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Derek Strange & Terry Quinn #3
Soul Circus
A young woman is brutally murdered and PIs Strange and Quinn are forced to confront their own part in the crime. Private Investigator Derek Strange and his partner, Terry Quinn, are running a PI business in the seedy underbelly of Washington DC are approached by a young man asking them to find his girlfriend who has gone missing. And so Strange and Quinn find her. Just another day? Not quite. In the grimy underworld inhabited by Strange, nothing is that simple. For Strange and Quinn's efforts have led to a young mother being brutally murdered - a devastating discovery that causes them both to question the morality by which they live. And yet at the same time they need to continue the search for another missing girl, a teenage runaway who shows up in a porn video. And who hasn't been seen since. Bleak, gritty and moving, SOUL CIRCUS superbly brings to life the devastating story of life and death in Washington's black ghettos.
Paperback
First published February 3, 2003
About the author
George P. Pelecanos
77 books1,690 followersGeorge Pelecanos was born in Washington, D.C., in 1957. He worked as a line cook, dishwasher, bartender, and woman's shoe salesman before publishing his first novel in 1992.
Pelecanos is the author of eighteen novels set in and around Washington, D.C.: A Firing Offense, Nick's Trip, Shoedog, Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go, The Big Blowdown, King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever, Shame the Devil, Right as Rain, Hell to Pay, Soul Circus, Hard Revolution, Drama City, The Night Gardener, The Turnaround, The Way Home, The Cut, and What It Was. He has been the recipient of the Raymond Chandler award in Italy, the Falcon award in Japan, and the Grand Prix du Roman Noir in France. Hell to Pay and Soul Circus were awarded the 2003 and 2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. His short fiction has appeared in Esquire, Playboy, and the collections Unusual Suspects, Best American Mystery Stories of 1997, Measures of Poison, Best American Mystery Stories of 2002, Men from Boys, and Murder at the Foul Line. He served as editor on the collections D.C. Noir and D.C. Noir 2: The Classics, as well as The Best Mystery Stories of 2008. He is an award-winning essayist who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, Sight and Sound, Uncut, Mojo, and numerous other publications. Esquire called him "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world." In Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King wrote that Pelecanos is "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer." Pelecanos would like to note that Mr. King used the qualifier "perhaps."
Pelecanos served as producer on the feature films Caught (Robert M. Young, 1996), Whatever, (Susan Skoog, 1998) and BlackMale (George and Mike Baluzy, 1999), and was the U.S. distributor of John Woo's cult classic, The Killer and Richard Bugajski's Interrogation. Most recently, he was a producer, writer, and story editor for the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, The Wire, winner of the Peabody Award and the AFI Award. He was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on that show. He was a writer and co-producer on the World War II miniseries The Pacific, and is currently at work as an executive producer and writer on David Simon's HBO dramatic series Treme, shot in New Orleans.
Pelecanos lives with his family in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Pelecanos is the author of eighteen novels set in and around Washington, D.C.: A Firing Offense, Nick's Trip, Shoedog, Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go, The Big Blowdown, King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever, Shame the Devil, Right as Rain, Hell to Pay, Soul Circus, Hard Revolution, Drama City, The Night Gardener, The Turnaround, The Way Home, The Cut, and What It Was. He has been the recipient of the Raymond Chandler award in Italy, the Falcon award in Japan, and the Grand Prix du Roman Noir in France. Hell to Pay and Soul Circus were awarded the 2003 and 2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. His short fiction has appeared in Esquire, Playboy, and the collections Unusual Suspects, Best American Mystery Stories of 1997, Measures of Poison, Best American Mystery Stories of 2002, Men from Boys, and Murder at the Foul Line. He served as editor on the collections D.C. Noir and D.C. Noir 2: The Classics, as well as The Best Mystery Stories of 2008. He is an award-winning essayist who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, Sight and Sound, Uncut, Mojo, and numerous other publications. Esquire called him "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world." In Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King wrote that Pelecanos is "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer." Pelecanos would like to note that Mr. King used the qualifier "perhaps."
Pelecanos served as producer on the feature films Caught (Robert M. Young, 1996), Whatever, (Susan Skoog, 1998) and BlackMale (George and Mike Baluzy, 1999), and was the U.S. distributor of John Woo's cult classic, The Killer and Richard Bugajski's Interrogation. Most recently, he was a producer, writer, and story editor for the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, The Wire, winner of the Peabody Award and the AFI Award. He was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on that show. He was a writer and co-producer on the World War II miniseries The Pacific, and is currently at work as an executive producer and writer on David Simon's HBO dramatic series Treme, shot in New Orleans.
Pelecanos lives with his family in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
August 15, 2022
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn book 3: Another very well crafted look at the underbelly of American life, through the eyes of a Black private investigator(PI), of a White PI, two gang lords and their henchmen, and a woman and her child caught in the middle. George Pelecanos captures the urban underbelly with a realism and more importantly humanity that I have seldom read anywhere else, similar to his TV work on The Wire: A Dramatic Series for HBO. 8 out of 12, for all three of his books I have now read!
2012 read
2012 read
June 19, 2013
Derek Strange is hired to find evidence to keep Granville Oliver from getting the chair. Terry Quinn is helping his girlfriend find a missing girl. How will their cases intersect with a brewing turf war between two gangs?
In this Strange and Quinn outing, Pelecanos explores the gang life in Washington DC even deeper than he has in the past and Strange and Quinn are drowning in it. Strange is tracking down evidence that could keep a known gangster alive out of guilt for killing the man's father when he was a cop. Quinn's helping his girlfriend Sue Tracy find a missing girl. Dewayne Durham and Horace McKinley are heading toward a confrontation that can only end in violence. Dewayne's loser brother Mario touches a spark to a trail of gunpowder with an act of thoughtless violence that sends everything into motion.
Soul Circus has all the Pelecanos hallmarks: pop culture references, philosophical talk about the nature of guns, violence, and life in DC, and of course, Nick Stefanos. Things start getting tense once Mario finds himself in the soup and they don't let up until a couple bloody moments near the end.
The antagonists in Soul Circus are among Pelecanos' best I've read so far. Dewayne's crew and McKinley's crew are all much more developed than the heavies in most detective fiction. Monkey's feelings toward Juwan and his reluctance to harm the kid and Dewayne's feelings for his loser brother made the gangsters seem very real to me. Foreman and his code of ethics and love for his girlfriend made him surprisingly deep for a gunrunner, much more than I thought originally. Strange and Quinn were true to themselves throughout.
Strange and Quinn don't actually accomplish much in this book but the detecting is there, as is the violence. Too bad Pelecanos hasn't written more Derek Strange books since I only have one left.
In this Strange and Quinn outing, Pelecanos explores the gang life in Washington DC even deeper than he has in the past and Strange and Quinn are drowning in it. Strange is tracking down evidence that could keep a known gangster alive out of guilt for killing the man's father when he was a cop. Quinn's helping his girlfriend Sue Tracy find a missing girl. Dewayne Durham and Horace McKinley are heading toward a confrontation that can only end in violence. Dewayne's loser brother Mario touches a spark to a trail of gunpowder with an act of thoughtless violence that sends everything into motion.
Soul Circus has all the Pelecanos hallmarks: pop culture references, philosophical talk about the nature of guns, violence, and life in DC, and of course, Nick Stefanos. Things start getting tense once Mario finds himself in the soup and they don't let up until a couple bloody moments near the end.
The antagonists in Soul Circus are among Pelecanos' best I've read so far. Dewayne's crew and McKinley's crew are all much more developed than the heavies in most detective fiction. Monkey's feelings toward Juwan and his reluctance to harm the kid and Dewayne's feelings for his loser brother made the gangsters seem very real to me. Foreman and his code of ethics and love for his girlfriend made him surprisingly deep for a gunrunner, much more than I thought originally. Strange and Quinn were true to themselves throughout.
Strange and Quinn don't actually accomplish much in this book but the detecting is there, as is the violence. Too bad Pelecanos hasn't written more Derek Strange books since I only have one left.
March 6, 2020
Soul Circus is the third novel in the five-novel Derek Strange/Terry Quinn series. The others in order consist of Right as Rain, Hell to Pay, Hard Revolution, and What It Was. Strange has been a private detective for twenty years or so after quitting the D.C. Metro Police. He is working on gathering evidence on behalf of capital defendant Granville Oliver, a drug dealer and gang kingpin in the Washington D.C. inner city. Strange knows Oliver is the scum he is accused of being, but feels compelled to do something to help him – if only to get him life without parole rather than death – because Strange took out Oliver’s father years earlier and wonders what would have happened to Oliver if he hadn’t. Witnesses in cases like this don’t want to get involved one way or another. They don’t want to be snitches for either side and don’t see much difference.
