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D.C. Quartet #4
Shame the Devil
Washington, D.C., 1995. What should have been a straightforward restaurant robbery goes horribly wrong. Several workers are shot in cold blood; the gunman's brother is killed by the police; a young boy is run over by a careering getaway car. Three years pass. Victims and their relatives gather in the aftermath, still trying to come to terms with their grief. But gunman Frank Farrow has other ideas. Now the heat has died down, he is on his way back to Washington, determined to avenge his lost brother - by killing everyone involved in his death.
307 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
75 people are currently reading
1000 people want to read
About the author
George P. Pelecanos
57 books1,636 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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October 11, 2024
VITA E MORTE SULLE STRADE DI WASHINGTON
La legge non è sempre la risposta potrebbe essere la frase di lancio dell’eventuale film, se mai uno fosse tratto da questo romanzo.
Difficile cercare, e ancor più trovare vendetta se ci si attiene alla legge.
Come sempre Pelecanos ambienta la sua storia a Washington, la capitale degli Stati Uniti d’America, dove vive e lavora il presidente della nazione, 44 volte su 45 un bianco, in una città dove l’80% della popolazione è di colore nero, in una città che le statistiche dichiarano essere la più violenta dell’intero paese.
Una Washington che sembra non includere il miglio quadrato del potere: politici, funzionari, diplomatici non frequentano i romanzi di Pelecanos, non vivono in città abbastanza a lungo per diventarne popolazione.
Sono le minoranze etniche (nera e greca più di tutte), la gente comune, i lavoratori, i negozianti, i baristi, i piccoli spacciatori, sono loro i veri washingtoniani per Pelecanos.
Questo fa sì che la violenza appaia di tutti i giorni, ordinaria, che vittime e criminali abbiano tratti comuni, si possano assomigliare, che buoni e cattivi condividano la stessa disperazione quotidiana. E così, anche un poliziotto può infrangere la legge per fare giustizia, se quella giustizia si chiama ‘vendetta’.
Ma non si tratta di thriller a tesi, di crime story sociologica (per spiegarmi meglio, niente a che vedere con i gialli mortaccini dell'islandese Indriðason o le cartoline napoletane di De Giovanni): qui il plot è curato con minuzia, funziona, progredisce, trascina.
Shame the Devil, che in italiano è diventato Vendetta, è il quarto e conclusivo romanzo di una piccola saga che Pelecanos ha battezzatto “D.C. Quartet”, dove D.C. è il District of Columbia, il distretto federale: quattro storie che vanno dagli anni ’40 ai giorni nostri, la più famosa delle quali è King Suckerman, grandiosa ricostruzione della cultura afroamericana degli anni ’70, quelli della blackexploitation.
Siamo davanti a una storia più violenta del solito, intendendo con solito gli altri sei romanzi di Pelecanos che ho letto.
Una rapina finita male si trasforma in un massacro: tra i cinque morti, il palo e autista della banda, fratello del capo, e un bambino di cinque anni travolto dall’auto in fuga.
Questo è il prologo.
Poi, Pelecanos ci porta circa tre anni dopo: i parenti e gli amici delle vittime s’incontrano ogni martedì in un gruppo terapeutico (sorta di AA), il padre che ha perso il figlio continua a frequentarlo ma non riesce a chiudere i conti col passato (ha smesso di insegnare letteratura americana, lavora part-time in un piccolo ristorante, si è separato dalla moglie, madre del piccolo).
Altrettanto non riesce a fare il criminale capobanda, che cresciuto con la legge del carcere, ha un pensiero fisso: vendicarsi di chi gli ha ucciso il fratello, un poliziotto che vive ormai confinato sulla sedia a rotelle. La vendetta che ha in mente probabilmente lo risparmierebbe per concentrarsi invece sui familiari, sui figli.
C’è un altro personaggio che si aggira per queste pagine, Nick Stefanos, qui non protagonista: ma lo è di una sua propria serie di quattro romanzi.
La comunità greca ha un peso specifico, Pelecanos valorizza la sua eredità di famiglia.
I neri non vengono definiti tali al primo incontro: a volte è il modo di vestire, o la musica che ascoltano a farci capire la razza, Pelecanos non ama sbattere il colore della pelle in faccia sin dal principio.
Atmosfera e personaggi, attenzione al particolare e al dettaglio: Pelecanos si prende il suo tempo, e la sua cura, per descrivere i drink, il cibo, il lavoro di un piccolo ristorante, la topografia, l’edilizia, la musica che suona…
Il risultato è una verità e una credibilità non comuni.
Come le si incontra in certi film o teleserie.
Probabilmente quelle che Pelecanos scrive, produce, o dirige.
Foto di scena da “D.C. Noir”, la serie TV in post-produzione di cui Pelecanos è showrunner.
La legge non è sempre la risposta potrebbe essere la frase di lancio dell’eventuale film, se mai uno fosse tratto da questo romanzo.
Difficile cercare, e ancor più trovare vendetta se ci si attiene alla legge.
Come sempre Pelecanos ambienta la sua storia a Washington, la capitale degli Stati Uniti d’America, dove vive e lavora il presidente della nazione, 44 volte su 45 un bianco, in una città dove l’80% della popolazione è di colore nero, in una città che le statistiche dichiarano essere la più violenta dell’intero paese.
