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Derek Strange & Terry Quinn #2
Hell to Pay
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, the team of private investigators who made their stunning debut in Right As Rain, are hired to find a 14-year-old white girl from the suburbs who's run away from home and is now working as a prostitute. The two ex-cops think they know D.C.'s dangers, but nothing in their experience has prepared them for Worldwide Wilson, the pimp whose territory they're intruding upon.
Combining inimitable neighborhood flavor, action scenes that rank among the best in fiction, and a clear-eyed view of morality in a world with few rules, "Hell to Pay" is another Pelecanos masterpiece for his ever-expanding audience to savor.
Combining inimitable neighborhood flavor, action scenes that rank among the best in fiction, and a clear-eyed view of morality in a world with few rules, "Hell to Pay" is another Pelecanos masterpiece for his ever-expanding audience to savor.
360 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2002
180 people are currently reading
1414 people want to read
About the author
George P. Pelecanos
60 books1,626 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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May 31, 2025
HELL TO PAY
George Pelecanos crea magnifiche serie TV ambientate a Baltimora o Manhattan, ma quando si tratta di romanzi, li ambienta tutti rigorosamente nella sua città: Washington D.C.
La capitale federale deli Stati Uniti.
Lo si potrebbe definire il santo patrono della città, se non altro dal punto di vista letterario.
La conosce meglio delle sue tasche. Conosce come si è trasformata, cosa e come è cambiato. Conosce la sociologia di chi la abita.
Non è interessato al miglio quadrato del potere politico: quelli sono ospiti, cittadini temporanei. Pelecanos guarda ascolta e conosce chi è nato a Washington, chi ci vive da sempre, o ci è approdato dai dintorni: bianchi, soprattutto neri, ispanici, asiatici, greci.
Conosce le periferie, i quartieri, gli isolati, i distretti. I parchi, le strade, le piazze, gli incroci. I centri commerciali, i diner, le botteghe di barbiere, i negozietti di libri usati.
Washington è la capitale del paese anche dal punto di vista del crimine e della violenza: la città più pericolosa. Eppure, Pelecanos la ama senza ritegno. La descrive, la cura, la coccola, la protegge. Ma non nasconde: sa essere implacabile.
D’altra parte, cura ogni dettaglio: le marche dei vestiti, i tagli di capelli, i modelli delle automobili, colori e optional inclusi, la musica che sa indicare a comporre sia la colonna sonora del romanzo che un’ipotetica storia della musica popolare (pop). Le abitudini dei suoi personaggi, le armi che usano o rifiutano di usare, i drink e i cibi.
1976: George Pelecanos a 18 anni. Nell’estate di quell’anno Pelecanos fu costretto a prendere in mano l’attività di famiglia, il diner del padre: cucina a vista, 27 posti a sedere, di cui 13 su sgabelli ricoperti di plastica arancione, colazione e hamburger o piatti freddi per pranzo. E, la sua cambiò per sempre.
Come più di qualche volta (cioè, spesso) succede quando le storie si ripetono, cioè i personaggi diventano seriali, qualcosa non funziona al meglio. Qui direi che si tratta di un eccesso di note dolci. Troppo zucchero danneggia la dieta.
Caro George, se vai avanti di questo passo qualche nostro ministro ti definirebbe buonista del cazzo.
Ma noi lo correggiamo, vero? Buonista un cazzo.
George Pelecanos crea magnifiche serie TV ambientate a Baltimora o Manhattan, ma quando si tratta di romanzi, li ambienta tutti rigorosamente nella sua città: Washington D.C.
La capitale federale deli Stati Uniti.
Lo si potrebbe definire il santo patrono della città, se non altro dal punto di vista letterario.
La conosce meglio delle sue tasche. Conosce come si è trasformata, cosa e come è cambiato. Conosce la sociologia di chi la abita.
Non è interessato al miglio quadrato del potere politico: quelli sono ospiti, cittadini temporanei. Pelecanos guarda ascolta e conosce chi è nato a Washington, chi ci vive da sempre, o ci è approdato dai dintorni: bianchi, soprattutto neri, ispanici, asiatici, greci.
Conosce le periferie, i quartieri, gli isolati, i distretti. I parchi, le strade, le piazze, gli incroci. I centri commerciali, i diner, le botteghe di barbiere, i negozietti di libri usati.
Washington è la capitale del paese anche dal punto di vista del crimine e della violenza: la città più pericolosa. Eppure, Pelecanos la ama senza ritegno. La descrive, la cura, la coccola, la protegge. Ma non nasconde: sa essere implacabile.
D’altra parte, cura ogni dettaglio: le marche dei vestiti, i tagli di capelli, i modelli delle automobili, colori e optional inclusi, la musica che sa indicare a comporre sia la colonna sonora del romanzo che un’ipotetica storia della musica popolare (pop). Le abitudini dei suoi personaggi, le armi che usano o rifiutano di usare, i drink e i cibi.
1976: George Pelecanos a 18 anni. Nell’estate di quell’anno Pelecanos fu costretto a prendere in mano l’attività di famiglia, il diner del padre: cucina a vista, 27 posti a sedere, di cui 13 su sgabelli ricoperti di plastica arancione, colazione e hamburger o piatti freddi per pranzo. E, la sua cambiò per sempre.
Come più di qualche volta (cioè, spesso) succede quando le storie si ripetono, cioè i personaggi diventano seriali, qualcosa non funziona al meglio. Qui direi che si tratta di un eccesso di note dolci. Troppo zucchero danneggia la dieta.
Caro George, se vai avanti di questo passo qualche nostro ministro ti definirebbe buonista del cazzo.
Ma noi lo correggiamo, vero? Buonista un cazzo.
June 12, 2013
Strange and Quinn take on two cases, one of a runaway turned prostitute and the background check of a longtime friend of Strange's daughter's new suitor. Complications ensue when a young boy on the football team Strange and Quinn are coaching is gunned down. Will Quinn be able to keep his temper in check long enough to get the girl back? Will Strange find dark secrets lurking in Calhoun Tucker's closet? What is the secret connection between the dead little boy, Strange, and the boy's unknown father?
Strange and Quinn are at it again. This time, most of the book is about the relationships between Strange and Quinn and the supporting cast. Strange and Janine's relationship is explored, Quinn meets another woman, and Strange and Quinn coach a peewee football team. Lurking in the background are Garfield Potter and his gang, a pimp named Worldwide Wilson, and druglord Granville Oliver.
The Derek Strange books, while detective fiction, are also Pelecanos' way of showing the rough way of life of poor black children in Washington DC, showing a different side of DC than we've seen with Nick Stefanos and the DC Quartet. Each of the antagonists grew up rough and while they are all pieces of garbage, they didn't have much choice in the matter.