Meanwhile, in Oliver’s absence, Horace McKinley has taken over his organization and, across the alley, his rivals are set up in Dewayne Durham’s organization. Both groups are supplied arms by a former police officer, Ulysses Foreman, who found that he could make a mint having straw buyers pick up weapons legally in Maryland and Virginia and then selling them on the black market to the inner city thugs who had an endless need for clean guns.
Dewayne Durham has an older brother, Mario, who is basically a joke from his Air Jordans which are missing the “J” to the way he walks and dresses. Mario gave a girl he had his eye on (Olivia Elliot) some “chronic,” very strong hydroponically grown marijuana, and the plan was to divide it up and sell it together, but she split with the dope and he has now been disrespected and his brother tells Mario to find the girl and make it right. Mario gets a gun from Foreman, telling him he is only borrowing it to scare someone and he is not going to use it. Mario also hires Strange and Quinn to find the girl and they take on the case, even with some doubts, because Mario looks less than harmless and the cash is good. Strange and Quinn also interview a young lady who has some information relevant to Oliver’s case, but this woman, Devra Stokes, works in a beauty salon owned by McKinley and he doesn’t want Oliver out because he is now the kingpin.
All these stories eventually intersect and Pelecanos tells one terrific crime story about the inner city of Washington D.C., creating unforgettable characters. If you haven’t read Pelecanos’ fiction, now is the time to start. Few crime fiction writers are this good at drawing characters and creating realistic atmosphere. Although the book starts out a little confusing because there are so many disparate story lines, they eventually coalesce and the story moves quite quickly and is filled with action.
Meanwhile, in Oliver’s absence, Horace McKinley has taken over his organization and, across the alley, his rivals are set up in Dewayne Durham’s organization. Both groups are supplied arms by a former police officer, Ulysses Foreman, who found that he could make a mint having straw buyers pick up weapons legally in Maryland and Virginia and then selling them on the black market to the inner city thugs who had an endless need for clean guns.
Dewayne Durham has an older brother, Mario, who is basically a joke from his Air Jordans which are missing the “J” to the way he walks and dresses. Mario gave a girl he had his eye on (Olivia Elliot) some “chronic,” very strong hydroponically grown marijuana, and the plan was to divide it up and sell it together, but she split with the dope and he has now been disrespected and his brother tells Mario to find the girl and make it right. Mario gets a gun from Foreman, telling him he is only borrowing it to scare someone and he is not going to use it. Mario also hires Strange and Quinn to find the girl and they take on the case, even with some doubts, because Mario looks less than harmless and the cash is good. Strange and Quinn also interview a young lady who has some information relevant to Oliver’s case, but this woman, Devra Stokes, works in a beauty salon owned by McKinley and he doesn’t want Oliver out because he is now the kingpin.
All these stories eventually intersect and Pelecanos tells one terrific crime story about the inner city of Washington D.C., creating unforgettable characters. If you haven’t read Pelecanos’ fiction, now is the time to start. Few crime fiction writers are this good at drawing characters and creating realistic atmosphere. Although the book starts out a little confusing because there are so many disparate story lines, they eventually coalesce and the story moves quite quickly and is filled with action.
August 12, 2020
I've enjoyed reading a number of George Pelecanos' crime dramas, and this one met all of my expectations. I like his engaging prose style, and the way he handles a large cast of characters in this title. The Washington, D.C. with the Maryland and Virginia suburbs is where I live, so his setting is familiar and fun to me. I like his many car and music references, many of which I remember from the 1970s. His gritty, blue-collar characters feel real and genuine. All in all, Soul Circus was a diverting summertime read. Who could ask for more?
December 31, 2021
Don't bother with a synopsis for this book. Instead, get yourself caught up, if you haven't already, and read the following by Pelecanos:
Right as Rain
Hell to Pay
A Firing Offense (Not required but highly recommended!)
Nick's Trip (Not required but highly recommended!)
Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go (Not required but highly recommended!)
Okay, you there yet? Good! Because Soul Circus is such a powerful capstone, and coda, to the books above that it made me, personally, fall in love with reading all over again.
Right as Rain
Hell to Pay
A Firing Offense (Not required but highly recommended!)
Nick's Trip (Not required but highly recommended!)
Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go (Not required but highly recommended!)
Okay, you there yet? Good! Because Soul Circus is such a powerful capstone, and coda, to the books above that it made me, personally, fall in love with reading all over again.
January 30, 2019
Soul Circus is the best entry in the fledgling Strange & Quinn series so far, but it is not devoid of the usual problems that plague Pelecanos. My biggest issue with Pelecanos had always been his insistence to sacrifice anything interesting on the altar of authenticity. There are interesting premises here - turf war between rival gangs, a high profile court case where the govt may be intimidating the defense's witnesses, a gang leader's loyalty being split between family and practicality. But the focus is never on the plot and always on the characters who couldn't stand up to basic scrutiny.
Pelecanos is only interested in those decrepit and grisly neighborhoods of Washington where illiteracy and poverty runs amok. His characters are realistic but they are two dimensional without any hint of complexity or intelligence. The lone exception is Strange who is a bit more developed but even he has to be one of the most boring protagonists in crime fiction. Most characters in Soul Circus don't have much ambition beyond staying alive long enough to drink, smoke, fuck and occasionally indulge in self destructive acts of violence. They might be realistic to a fault, but none of them are interesting to follow.
It is difficult to criticize the author too much because I am not rallying against objectively bad writing or plotting but my issues are more with the direction he takes. If Pelecanos wants to show off masculinity in all its toxic glory or the relationship between illiteracy and violence, then he had been a staggering success. But mere ideas don't make a 350 page novel. It is a nice composite of life in the most destitute parts of Washington but as a whole it seems just disappointingly ordinary. Plus there is the usual drivel of insular pop culture references that are almost impossible to follow for the broader audience, I had almost accepted it as a price of reading a Pelecanos book.
Pelecanos tries to disguise his sermon about poverty, racism and social prejudices under the veneer of crime fiction. When he hits the mark, it is just a reminder that his books would be better off without the pseudo philosophy. He simply does not have the insight needed to say something profound on the topic whereas he could actually write a good crime novel if he wants to. It is a pity he is seldom interested in doing so. Rating - 3/5.
Pelecanos is only interested in those decrepit and grisly neighborhoods of Washington where illiteracy and poverty runs amok. His characters are realistic but they are two dimensional without any hint of complexity or intelligence. The lone exception is Strange who is a bit more developed but even he has to be one of the most boring protagonists in crime fiction. Most characters in Soul Circus don't have much ambition beyond staying alive long enough to drink, smoke, fuck and occasionally indulge in self destructive acts of violence. They might be realistic to a fault, but none of them are interesting to follow.
It is difficult to criticize the author too much because I am not rallying against objectively bad writing or plotting but my issues are more with the direction he takes. If Pelecanos wants to show off masculinity in all its toxic glory or the relationship between illiteracy and violence, then he had been a staggering success. But mere ideas don't make a 350 page novel. It is a nice composite of life in the most destitute parts of Washington but as a whole it seems just disappointingly ordinary. Plus there is the usual drivel of insular pop culture references that are almost impossible to follow for the broader audience, I had almost accepted it as a price of reading a Pelecanos book.
Pelecanos tries to disguise his sermon about poverty, racism and social prejudices under the veneer of crime fiction. When he hits the mark, it is just a reminder that his books would be better off without the pseudo philosophy. He simply does not have the insight needed to say something profound on the topic whereas he could actually write a good crime novel if he wants to. It is a pity he is seldom interested in doing so. Rating - 3/5.
February 15, 2014
There I go again, ignoring foreshadowing when it's right there in front of my face. I got all excited about Strange & Stefanos working together without ever once thinking anything more than, wow, fancy that. Dan flat out told me, "I think even Pelecanos was getting tired of Quinn's shenanigans." Well, yes, of course, who wouldn't be . . . ?
Oh. I see what everyone was trying to get at. Pour one out on the curb for Terry Quinn, who couldn't stand being punked, so he came up with the stupidest plan ever & got himself killed. His death is not the dumbest in this book, even as he gets hemmed up at a stoplight while bobbing his head to Springsteen & is shot in the face by a teenager; such dubious honor must go to Mario, who is not only on the street selling fake crack at the same time the police are looking for him on a murder charge, but goes back to the same place he sold some guys said fake crack earlier in the evening. Oh, Mario. What on earth were you thinking?