Una Washington che sembra non includere il miglio quadrato del potere: politici, funzionari, diplomatici non frequentano i romanzi di Pelecanos, non vivono in città abbastanza a lungo per diventarne popolazione.
Sono le minoranze etniche (nera e greca più di tutte), la gente comune, i lavoratori, i negozianti, i baristi, i piccoli spacciatori, sono loro i veri washingtoniani per Pelecanos.
Questo fa sì che la violenza appaia di tutti i giorni, ordinaria, che vittime e criminali abbiano tratti comuni, si possano assomigliare, che buoni e cattivi condividano la stessa disperazione quotidiana. E così, anche un poliziotto può infrangere la legge per fare giustizia, se quella giustizia si chiama ‘vendetta’.
Ma non si tratta di thriller a tesi, di crime story sociologica (per spiegarmi meglio, niente a che vedere con i gialli mortaccini dell'islandese Indriðason o le cartoline napoletane di De Giovanni): qui il plot è curato con minuzia, funziona, progredisce, trascina.
Shame the Devil, che in italiano è diventato Vendetta, è il quarto e conclusivo romanzo di una piccola saga che Pelecanos ha battezzatto “D.C. Quartet”, dove D.C. è il District of Columbia, il distretto federale: quattro storie che vanno dagli anni ’40 ai giorni nostri, la più famosa delle quali è King Suckerman, grandiosa ricostruzione della cultura afroamericana degli anni ’70, quelli della blackexploitation.
Siamo davanti a una storia più violenta del solito, intendendo con solito gli altri sei romanzi di Pelecanos che ho letto.
Una rapina finita male si trasforma in un massacro: tra i cinque morti, il palo e autista della banda, fratello del capo, e un bambino di cinque anni travolto dall’auto in fuga.
Questo è il prologo.
Poi, Pelecanos ci porta circa tre anni dopo: i parenti e gli amici delle vittime s’incontrano ogni martedì in un gruppo terapeutico (sorta di AA), il padre che ha perso il figlio continua a frequentarlo ma non riesce a chiudere i conti col passato (ha smesso di insegnare letteratura americana, lavora part-time in un piccolo ristorante, si è separato dalla moglie, madre del piccolo).
Altrettanto non riesce a fare il criminale capobanda, che cresciuto con la legge del carcere, ha un pensiero fisso: vendicarsi di chi gli ha ucciso il fratello, un poliziotto che vive ormai confinato sulla sedia a rotelle. La vendetta che ha in mente probabilmente lo risparmierebbe per concentrarsi invece sui familiari, sui figli.
C’è un altro personaggio che si aggira per queste pagine, Nick Stefanos, qui non protagonista: ma lo è di una sua propria serie di quattro romanzi.
La comunità greca ha un peso specifico, Pelecanos valorizza la sua eredità di famiglia.
I neri non vengono definiti tali al primo incontro: a volte è il modo di vestire, o la musica che ascoltano a farci capire la razza, Pelecanos non ama sbattere il colore della pelle in faccia sin dal principio.
Atmosfera e personaggi, attenzione al particolare e al dettaglio: Pelecanos si prende il suo tempo, e la sua cura, per descrivere i drink, il cibo, il lavoro di un piccolo ristorante, la topografia, l’edilizia, la musica che suona…
Il risultato è una verità e una credibilità non comuni.
Come le si incontra in certi film o teleserie.
Probabilmente quelle che Pelecanos scrive, produce, o dirige.
Foto di scena da “D.C. Noir”, la serie TV in post-produzione di cui Pelecanos è showrunner.
February 12, 2023
DC Quartet series, book No. 4: The most recent DC Quartet book crosses over with Nick Stephanos, as George Pelecanos weaves yet another gripping Washington DC based crime story. This story involves truly demented criminals, revenge and retribution, music, cars and a plethora of wonderfully crafted characters... yet more great writing from the sometimes writer for HBO 'The Wire', 'The Pacific' and 'Treme'. Another Four Star George Pelecanos read! A straight up Four Star, 8 out of 12
2012 read
2012 read
May 30, 2013
When a pizza shop robbery takes a violent turn, the thieves are never caught and the lives of several people are torn apart, most notably Dimitri Karras when his young son Jimmy is struck and killed by the criminals as they make their getaway. Years later, Dimitri is trying to put his life back together when he runs into an old acquaintance, PI Nick Stefanos. But what connection does Dimitri have with that fateful robbery...?
The DC Quartet goes out with a bang and it's my favorite George Pelecanos yet. The stories of Dimitri Karras and Nick Stefanos intersect and the whole is even better than the sum of its parts.
When we catch up with Dimitri, he's divorced and can't escape the memory of his dead son. He's in a support group with the other friends and relatives of the murder victims from the pizza shop robbery. Nick's still working at the Spot and still taking on PI work but is staying away from murder and drugs. He's still battling his considerable drinking problem.
The story comes together very organically. By now, the denizens of Pelecanos' DC are pretty real for me and the interactions between Nick and Dimitri were my favorite parts of the book. When Nick got Dimitri a job at the spot, I had a feeling how the end would shape up. I was nearly right and I'm glad the ending didn't mirror The Big Blowdown.
It was cool to see Boyle working with Karras and Stefanos. I missed Marcus Clay and Clarence Tate but it was cool knowing how they ended up after The Sweet Forever. Good for them!
