This book was recommended by a an avid reader and long time friend who reads both intellectually challenging work as well as mysteries. When I asked him to recommend some mysteries for this month’s reading, the Pelecanos book was his first choice, and I now know why.

Pelecanos has written 20 books but is perhaps best known as one of the co-writers of the TV series The Wire.  This book is the first in his D.C. Quartet, four books about Washington, crime, and the people who experience it.

This is an excellent book focused more on the characters and the city in the 1940’s than on the murders, a series of violent killings of prostitutes.  Pelecanos brings two separate story lines together in a satisfying and violent conclusion to the action.  The power of the book was its characters, the war-hero, handsome Greek, Pete Karras whose knee and foot were beaten to a pulp when he crossed the Mafia boss Burke and his henchman Reed; Joey Rufeo, the Italian best friend of Pete’s who deserts him only to return at the end; Mike Fiorek and his sister Lola, small town Pennsylvania Polish immigrants who end up in the big city with very bad results.  Pelecanos brings all of these folks together in a gripping tale of violence and the struggle of immigrants in America.

Not sure I’ll read the rest of the Quartet, but this was a great place to start.