B & I had a good laugh after I finished this book when he asked me, "Is this the one that ends with a shootout in a drug dealer's house?" because of course almost every Pelecanos book ends that way. But that's got to be the genius of this guy. He gives you his body of work & you can feel him poking you in the face, telling you that this is what it's like. All the books are going to end with one crew going down in a shootout at a drug dealer's house & there's another crew stepping up to fill the void in the next book. Strange is going to be there to sleuth & witness & maybe help/hinder the lives of some women & children along the way - now he's just going to have to do it sans Quinn. Count me in.
Oh. I see what everyone was trying to get at. Pour one out on the curb for Terry Quinn, who couldn't stand being punked, so he came up with the stupidest plan ever & got himself killed. His death is not the dumbest in this book, even as he gets hemmed up at a stoplight while bobbing his head to Springsteen & is shot in the face by a teenager; such dubious honor must go to Mario, who is not only on the street selling fake crack at the same time the police are looking for him on a murder charge, but goes back to the same place he sold some guys said fake crack earlier in the evening. Oh, Mario. What on earth were you thinking?
B & I had a good laugh after I finished this book when he asked me, "Is this the one that ends with a shootout in a drug dealer's house?" because of course almost every Pelecanos book ends that way. But that's got to be the genius of this guy. He gives you his body of work & you can feel him poking you in the face, telling you that this is what it's like. All the books are going to end with one crew going down in a shootout at a drug dealer's house & there's another crew stepping up to fill the void in the next book. Strange is going to be there to sleuth & witness & maybe help/hinder the lives of some women & children along the way - now he's just going to have to do it sans Quinn. Count me in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2013
The third Derek Strange novel. Because of some guilt over the long-buried past, Strange feels obligated to get to the bottom of charges against a drug dealer (Granville Oliver, the same one arrested at the end of Hell to Pay, now facing the death penalty). One brave young woman with a small child is willing to speak up, simply because she doesn’t appreciate being threatened, and Strange tries his best to keep her safe while balancing his newfound happy family life and work. Meanwhile his hot-tempered white partner, Terry Quinn, is happy with his relationship and helping his girlfriend out with a missing girl case, unwilling to do anything that might exonerate Oliver, who is certainly a bad guy.
As usual, Pelecanos creates a grim tableau of the modern city and its culture of poverty, crime, and drugs: hard-eyed, armed young men who kill each other over a slight, and mock anyone and anything that doesn’t fit in their narrow understanding. Much of this book’s tone and background are of a piece with his earlier writing: big-breasted women who never need foreplay, men who are fixated on said breasts, big muscle cars, tape decks, gun culture, the streets of Washington, ethnic eateries. At times, again, Pelecanos’ ultra-macho writing slips into defensiveness, as when he has Strange watch a woman’s ass as she walks off “without guilt,” even though she was a friend, because “he had to,” because he “was a man,” even a happily married one. Or, in a debate about guns, he has a character who is for banning handguns in DC qualify his position with, “I’m a man. I like the way guns feel in my hand” – as if, in either of these passages, he needed to assure his readers that these characters were totally manly hetero men, man. There’s no problem with having Strange watch a woman’s ass, but I question Pelecanos’ apparent need to justify the scene, or justify a character’s political stance, without beating the reader upside the head with their manliness. But that’s just a distracting aside; Pelecanos’ gritty city streets are compelling, and he certainly knows how to throw the reader a curveball – no one is bulletproof.
As usual, Pelecanos creates a grim tableau of the modern city and its culture of poverty, crime, and drugs: hard-eyed, armed young men who kill each other over a slight, and mock anyone and anything that doesn’t fit in their narrow understanding. Much of this book’s tone and background are of a piece with his earlier writing: big-breasted women who never need foreplay, men who are fixated on said breasts, big muscle cars, tape decks, gun culture, the streets of Washington, ethnic eateries. At times, again, Pelecanos’ ultra-macho writing slips into defensiveness, as when he has Strange watch a woman’s ass as she walks off “without guilt,” even though she was a friend, because “he had to,” because he “was a man,” even a happily married one. Or, in a debate about guns, he has a character who is for banning handguns in DC qualify his position with, “I’m a man. I like the way guns feel in my hand” – as if, in either of these passages, he needed to assure his readers that these characters were totally manly hetero men, man. There’s no problem with having Strange watch a woman’s ass, but I question Pelecanos’ apparent need to justify the scene, or justify a character’s political stance, without beating the reader upside the head with their manliness. But that’s just a distracting aside; Pelecanos’ gritty city streets are compelling, and he certainly knows how to throw the reader a curveball – no one is bulletproof.
January 3, 2019
This series is really good so far, but it always surprises me because for some reason, whenever I start reading one, I feel like quitting. Then, it begins to draw me in, and pretty soon, I can't stop. They do a great job of putting me in the middle of this world that is far removed from my normal life, but I've been close enough in the past to recognize a lot of the reality of it. It's sad and violent, where life is cheap. Many of the characters seemed to have little choice of where they ended up, and no chance to change even when they see the need. But Derek Strange seems to be an exception in many ways. He's far from perfect, but he does what he can to help people and improve their lives, mostly young people who still have a chance.
August 3, 2026
Soul Circus (Derek Strange & Terry Quinn, bk #3) by George Pelecanos, 2003. Cheap ebooks have returned me to an author who I greatly admire for his authenticity and perspective on race and urban crime and violence. He is the author of 25 hard boiled novels of crime fiction centered in the Washington DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia area. Born and raised in Washington DC/Maryland, of proud Greek American heritage, he knows the hard and mean streets well and powerfully conveys in his stories that which encompasses urban life… both love + hate. [Washington D.C. - The Black population exceeds 40%. - The Greek American population is in the 10’s of thousands, spanning Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia]. — To the story… author highlights:
Strange Investigations Client. “They finished with the jury selection.” “Ives told me. They finally found a dozen D.C. residents weren’t opposed to the death penalty, how’d they put it, on principle. Which means they found some white people gonna have no problem to sit up there and judge me.” “The prosecution’s going to put Phillip Wood up there first,” “Told you when I met you the very first time he was gonna be my Judas. Phil can’t do no more maximum time. Last time he was inside, they took away his manhood. Wood had been Granville’s top lieutenant. He had pled out in exchange for testimony against Oliver. “You standin’ tall, big man?” said Oliver. Oliver was questioning Strange’s loyalty. Strange answered by holding Oliver’s gaze. “I hear they got two operations fighting over what I built as we sit here today.” “What’s your point?” “I feel like I’m already gone. They want to erase me, Strange. Make it so I don’t exist no more. They want to strap me to that table in Indiana and give me that needle and show people, that’s what happens when you don’t stay down where we done put you.” You left out the part about all the young black men you killed or had killed, thought Strange. And the part about you poisoning your own community with drugs, and ruining the lives of all the young people you recruited and the lives of their families. —there were some truths in what Granville Oliver was saying, too. Strange, following a personal policy, did not comment either way… —
OUT in the air, on the 1900 block of D Street in Southeast… —The Feds were seeking death for Oliver under the RICO act, despite the fact that the District’s residents had overwhelmingly rejected the death penalty in a local referendum. The combination of racketeering and certain violent crimes allowed the government to exercise this option. The last execution in D.C. had been carried out in 1957.” Derek: “Black folks don’t put down their own so they can feed white people what they want to hear.” Quinn: “This guy ran his whole election on fear and hate, Derek.” “But he didn’t win the election, did he?” “In the end, in their own quiet way, the majority of the people always prove that they know the difference between right and wrong… —there’s more good people out here than there are bad. Once you get hip to that, that anger you’re carrying around with you, it’s gonna go away.”
The Bad. “This new breed of hard boys comin’ up, they all wanted shiny new guns, the same way they wanted nice whips. —Long as there was poverty, long as there wasn’t no good education, long as there wasn’t no real opportunity, long as kids down here had no fathers and were looking to belong to something, then there was gonna be gangs and a need for guns. This textbook he’d had called it supply-and-demand economics. —D.C. had a handgun ban, but its good neighbor states, especially those to the south, did not. So there wasn’t no thing to getting a gun in the District. You could rent a gun or trade drugs to get one, or the community could chip in to buy one. What they called a neighborhood gun. So why was Foreman feeling those burning pains in his chest? —he had been a cop, and in that time he had learned something about criminals, and being a criminal himself now, this is what he knew: His time was gonna come. No one in this game, be he gun dealer or gang leader or dope salesman, lasted forever.:He knew he had to get out, and get his woman out the clean way, too. The question was, how?