The book has a slow build as the killers return to DC and Nick and Dimitri eventually cross paths. While I didn't think the gun fight at the end was as good as the one in The Sweet Forever, I liked the ending a whole lot more. The greedy part of me wants to read another book about Nick and Dimitri but I'm glad Pelecanos is leaving them behind for now. They've earned it.
Shame the Devil brings closure to both the DC Quartet and the Nick Stefanos trilogy. Like I said above, it's my favorite Pelecanos so far.
The DC Quartet goes out with a bang and it's my favorite George Pelecanos yet. The stories of Dimitri Karras and Nick Stefanos intersect and the whole is even better than the sum of its parts.
When we catch up with Dimitri, he's divorced and can't escape the memory of his dead son. He's in a support group with the other friends and relatives of the murder victims from the pizza shop robbery. Nick's still working at the Spot and still taking on PI work but is staying away from murder and drugs. He's still battling his considerable drinking problem.
The story comes together very organically. By now, the denizens of Pelecanos' DC are pretty real for me and the interactions between Nick and Dimitri were my favorite parts of the book. When Nick got Dimitri a job at the spot, I had a feeling how the end would shape up. I was nearly right and I'm glad the ending didn't mirror The Big Blowdown.
It was cool to see Boyle working with Karras and Stefanos. I missed Marcus Clay and Clarence Tate but it was cool knowing how they ended up after The Sweet Forever. Good for them!
The book has a slow build as the killers return to DC and Nick and Dimitri eventually cross paths. While I didn't think the gun fight at the end was as good as the one in The Sweet Forever, I liked the ending a whole lot more. The greedy part of me wants to read another book about Nick and Dimitri but I'm glad Pelecanos is leaving them behind for now. They've earned it.
Shame the Devil brings closure to both the DC Quartet and the Nick Stefanos trilogy. Like I said above, it's my favorite Pelecanos so far.
July 4, 2013
Whenever I find myself straying too far from the hard-boiled, noir universe, I often find myself thinking, what would Dan and Kemper do? And they help bring my moral compass back to square one. If I devoured hard-boiled novels the way they did, I’d probably have acquired enough skills to actually be a PI, instead of just writing about one. But then I wouldn’t be able to write crazy-assed, passionate reviews across a wide variety of genres, some of which probably leave mere mortals scratching their heads about my reading preferences. So from the bottom of my heart, I’d like to say thank you for putting up with me, since I know I’m not the most logical person in the universe. And I’d like to apologize to Dan and Kemper, who will probably come after me with pitchforks and hand grenades, should they happen to peruse my review. And with that, let’s get right to it.
If all of George Pelecanos’s novels present sex in a manner similar to SHAME THE DEVIL, he’s probably a poster child for why men should leave the sex scenes to women. Recent novels I’ve read written by women offer up mind numbing orgasms, pop your socks off titillation, and stimulating suspense followed by window shattering climaxes. This novel, on the other hand, offers up heavy breasts, cupcake-sized nipples, and fingernail ripping orgasms, while slamming into her on the edge of the bed. Sure, sex is great, but it’s all about quality not quantity.
What really tipped this novel on the unfavorable scale for me was the writing style, though. Mr. Pelecanos can certainly spin a yarn or two or three, but I had trouble enjoying the ride up the hill, and I certainly felt the drop a bit too much when we started down the other side. The journey felt a bit forced, and the climax a bit anticlimactic for my taste. What really gets my motor running in hard-boiled novels is the action, but I was a bit disappointed by this particular effort. Instead of poetic punches and staccato sentences, it was more like a fisherman casting his line at midnight with a broken reel while wearing sunglasses and having consumed about six beers too many.
The women all seemed a bit flat, although none of them would ever be mistaken for flat chested. And there was a distinct and rather prominent dividing line between the good guys and the bad guys with the bad guys avoiding all traces of humanity.
I plan to give Mr. Pelecanos another go, with WHAT IT WAS.
If all of George Pelecanos’s novels present sex in a manner similar to SHAME THE DEVIL, he’s probably a poster child for why men should leave the sex scenes to women. Recent novels I’ve read written by women offer up mind numbing orgasms, pop your socks off titillation, and stimulating suspense followed by window shattering climaxes. This novel, on the other hand, offers up heavy breasts, cupcake-sized nipples, and fingernail ripping orgasms, while slamming into her on the edge of the bed. Sure, sex is great, but it’s all about quality not quantity.
What really tipped this novel on the unfavorable scale for me was the writing style, though. Mr. Pelecanos can certainly spin a yarn or two or three, but I had trouble enjoying the ride up the hill, and I certainly felt the drop a bit too much when we started down the other side. The journey felt a bit forced, and the climax a bit anticlimactic for my taste. What really gets my motor running in hard-boiled novels is the action, but I was a bit disappointed by this particular effort. Instead of poetic punches and staccato sentences, it was more like a fisherman casting his line at midnight with a broken reel while wearing sunglasses and having consumed about six beers too many.
The women all seemed a bit flat, although none of them would ever be mistaken for flat chested. And there was a distinct and rather prominent dividing line between the good guys and the bad guys with the bad guys avoiding all traces of humanity.
I plan to give Mr. Pelecanos another go, with WHAT IT WAS.
February 28, 2010
I want to like George Pelecanos.
First because I like to keep a few 'genre' people in my reading habits. By doing this I feel a little less like a total snob when it comes to reading, but more importantly because sometimes I do like to pick up a book and know that I'm going to be reading a plot driven story, or a book where something happens and not a whole lot of effort is needed to get to that something happening. But even though I like having a few of these books in my reading list, I want to cheat and make sure that they are on the more 'literary' end of the spectrum.
