An author with a growing cult following, ready to burst into the mainstream of contemporary crime King Suckerman was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger '[Pelecanos's] stories have always been powerful tales of character and survival that grip the mind and the heart' Michael Connelly' 'Shame the Devil is a thriller that transcends genres and establishes Pelecanos as not just a great crime writer but as a great writer, period' The Times 'You would be hard-pressed to read a better crime novel this year' Glasgow Herald Pelecanos manages an independent production company responsible for such films as the Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink
George Pelecanos lives in Washington D.C. with his wife and children. As well as writing he is heavily involved with television and film screenplays and production.
A gunman intent on revenge rampages through this latest from Golden Dagger nominee Pelecanos. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
When the shooting stops on a blistering summer day at May's Pizza Parlor in Washington, D.C., in 1995, five people lie dead, a policeman is left crippled and robber Frank Farrow speeds off with his loot and not a trace of regret. But Farrow, the main villain in Pelecanos's fine new addition to his hard-boiled lineup, still isn't satisfied. He wants to return to finish off the injured cop, who killed Farrow's brother during the shoot-out. Farrow doesn't anticipate, however, the burning desire for revenge harbored by the family and friends of those butchered in the notorious pizza bloodbath. Chief among them is 50-ish Dimitri Karras, whose five-year-old son died when he was mowed down by the getaway vehicle Farrow was driving. Now, three years later, Karras is just getting his life back together, much like the other survivors, all of whom meet regularly to share their grief and soothe their torment. By chance, Karras teams up with Nick Stephanos, a freelance investigator who finds out Farrow is back in town to exact his twisted vengeance. Stephanos tries to dissuade Karras from tracking down Farrow, but even he understands the urge for retaliation. Karras and Stephanos, who have starred in several of Pelecanos's earlier books (King Suckerman; The Sweet Forever), deepen considerably as characters in this hard-driving story of heartache, Stephanos's adjustment to the new-found maturity of middle age and Dmitri's search for some small relief in revenge. Set against a backdrop of greasy-spoon diners, church basements, dive bars and sparsely furnished apartments, the narrative is unsettlingly harsh yet captivatingly tender, the gritty back-and-forth of everyday urban life vividly etched. 11-city author tour. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
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