—He had bought a ring once for Ashley, and this was the way the jeweler had presented it to him, on a square of red felt. This was the way he presented all his goods. Five guns were set in a row, turned at a forty-five-degree angle to the line of the table. A Heckler & Koch 9mm automatic was at the head of the row. A Sig Sauer .45 was next, a Colt of the same caliber, then a Glock 17. The Glock was the MPD sidearm and, Foreman knew... —Dewayne was pointing to the Colt .45 —Foreman had placed the gun there strategically, ... “Never even been fired” “I’m gonna take that Glock, too, if it’s clean.” “You could eat off it, dawg.” “Aiight, then.” “What about that?” said Bernard Walker. —he was talking about the Calico. “Brand-new,” said Foreman. “Where the bullets come from?” “Right up top there, why it’s long like it is. They call it a helical feed.” “What you need that for, Zulu?” said Durham. “Shit ain’t even, like, practical Durham said to Walker, “I’m buyin’ you the Glock.” To Foreman he said, “How much for the two?” “Sixteen for the both of them is what I’d normally charge. With those grips and all, —I said it’s what I’d normally charge. I’m gonna make it fifteen for you. And I’ll throw in the bricks.”
STRANGE had first met Robert Gray, not yet a teenager, at Granville Oliver’s opulent house in Prince George’s County. Strange had promised Granville, and had made a promise to himself, that he would look after the boy and try to put him on the right. —Strange circled the block in his car, —spotted Robert Gray standing around with a group of boys, most of them older, on the corner of another apartment complex. The boys, some wearing wife-beaters with the band of their boxer shorts showing high above the belt line of their jeans, —Gray said something to one of the boys, got on his bike, and rode... “How you doin’, Robert?” Gray’s eyes went past Strange to somewhere down the street. “I’m all right.” “Look at me when I talk to you, son.” Gray fixed his gaze on Strange. He had intelligent eyes…“You see Granville?” “Saw him today. He was asking after you.” “They gonna kill him?” “I don’t know. Whatever happens, it doesn’t look like he’s ever gonna come out of jail. —you get in the life, it always goes away. Forever, you understand?” Gray half nodded and quickly looked off to the group of boys standing on the corner. “Look here,” said Strange. “You still up for my football camp?” “Yeah, I’ll play.” “I hear you can play.” “You know I can.” “We’re gonna start the camp in August. —last report card from the school year. So I want you to finish up strong.” “I’ll do all right. But how I’m gonna get over there to where y’all practice?” “I’ll work that out,” said Strange”
DC sounds. —“moved the dial to PGC. The Super Funk Regulator was on the air, talking to a woman who had called in from her car. “Where you at right now?” asked the DJ. “I’m on Benning Road, headed home from work.” “My son Darius,” said the woman giggling, obviously hyped to be on the radio and live. “He’s ten years old.” “You have a good one,” said the DJ. “Thanks for rollin’ with a brother.” “Thanks for lettin’ a sister roll.” Strange smiled. He did love D.C.”
Terry Quinn. “Sitting in his vintage hopped-up Chevelle, looking at the group of boys playing outside the building where Olivia Elliot had apparently settled, —a street numbered in the high fifties, in the neighborhood of Lincoln Heights, a residential mix of single-family homes and apartments at the forty-five-degree angle of border close to the Maryland line. —the east side of the Anacostia River, was called Far Northeast, ... —these houses had been subdivided into apartments. An alley split the block halfway, a larger alley that ran behind the row of houses. Not unusual, as nearly every residential street in town had an alley running behind it, another layout quirk unique to D.C. —He heard, “Hey, you guys!” in a straight, white voice, and then, “He might be new in the neighborhood!” -in the same kind of voice; he heard the boys’ laughter behind him. Quinn felt his blood rise immediately; it was hard for him to handle any kind of disrespect. —Quinn stopped walking. “Are you Mark?” The kid pulled up alongside him and stopped the bike. He was young, lean, with an inquisitive face. “Your face is all pink. You all right?” “I’m fine.” “You mad, huh?” “No, I’m all right.” “Shoot, they’re only messin’ with you because you’re white.” “Yeah, okay. But why you lookin’ to get up with me?” “You’re Mark Elliot, then.” “Yeah, I’m Mark.” “I was looking for your mother.” Quinn eye-motioned toward a redbrick structure, two houses back. “I know where you live. You’re up on the third floor, right?” “We in two-B,” said Mark, and his features dropped then. He knew he had made a mistake. He kicked ineffectually at some gravel in the street. “Dag,” “What’s your name?” said Mark, cruising alongside Quinn. “Can’t tell you that,” said Quinn, who kept up his pace. “It’s against the rules.” “I told you mines.” “You don’t want to talk to me no more, huh?” Quinn turned and faced the boy. “Look, you’re a good kid. I’d like to talk to you some more and all that, but I gotta go.” “If I’m good, then why’d you want to go and do me like you did?” “Like how?” “You tricked me, mister.” Quinn settled in the driver’s seat and closed the door. He looked once more at the kid, who was staring at him with disappointment, something worse than anger or hate. —Quinn knew, as every seasoned investigator knew, that to find a parent you always went first to the kid. Kids were more trusting, and you used that trust. If you were in this game, and it was a game of sorts, —Quinn was doing his job. But he couldn’t get Mark Elliot’s face, his look of disappointment, out of his head. Quinn should have been up with the buzz of success. Instead he was ashamed.”
I don’t usually give out 5 stars… but this hard boiled noir is compelling, Pelecanos serves it up straight, and you see what’s hiding in plain sight and it’s terribly slanted against the District’s people. Sorry I was so late to this book, but as they say it’s not too late to learn… this be a good buy!
+ ps. Just learned a new Derek Strange tale is in release August, 2026!
If you need more convincing my highlights are visible…
https://www.goodreads.com/notes/59124...
+ one last thing…Soul Circus got a hold a me + won’t let go…. “Derek Strange stopped by the offices of One Kid, One Congregation, below Massachusetts Avenue—the director, former cop, … Strange knew right away that he liked the man and what he was trying to do…” Did some research… this seems like something to get behind… In Washington, D.C., the initiative matching families or youth with local faith communities is known as One Congregation, One Family (OCOF), operating under the city's Department of Human Services (DHS) Gen2Gen DC initiative. Additionally, the faith-based adoption network One Church, One Child of DC operates locally at 7600 Georgia Ave NW. —Washington, D.C.
1. One Congregation, One Family (OCOF)
This public-private partnership pairs local churches, mosques, or synagogues with a family transitioning out of the shelter system. [1]
* The Goal: Helping families achieve independent, permanent housing and personal stability.
* The Match: A congregation is partnered with one family for an 8-month program cycle.
* The Services: Volunteers from the congregation provide regular mentoring, life-skills coaching, financial encouragement, and support via "2-Gen" (two-generation) activities that assist both parents and kids.
* Eligibility: Families must be D.C. residents currently receiving services from the D.C. Department of Human Services. [1, 2]
2. One Church, One Child of DC
This branch specifically targets foster care and adoption, operating on the philosophy that if every religious congregation recruits just one family to adopt one child out of foster care, the child welfare backlog would disappear.
* The Goal: Recruiting and educating African-American and other local families to adopt waiting children.
* The Connection: Working alongside child welfare services to find permanent, loving homes for youth in foster care systems.
Strange Investigations Client. “They finished with the jury selection.” “Ives told me. They finally found a dozen D.C. residents weren’t opposed to the death penalty, how’d they put it, on principle. Which means they found some white people gonna have no problem to sit up there and judge me.” “The prosecution’s going to put Phillip Wood up there first,” “Told you when I met you the very first time he was gonna be my Judas. Phil can’t do no more maximum time. Last time he was inside, they took away his manhood. Wood had been Granville’s top lieutenant. He had pled out in exchange for testimony against Oliver. “You standin’ tall, big man?” said Oliver. Oliver was questioning Strange’s loyalty. Strange answered by holding Oliver’s gaze. “I hear they got two operations fighting over what I built as we sit here today.” “What’s your point?” “I feel like I’m already gone. They want to erase me, Strange. Make it so I don’t exist no more. They want to strap me to that table in Indiana and give me that needle and show people, that’s what happens when you don’t stay down where we done put you.” You left out the part about all the young black men you killed or had killed, thought Strange. And the part about you poisoning your own community with drugs, and ruining the lives of all the young people you recruited and the lives of their families. —there were some truths in what Granville Oliver was saying, too. Strange, following a personal policy, did not comment either way… —
OUT in the air, on the 1900 block of D Street in Southeast… —The Feds were seeking death for Oliver under the RICO act, despite the fact that the District’s residents had overwhelmingly rejected the death penalty in a local referendum. The combination of racketeering and certain violent crimes allowed the government to exercise this option. The last execution in D.C. had been carried out in 1957.” Derek: “Black folks don’t put down their own so they can feed white people what they want to hear.” Quinn: “This guy ran his whole election on fear and hate, Derek.” “But he didn’t win the election, did he?” “In the end, in their own quiet way, the majority of the people always prove that they know the difference between right and wrong… —there’s more good people out here than there are bad. Once you get hip to that, that anger you’re carrying around with you, it’s gonna go away.”
