Anyway down to business--- In this case :King Suckerman by George P. Pelecanos
I discovered the work of George P. Pelecanos in the early 2000s via his work on the show HBOs The Wire. I realize that he is hardly a forgotten author, as he sits a top the current list of relevant contemporary crime writers, however his early works do not seem to get the love that his more recent books have. What I liked about the book was it's energy, propelled by a pop rush that was in part 70s
Blaxploitation and part Comic Book. The story is of a drug deal gone wrong, with inner-city small time druggies, biker dealers and a black ex-con superfly type that happens to be gay--- the pre-cursor to The Wires Omar? The book just sailed along as an enjoyable gritty ride, that I recall fondly.
It was this book that brought me back to reading crime fiction for a short while, I read more of Pelecanos work, along with a couple of Michael Connelly before drifting back away from crime fiction for a short time. I followed up King Suckerman with other Pelecanos work, which I enjoyed but none of them really left an impression, and I need to go back and read some more of his stuff, which should happen soon as I have Shoedog towards the top of my To Be Read pile and it's on my list of books that I am making a point to read in 2009.
Thoughts, comments, spare change?
Hope to be back with more soon.
3 comments:
I haven't read this one, but his debut, A Firing Offense, is really marvelous.
It was the first of his I read, sometime in the 90's, and I loved it. Vivid and funny. I have very fond memories of it-and I forget everything these days!
As you guess, here in the Mid-Atlantic he is more beloved than perhaps elsewhere (I suspect Lisa Scottoline is, too). I remember the interviews when KING SUCKERMAN came out, and I've been meaning to get to it for quite some time...
(Soundtrack to comment, or at least it's playing: "Song for a Good Son" by the Bangles)
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