I really like that Strange is committing to Janine and likely giving up his happy endings at the massage parlor. I also like that Quinn has a girlfriend now that will likely reign him in. Strange and Quinn are much more complex than they appeared at first glance.
Some of this book is hard to take, like the death of Joe Wilson. Hell, the fight between Worldwide and Quinn was one of the more brutal fist fights I've ever read. The connection between Strange and Granville was unexpected but made a lot of sense once it was revealed.
At this point, I'd read the phone book if Pelecanos had a hand in writing it. Four stars.
Strange and Quinn are at it again. This time, most of the book is about the relationships between Strange and Quinn and the supporting cast. Strange and Janine's relationship is explored, Quinn meets another woman, and Strange and Quinn coach a peewee football team. Lurking in the background are Garfield Potter and his gang, a pimp named Worldwide Wilson, and druglord Granville Oliver.
The Derek Strange books, while detective fiction, are also Pelecanos' way of showing the rough way of life of poor black children in Washington DC, showing a different side of DC than we've seen with Nick Stefanos and the DC Quartet. Each of the antagonists grew up rough and while they are all pieces of garbage, they didn't have much choice in the matter.
I really like that Strange is committing to Janine and likely giving up his happy endings at the massage parlor. I also like that Quinn has a girlfriend now that will likely reign him in. Strange and Quinn are much more complex than they appeared at first glance.
Some of this book is hard to take, like the death of Joe Wilson. Hell, the fight between Worldwide and Quinn was one of the more brutal fist fights I've ever read. The connection between Strange and Granville was unexpected but made a lot of sense once it was revealed.
At this point, I'd read the phone book if Pelecanos had a hand in writing it. Four stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2016
This one makes me regret never taking up a read of Pelecanos. He felt like a rock I didn’t want to turn over to witness the squirm of scorpions and slugs. But he makes life in the mean streets of Washington, D.C., a microcosm worth attending to. The teen-aged prostitutes’ struggles to get by has its own form of heroism, and the tough young punks on the way up to gang membership are driven by the same urge to find meaning in action and simulated families as the rest of humanity.
In this world Pelecanos puts a couple of private detectives, Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, who have survived growing up in these neighborhoods and thus have good reason to believe that many of these kids can be saved. They run a football program for middle-school aged kids. They are far from angels. Strange, who is black, takes some recourse in booze and massage parlors, while Quinn, who is white, has anger-control issues and needs to prove his virility.
There is a lot of life in the dialog of the characters, their everyday excursions through the neighborhoods, and the music in the minds of the heroes and villains alike. All that and dangerous events faced by both the criminals, their victims, and our detectives feels like poetry in motion, well in line with the flow of stories from Elmore Leonard. A female ex-cop, Tracy, brings them a case of a 14-year old runaway now working as a prostitute. An older girl, who is 17, gives them an angle on her possible position in the stable of a supremely violent pimp, Worldwide Wilson. Another case they take on is personal, the murder of an 11-year old kid on their football team. His death is collateral damage from a hit on his uncle, who failed to pay his drug debt. We spend a lot of time with the responsible set of teens led by one Garfield Potter, streetname “D” for Death. Their wilding reminds one of the futuristic kids in “Clockwork Orange”, revealing how that future is now.
The real mystery resolved in this tale is that of how Strange and Quinn hold on to their humanity in this urban jungle and of how we readers can find hope in their seemingly hopeless efforts.
In this world Pelecanos puts a couple of private detectives, Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, who have survived growing up in these neighborhoods and thus have good reason to believe that many of these kids can be saved. They run a football program for middle-school aged kids. They are far from angels. Strange, who is black, takes some recourse in booze and massage parlors, while Quinn, who is white, has anger-control issues and needs to prove his virility.
There is a lot of life in the dialog of the characters, their everyday excursions through the neighborhoods, and the music in the minds of the heroes and villains alike. All that and dangerous events faced by both the criminals, their victims, and our detectives feels like poetry in motion, well in line with the flow of stories from Elmore Leonard. A female ex-cop, Tracy, brings them a case of a 14-year old runaway now working as a prostitute. An older girl, who is 17, gives them an angle on her possible position in the stable of a supremely violent pimp, Worldwide Wilson. Another case they take on is personal, the murder of an 11-year old kid on their football team. His death is collateral damage from a hit on his uncle, who failed to pay his drug debt. We spend a lot of time with the responsible set of teens led by one Garfield Potter, streetname “D” for Death. Their wilding reminds one of the futuristic kids in “Clockwork Orange”, revealing how that future is now.
The real mystery resolved in this tale is that of how Strange and Quinn hold on to their humanity in this urban jungle and of how we readers can find hope in their seemingly hopeless efforts.
January 17, 2021
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn book 2: The second book with ex-cop private investigators, one Black, Derek Strange, and one White, Terry Quinn as they try to keep order and sense in the relentless underbelly of modern Washington DC. 8 out of 12. Another solid offering by Pelecanos who is becoming my fave US crime writer - 4 books I've read, all 4 star reads!
July 13, 2009
Interesting to see that other readers do not find Hell to Pay and Right as Rain as high up on their approval list as I do. I just finished reading Hell to Pay and found it even stronger than the first one. Now the cat is out of the bag, too, as in searching for the book on the Goodreads library I see that there is a third novel, perhaps completing a trilogy with the same cast of characters. I see the recently checked out Pelecanos from my library is the final one. That means I'm going to be stuck with my nose in a good book for another couple of days.
Pelecanos' series on cable, "Wired", is not for everyone. It's difficult to take in the sad lives of kids stuck in poverty who see their only way out getting 'in the game' of drugs and prostitution. It isn't all that easy either to root for the good guys either. Pelecanos doesn't whitewash anything, yet the endings of the two of his books I've just completed are satisfactory. Unrealistic, perhaps, that the two good guys always get their man, or even their woman. Yet, the thrill in the novels is the journey, the authenticity, the sense of deep understanding of procedure whether it be police or the drug world. How does Pelecanos know the inner workings of his lead black investigator and how is he able to convince me that his characters arise out of truth?
Maybe my high rating of the two novels are based upon being led to believe that the author really has a firm grasp on the world he writes about, the underside of the D.C. I visited once upon a time. Maybe I like to feel that there are good women out there who attract men with dark pasts, men who are worthy of their love. Women who don't have blinders on, who are worthy to be heroines of their own stories.
I can't wait to get into the third novel to see where else Mr. Pelecanos wants to take this team of Strange and Quinn. I have criticized other books because the villains had no redeeming characterists, no reason to devote so much attention to them because who cares whether they survive or beat the rap? Pelecanos figures out a way or a reason to make the reader want to know more about his criminals. He humanizes them, just as he does his investigative due, neither of whom admits to being perfect.
