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A review by uosdwisrdewoh
The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos
4.0
A taut crime novel set mostly in postwar Washington, D.C.
I usually don't care for crime and suspense, but Pelecanos's style lifts the book above formula, with his fine eye for plotting and ability to sketch his characters quickly and effectively. His prose only occasionally lapses into the sentimentality or tough-guy-speak that one usually finds in crime novels. Overall, though, his portrait of Washington, D.C. in the 40s sings, with not a single detail ringing false. He builds suspense not through wild plot twists or intrigue (the only real mystery in the book is pretty obvious once a big clue drops), but through the gradual accretion of detail that sucks you into the story as a literary novel would (Pelecanos would go on to become a writer on The Wire, using these skills to script some of the show's most powerful episodes).
This is the first novel of his D.C. Quartet. I eagerly look forward to reading it all.
I usually don't care for crime and suspense, but Pelecanos's style lifts the book above formula, with his fine eye for plotting and ability to sketch his characters quickly and effectively. His prose only occasionally lapses into the sentimentality or tough-guy-speak that one usually finds in crime novels. Overall, though, his portrait of Washington, D.C. in the 40s sings, with not a single detail ringing false. He builds suspense not through wild plot twists or intrigue (the only real mystery in the book is pretty obvious once a big clue drops), but through the gradual accretion of detail that sucks you into the story as a literary novel would (Pelecanos would go on to become a writer on The Wire, using these skills to script some of the show's most powerful episodes).
This is the first novel of his D.C. Quartet. I eagerly look forward to reading it all.