The Bad. “This new breed of hard boys comin’ up, they all wanted shiny new guns, the same way they wanted nice whips. —Long as there was poverty, long as there wasn’t no good education, long as there wasn’t no real opportunity, long as kids down here had no fathers and were looking to belong to something, then there was gonna be gangs and a need for guns. This textbook he’d had called it supply-and-demand economics. —D.C. had a handgun ban, but its good neighbor states, especially those to the south, did not. So there wasn’t no thing to getting a gun in the District. You could rent a gun or trade drugs to get one, or the community could chip in to buy one. What they called a neighborhood gun. So why was Foreman feeling those burning pains in his chest? —he had been a cop, and in that time he had learned something about criminals, and being a criminal himself now, this is what he knew: His time was gonna come. No one in this game, be he gun dealer or gang leader or dope salesman, lasted forever.:He knew he had to get out, and get his woman out the clean way, too. The question was, how?
—He had bought a ring once for Ashley, and this was the way the jeweler had presented it to him, on a square of red felt. This was the way he presented all his goods. Five guns were set in a row, turned at a forty-five-degree angle to the line of the table. A Heckler & Koch 9mm automatic was at the head of the row. A Sig Sauer .45 was next, a Colt of the same caliber, then a Glock 17. The Glock was the MPD sidearm and, Foreman knew... —Dewayne was pointing to the Colt .45 —Foreman had placed the gun there strategically, ... “Never even been fired” “I’m gonna take that Glock, too, if it’s clean.” “You could eat off it, dawg.” “Aiight, then.” “What about that?” said Bernard Walker. —he was talking about the Calico. “Brand-new,” said Foreman. “Where the bullets come from?” “Right up top there, why it’s long like it is. They call it a helical feed.” “What you need that for, Zulu?” said Durham. “Shit ain’t even, like, practical Durham said to Walker, “I’m buyin’ you the Glock.” To Foreman he said, “How much for the two?” “Sixteen for the both of them is what I’d normally charge. With those grips and all, —I said it’s what I’d normally charge. I’m gonna make it fifteen for you. And I’ll throw in the bricks.”
STRANGE had first met Robert Gray, not yet a teenager, at Granville Oliver’s opulent house in Prince George’s County. Strange had promised Granville, and had made a promise to himself, that he would look after the boy and try to put him on the right. —Strange circled the block in his car, —spotted Robert Gray standing around with a group of boys, most of them older, on the corner of another apartment complex. The boys, some wearing wife-beaters with the band of their boxer shorts showing high above the belt line of their jeans, —Gray said something to one of the boys, got on his bike, and rode... “How you doin’, Robert?” Gray’s eyes went past Strange to somewhere down the street. “I’m all right.” “Look at me when I talk to you, son.” Gray fixed his gaze on Strange. He had intelligent eyes…“You see Granville?” “Saw him today. He was asking after you.” “They gonna kill him?” “I don’t know. Whatever happens, it doesn’t look like he’s ever gonna come out of jail. —you get in the life, it always goes away. Forever, you understand?” Gray half nodded and quickly looked off to the group of boys standing on the corner. “Look here,” said Strange. “You still up for my football camp?” “Yeah, I’ll play.” “I hear you can play.” “You know I can.” “We’re gonna start the camp in August. —last report card from the school year. So I want you to finish up strong.” “I’ll do all right. But how I’m gonna get over there to where y’all practice?” “I’ll work that out,” said Strange”
DC sounds. —“moved the dial to PGC. The Super Funk Regulator was on the air, talking to a woman who had called in from her car. “Where you at right now?” asked the DJ. “I’m on Benning Road, headed home from work.” “My son Darius,” said the woman giggling, obviously hyped to be on the radio and live. “He’s ten years old.” “You have a good one,” said the DJ. “Thanks for rollin’ with a brother.” “Thanks for lettin’ a sister roll.” Strange smiled. He did love D.C.”
Terry Quinn. “Sitting in his vintage hopped-up Chevelle, looking at the group of boys playing outside the building where Olivia Elliot had apparently settled, —a street numbered in the high fifties, in the neighborhood of Lincoln Heights, a residential mix of single-family homes and apartments at the forty-five-degree angle of border close to the Maryland line. —the east side of the Anacostia River, was called Far Northeast, ... —these houses had been subdivided into apartments. An alley split the block halfway, a larger alley that ran behind the row of houses. Not unusual, as nearly every residential street in town had an alley running behind it, another layout quirk unique to D.C. —He heard, “Hey, you guys!” in a straight, white voice, and then, “He might be new in the neighborhood!” -in the same kind of voice; he heard the boys’ laughter behind him. Quinn felt his blood rise immediately; it was hard for him to handle any kind of disrespect. —Quinn stopped walking. “Are you Mark?” The kid pulled up alongside him and stopped the bike. He was young, lean, with an inquisitive face. “Your face is all pink. You all right?” “I’m fine.” “You mad, huh?” “No, I’m all right.” “Shoot, they’re only messin’ with you because you’re white.” “Yeah, okay. But why you lookin’ to get up with me?” “You’re Mark Elliot, then.” “Yeah, I’m Mark.” “I was looking for your mother.” Quinn eye-motioned toward a redbrick structure, two houses back. “I know where you live. You’re up on the third floor, right?” “We in two-B,” said Mark, and his features dropped then. He knew he had made a mistake. He kicked ineffectually at some gravel in the street. “Dag,” “What’s your name?” said Mark, cruising alongside Quinn. “Can’t tell you that,” said Quinn, who kept up his pace. “It’s against the rules.” “I told you mines.” “You don’t want to talk to me no more, huh?” Quinn turned and faced the boy. “Look, you’re a good kid. I’d like to talk to you some more and all that, but I gotta go.” “If I’m good, then why’d you want to go and do me like you did?” “Like how?” “You tricked me, mister.” Quinn settled in the driver’s seat and closed the door. He looked once more at the kid, who was staring at him with disappointment, something worse than anger or hate. —Quinn knew, as every seasoned investigator knew, that to find a parent you always went first to the kid. Kids were more trusting, and you used that trust. If you were in this game, and it was a game of sorts, —Quinn was doing his job. But he couldn’t get Mark Elliot’s face, his look of disappointment, out of his head. Quinn should have been up with the buzz of success. Instead he was ashamed.”
I don’t usually give out 5 stars… but this hard boiled noir is compelling, Pelecanos serves it up straight, and you see what’s hiding in plain sight and it’s terribly slanted against the District’s people. Sorry I was so late to this book, but as they say it’s not too late to learn… this be a good buy!
+ ps. Just learned a new Derek Strange tale is in release August, 2026!
If you need more convincing my highlights are visible…
https://www.goodreads.com/notes/59124...
+ one last thing…Soul Circus got a hold a me + won’t let go…. “Derek Strange stopped by the offices of One Kid, One Congregation, below Massachusetts Avenue—the director, former cop, … Strange knew right away that he liked the man and what he was trying to do…” Did some research… this seems like something to get behind… In Washington, D.C., the initiative matching families or youth with local faith communities is known as One Congregation, One Family (OCOF), operating under the city's Department of Human Services (DHS) Gen2Gen DC initiative. Additionally, the faith-based adoption network One Church, One Child of DC operates locally at 7600 Georgia Ave NW. —Washington, D.C.
1. One Congregation, One Family (OCOF)
This public-private partnership pairs local churches, mosques, or synagogues with a family transitioning out of the shelter system. [1]
* The Goal: Helping families achieve independent, permanent housing and personal stability.
* The Match: A congregation is partnered with one family for an 8-month program cycle.
* The Services: Volunteers from the congregation provide regular mentoring, life-skills coaching, financial encouragement, and support via "2-Gen" (two-generation) activities that assist both parents and kids.
* Eligibility: Families must be D.C. residents currently receiving services from the D.C. Department of Human Services. [1, 2]
2. One Church, One Child of DC
This branch specifically targets foster care and adoption, operating on the philosophy that if every religious congregation recruits just one family to adopt one child out of foster care, the child welfare backlog would disappear.