Pelecanos' series on cable, "Wired", is not for everyone. It's difficult to take in the sad lives of kids stuck in poverty who see their only way out getting 'in the game' of drugs and prostitution. It isn't all that easy either to root for the good guys either. Pelecanos doesn't whitewash anything, yet the endings of the two of his books I've just completed are satisfactory. Unrealistic, perhaps, that the two good guys always get their man, or even their woman. Yet, the thrill in the novels is the journey, the authenticity, the sense of deep understanding of procedure whether it be police or the drug world. How does Pelecanos know the inner workings of his lead black investigator and how is he able to convince me that his characters arise out of truth?
Maybe my high rating of the two novels are based upon being led to believe that the author really has a firm grasp on the world he writes about, the underside of the D.C. I visited once upon a time. Maybe I like to feel that there are good women out there who attract men with dark pasts, men who are worthy of their love. Women who don't have blinders on, who are worthy to be heroines of their own stories.
I can't wait to get into the third novel to see where else Mr. Pelecanos wants to take this team of Strange and Quinn. I have criticized other books because the villains had no redeeming characterists, no reason to devote so much attention to them because who cares whether they survive or beat the rap? Pelecanos figures out a way or a reason to make the reader want to know more about his criminals. He humanizes them, just as he does his investigative due, neither of whom admits to being perfect.
August 12, 2017
HELL TO PAY by George Pelecanos is the second book in the 'Derek Strange & Terry Quinn’ series following Right as Rain, and further establishes the unlikely friendship of two very different men that work well together in spite of their differences to form a loose partnership that is effective.
Garfield Potter is a violent young man trying to make a name for himself in his neighborhood where he and his two partners deal dope and the story opens at a dog fight where they own one of the dogs.
Potter sees someone at the fight who knows a guy who has not payed Potter for drugs he owes payment on, which Garfield sees as a sign of disrespect that must be dealt with severely to make an impression.
Crumbling under pressure, the young man Potter confronts gives up the information that the man he’s looking for can be found at his younger nephew’s football games and practice sessions.
Derek is approached by two female officers who have formed an alliance to protect and return home runaway hookers living on the streets, and they want to hire him to find a missing girl.
Strange suggests Terry to the pair as his own plate is full at the moment, and asks Terry to take the case which he does. Quinn becomes involved both in the case and with one of the ladies, and a relationship begins that seems to fit both of them as they understand each other very well.
Two formidable players become involved in cases that both Strange and Quinn work on separately and at times together, and one is known as “Worldwide” Wilson, while the other is Oliver Granville, and both are “in the life” and their crossing paths with them places the partners in a great deal of danger.
Derek and Terry coach a youth football team called the Panthers, and really make a positive impact on the lives of the boys that play for them.
Derek is still struggling with his commitment to Janine, and his trips to the Asian massage parlor only make matters worse, while Terry and others try to help him through this and to remind him of how special his woman is and how his behavior is being disrespectful towards her.
Pelecanos has improved on the first book in the series, and this is a great story where everything comes together perfectly to clarify the path of both Derek and Terry in their personal lives, and cements their friendship and working relationship.
I’m jealous that the D.C. area has George Pelecanos to recapture the golden days there, and wish that the Detroit area had someone of his caliber to recapture the 60’s and 70’s in a similar way.
5 stars.
Garfield Potter is a violent young man trying to make a name for himself in his neighborhood where he and his two partners deal dope and the story opens at a dog fight where they own one of the dogs.
Potter sees someone at the fight who knows a guy who has not payed Potter for drugs he owes payment on, which Garfield sees as a sign of disrespect that must be dealt with severely to make an impression.
Crumbling under pressure, the young man Potter confronts gives up the information that the man he’s looking for can be found at his younger nephew’s football games and practice sessions.
Derek is approached by two female officers who have formed an alliance to protect and return home runaway hookers living on the streets, and they want to hire him to find a missing girl.
Strange suggests Terry to the pair as his own plate is full at the moment, and asks Terry to take the case which he does. Quinn becomes involved both in the case and with one of the ladies, and a relationship begins that seems to fit both of them as they understand each other very well.
Two formidable players become involved in cases that both Strange and Quinn work on separately and at times together, and one is known as “Worldwide” Wilson, while the other is Oliver Granville, and both are “in the life” and their crossing paths with them places the partners in a great deal of danger.
Derek and Terry coach a youth football team called the Panthers, and really make a positive impact on the lives of the boys that play for them.
Derek is still struggling with his commitment to Janine, and his trips to the Asian massage parlor only make matters worse, while Terry and others try to help him through this and to remind him of how special his woman is and how his behavior is being disrespectful towards her.
Pelecanos has improved on the first book in the series, and this is a great story where everything comes together perfectly to clarify the path of both Derek and Terry in their personal lives, and cements their friendship and working relationship.
I’m jealous that the D.C. area has George Pelecanos to recapture the golden days there, and wish that the Detroit area had someone of his caliber to recapture the 60’s and 70’s in a similar way.
5 stars.
January 8, 2012
A painstaking mural of the metamorphosis of Washington DC from a metropolis to murder-polis whose inhabitants are at once menacing and heart warming. It's this chalk and cheese persona of Pelecanos' characters that draws a somewhat translucent line between good and evil in the third world urban sprawl of the major US city. Victims of circumstance turned hardened thugs turned kid killers find themselves the focus of PI Derek Strange as he seeks the right kind of justice for the murder of an innocent caught as a causality of wanna-be tough guys in their pursuit of notoriety and hood fame.
Protagonist, Derek Strange and part time side kick, Terry Quinn are disassociated to a degree, with each taking leads on separate cases - Terry's, to save a teenage runaway from a life of prostitute, and Derek's to solve a murder. While maintaining a brotherly bond, the disassociation is more than physical with a distinct lack of camaraderie evident in their limited exchanges. Whether this was a key point of note from Pelecanos or not remains to be seen.
The plot is elementary, as DC and its environs take centre stage. The culture, music, race, and criminal underbelly are paramount to the inhabitant’s survival amidst everyday chaos and the good guys who try to make the streets a safer place. Not so much a straight PI novel as more a serrated one man army fostering hope where light fails to shine.
‘Hell To Pay’ reminded me much of the DC Quartet where the peripherals (storefronts, passer-by exchanges, music, current day sports etc.) promote such ambiance as to transfer the reader direct to locale. The plot itself, whilst engaging wasn’t the key element to this second instalment in the Strange and Quinn series, rather their growth as friends and individuals alike with the cases more a means to an end.
If you like the Wire and Pelecanos’ fantastic DC Quartet, this is for you – 3.5 stars.