I'm not sure why, but I think of Pelecanos being more on that end, than say Michael Connolly. That said, I don't really know the first thing about MC though.
Second, he wrote for The Wire, which was just about the most 'literary' show ever on American TV. I don't mean that they dropped book references left and right (with that as a criteria Lost would probably win out, with it's Dostoevsky, Flann O'Brien et al., references), but rather the whole structure and development of characters and all that shit.
Third, he has a cool sounding name, if I'm going to read a crime novelist I'd like for his name to sound like it came out of a James Ellroy novel.
Now, what about the book?
It's disappointing. Not for the reasons I noticed some other reviewers on goodreads.com said. To me the writing and the story were just fine, and the 'color' of information about how a kitchen runs was just fine too, it's actually nice in a book to get some details like that to make the book feel real, or alive.
My problem with the book is that it just seemed to set itself up for something more ambitious than it really was. The basic story is a revenge theme. The back of the book just about gives away the entire plot line, so there were no real surprises coming, but to get to the revenge part of the book Pelecanos stuffs the book with tons of characters. There are lots and lots of them, and sadly except for being introduced and maybe given a few mentions later most of them never seem to serve much purpose. Most of them seem like possibly interesting characters too. So much page space in say the second quarter of the book goes towards introducing all of these characters and filling out the story that the main characters don't seem to get developed as they should. As a result the background characters all seem to have this possibly cool shit going on, but the few main characters are stuck feeling like stock characters.
Solution? The novel should have been developed more, I don't think he should have cut out the plethora of background characters, just used them more to flesh out the story than just to give color to the story, at the same time the main characters could be developed too, after reading Pelecanos' newest novel I know that he has character development in his bag of writer tricks, so it was a little disappointing to see him fail to use this tool here.
That was my general gripe with the book.
A specific gripe was the unbelievability that anyone in any state of intoxication who grew up surrounded by the Washington DC hardcore scene would believe that Nation of Ulysses 13 Point Plan to Destroy America is the greatest punk record of all time. That was just too unbelievable for me, NOU is a fine band but their albums aren't the finest work of say Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Brains, Void, or Faith to name just a few bands that produced much more superior albums and that also hailed from our nations capitol.
That said though, it is neat to see all kinds of Dischord bands getting name dropped in Pelecanos' books (or at least in the two that I've read so far).
First because I like to keep a few 'genre' people in my reading habits. By doing this I feel a little less like a total snob when it comes to reading, but more importantly because sometimes I do like to pick up a book and know that I'm going to be reading a plot driven story, or a book where something happens and not a whole lot of effort is needed to get to that something happening. But even though I like having a few of these books in my reading list, I want to cheat and make sure that they are on the more 'literary' end of the spectrum.
I'm not sure why, but I think of Pelecanos being more on that end, than say Michael Connolly. That said, I don't really know the first thing about MC though.
Second, he wrote for The Wire, which was just about the most 'literary' show ever on American TV. I don't mean that they dropped book references left and right (with that as a criteria Lost would probably win out, with it's Dostoevsky, Flann O'Brien et al., references), but rather the whole structure and development of characters and all that shit.
Third, he has a cool sounding name, if I'm going to read a crime novelist I'd like for his name to sound like it came out of a James Ellroy novel.
Now, what about the book?
It's disappointing. Not for the reasons I noticed some other reviewers on goodreads.com said. To me the writing and the story were just fine, and the 'color' of information about how a kitchen runs was just fine too, it's actually nice in a book to get some details like that to make the book feel real, or alive.
My problem with the book is that it just seemed to set itself up for something more ambitious than it really was. The basic story is a revenge theme. The back of the book just about gives away the entire plot line, so there were no real surprises coming, but to get to the revenge part of the book Pelecanos stuffs the book with tons of characters. There are lots and lots of them, and sadly except for being introduced and maybe given a few mentions later most of them never seem to serve much purpose. Most of them seem like possibly interesting characters too. So much page space in say the second quarter of the book goes towards introducing all of these characters and filling out the story that the main characters don't seem to get developed as they should. As a result the background characters all seem to have this possibly cool shit going on, but the few main characters are stuck feeling like stock characters.
Solution? The novel should have been developed more, I don't think he should have cut out the plethora of background characters, just used them more to flesh out the story than just to give color to the story, at the same time the main characters could be developed too, after reading Pelecanos' newest novel I know that he has character development in his bag of writer tricks, so it was a little disappointing to see him fail to use this tool here.
That was my general gripe with the book.
A specific gripe was the unbelievability that anyone in any state of intoxication who grew up surrounded by the Washington DC hardcore scene would believe that Nation of Ulysses 13 Point Plan to Destroy America is the greatest punk record of all time. That was just too unbelievable for me, NOU is a fine band but their albums aren't the finest work of say Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Brains, Void, or Faith to name just a few bands that produced much more superior albums and that also hailed from our nations capitol.
That said though, it is neat to see all kinds of Dischord bands getting name dropped in Pelecanos' books (or at least in the two that I've read so far).
September 22, 2018
This was really hard for me to read.
