George P Pelecanos

On a hot summer afternoon in 1972, three teenagers drove into an unfamiliar neighborhood and six lives were altered forever. Thirty five years later, one survivor of that day reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. But another survivor is now out of prison, looking for reparation in any form he can find it. THE TURNAROUND takes us on a journey from the rock-and-soul streets of the '70s to the changing neighborhoods of...

Derek Strange is a rookie cop, the job he's dreamed of since he was a boy. His brother, Dennis, has not been as fortunate; home from the service with a disability pension and zero prospects, he is a man with good intentions but bad habits. Derek has always looked out for Dennis, but no amount of brotherly love can save him from the dangerous world of Alvin Jones, a local bottom-feeder, hustler, and stone killer who draws him into his web of violence.While...

In the midst of a brutal courtroom battle during which a Washington, D.C. crime overlord faces the death penalty and his rivals vie for his territory, private investigator Derek Strange struggles to protect the life of a witness.

Ex-cop Derek Strange is hired by the mother of a slain police officer to investigate the killing and quickly stumbles across the guilty feelings of another cop involved in the incident.

"Drawn together by themes of strife, violence and humanity, this searing collection of four stories introduces characters who defy the mold of heroes and villains, victims and perpetrators, good and evil as they grapple with consequence, random chance and the many paths a life can take."--

"The job seems simple enough: retrieve the valuable painting--"The Double"--Grace Kinkaid's ex-boyfriend stole from her. It's the sort of thing Spero Lucas specializes in: finding what's missing, and doing it quietly. But Grace wants more. She wants Lucas to find the man who humiliated her--a violent career criminal with a small gang of brutal thugs at his beck and call. Lucas is a man who knows how to get what he wants, whether it's a thief on the...

Hired to find a fourteen-year-old girl who has run away from home and started working as a prostitute, Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are forced to confront a dangerous adversary in pimp Worldwide Wilson.

"Whether they're cops or conmen, savage killers or creative types, gangsters or God-fearing citizens, George Pelecanos' characters are always engaged in a fight for their lives. They fight to advance or simply to survive; they fight against odds, against enemies, even against themselves. In this, his first collection of stories, the acclaimed novelist introduces readers to a vivid and eclectic cast of combatants."--Provided by publisher.

"Washington, D.C., 1972. Derek Strange has left the police department and set up shop as a private investigator. His former partner, Frank "Hound Dog" Vaughn, is still on the force. When a young woman comes to Strange asking for his help recovering a cheap ring she claims has sentimental value, the case leads him onto Vaughn's turf, where a local drug addict's been murdered, shot point-blank in his apartment. Soon both men are on the trail of a ruthless...

"Pelecanos breaks new literary ground with the story of a dog's life--from the dog's perspective--on the mean streets of Washington, DC."--