Side Note: My perception of Derek Strange is reminiscent of the Wire's Lester Freamon - a wise old man who still packs a punch and is more attuned to enjoying life and giving second chances rather than throwing the book and busting heads.
Protagonist, Derek Strange and part time side kick, Terry Quinn are disassociated to a degree, with each taking leads on separate cases - Terry's, to save a teenage runaway from a life of prostitute, and Derek's to solve a murder. While maintaining a brotherly bond, the disassociation is more than physical with a distinct lack of camaraderie evident in their limited exchanges. Whether this was a key point of note from Pelecanos or not remains to be seen.
The plot is elementary, as DC and its environs take centre stage. The culture, music, race, and criminal underbelly are paramount to the inhabitant’s survival amidst everyday chaos and the good guys who try to make the streets a safer place. Not so much a straight PI novel as more a serrated one man army fostering hope where light fails to shine.
‘Hell To Pay’ reminded me much of the DC Quartet where the peripherals (storefronts, passer-by exchanges, music, current day sports etc.) promote such ambiance as to transfer the reader direct to locale. The plot itself, whilst engaging wasn’t the key element to this second instalment in the Strange and Quinn series, rather their growth as friends and individuals alike with the cases more a means to an end.
If you like the Wire and Pelecanos’ fantastic DC Quartet, this is for you – 3.5 stars.
Side Note: My perception of Derek Strange is reminiscent of the Wire's Lester Freamon - a wise old man who still packs a punch and is more attuned to enjoying life and giving second chances rather than throwing the book and busting heads.
July 9, 2013
This was my second George Pelecanos novel, but my first outing with the team of Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. This one is apparently the second in the Strange/Quinn series, so I am reading these out of order, but it didn’t seem to make a nickel’s worth of difference. It was easy to fall right into step with these two guys.
A little bit hip and quite a bit old-school, Derek Strange is a 50-ish ex-cop with a store-front business called Strange Investigations (love it!), who values his old vinyl records, listening to Stevie Wonder, Al Green, and The Stylistics to smooth his ruffled feathers after a particularly trying day. His character just pops right out of the pages at you. His partner, Terry Quinn, is a 30-something former police who really should take a front row seat in anger management class. He seems a little on the immature side, allowing a pimp to get under his skin and belittle his manhood by calling him ‘Teresa’. I do believe we have a loose cannon on our hands with him. Still and yet, he’s one of the good guys and offsets his older counterpart nicely.
The street talk is superb, with the down and dirty lingo dragging you way down in the hole, as the author did with his writing on The Wire. The bad guys are truly frightening with their deadeye stares and their wooden acceptance of the likelihood of dying young. The ending was on the sunny side, which was unexpected and even unnecessary for me, but it was an engrossing story, thoroughly enjoyable.
A little bit hip and quite a bit old-school, Derek Strange is a 50-ish ex-cop with a store-front business called Strange Investigations (love it!), who values his old vinyl records, listening to Stevie Wonder, Al Green, and The Stylistics to smooth his ruffled feathers after a particularly trying day. His character just pops right out of the pages at you. His partner, Terry Quinn, is a 30-something former police who really should take a front row seat in anger management class. He seems a little on the immature side, allowing a pimp to get under his skin and belittle his manhood by calling him ‘Teresa’. I do believe we have a loose cannon on our hands with him. Still and yet, he’s one of the good guys and offsets his older counterpart nicely.
The street talk is superb, with the down and dirty lingo dragging you way down in the hole, as the author did with his writing on The Wire. The bad guys are truly frightening with their deadeye stares and their wooden acceptance of the likelihood of dying young. The ending was on the sunny side, which was unexpected and even unnecessary for me, but it was an engrossing story, thoroughly enjoyable.
October 8, 2010
What can I say? I love George Pelacanos. But tears in my eyes at the end of Hell to Pay? It was too much like And They All Lived Happily Ever After, wasn’t it?
With Pelacanos, language is never plain or simple. It is always dressed up in descriptive adjectives and proper nouns. Product placement is a Pelacanos trademark. Hell to Pay is like a guided tour of metropolitan DC and its suburbs. And, of course, the Wheaton Mall appears in its usual cameo role. As does Bonifant Street and Sligo Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. George takes his cuts at downtown revitalization driving out the ma & pa stores and Whole Foods with its “$5 tomatoes.” He has his usual commentary about social issues like the curfew and gun laws through his dialogues. And the street murder that plays a major role in the storyline doesn’t happen until over half way through the book. But the first half of the book is no less entertaining for the absence of the plot core; there are plenty of subplots to keep the reader busy and entertained. With Pelacanos I search for a better word than “entertained” since so much of his writing is glorious b-movie and comic book caricatures. The landscape is so comfortable and familiar if you have read other Pelacanos novels.
Some writers might turn on the radio in their car. Not Pelacanos.
Some character descriptions might be non-descript but Pelacanos is anything but ho-hum.
Sunday breakfast out? Pelacanos asks us along.
Pelacanos has a pattern but, for me, it doesn’t get old as long as I don’t read a string of his books back to back. His one-a-year publishing schedule is just right for me. His storylines are multifaceted but not so complicated that I lose my way. He lets me see the forest and the trees.
With Pelacanos, language is never plain or simple. It is always dressed up in descriptive adjectives and proper nouns. Product placement is a Pelacanos trademark. Hell to Pay is like a guided tour of metropolitan DC and its suburbs. And, of course, the Wheaton Mall appears in its usual cameo role. As does Bonifant Street and Sligo Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. George takes his cuts at downtown revitalization driving out the ma & pa stores and Whole Foods with its “$5 tomatoes.” He has his usual commentary about social issues like the curfew and gun laws through his dialogues. And the street murder that plays a major role in the storyline doesn’t happen until over half way through the book. But the first half of the book is no less entertaining for the absence of the plot core; there are plenty of subplots to keep the reader busy and entertained. With Pelacanos I search for a better word than “entertained” since so much of his writing is glorious b-movie and comic book caricatures. The landscape is so comfortable and familiar if you have read other Pelacanos novels.
Some writers might turn on the radio in their car. Not Pelacanos.
Driving home, Strange rolled up the windows of the Brougham and turned the AC on low. He popped a War tape, Why Can’t We Be Friends, into the deck, and he found that beautiful ballad of theirs, “So.” He got down low in the bench , his wrist resting on the stop of the wheel, and he began to sing along. For a while, anyway, sealed in his car, listening to his music, he found some kind of peace.
Some character descriptions might be non-descript but Pelacanos is anything but ho-hum.