* The Goal: Recruiting and educating African-American and other local families to adopt waiting children.
* The Connection: Working alongside child welfare services to find permanent, loving homes for youth in foster care systems.
January 26, 2024
Just finished listening to this book in the audible format after having first read it in print about 14 years ago. I have a thing about this author. He writes great books. I have no recollection of having experience this book before, but I bumped it up from four stars to five stars Because it made me feel good.
The book ends with the main character burning down a Virginia gun store that provides “legal“ guns to people in DC. The characters in his books are predominantly black, and some are criminals, and some are black criminals. But many of them have a strange positive ethic Regardless. Always interesting people living lives that are completely alien to me, and yet somehow many of them seem to be trying to make the world the better place.
Here’s a little AI information about the author:
George Pelecanos is an American author known for his crime fiction novels. He was born on February 18, 1957, in Washington, D.C. Pelecanos grew up in the D.C. area and his experiences in the city heavily influence his writing.
Pelecanos has written numerous novels and short stories, most of which are set in Washington, D.C. His works often explore themes of crime, urban life, and the impact of social and economic issues on individuals and communities. He is known for his gritty and realistic portrayals of characters and settings.
One of Pelecanos' notable achievements is his work as a writer and producer on the critically acclaimed television series "The Wire." He contributed to the show during its entire run from 2002 to 2008, bringing his expertise in crime fiction and his knowledge of the city of Washington, D.C. to the series.
Pelecanos has received several awards and nominations for his writing. In 1998, he won the Raymond Chandler Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the crime fiction genre. His novel "The Turnaround" was a finalist for the 2008 Hammett Prize. Pelecanos' works have also been praised for their authentic dialogue and vivid depiction of urban environments.
Overall, George Pelecanos is a highly regarded author known for his compelling crime fiction novels and his ability to capture the essence of urban life, particularly in Washington, D.C. His works continue to resonate with readers who appreciate gritty and realistic storytelling.
____________
How many snippets from the first 30 pages will it take you to identify this author?
Sure, it’s George Pelecanos: so familiar but never a carbon copy.
I like a book that takes a social position that conforms with my own. Pelecanos usually is on my side. In Soul Circus he comes down heavy against the death penalty and for handgun control. We have taken our lumps recently as the Supreme Court has struck down strong handgun prohibitions in DC. But it was 2003 when Soul Circus came out and DC still had its gun ban. But guns are everywhere in this book. There was a way to get illegal guns. And, like some say, when guns are illegal, only criminals will have guns. But it would be hard to say “More guns equal less crime” based on reading this book. Pelecanos isn’t above having a character give a social issue lecture here and there, to be the father “to teach them, by example, right from wrong.”
With the death of complex character side kick Terry Quinn, the Strange Quinn anticrime collaboration comes to an abrupt end. But up steps Nick Stefanos who reappears from earlier books to immediately fill the void as partner against crime.
The book ends with the main character burning down a Virginia gun store that provides “legal“ guns to people in DC. The characters in his books are predominantly black, and some are criminals, and some are black criminals. But many of them have a strange positive ethic Regardless. Always interesting people living lives that are completely alien to me, and yet somehow many of them seem to be trying to make the world the better place.
Here’s a little AI information about the author:
George Pelecanos is an American author known for his crime fiction novels. He was born on February 18, 1957, in Washington, D.C. Pelecanos grew up in the D.C. area and his experiences in the city heavily influence his writing.
Pelecanos has written numerous novels and short stories, most of which are set in Washington, D.C. His works often explore themes of crime, urban life, and the impact of social and economic issues on individuals and communities. He is known for his gritty and realistic portrayals of characters and settings.
One of Pelecanos' notable achievements is his work as a writer and producer on the critically acclaimed television series "The Wire." He contributed to the show during its entire run from 2002 to 2008, bringing his expertise in crime fiction and his knowledge of the city of Washington, D.C. to the series.
Pelecanos has received several awards and nominations for his writing. In 1998, he won the Raymond Chandler Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the crime fiction genre. His novel "The Turnaround" was a finalist for the 2008 Hammett Prize. Pelecanos' works have also been praised for their authentic dialogue and vivid depiction of urban environments.
Overall, George Pelecanos is a highly regarded author known for his compelling crime fiction novels and his ability to capture the essence of urban life, particularly in Washington, D.C. His works continue to resonate with readers who appreciate gritty and realistic storytelling.
____________
How many snippets from the first 30 pages will it take you to identify this author?
Out in the air in the 1900 block of D Street in Southeast…
He sat low on the bench, his stacked shoulders and knotted biceps filling out the ribbed white cotton T-shirt he’d bought out that catalogue he liked, International Male.
That’s right. You take all those slow-jam groups from that period, the Chi-Lites, the Stylistics, Harold Melvin, the ballad stuff that EWF was doin’, and what you got is the most beautiful period of pop music in history.
Hard young men, the malignant result of years of festering, unchecked poverty and fatherless homes, sat on their front steps.
Sure, it’s George Pelecanos: so familiar but never a carbon copy.
I like a book that takes a social position that conforms with my own. Pelecanos usually is on my side. In Soul Circus he comes down heavy against the death penalty and for handgun control. We have taken our lumps recently as the Supreme Court has struck down strong handgun prohibitions in DC. But it was 2003 when Soul Circus came out and DC still had its gun ban. But guns are everywhere in this book. There was a way to get illegal guns. And, like some say, when guns are illegal, only criminals will have guns. But it would be hard to say “More guns equal less crime” based on reading this book. Pelecanos isn’t above having a character give a social issue lecture here and there, to be the father “to teach them, by example, right from wrong.”
With the death of complex character side kick Terry Quinn, the Strange Quinn anticrime collaboration comes to an abrupt end. But up steps Nick Stefanos who reappears from earlier books to immediately fill the void as partner against crime.
March 5, 2016
When I read Pelecanos I feel that menace.
Yeah, cause people be moving cool and loose, but their eyes are cold. And, it's a puzzle, cause it ain't easy knowing what to do. Avert those eyes and somebody's gonna see a victim, stare back and somebody's gonna feel a challenge. Its all about knowing how to show respect and knowing all the rules.
But that's tough cause the weather is hot and languid and the air is hazy. Words are sparse, like they cost somebody some money. But, meanings are clear. Your response needs to be quick and measured. Cause, tempers are lean, reflexes are fast and muscles are taut and the weather is hot. The grins are cheap and meaningless, eyes are full of menace. Keep your eyes on them, cause they gonna signal you what you need to know.
So, be prepared cause life is short. Be bold, move fast and maybe this day won't be your last. Cause it's hot, tempers are loose, guns are cheap ...like lives, here in the U.S.A.
Yeah, you can feel that menace in the air. It's definitely there.
I mean its Pelecanos, he ain't fancy, just tells it ..like he been there.
Yeah, cause people be moving cool and loose, but their eyes are cold. And, it's a puzzle, cause it ain't easy knowing what to do. Avert those eyes and somebody's gonna see a victim, stare back and somebody's gonna feel a challenge. Its all about knowing how to show respect and knowing all the rules.
But that's tough cause the weather is hot and languid and the air is hazy. Words are sparse, like they cost somebody some money. But, meanings are clear. Your response needs to be quick and measured. Cause, tempers are lean, reflexes are fast and muscles are taut and the weather is hot. The grins are cheap and meaningless, eyes are full of menace. Keep your eyes on them, cause they gonna signal you what you need to know.
So, be prepared cause life is short. Be bold, move fast and maybe this day won't be your last. Cause it's hot, tempers are loose, guns are cheap ...like lives, here in the U.S.A.
Yeah, you can feel that menace in the air. It's definitely there.
I mean its Pelecanos, he ain't fancy, just tells it ..like he been there.
February 14, 2012
Drawing comparisons to the acclaimed series ‘The Wire’ is no more evident in a Pelecanos novel than in ‘Soul Circus’. While primarily part of the Strange and Quinn PI series, ‘Soul Circus’ places a distinct emphasis on warring gangs and the ramifications of their actions. The third instalment in the series contains a lot of heart – fitting considering the title, by which the reader identifies with each character in some manner regardless of which side of the law their morals reside. From single mothers and their fatherless children, part time thugs, hardened criminals, to law enforcement and Strange’s co-workers at the PI agency – all have a story to tell sure to sets its hooks deep into the readers imagination and heartstrings alike.