But in any case, before I get all sniffly & this dissolves into some weepy mom action, let me just say that this is a great book. I like this Dimitri a lot better than the coke-addled guy in The Sweet Forever & Nick Stefanos pretty much = the man. I absolutely loved the crowd at the Spot & I'd like to see a novel about the lot of them. I can't really believe that would work out as rosily in real life as it's implied here, but why not go ahead & write a book about them & prove me wrong, George? Now I'm gonna go hug my kid.
But in any case, before I get all sniffly & this dissolves into some weepy mom action, let me just say that this is a great book. I like this Dimitri a lot better than the coke-addled guy in The Sweet Forever & Nick Stefanos pretty much = the man. I absolutely loved the crowd at the Spot & I'd like to see a novel about the lot of them. I can't really believe that would work out as rosily in real life as it's implied here, but why not go ahead & write a book about them & prove me wrong, George? Now I'm gonna go hug my kid.
July 17, 2011
This is the fourth book in the DC Quartet by George Pelecanos. This limited first edition of Shame the Devil was published in November 1999 by Dennis McMillan Publications in Tucson, dust jacket and interior artwork by Joe Servello. This is a printer specializing in limited first editions. I got this fancy book online from Royal Books in Baltimore. I guess maybe it is supposed to have a slipcase. Instead it “only” has a plastic covered dust jacket. Maybe it’s a knockoff! Anyway, it’s just a book to me but I don’t suppose I will use it as a coaster for a drink. Anyone got a clue what this could be all about and how I got it for $7.99 including shipping?
If you read Pelecanos with any regularity, you might think you have been to the Spot bar and grill some other time. Maybe you have or someplace a lot like it. Nick Stefanos is in his place behind the bar but drinking right along with the regulars. Homicide detective Dan Boyle stops by for his afternoon Jack Daniel’s and Bud and to talk about his 13 year old daughter. You will hear a lot about the staff and the operation of the Spot. I’m not sure what it must be like today with all the no smoking regulations. You can be sure they weren’t in effect in 1998, the time we’re in. You will hear about President Clinton and his little intern problem, that’s for sure. And you will hear about DC local government and all its low points.
We meet Alicia, the current girlfriend of Nick. Don’t count on finding out too much about her other than how she looks and fucks. That’s the usual limit of character development of women for Pelecanos. (Maybe I am getting tired of that fact about Pelecanos. Maybe his upcoming 2011 book The Cut due out in August will be different. Think? And maybe they won’t be smoking in the bars…) Nick rarely has to order when he goes into a bar; people know what he drinks at most of the places he frequents.
So, when Dimitri Karras and Anna Wang meet on page 124, do we think they are going to get it on? Yes, we do. (Q&A: Did Dimitri and Anna get it on? I guess you’ll just have to read the book and find out. (And, yes, Dimitri is Pete Karras’ son. Pete from an earlier Pelecanos book.)
There is a consummate bad guy in this book: Frank Farrow. Now, I don’t remember all the Pelecanos bad guys to know if Frank is the worst, but he has got to be close. He is the devil in the title, after all, isn’t he? Or maybe he just holds the Pelecanos record for the number of people killed by a single individual. You know the computer has made it possible to keep all sorts of obscure records in sports. Probably someday a baseball announcer on national TV will let us know how many of Jeter’s 3000 hits happened with two outs and a man on third. Maybe someone will create an app with Pelecanos factoids and statistics.
“Tell the truth,” said James, “ and shame the devil.” How many time does that appear in Shame the Devil? Let me look on my iPad.
How the expediter works at the Spot is actually interesting, I think. But hearing the 1998 Washington Wizards players, Strickland, Cheaney, Webber, Murray, gets a smile from me even though I rooted more for the Mystics. Takes the edge off all the bullets in the head by Frank Farrow.
Ok, so before you all offer me big bucks for this limited first edition, I have done some internet sleuthing There is evidently a specialty market for these books at premium prices. I saw $50 to $1450. This is books for people with too much money! I don’t think I will be adding to my collection of one. I remember buying a limited edition serigraph 40 years ago. It’s still on my ex-wife’s living room wall. The idea was that it would increase in value. Yah, if you can find anyone who wants “Bear in the Birches”! (No offense to anyone out there who buys limited edition books or prints.)
The stars? I may be real close to having read too many Pelecanos books in too short a time. I think I could get tired of him. Reading his annual book and then laying off for a year might be just about right for me. But I was still hooked on Shame the Devil and kept turning the pages so it gets four stars. So what does one do with a complete set of hardcover Pelecanos?
If you read Pelecanos with any regularity, you might think you have been to the Spot bar and grill some other time. Maybe you have or someplace a lot like it. Nick Stefanos is in his place behind the bar but drinking right along with the regulars. Homicide detective Dan Boyle stops by for his afternoon Jack Daniel’s and Bud and to talk about his 13 year old daughter. You will hear a lot about the staff and the operation of the Spot. I’m not sure what it must be like today with all the no smoking regulations. You can be sure they weren’t in effect in 1998, the time we’re in. You will hear about President Clinton and his little intern problem, that’s for sure. And you will hear about DC local government and all its low points.
We meet Alicia, the current girlfriend of Nick. Don’t count on finding out too much about her other than how she looks and fucks. That’s the usual limit of character development of women for Pelecanos. (Maybe I am getting tired of that fact about Pelecanos. Maybe his upcoming 2011 book The Cut due out in August will be different. Think? And maybe they won’t be smoking in the bars…) Nick rarely has to order when he goes into a bar; people know what he drinks at most of the places he frequents.