Quinn was replacing his cell in his bag when he noticed a girl standing before him. She wore boot-cut jeans and a spaghetti-string pink shirt with a cartoon illustration of a Japanese girl holding a guitar slung low, a la Keith. Her shoulder bag was white, oval, and plastic. Her dirty-blond hair fell to her shoulders. Her hips were narrow, her breasts small, mostly nipple and visible through the shirt. She was pale, with bland brown eyes and a tan birthmark, shaped like a strawberry, on her neck. She wore wire-rim prescription eyeglasses, granny style. She was barely cute, and not even close to pretty. Quinn put her in her midteens, maybe knocking on the door of seventeen, if that.
Sunday breakfast out? Pelacanos asks us along.
Strange ate a feta-cheese-and-onion omelette sprinkled with Texas Pete hot sauce, and a half-smoke side, and washed it down with a couple of cups of coffee. Some after-church types were at the counter and some sat in the old red-cushioned booths. The diner was white tiles and white walls, kept clean by Billy and his longtime employee, Etta.
Pelacanos has a pattern but, for me, it doesn’t get old as long as I don’t read a string of his books back to back. His one-a-year publishing schedule is just right for me. His storylines are multifaceted but not so complicated that I lose my way. He lets me see the forest and the trees.
November 6, 2018
Another down to earth and gritty visit to the D.C. underbelly (no, not the White House), where Black Lives don't matter, except to the readers. I personally felt the pain of these people, especially the young blacks who have few choices in life, and staying alive every day is the number one choice. This story was really sad when a young boy is shot and killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The really sad thing is that it's also hard not to feel bad for the boys that shot him. Their behavior is the only way they know how to cope with their pathetic lives of kill or be killed.
Fortunately, there are also some good people in the stories - good, but not perfect. Some are far from perfect, but still likable, and capable of improving, so we cheer them on from the comfort of the other side of the book pages, which is where I want to be when reading these stories.
The main hero is strange - Derek Strange, actually, a PI/former cop and owner of Strange Investigations. He has a couple of interesting assistants - the first being a younger, black man who worries more about his fancy clothes than most anything else. He doesn't like to wear his fancy coat in the car because it'll get wrinkled and look like something from Burlington Coat Factory. Then there's a newer part-time assistant, a former white cop, Terry Quinn, who left the force after accidentally killing a black undercover cop in what many thought had racial undertones. A somewhat strange pair, but they become good friends pretty quickly.
The book is written with a realism that makes everyone come to life, and the language sounds genuine and entertaining. I worked with a lot of Blacks in Oakland at the main post office way back, and got to know the talk pretty well, and this sounds right to me.
Fortunately, there are also some good people in the stories - good, but not perfect. Some are far from perfect, but still likable, and capable of improving, so we cheer them on from the comfort of the other side of the book pages, which is where I want to be when reading these stories.
The main hero is strange - Derek Strange, actually, a PI/former cop and owner of Strange Investigations. He has a couple of interesting assistants - the first being a younger, black man who worries more about his fancy clothes than most anything else. He doesn't like to wear his fancy coat in the car because it'll get wrinkled and look like something from Burlington Coat Factory. Then there's a newer part-time assistant, a former white cop, Terry Quinn, who left the force after accidentally killing a black undercover cop in what many thought had racial undertones. A somewhat strange pair, but they become good friends pretty quickly.
The book is written with a realism that makes everyone come to life, and the language sounds genuine and entertaining. I worked with a lot of Blacks in Oakland at the main post office way back, and got to know the talk pretty well, and this sounds right to me.
July 21, 2017
Here, Strange and Quinn are both former Metropolitan Police Department Officers. Strange is an older African-American man who keeps his office right in the city on Bonifant Avenue as sort of an example to younger men in the area. Quinn is Caucasian and a bit younger than Strange. Quinn left the police force after a controversial shooting in which internal affairs found his actions to be “right as rain.” This story takes place some time after the events in “Right as Rain” and Quinn now has a private investigator’s license and assists Strange with cases.
One case involves Quinn working on finding a teenage runaway who more than likely is now working the mean streets of Washington, D.C., and Quinn makes contacts with other street workers as he attempts to find Jennifer and free her from the life she has been reduced to. Along the way, he has to deal with Worldwide Wilson, Jennifer’s pimp, who towers over Quinn. Pelecanos does a great job of showing Quinn’s discomfort when Sue Tracy, another investigator, actually rescues Quinn.
Another subplot of the book is the Peewee football team that Strange and Quinn coach and how the uncle of one of the players is caught up in the life and how that eventually leads to trouble.
All in all, another terrific book in a top-notch crime series. One of the hallmarks of a Pelecanos novel is the backdrop of music and cars. You always feel the music pumping in the background of his books.
One case involves Quinn working on finding a teenage runaway who more than likely is now working the mean streets of Washington, D.C., and Quinn makes contacts with other street workers as he attempts to find Jennifer and free her from the life she has been reduced to. Along the way, he has to deal with Worldwide Wilson, Jennifer’s pimp, who towers over Quinn. Pelecanos does a great job of showing Quinn’s discomfort when Sue Tracy, another investigator, actually rescues Quinn.
Another subplot of the book is the Peewee football team that Strange and Quinn coach and how the uncle of one of the players is caught up in the life and how that eventually leads to trouble.
All in all, another terrific book in a top-notch crime series. One of the hallmarks of a Pelecanos novel is the backdrop of music and cars. You always feel the music pumping in the background of his books.
February 4, 2009
another addictive pelecanos novel (my second). this basically deepens the universe created in right as rain, and does a nice job propping up its next installment (soul circus, which i'll undoubtedly get to in the coming months). this one has less of the sensational shoot 'em up stuff that sometimes scars the plausibility of right as rain, choosing instead to get inside the heads of each of its characters. very effective as a portrait of poverty, particularly in its look at characters on the periphery. i'm not always convinced pelecanos is comfortable working women into his universe - i'd have liked more access to the thoughts of quinn's girlfriend, for example - but he takes a pretty critical look at machismo and ego bullshit, which kind of makes up for it. there are basically two stories at play here, and the one involving derek strange (the middle-aged, black P.I. that anchors the series) is more compelling. with his sidekick's narrative (tortured, white ex-cop quinn), i felt like the "climax" was a bit hurried. not as soulful, either.
pelecanos might be the most ADDICTIVE novelist i've ever read, to be honest. part of that is because he's pretty plain-spoken, so the reading process moves quickly. but every time i sit down with one of his novels, it's like i have to pry myself away from it. which is pretty amazing, on some level.
pelecanos might be the most ADDICTIVE novelist i've ever read, to be honest. part of that is because he's pretty plain-spoken, so the reading process moves quickly. but every time i sit down with one of his novels, it's like i have to pry myself away from it. which is pretty amazing, on some level.