The events of ‘Soul Circus’ pick up where ‘Hell to Pay’ left off, with Granville Oliver behind bars and Strange investigating a former associated of Oliver’s, Phillip Wood, who’s acting as the prosecution’s chief witness against Oliver, to aide his clients case down from the death penalty to life imprisonment. To muddy Wood’s character, Strange seeks Devra Stokes, former girlfriend and sometimes punching bag of Wood’s to testify against his violent behaviour. With an ear to the street, Wood doesn’t make life easy for Strange and soon bullets fly and members from the Oliver and Wood camps start to fall.
On the peripheral to Strange’s involvement with Oliver is his partner and ex-cop Quinn and his case to find a 14yr old run away who’s last known appearance is in front of the camera in an illicit x-rated tape. Quinn’s well documented temper and his struggles to rein it in are fully disclosed in ‘Soul Circus’ in which the hot headedness gets the better of him more often that not. While not linked to the Oliver case, the theme of misguided intention and characters being victims of circumstance compliments the core plot nicely.
One of the great things about this series set in Washington DC’s hardened neighbourhoods is the realness of the characters and their daily struggles to maintain without being tainted by the easy money drugs and other nefarious activities on offer. The yang to this yin being perennial good-guy Derek Strange and his quest to provide every young man a chance at a better life. ‘Soul Circus’ draws a close to the trilogy in breathtaking fashion while alluding to a thread of hope for a better outcome – masterfully executed and well plotted. I look forward to reading more of Strange in ‘Hard Revolution’. 4 stars.
The events of ‘Soul Circus’ pick up where ‘Hell to Pay’ left off, with Granville Oliver behind bars and Strange investigating a former associated of Oliver’s, Phillip Wood, who’s acting as the prosecution’s chief witness against Oliver, to aide his clients case down from the death penalty to life imprisonment. To muddy Wood’s character, Strange seeks Devra Stokes, former girlfriend and sometimes punching bag of Wood’s to testify against his violent behaviour. With an ear to the street, Wood doesn’t make life easy for Strange and soon bullets fly and members from the Oliver and Wood camps start to fall.
On the peripheral to Strange’s involvement with Oliver is his partner and ex-cop Quinn and his case to find a 14yr old run away who’s last known appearance is in front of the camera in an illicit x-rated tape. Quinn’s well documented temper and his struggles to rein it in are fully disclosed in ‘Soul Circus’ in which the hot headedness gets the better of him more often that not. While not linked to the Oliver case, the theme of misguided intention and characters being victims of circumstance compliments the core plot nicely.
One of the great things about this series set in Washington DC’s hardened neighbourhoods is the realness of the characters and their daily struggles to maintain without being tainted by the easy money drugs and other nefarious activities on offer. The yang to this yin being perennial good-guy Derek Strange and his quest to provide every young man a chance at a better life. ‘Soul Circus’ draws a close to the trilogy in breathtaking fashion while alluding to a thread of hope for a better outcome – masterfully executed and well plotted. I look forward to reading more of Strange in ‘Hard Revolution’. 4 stars.
February 16, 2010
The District of Columbia’s home grown Peckinpah presents another gritty, existential modern western (with a great cameo by Nick Stefanos as a drunken spirit of the city), another tragedy of poor killing poor, a dispatch from forgotten corners. The author calls this his “anti-detective novel” one where nothing gets solved at great cost. If that was his intention here it was a success for whatever comfort that brings you. Soul Circus (great title coming from a terrific piece of dialogue) is a grim, cynical finale to the Strange-Quinn trilogy in which Pelecanos does his usual trick of concluding a series on a despairing note with some lingering faint wisps of hope and defiance. I realized that this series works best as a character study of Strange as some clichés, restraint, some shortchanging of the character Quinn (maybe it’s time a black character has an underdeveloped white sidekick, and I liked his story arc overall), and the fact that that the second in the series Hell to Pay doesn’t work as anything but bridge keep this series from being the top Pelecanos can produce, with the exception of the next volume Hard Revolution which is excellent (and hopefully given some follow ups as I could read more about young Strange).
February 2, 2008
Most people know how much I love HBO's The Wire (watch it, love it, watch it again), and Pelecanos wrote for the show. I've never thought I would like hard-boiled crime fiction, but his stuff is fantastic. You find empathy for the characters, even the street-level bangers who are in a situation they just don't know how to get out of (another theme of "The Wire"). His main character, private investigator Derek Strange, is a terrific, complicated character to build a series around.
May 25, 2008
Great crime fiction, set close to home. There are gangs, guns, drugs and more than a few bodies, plus social commentary on Virginia's easy gun laws. Pelecanos maintains tension nicely, and his characters (apparently Derek Strange is a recurring character) are complex, sometimes contradictory, people. The geographical details are just right, as far as I can tell. This is the second book by Pelecanos I've read. There'll be more.
November 27, 2017
Quotes;
"Was it just me, or was that man butt-ugly?"
"Playa hater," said Quinn.
"Almost feel like pressing his money back in his hand, giving him the phone number to a good dentist."
"Last time i saw two teeth like that, they were attached to somethin' had a paddle for a tail and was chewin' on a piece of wood."
and;
The world spun crazily, and he heard himself gurgle and felt nothing but confusion. His back had been broken and so had his neck. His eyes saw nothing forever.
and finally;
He turned toward the tracks, hearing the low rumble of a freight train approaching from the south. It reached him eventually. When it did, he reached his hand out so that he almost touched the train and could feel its wind. He closed his eyes.
Now he was away from his world. Enemies and allies were easily distinguished by hats of black and white. Honor and redemption were real, not conceptual. Justice was uncomplicated by the gray of politics and money, and, if need be, achieved at the point of a gun.
Quinn knew he was out of step.
What better way to display George P. Pelecanos' gritty lyricism than by including in this short review, his own words. Pelecanos captures the mood, the time, the city and the world his characters inhabit perfectly. There is a surprise ending, which is always a pleasant surprise.
Fans of James Sallis might like this trilogy by Pelecanos, although i myself prefer Pelecanos' gritty prose to that of Sallis', who can be a bit long winded, imo.
"Was it just me, or was that man butt-ugly?"
"Playa hater," said Quinn.
"Almost feel like pressing his money back in his hand, giving him the phone number to a good dentist."
"Last time i saw two teeth like that, they were attached to somethin' had a paddle for a tail and was chewin' on a piece of wood."
and;
The world spun crazily, and he heard himself gurgle and felt nothing but confusion. His back had been broken and so had his neck. His eyes saw nothing forever.
and finally;
He turned toward the tracks, hearing the low rumble of a freight train approaching from the south. It reached him eventually. When it did, he reached his hand out so that he almost touched the train and could feel its wind. He closed his eyes.
Now he was away from his world. Enemies and allies were easily distinguished by hats of black and white. Honor and redemption were real, not conceptual. Justice was uncomplicated by the gray of politics and money, and, if need be, achieved at the point of a gun.
Quinn knew he was out of step.
What better way to display George P. Pelecanos' gritty lyricism than by including in this short review, his own words. Pelecanos captures the mood, the time, the city and the world his characters inhabit perfectly. There is a surprise ending, which is always a pleasant surprise.
Fans of James Sallis might like this trilogy by Pelecanos, although i myself prefer Pelecanos' gritty prose to that of Sallis', who can be a bit long winded, imo.
February 8, 2026
I bought it at a library sale and after that it has been sitting on my TBR for the longest time (since 2010🫣) and I finally picked it up to read.
Why did it take me so long to read it? I think it was a combination of things: the title (English) made me forget it's a Dutch edition, the cover (very dark) made me skip it several times because I wanted something 'light' to read and lastly, the fact that I left it for so many years (must be something wrong with it).
But... I was mistaken.
This book surprised me.
It is a thriller with several plot lines, questionable (main) characters and really bad villains. But the bad guys are not all bad, and the good ones all good. And that's what made this book so believable.
Fast paced, dilemma's to solve for all characters and a suitable ending.
It was a joy to read this book. It reminded me of the reason I like this genre so much.
December 6, 2021
Guns from straw purchases, feuding street crews, violent altercations, guilty consciences - all in this Pelecanos drama. It did keep my interest, but I gave it a lower rating as I'm not that interested in the digressions about basketball, cars, and sexual acts.
July 27, 2019
Another harrowing detective tale, this one has some long-spanning consequences that ultimately made it so that Pelecanos had to jump backward for the next two books in the Derek Strange saga, making this chronologically the last book in the five book series. Weird, I know. The characters, plot, and pacing are all top notch, and it's nice to see Nick Stefanos make a guest appearance. Overall, a great crime story. But what else do you expect from the great Pelecanos?