So, when Dimitri Karras and Anna Wang meet on page 124, do we think they are going to get it on? Yes, we do. (Q&A: Did Dimitri and Anna get it on? I guess you’ll just have to read the book and find out. (And, yes, Dimitri is Pete Karras’ son. Pete from an earlier Pelecanos book.)
There is a consummate bad guy in this book: Frank Farrow. Now, I don’t remember all the Pelecanos bad guys to know if Frank is the worst, but he has got to be close. He is the devil in the title, after all, isn’t he? Or maybe he just holds the Pelecanos record for the number of people killed by a single individual. You know the computer has made it possible to keep all sorts of obscure records in sports. Probably someday a baseball announcer on national TV will let us know how many of Jeter’s 3000 hits happened with two outs and a man on third. Maybe someone will create an app with Pelecanos factoids and statistics.
“Tell the truth,” said James, “ and shame the devil.” How many time does that appear in Shame the Devil? Let me look on my iPad.
How the expediter works at the Spot is actually interesting, I think. But hearing the 1998 Washington Wizards players, Strickland, Cheaney, Webber, Murray, gets a smile from me even though I rooted more for the Mystics. Takes the edge off all the bullets in the head by Frank Farrow.
Ok, so before you all offer me big bucks for this limited first edition, I have done some internet sleuthing There is evidently a specialty market for these books at premium prices. I saw $50 to $1450. This is books for people with too much money! I don’t think I will be adding to my collection of one. I remember buying a limited edition serigraph 40 years ago. It’s still on my ex-wife’s living room wall. The idea was that it would increase in value. Yah, if you can find anyone who wants “Bear in the Birches”! (No offense to anyone out there who buys limited edition books or prints.)
The stars? I may be real close to having read too many Pelecanos books in too short a time. I think I could get tired of him. Reading his annual book and then laying off for a year might be just about right for me. But I was still hooked on Shame the Devil and kept turning the pages so it gets four stars. So what does one do with a complete set of hardcover Pelecanos?
June 14, 2010
In Shame the Devil, George Pelecanos again leads us down the gritty mean streets of the nation's capitol.
On a hot afternoon in 1995, an armed robbery goes tragically wrong and the lives of a whole host of people are forever changed. Pelecanos then follows these characters, good and bad, over the course of the next three years as they attempt to cope with their losses and adjust to the reality of their new lives.
Many of the victims have banded together in a support group, while Frank Farrow, the totally amoral villain who was principally responsible for the violence and death that accompanied the botched robbery, shows no remorse whatsoever. Quite the contrary, Farrow believes himself to be a victim because his brother died in the robbery.
Farrow will not rest until he wreaks revenge on the police detective who killed his brother. At the same time, he is determined to make another large score. His grim pursuit of these objectives reunites many of the same players from that hot afternoon three years earlier and leads to a stunning climax.
This book reunites Dimitri Karras and Nick Stephanos, who have appeared in other of Pelecanos's books, and is another great read from the master of D.C. noir.
On a hot afternoon in 1995, an armed robbery goes tragically wrong and the lives of a whole host of people are forever changed. Pelecanos then follows these characters, good and bad, over the course of the next three years as they attempt to cope with their losses and adjust to the reality of their new lives.
Many of the victims have banded together in a support group, while Frank Farrow, the totally amoral villain who was principally responsible for the violence and death that accompanied the botched robbery, shows no remorse whatsoever. Quite the contrary, Farrow believes himself to be a victim because his brother died in the robbery.
Farrow will not rest until he wreaks revenge on the police detective who killed his brother. At the same time, he is determined to make another large score. His grim pursuit of these objectives reunites many of the same players from that hot afternoon three years earlier and leads to a stunning climax.
This book reunites Dimitri Karras and Nick Stephanos, who have appeared in other of Pelecanos's books, and is another great read from the master of D.C. noir.
January 30, 2019
A run-of-the-mill crime story rounds off the DC Quartet. As in various points in the series, there are occasions here where it feels like Pelecanos will live up to the hype of being one of the most overlooked crime writers of his generation, but they are continuously proven to be false dawns. Pelecanos keeps letting himself down by adding insipid details about cars, music and basketball that stiffles the pacing and leaves most readers dumbfounded that how can a sane writer think the whole world shares his exact obsessions.
The writing when it pertains to the actual story is nice but the pacing is always whimsical. The story is an excuse to team up Nick Stefanos & Dimitri Karras but their narratives don't mesh organically and The Big Blowdown did it much better albeit with a different generation of Stefanos' and Karras'. It is not all bad but the pieces clearly never line up as compactly as the author wishes. Rating - 3/5.
The writing when it pertains to the actual story is nice but the pacing is always whimsical. The story is an excuse to team up Nick Stefanos & Dimitri Karras but their narratives don't mesh organically and The Big Blowdown did it much better albeit with a different generation of Stefanos' and Karras'. It is not all bad but the pieces clearly never line up as compactly as the author wishes. Rating - 3/5.
April 18, 2017
What's there to say? Gripping dialogue, plotting, and pacing by the one and only George Pelecanos. This one follows a pizza parlor massacre and all comes together in an explosive ending. Excellent recurring character and some new ones, Pelecanos keeps your attention on every page. That said, there's a B-story that, while it connects with the A-story, still feels a bit inconsequential than it should and doesn't feel as organic as it could. Still, a great, great book. Pelecanos is the man.