December 14, 2013
It pains me to give this only three stars, it really does, but after a solid rocking first 300 pages or so, I just cannot wrap my brain around the way that Strange does things with Potter & Little. The set up to let Granville Oliver kill those two is aborted because Strange has a crisis of conscience, so then what? They let them go? They take them home? They're both apparently arrested immediately afterward, so it's not like they ran like White, but Pelecanos doesn't say anything about how it all works out & I cannot fathom how it does. I'm also a little tired of Quinn's shenanigans, although I had a dream last night that he ended up sleeping with Stella even though he knew it was wrong; this is really neither here or there, but it just goes to show that it could always be worse. I feel like the ball got dropped on this a bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2020
Good writing, starts slow with a revolving cast. Finishes well with a lot of morality and hard edged lives and decisions.
August 20, 2021
Gritty, earthy...an inside look at the seamier neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., where people have the same wants, needs and desires as those in more affluent neighborhoods, but due to their circumstances, many go about fulfilling those requirements on the other side of the law.
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are private detectives, but also men with humanity, doing what they can for the youth of the area, to provide positive life lessons and role models as volunteer coaches for a pee-wee football league. Contrast that with the work they do and you have some interesting and multi-faceted characters.
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are private detectives, but also men with humanity, doing what they can for the youth of the area, to provide positive life lessons and role models as volunteer coaches for a pee-wee football league. Contrast that with the work they do and you have some interesting and multi-faceted characters.
July 9, 2014
RATING: 4.25
Derek Strange, owner of Strange Investigations, is a solid citizen in his Washington, DC, neighborhood. He’s been in business for over 25 years and serves as a role model to the young black people of the community. He continues to give back to his neighborhood, doing things such as coaching Pee Wee football and trying to show kids there are choices besides gangs and drugs.
Strange works with Janine Baker, his office manager and a woman who he loves but not well enough; Ron Lattimer, a young man who’s stylin’; and Terry Quinn, a white man who was at one time a cop and who carries some past baggage. Terry and Strange met in Right as Rain where Terry was one of the suspects and ended up becoming a part-time investigator for Strange.
Right as Rain dealt mostly with racial issues. That theme is continued in Hell to Pay, but there is more emphasis on the impact on children of living in the ghettoized neighborhoods of Washington, DC, in a world of poverty and no privilege. Generally, they fall into two camps—those who fall prey to the evil around them and become drug dealers or prostitutes and those who are able to resist those influences and lead a relatively straight life. As expected, the latter situation is rare; and keeping some moral turpitude in hell is difficult.
Strange and Quinn are hired by some female investigators who specialize in retrieving young runaways gone to hooking. Terry and Derek both have their hearts stolen by some of the young people that they come across, but they don’t have the ability to protect the innocent, whether that be a young girl who is cheating on her pimp with some harebrained schemes or a talented 8-year-old on a football team who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person. When these young people are threatened, both Quinn and Strange are motivated to the core to wreak revenge and redress injustice.
Pelecanos is an incredibly gifted verbal photographer. It’s as if he were using black and white film and a zoom lens to focus in on every detail of a very unlovely place. He pulls no punches. There’s more despair than there is hope; there’s more hate than there is love; there’s more death than there is life. In spite of all that, we dare to believe that things can change, that people like Strange can make a difference, that a child can live in this kind of neighborhood and come through into adulthood unscathed or at least stronger from the experience. Not all of them do; indeed, not many of them do. But it does happen.
Hell to Payis a multi-layered book that succeeds on almost all levels, the main negative being some awkwardly written narrative. Pelecanos excels at establishing the setting and populating it with real people. The dialog is perfectly rendered, and the look into life in the ghetto with its emotionally handicapped characters compelling. Occasionally, Strange gets into sermonizing, but the message that he delivers about how to live one’s life in spite of the environment is an important one. At the same time, he is discovering things about himself that he needs to work through, including squandering his only meaningful love relationship. As in all of Pelecanos’ books, music is an important element; and the reader who is familiar with the works that he mentions must have an even richer reading experience than the reader who isn’t.
Reading about a place where computer-generated photos of dead children are placed on t-shirts and sold at their funerals could be a demoralizing experience. It’s a sad commentary that things have sunk so low. Only a writer as talented as Pelecanos could get us to care enough to walk through these rat-infested streets where death is no big deal and feel like there’s any hope at all. Only Pelecanos has the guts to try.
Derek Strange, owner of Strange Investigations, is a solid citizen in his Washington, DC, neighborhood. He’s been in business for over 25 years and serves as a role model to the young black people of the community. He continues to give back to his neighborhood, doing things such as coaching Pee Wee football and trying to show kids there are choices besides gangs and drugs.
Strange works with Janine Baker, his office manager and a woman who he loves but not well enough; Ron Lattimer, a young man who’s stylin’; and Terry Quinn, a white man who was at one time a cop and who carries some past baggage. Terry and Strange met in Right as Rain where Terry was one of the suspects and ended up becoming a part-time investigator for Strange.
Right as Rain dealt mostly with racial issues. That theme is continued in Hell to Pay, but there is more emphasis on the impact on children of living in the ghettoized neighborhoods of Washington, DC, in a world of poverty and no privilege. Generally, they fall into two camps—those who fall prey to the evil around them and become drug dealers or prostitutes and those who are able to resist those influences and lead a relatively straight life. As expected, the latter situation is rare; and keeping some moral turpitude in hell is difficult.
Strange and Quinn are hired by some female investigators who specialize in retrieving young runaways gone to hooking. Terry and Derek both have their hearts stolen by some of the young people that they come across, but they don’t have the ability to protect the innocent, whether that be a young girl who is cheating on her pimp with some harebrained schemes or a talented 8-year-old on a football team who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person. When these young people are threatened, both Quinn and Strange are motivated to the core to wreak revenge and redress injustice.
Pelecanos is an incredibly gifted verbal photographer. It’s as if he were using black and white film and a zoom lens to focus in on every detail of a very unlovely place. He pulls no punches. There’s more despair than there is hope; there’s more hate than there is love; there’s more death than there is life. In spite of all that, we dare to believe that things can change, that people like Strange can make a difference, that a child can live in this kind of neighborhood and come through into adulthood unscathed or at least stronger from the experience. Not all of them do; indeed, not many of them do. But it does happen.
Hell to Payis a multi-layered book that succeeds on almost all levels, the main negative being some awkwardly written narrative. Pelecanos excels at establishing the setting and populating it with real people. The dialog is perfectly rendered, and the look into life in the ghetto with its emotionally handicapped characters compelling. Occasionally, Strange gets into sermonizing, but the message that he delivers about how to live one’s life in spite of the environment is an important one. At the same time, he is discovering things about himself that he needs to work through, including squandering his only meaningful love relationship. As in all of Pelecanos’ books, music is an important element; and the reader who is familiar with the works that he mentions must have an even richer reading experience than the reader who isn’t.
