Dave writes askin about favorite Pelecanos:
>I still have Down by the rive, Big Blowdown,
Sweet
> Forever, and Shame the Devil to go....
I reading GP nonstop these days, after discovering the Big
Blowdown. What i'm struck by is his ability to get inside
different characters in the same novel--a feature of
mainstream modernist fiction that is often not found in crime
writing, especially series. He obviously knows
"the life"--addiction to chemical or action rushes--from the
inside out. And he "knows" D.C. places, and local culture
references--especially the music. Even though I grew up in
the burbs and get special lifts from his references, I think
he builds the sense of "neighborhood" wonderfully--for
anyone.
I'm pretty much with you in the order of your favorites,
Dave. I would put Down by the River after Blowdown and
Forever and after Shoedog too. Shoedog really pushes you
through the plot to the blowdown, and stays with you for
awhile. I've got a couple more to dig through before I
exhaust the local (Falls Church) library's holdings. (And
there's a spy story he wrote--it any good?)
Bill Hagen
billha@ionet.net
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