December 29, 2024
Good Shit.
February 5, 2020
Was kinda slow and difficult to keep all the characters in mind with the frequent skipping between story lines and characters. The ending was good and helped pull it back together.
July 24, 2014
Αξιοπρεπές αστυνομικό, ούτε βαρετό, ούτε ανούσιο, ούτε και πρωτότυπο. Δεν μένει μόνο στην κεντρική ιστορία της εκδίκησης αλλά μας φωτίζει κι άλλους δευτερεύοντες χαρακτήρες: συναισθήματα, τρόπο σκέψης, ελπίδες και προσδοκίες. Πετάει και κάνα δυο Έλληνες (Ελληνο-αμερικάνους) μέσα για να τονίσει την ελληνικότητά του χωρίς αυτό να είναι κακό ή να μειώνει την αξία του αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος. Η Ουάσιγκτον και πώς να περιπλανηθείτε στα ύποπτα αλλά και στα φωτεινά σημεία της. Τι να αποφεύγετε στα ντάινερς να φάτε. Τι μουσική να ακούσετε. Αρκετά πρόσωπα που ίσως μπερδέψουν αλλά η γραφή είναι αγωνιώδης και δεν τελματώνει πουθενά, οπότε σύντομα θα παρασυρθείτε από την πλοκή και την αφήγηση. Χωρίς ηθικολογίες και διδασκαλισμούς το τέλος μας αφήνει να σκεφτούμε πολλά. Μπορώ να το χαρακτηρίσω ψυχολογικό θρίλερ, μιας και δεν έχουμε μόνο ναρκωτικά και πυροβολισμούς αλλά και σκεπτικό, λόγους πράξεων και αίτια κινήσεων. Ευχαρίστως θα ξαναδιάβαζα Πελεκάνο. Βρήκα όμως και δύο μεγάλα μειονεκτήματα: 1) το κείμενο θέλει επιμελητή και καλύτερη μετάφραση, πολλά σημεία δεν αποδόθηκαν σωστά στα ελληνικά κι επιπλέον αυτοί οι δίφθογγοι έχουν πάρει διαζύγιο στις περισσότερες των σελίδων, μα είναι δυνατόν να μου χωρίζεις τους διφθόγγους; (π. χ. κο-υτί, έλεος). 2) δεν είναι δυνατόν να μου αποδίδεις στα ελληνικά τα κύρια ονόματα των πρωταγωνιστών του βιβλίου και να μου φήνεις αμετάφραστα τα ονόματα αθλητών, συγκροτημάτων κλπ. ΟΚ με τους τίτλους των τραγουδιών, συμφωνώ, αν τους αποδίδαμε στα ελληνικά θα διαβάζαμε γκρίκλις (απαπαπα) αλλά τα ονόματα; Ή όλα ή κανένα. Και γενικά η έκδοση δείχνει χαλεπή κι είναι κρίμα (εκτός κι αν αυτό ακριβώς θέλουν να πουλήσουν, ένα παλπ βιβλιαράκι, που πιστέψτε με, έχω διαβάσει και Μπελ, δεν είναι και τόσο παλπ, δώστε του προσοχή, αξίζει).
March 21, 2012
The final novel in the historical DC Quartet finally brings the reader into the then-present day of the 90s, drawing together threads from the previous three books as well as from Pelecanos's Nick Stefanos series. Although I respect the number of elements that Pelecanos keeps in the air, in the end, trying to tie it all together leads the plot to be a bit slower and less thrilling than his previous books. PI Nick Stefanos, formerly just a cameo player in the series, takes a lead role here. Stefanos is a likable protagonist, but his prominence comes as a bit of a surprise. Whereas earlier titles followed a group of friends, mainly 70s burnout Dmitri Karras, thrown into threatening circumstances almost by chance, Stefanos's main storyline is propelled by his private eye profession. He plays a smaller role in the main plot, where a bunch of vicious killers have returned to town to settle scores. This dividing of Pelecanos's narrative saps the main thread of some strength. Whereas his climaxes usually rivet the readers to their seats, here it feels a bit perfunctory. Pelecanos is more interested in the fates of Karras and Stefanos, using this novel to put them in a better place than the emotionally scarred state they start the book in. While this redemption isn't unearned, it detracts from the usual energy of the plot.
That said, the book is never anything less than utterly readable. It's just a bit less of a page turner than some of his other books.
That said, the book is never anything less than utterly readable. It's just a bit less of a page turner than some of his other books.
May 12, 2016
"Bobby, the faggoty young chef who called himself an artist, was boning a salmon on a wooden cutting block. He was gesturing broadly with his hands, describing the process to an apprentice, a kid from the local college who was struggling to stay interested. The other kitchen help, black guys from the north side of town, were walking behind Jamie, the Artist, their white hats cool-cocked on their heads, elaborately mouthing his words in mimicry, passing each other, giving each other skin."
"In death there was only the equality of failure."
More wonderfully evocative prose from this master of the gritty & brutal streets of D.C. in this the final installment of the D.C. Quartet
"In death there was only the equality of failure."
More wonderfully evocative prose from this master of the gritty & brutal streets of D.C. in this the final installment of the D.C. Quartet
February 26, 2015
One of the best openings I've read in some time--fast-paced and gripping--kicks off the final book in the DC Quartet series. A vicious crime tears apart several lives, but what happens when the chance arrives to make things right...if such a thing is even possible. The build-up to the climax is expertly constructed and ultimately rewarding (or, as rewarding as it could be).