May 7, 2013
Most authors work is better on the page than when it transfers to the screen - either big (outmoded) or small (far more relevant and innovative, these days).
However, with George Pelecanos, I feel that its the TV where he lives. This would make a cracking short series or dare I say it, film.
The reason being.... well, there are a lot of characters - they are all well drawn individually but I found it hard to piece them together, in terms of the relationship they have with other. And ultimtely, the story.
Annoyingly, this is part of a series and I picked it at random from the library - surely there should be a clue in the blurb onthe back. So there may be some back story that I am missing that would have added value.
We have a pair of private investigators - Derek Strange and Terry Quinn who start the book trying to gather the evidence to avoid a local drug baron receiving the death penalty - which society appears to be glamouring for.
We then have two rival drug gangs at war and a missing girl - all interesting stories but I struggle to see the relevance to the PIs.
The real agenda of the book, which it does well, is to bring attention to the lax gun laws in Washington - where people can go slightly out of state and purchase firearms with no more than a cursory check. These guns end up in the hands of the gangs - who are renting them by the day. This is expertly done.
Should really have done my homework and read the other two first.
However, with George Pelecanos, I feel that its the TV where he lives. This would make a cracking short series or dare I say it, film.
The reason being.... well, there are a lot of characters - they are all well drawn individually but I found it hard to piece them together, in terms of the relationship they have with other. And ultimtely, the story.
Annoyingly, this is part of a series and I picked it at random from the library - surely there should be a clue in the blurb onthe back. So there may be some back story that I am missing that would have added value.
We have a pair of private investigators - Derek Strange and Terry Quinn who start the book trying to gather the evidence to avoid a local drug baron receiving the death penalty - which society appears to be glamouring for.
We then have two rival drug gangs at war and a missing girl - all interesting stories but I struggle to see the relevance to the PIs.
The real agenda of the book, which it does well, is to bring attention to the lax gun laws in Washington - where people can go slightly out of state and purchase firearms with no more than a cursory check. These guns end up in the hands of the gangs - who are renting them by the day. This is expertly done.
Should really have done my homework and read the other two first.
September 4, 2008
-(#3 of the Strange Series) Picking up where Hell to Pay left off. Pelecanos uses this book as a voice for his ideas against the death penalty and for gun control. Nick Stefanos, a character from Pelecanos other series, makes an appearance here. I enjoy Strange’s determination to save DC one kid at a time. It’s heartwarming.
August 10, 2009
If you miss The Wire, you should go out and get yourself a copy of Soul Circus. It takes place in DC, not Baltimore, but you'll recognize the cast of drug kingpins, dimwitted but protected sidekicks, bad cops, informants, and street kids, all viewed through the eyes of a private investigator who knows the streets but hasn't let go of his humanity. Yet.
February 25, 2016
Really, really a lot of local hood-rat talk that I sure as blazes don't understand, and don't know anyone who does - so that didn't help. Not really much of a story at all, and one of the "heros" gets dead because he was dumb.
This seems to be a backwards series, as most series improve as they go on and the author gets comfortable with his characters. This one gets worse, every book.
This seems to be a backwards series, as most series improve as they go on and the author gets comfortable with his characters. This one gets worse, every book.
September 6, 2017
I was getting really tired of Terry's "reverse racism" crap as well as most of his views in general. He's just not a likeable character whatsoever
December 2, 2020
Entertaining mystery reading 📚
A Another will written romantic thriller mystery in the series with will developed characters. The story line is complicated and fast moving with lots of violence leading to the unexpected conclusion. I would recommend this series to anyone who reads mysteries. Enjoy reading 🔰😇
A Another will written romantic thriller mystery in the series with will developed characters. The story line is complicated and fast moving with lots of violence leading to the unexpected conclusion. I would recommend this series to anyone who reads mysteries. Enjoy reading 🔰😇
June 5, 2007
Good book-- especially if you like Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. Does a great job of highlighting race issues in DC.
March 1, 2022
This was my second book by the writer and I liked it but there was a lot of killings in this book compared to the two earlier books.
July 3, 2024
Jestli se vám líbil seriál Wire (česky známé též jako Špína Baltimoru), tak je Pelecanos autor přesně pro vás. Koneckonců, taky je pod množstvím dílů téhle legendární série podepsaný… a když se pustíte do čtení, budete mít pocit, jako byste objevili novou sezónu tohohle seriálu.
Podobně jaké Wire, i tady je na pozadí nějaký příběh, ale moc se nepředře. Hlavním cílem je popsat svět nižší… a především černé… zločinecké komunity. Takových těch týpků, co se snaží něco znamenat, alespoň sami před sebou, a aby toho dosáhli, potřebují ten správný ohoz, ten správný vůz a především, tu správnou bouchačku. Zbraň je tady nejen symbolem moci, ale i postavení – nemůžete někomu mávat před očima starým krámem, který není „in“. Je celkem jedno, jestli dobře střílí nebo ne, podstatné je, aby to dobře vypadlo. Všichni jsou samozřejmě děsně macho, a opravdu nechápou, proč zpěvačce vadí chlapi, co se udělají za minutu, jak to, že jim za to není vděčná.
Kniha sice sleduje dvojici soukromých detektivů, ale ti většinu času jen jezdí autem a dohadují se o hudbě a filozofují o zbraních či rasismu. Další postavy jsou tu válčící gangy obchodníků s drogami, kteří sídlí doslova přes ulici a ustavičně musí dávat najevo, kdo má větší koule… a pak obchodník se zbraněmi, který oběma těm gangům prodává kvéry. To je asi nejzajímavější postava, protože by z podstaty věci měla být největší záporák, ale Pelecanos ho popisuje vysloveně sympaticky, jako bývalého poldu, který ví, že to, co dělá, má jen krátkou životnost, že ho někdo časem dostane, ale má opravdu rád svou přítelkyni a snaží se držet podle svých pravidel. Ale ani ostatní postavy nejsou černobílé a mají své obavy, touhy a emoce.
Je to spíš sociální drama vybudované na základě kriminálky. Celé je to hodně podehrané… a i když tam dojde k zásadním a tragickým událostem, je to hodně tlumené a nikdo navenek moc neprojevuje své emoce. Možná i kvůli té tlumenosti a malému důrazu na příběh (tady jsou asi nějaké čtyři zápletky a všechny se pohybují rychlostí tajících ledovců) patří Pelecanos mezi autory, které rozhodně ohromně respektuju, ale jejich knížky si v knihovně moc nenechávám.
Podobně jaké Wire, i tady je na pozadí nějaký příběh, ale moc se nepředře. Hlavním cílem je popsat svět nižší… a především černé… zločinecké komunity. Takových těch týpků, co se snaží něco znamenat, alespoň sami před sebou, a aby toho dosáhli, potřebují ten správný ohoz, ten správný vůz a především, tu správnou bouchačku. Zbraň je tady nejen symbolem moci, ale i postavení – nemůžete někomu mávat před očima starým krámem, který není „in“. Je celkem jedno, jestli dobře střílí nebo ne, podstatné je, aby to dobře vypadlo. Všichni jsou samozřejmě děsně macho, a opravdu nechápou, proč zpěvačce vadí chlapi, co se udělají za minutu, jak to, že jim za to není vděčná.
Kniha sice sleduje dvojici soukromých detektivů, ale ti většinu času jen jezdí autem a dohadují se o hudbě a filozofují o zbraních či rasismu. Další postavy jsou tu válčící gangy obchodníků s drogami, kteří sídlí doslova přes ulici a ustavičně musí dávat najevo, kdo má větší koule… a pak obchodník se zbraněmi, který oběma těm gangům prodává kvéry. To je asi nejzajímavější postava, protože by z podstaty věci měla být největší záporák, ale Pelecanos ho popisuje vysloveně sympaticky, jako bývalého poldu, který ví, že to, co dělá, má jen krátkou životnost, že ho někdo časem dostane, ale má opravdu rád svou přítelkyni a snaží se držet podle svých pravidel. Ale ani ostatní postavy nejsou černobílé a mají své obavy, touhy a emoce.
Je to spíš sociální drama vybudované na základě kriminálky. Celé je to hodně podehrané… a i když tam dojde k zásadním a tragickým událostem, je to hodně tlumené a nikdo navenek moc neprojevuje své emoce. Možná i kvůli té tlumenosti a malému důrazu na příběh (tady jsou asi nějaké čtyři zápletky a všechny se pohybují rychlostí tajících ledovců) patří Pelecanos mezi autory, které rozhodně ohromně respektuju, ale jejich knížky si v knihovně moc nenechávám.
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