Reading about a place where computer-generated photos of dead children are placed on t-shirts and sold at their funerals could be a demoralizing experience. It’s a sad commentary that things have sunk so low. Only a writer as talented as Pelecanos could get us to care enough to walk through these rat-infested streets where death is no big deal and feel like there’s any hope at all. Only Pelecanos has the guts to try.
April 10, 2015
Another good book by George Pelecanos. I enjoy a writer that allows his characters be multi-dimensional when creating their novels. Especially those characters of a darker hue. For a white novelist to be this adept at accomplishing this feat may seem like a small thing to many, but it bolsters my faith in my fellow man. We are more alike than some care to admit.
I highly recommend this book for the readers that like detective novels. It's a quick read, but very enjoyable.
I highly recommend this book for the readers that like detective novels. It's a quick read, but very enjoyable.
March 17, 2021
"Can't no murder ever be solved. Not unless the victim gonna get out of his grave and walk, breathe in the air. Hug his mother and play ball and grow up to be a man and lie down with a woman . . . live a life, Terry, the way God intended him to."
This was definitely another completely different take on this genre from what we've looked at in my crime fiction class so far. Though I know that as a white reader who has grown up in a very privileged environment who could never truly understand the circumstances which the black characters of this book face, I still felt Pelecanos' ability to root you in the black communities of urban D.C. and create a gripping environment for him to play upon the conventions of crime fiction.
In a lot of ways I was strongly reminded of The Hate U Give, in that both books outrightly confront the systemic injustices that so often lead to the untimely end of young black lives, a phenomenon I myself am very often far removed from, and thus need solid reminders, even fictional ones, of that reality which plagues the lives of so many.
My one complaint with this book was the plot; it seemed Pelecanos couldn't pick just one and kept using different crimes to piggyback upon one another, rather than letting the intrigue develop on its own. But at the same time, that convergence of different narratives roots this more in reality than concocted fiction really would, doing much more to explore the injustices he is concerned with, so I suppose I can see the benefits of that lack of focus.
As with many of the books on the reading list for this module, I never would have picked this up on my own, but I am so glad I did, as not only was it a gripping read, it also served as a reminder of the injustices that, even two decades after its publication, continue to plague our society in incredibly relevant ways. In light of the recent uptake in the BLM movement, it probably doesn't need to be reiterated here, but it really is books like these that can offer a more thorough perspective and understanding of these issues which a white reader like me perhaps would not otherwise have access to.
March 7, 2017
I read Right as Rain, the first Strange & Quinn, four or five years back, and I'm not sure why I haven't been back before now; I guess it's just the eternal headache - so many books, so little time.
The main crux of the story here will be depressingly familiar to anyone with a even passing knowledge of the horrible self-perpetuating cycle of poverty/drugs/black on black gun crime that plagues some U.S. inner cities. This came out in 2003 but it could have been published this year. Pelecanos is scathing of the ability of the mainstream media to look the other way while mass-murder is being committed on their own doorstep; 'American children were enslaved in nightmare neighborhoods, living amid gunfire and drugs and attending dilapidated public schools. The nation was outraged at high school shootings in white neighborhoods, but young black men and women were being murdered without fanfare in the nation's capital every single day'.
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn were introduced in Right as Rain; two ex-cops working as private investigators, trying to get a measure of each other. In the first novel, Quinn seemed the more damaged of the two - this time round, it's Strange who seems to be sliding into his own personal hell. These are two deeply flawed men, but where Pelecanos succeeds here is by laying bare both of their prejudices (and by extension, our own), but making no judgement, because that's not what defines them. There are three separate story strands, but all work well together, and all are basically concerned with pride, and fragile masculinity - and it's impossible not to do a bit of reflection when you've put the book down for the night and turned off the light. It's not all soul searching though; the writer has a great knack for describing the clothes and the haircuts and the cars and the streets in such a way that, even amongst the squalor, guys like Strange are cool, in a spit-and-shine kinda way. I found myself trying to remember the names of songs and albums that were name-checked, although I doubt I'd be quite as stylish, cutting about Glasgow listening to Johnny Winter or Stevie Wonder...
Looks like there's only two more Strange and Quinn books, then a Strange standalone. That seems a shame, because I like they way these two men intersect and converse. On the bright side, there's plenty more Pelecanos to dip into.
The main crux of the story here will be depressingly familiar to anyone with a even passing knowledge of the horrible self-perpetuating cycle of poverty/drugs/black on black gun crime that plagues some U.S. inner cities. This came out in 2003 but it could have been published this year. Pelecanos is scathing of the ability of the mainstream media to look the other way while mass-murder is being committed on their own doorstep; 'American children were enslaved in nightmare neighborhoods, living amid gunfire and drugs and attending dilapidated public schools. The nation was outraged at high school shootings in white neighborhoods, but young black men and women were being murdered without fanfare in the nation's capital every single day'.
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn were introduced in Right as Rain; two ex-cops working as private investigators, trying to get a measure of each other. In the first novel, Quinn seemed the more damaged of the two - this time round, it's Strange who seems to be sliding into his own personal hell. These are two deeply flawed men, but where Pelecanos succeeds here is by laying bare both of their prejudices (and by extension, our own), but making no judgement, because that's not what defines them. There are three separate story strands, but all work well together, and all are basically concerned with pride, and fragile masculinity - and it's impossible not to do a bit of reflection when you've put the book down for the night and turned off the light. It's not all soul searching though; the writer has a great knack for describing the clothes and the haircuts and the cars and the streets in such a way that, even amongst the squalor, guys like Strange are cool, in a spit-and-shine kinda way. I found myself trying to remember the names of songs and albums that were name-checked, although I doubt I'd be quite as stylish, cutting about Glasgow listening to Johnny Winter or Stevie Wonder...
Looks like there's only two more Strange and Quinn books, then a Strange standalone. That seems a shame, because I like they way these two men intersect and converse. On the bright side, there's plenty more Pelecanos to dip into.
July 28, 2012
The second Derek Strange novel. While his hot-headed white partner, Terry Quinn, is hired to rescue a runaway girl from a pimp, Strange gets involved in a high-profile murder case after one of the young boys on his peewee football team is shot. With the police closing in fast, Strange must decide whether he wants the arrogant gang bangers who did the shooting to be arrested, or suffer the rough justice of a vicious drug dealer who has a personal interest in the case.
