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What It Was. George Pelecanos (2012)

by George Pelecanos(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1409139506 (ISBN13: 9781409139508)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Orion

series

Derek Strange and Terry Quinn

review 1: Pelecanos writes about the Washington the tourist never sees. His books reveal the gritty side of the nation's capital and the people you never hear about on the news...unless you're watching the local crime news in D.C. This book traces an early '70s spree by a rabid dog criminal and the men who try to bring him down. Along the way you get intersecting story lines and memorable characters that Pelecanos is noted for. You also get a big slice of the cars and R&B music from the times. It's also fun to recall through the author's prose the seedy side of Washington that used to lie just north of the monuments along 14th Street. If you wandered off the tourist path - either unintentionally or deliberately - you might find some of that life of which Pelecanos writes so convinc... moreingly.
review 2: It wasn't really for me.They key characters started out as promising but then I lost interest in the actual story and secondary characters were little more than thumbnail sketch. Good for setting the scene of a seedy 1970's Washington DC and a backdrop of racial tension. A lot of description dedicated to the cars which some people would like but I don't speak car! Also, many words outlining what music is playing in the background, fine if you're filming it but doesn't really add anything to the plot. In my view, it read more like a script than a novel. less

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