0
It was only ok. Pelecanos is a very good writer but this wasn't just my cup of tea.
clayton_moser's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
moreadsbooks's review
4.0
There I go again, ignoring foreshadowing when it's right there in front of my face. I got all excited about Strange & Stefanos working together without ever once thinking anything more than, wow, fancy that. Dan flat out told me, "I think even Pelecanos was getting tired of Quinn's shenanigans." Well, yes, of course, who wouldn't be . . . ?
Oh. I see what everyone was trying to get at. Pour one out on the curb for Terry Quinn, who couldn't stand being punked, so he came up with the stupidest plan ever & got himself killed. His death is not the dumbest in this book, even as he gets hemmed up at a stoplight while bobbing his head to Springsteen & is shot in the face by a teenager; such dubious honor must go to Mario, who is not only on the street selling fake crack at the same time the police are looking for him on a murder charge, but goes back to the same place he sold some guys said fake crack earlier in the evening. Oh, Mario. What on earth were you thinking?
B & I had a good laugh after I finished this book when he asked me, "Is this the one that ends with a shootout in a drug dealer's house?" because of course almost every Pelecanos book ends that way. But that's got to be the genius of this guy. He gives you his body of work & you can feel him poking you in the face, telling you that this is what it's like. All the books are going to end with one crew going down in a shootout at a drug dealer's house & there's another crew stepping up to fill the void in the next book. Strange is going to be there to sleuth & witness & maybe help/hinder the lives of some women & children along the way - now he's just going to have to do it sans Quinn. Count me in.
Oh. I see what everyone was trying to get at. Pour one out on the curb for Terry Quinn, who couldn't stand being punked, so he came up with the stupidest plan ever & got himself killed. His death is not the dumbest in this book, even as he gets hemmed up at a stoplight while bobbing his head to Springsteen & is shot in the face by a teenager; such dubious honor must go to Mario, who is not only on the street selling fake crack at the same time the police are looking for him on a murder charge, but goes back to the same place he sold some guys said fake crack earlier in the evening. Oh, Mario. What on earth were you thinking?
B & I had a good laugh after I finished this book when he asked me, "Is this the one that ends with a shootout in a drug dealer's house?" because of course almost every Pelecanos book ends that way. But that's got to be the genius of this guy. He gives you his body of work & you can feel him poking you in the face, telling you that this is what it's like. All the books are going to end with one crew going down in a shootout at a drug dealer's house & there's another crew stepping up to fill the void in the next book. Strange is going to be there to sleuth & witness & maybe help/hinder the lives of some women & children along the way - now he's just going to have to do it sans Quinn. Count me in.
moosegurl's review
4.0
"Ashley made a half turn, blowing out an exhale of smoke and smiling, giving him a look at her ass cheeks hanging out the bottom of those shorts.
'Don't you like the way I look in these, Ulee?'
Foreman took her in and felt his mouth go dry. Her hindparts were bigger than most, but that was the way he liked them. And with those dimples and wrinkles and shit, it looked like someone had thrown oatmeal onto the back of her thighs. She had some veins on her, too, like blue lightning bolts, back there. Same thing went for her belly, and the shotgun-pellet-lookin' marks on her face, and her little upturned nose, didn't even look large enough to let the air in, to tell the truth. That switch on the bedside lamp was what he liked to call the Great Equalizer."
"Foreman reached and cross-drew his guns just as Durham and Walker went for theirs. They never touched their guns. They dropped their hands to their sides, knowing they had been bested, looking at their own deaths down the barrels of the .357 and the .9. McKinley pulled his Sig and held it on the men.
'You talk too much,' said Foreman, snicking back the hammer of the revolver, disgust on his face. 'Too god-damn much. For a minute there I thought you were gonna try and talk us to death. You had the draw on us, too. Motherfuckin' kids out here playin' gangster. Shit.'
McKinley laughed shortly. 'Do it, big man.'
'Yeah,' said Foreman. 'Okay.'
Foreman turned the LadySmith on McKinley and squeezed off two quick rounds. McKinley's blood blew back at him and Foreman kept firing, moving the gun from McKinley's belly to his chect, plaster exploding off the walls as the bullets exited his back. McKinley grunted, reached out for someting, and lost his feet. As he fell, Foreman shot him in the groin and chest. Then the hammer fell on am empty chamber with an audible click.
Foreman still had the Colt trained on Durham and Walker. He hostered the revolver expertly, without looking for the leather, and faced them. Smoke was heavy in the candlelight."
'Don't you like the way I look in these, Ulee?'
Foreman took her in and felt his mouth go dry. Her hindparts were bigger than most, but that was the way he liked them. And with those dimples and wrinkles and shit, it looked like someone had thrown oatmeal onto the back of her thighs. She had some veins on her, too, like blue lightning bolts, back there. Same thing went for her belly, and the shotgun-pellet-lookin' marks on her face, and her little upturned nose, didn't even look large enough to let the air in, to tell the truth. That switch on the bedside lamp was what he liked to call the Great Equalizer."
"Foreman reached and cross-drew his guns just as Durham and Walker went for theirs. They never touched their guns. They dropped their hands to their sides, knowing they had been bested, looking at their own deaths down the barrels of the .357 and the .9. McKinley pulled his Sig and held it on the men.
'You talk too much,' said Foreman, snicking back the hammer of the revolver, disgust on his face. 'Too god-damn much. For a minute there I thought you were gonna try and talk us to death. You had the draw on us, too. Motherfuckin' kids out here playin' gangster. Shit.'
McKinley laughed shortly. 'Do it, big man.'
'Yeah,' said Foreman. 'Okay.'
Foreman turned the LadySmith on McKinley and squeezed off two quick rounds. McKinley's blood blew back at him and Foreman kept firing, moving the gun from McKinley's belly to his chect, plaster exploding off the walls as the bullets exited his back. McKinley grunted, reached out for someting, and lost his feet. As he fell, Foreman shot him in the groin and chest. Then the hammer fell on am empty chamber with an audible click.
Foreman still had the Colt trained on Durham and Walker. He hostered the revolver expertly, without looking for the leather, and faced them. Smoke was heavy in the candlelight."
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