It’s another solid crime story from Pelecanos, who delivers the seedy underbelly of DC without rose-colored glasses or glorification. He knows that every person, even the most cruel and unthinking, is a product of his culture and upbringing, so imbues even the minor villains of his story with motivation, rationalizations, and dreams, which makes their condition all the more tragic. Derek Strange continues to be a fascinating character, a man who is weak in the ways of the flesh but with a noble spirit, a tough guy who doesn’t carry a gun, a man who’s seen a lot of violence and doesn’t want to be the cause of more. There’s the usual man-out-of-time idiosyncrasies from Pelecanos – both protagonist and antagonist independently muse that CDs don’t have that rich “bottom sound” that vinyl does – but this is a compelling, smart noir that examines hard questions of crime, culture, and consequences without flinching.
It’s another solid crime story from Pelecanos, who delivers the seedy underbelly of DC without rose-colored glasses or glorification. He knows that every person, even the most cruel and unthinking, is a product of his culture and upbringing, so imbues even the minor villains of his story with motivation, rationalizations, and dreams, which makes their condition all the more tragic. Derek Strange continues to be a fascinating character, a man who is weak in the ways of the flesh but with a noble spirit, a tough guy who doesn’t carry a gun, a man who’s seen a lot of violence and doesn’t want to be the cause of more. There’s the usual man-out-of-time idiosyncrasies from Pelecanos – both protagonist and antagonist independently muse that CDs don’t have that rich “bottom sound” that vinyl does – but this is a compelling, smart noir that examines hard questions of crime, culture, and consequences without flinching.
September 21, 2016
This is a gritty, dark tale situated in the heart of our nation's capital; a story about a neighborhood and the men who are fighting to help its children survive, but to survive and get out, to be productive citizens, not drug dealers, prostitutes and pimps. Its a hard life but Derek Strange is fighting it with something that the kids can understand: sports. But in the case of one child, it isn't enough.
Strange and Terry Quinn, both ex-cops know that they did their best but the they also know that they must do something to find the killer or killers. It is these two men who make this a very powerful, compelling story. I had a hard time putting this down as they get to the bottom of the tale.
Strange and Terry Quinn, both ex-cops know that they did their best but the they also know that they must do something to find the killer or killers. It is these two men who make this a very powerful, compelling story. I had a hard time putting this down as they get to the bottom of the tale.
July 6, 2016
There’s a Stephen King quote on the cover of the next Pelecanos books I plan to read: “Perhaps the greatest living American crime writer.” I’m only two books in but I tend to agree. I was so impressed with A Firing Offense that I picked up this one though it is out of series order. Doesn’t matter. I wanted more.
January 31, 2025
The first book in this series did a great job weaving the narrative themes around Quinn’s character and imperfections. I felt like Hell to Pay did the same thing but switched the focus to Strange. It was really interesting to watch the themes circle around Strange and his personal moral failings and how that influenced the story. The characters in this book are great and Pelecanos does an awesome writing a story that on the surface feels bleak but really is about imperfect men doing the best they can in a broken world. I enjoyed this story as the next installment of the series, although it wasn’t as good as the first.
The main drawback for me was the ending. It was okay, but several character storylines wrap up “off-screen” which felt a bit unsatisfying and the stakes of the central mystery never quite felt high enough. On the positive side I think some of the conclusions in the book do serve to support the main point of the gray area of life that these men work in.
Overall I enjoyed this book, really like Pelecanos’ writing and think he has created some deep and memorable protagonists in Strange and Quinn.
The main drawback for me was the ending. It was okay, but several character storylines wrap up “off-screen” which felt a bit unsatisfying and the stakes of the central mystery never quite felt high enough. On the positive side I think some of the conclusions in the book do serve to support the main point of the gray area of life that these men work in.
Overall I enjoyed this book, really like Pelecanos’ writing and think he has created some deep and memorable protagonists in Strange and Quinn.
July 2, 2019
Actual rating 4.5 stars
George Pelecanos is one of my favourite crime authors and I have just explored the tip of the iceberg that is his back catalogue. I read the "Right as Rain" in 2014 and gave it 5 stars so I'm sitting here in 2019 a little shocked that it has taken me this long to read the next one in the Strange/Quinn series.
Hell to Pay much like its predecessor, weaves a tight story within the urban decay of downtown D.C. and having seen The Wire, it made the imagery just jump from the pages. Pelecanos also manages to provide insightful commentary into the vicious cycle of violence and poverty that is rampant in certain parts of that city.
George Pelecanos is one of my favourite crime authors and I have just explored the tip of the iceberg that is his back catalogue. I read the "Right as Rain" in 2014 and gave it 5 stars so I'm sitting here in 2019 a little shocked that it has taken me this long to read the next one in the Strange/Quinn series.
Hell to Pay much like its predecessor, weaves a tight story within the urban decay of downtown D.C. and having seen The Wire, it made the imagery just jump from the pages. Pelecanos also manages to provide insightful commentary into the vicious cycle of violence and poverty that is rampant in certain parts of that city.
December 11, 2020
Pelecanos certainly has a way with dialog. This book takes place entirely in the poor, largely black, drug-infested districts of Washington D.C. Being totally unfamiliar with that subculture, I have no basis to judge the verisimilitude of it, but it certainly is consistent throughout. The plot involves the murder of an innocent young boy who was killed along with his low-life uncle for no substantial reason, and the subsequent actions of the black investigator and his team in tracking down the murderers. The book is engrossing, although all the references to the "music" of the subculture seems rather overdone.
September 14, 2021
Derek Strange has become my favorite literary character. He's a badass with heart and soul. And Pelecanos plunges him into scenarios that strain his integrity, tear at his loyalties, and question his faith in community. Hell to Pay is a solid follow up to Right as Rain. I'm starting to gather that the Derek Strange books are not isolated narratives as they are forming something of a larger novel.
Pelecanos might be the Leo Tolstoy of crime fiction. Humanity is the theme of these excellent books.
Pelecanos might be the Leo Tolstoy of crime fiction. Humanity is the theme of these excellent books.
May 25, 2022
The second Derek Strange/Terry Quinn crime story centers on the death of a young man on the football team Strange coaches and on the pimp of a prostitute they've been hired to locate by two women who run an organization that tries to reclaim young women from that life. Strange is tested by the first and Quinn is tested by the second. Both have to make life-altering decisions. Gritty crime action on the streets of Washington, D.C.. - BH.
April 1, 2017
Great
I read this year's ago, and just started to re-read Pelecanos last week. I'd forgotten how good his books were, the mood he sets, the complexity of the characters. I can't wait to get the next.
I read this year's ago, and just started to re-read Pelecanos last week. I'd forgotten how good his books were, the mood he sets, the complexity of the characters. I can't wait to get the next.
October 1, 2018
As always with this writer, great characterization, plotting, and suspense.
February 8, 2019
I love the way Pelecanos writes. It puts you right in the scene, with the music, the smells, the weather, the food. He's next to Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane, one of the best crime novelists writing today. I can't wait to keep reading about Derek Strange and Terry Quinn.
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