October 4, 2015
A worthy conclusion to the DC Quartet. The beginning of this book was heart breaking and the rest of the book dealt with the aftermath of the extreme violence. There was some humor and redemption though too and of course music, car details, basketball and other Washington DC lore that the author always throws in.
April 29, 2022
No author writes characters who seem like real people better. He gives each of them a backstory no matter how major or minor, and talks about their tastes in movies, music, and sports. I love it.
July 25, 2023
I was gifted this book about 20 years ago in high school, and every few years I go back to it and reread it. It's one of my favourites, and to read it again feels like I'm catching up with an old friend that's gone through the ringer.
The beautiful thing about rereading it as I get older is what I notice. For instance, Frank Farrow, the ruthless killer who we meet in chapter 1, is a more interesting, complex character than I'd realized with previous readings. He can murder execution-style without emotion, and hit and run a child with zero shits to give, but at the same time he has a peculiar moral code. When one booty call makes a racist comment about the black community, Frank physically harms her under the guise of consent- he's Caucasian, while his ride-or-die is a person of colour. There's no way he's going to let that slide. With another booty call, he states that he doesn't harm her, because she hasn't done anything to warrant it. He leaves her unscathed as he leaves to go do what he does best: murder ruthlessly.
Unlike other crime or mystery novels where you're left curious about the Whodunnit, or the actual crime taking waiting a few chapters before happening, everything happens in the first handful of pages. You know who the guilty party is, the motive, who lives, who dies, all of it. The rest of the book is trying to carry on with life while seeking vengeance, especially with Dimitri Karras, whose 5-year-old son was collateral damage.
You won't find a happy ending with this book per se, but the journey to closure and acceptance is a wild ride with some fantastic quips from the characters. Many of the music references are outdated now, but that won't detract from the story (music plays a major role in this book... what would be your soundtrack?).
The beautiful thing about rereading it as I get older is what I notice. For instance, Frank Farrow, the ruthless killer who we meet in chapter 1, is a more interesting, complex character than I'd realized with previous readings. He can murder execution-style without emotion, and hit and run a child with zero shits to give, but at the same time he has a peculiar moral code. When one booty call makes a racist comment about the black community, Frank physically harms her under the guise of consent- he's Caucasian, while his ride-or-die is a person of colour. There's no way he's going to let that slide. With another booty call, he states that he doesn't harm her, because she hasn't done anything to warrant it. He leaves her unscathed as he leaves to go do what he does best: murder ruthlessly.
Unlike other crime or mystery novels where you're left curious about the Whodunnit, or the actual crime taking waiting a few chapters before happening, everything happens in the first handful of pages. You know who the guilty party is, the motive, who lives, who dies, all of it. The rest of the book is trying to carry on with life while seeking vengeance, especially with Dimitri Karras, whose 5-year-old son was collateral damage.
You won't find a happy ending with this book per se, but the journey to closure and acceptance is a wild ride with some fantastic quips from the characters. Many of the music references are outdated now, but that won't detract from the story (music plays a major role in this book... what would be your soundtrack?).
April 23, 2019
I'm re-reading all of Pelecanos. I read the hardcover first edition of this book. Frank Farrow is a natural-born killer. Roman Otis is a fine-looking crooner who does his killing on the side. On a hot D.C. afternoon Frank and Roman hit a pizza shop called May’s. When the hit was over, four people were executed. A cop was shot. A boy was dead. And when the sirens stopped wailing and the killers vanished into the heat, dozens of lives were shattered forever.
Now it’s three years later, and Dimitri Karras, who lost a son, is starting to live again. But Dimitri’s old acquaintance, a P.I. named Nick Stefanos, has just unburied the past–by discovering the killers’ identity. Suddenly the second act of a crime story is about to be told. Because the May’s pizza parlor killers are coming back into town: where they’ll be greeted with open arms, broken hearts, and at least one loaded gun.
Pelecanos is so good at capturing certain eras in Washington, D.C. Shops long gone, architecture torn down, everyone armed and having itchy trigger fingers. You live through this drama and yet somehow you forget. These books bring it all back.
Now it’s three years later, and Dimitri Karras, who lost a son, is starting to live again. But Dimitri’s old acquaintance, a P.I. named Nick Stefanos, has just unburied the past–by discovering the killers’ identity. Suddenly the second act of a crime story is about to be told. Because the May’s pizza parlor killers are coming back into town: where they’ll be greeted with open arms, broken hearts, and at least one loaded gun.
Pelecanos is so good at capturing certain eras in Washington, D.C. Shops long gone, architecture torn down, everyone armed and having itchy trigger fingers. You live through this drama and yet somehow you forget. These books bring it all back.
August 18, 2019
A godawful mess, with a big dumb coincidence at its core. More interchangeable generic names. Way too much basketball and pop music trivia. Totally fake ending.
Some more examples of bad plotting:
One good thing-- the friendly cooperation of the restaurant employees was nice.
Some more examples of bad plotting:
One good thing-- the friendly cooperation of the restaurant employees was nice.
March 14, 2019
This is the last of the four books of the D.C. Quartet, which featuring overlapping characters or relatives of characters. One again there is crisp dialog, interesting characters and a good plot. It got somewhat confusing for me because I was a third of the way through this book when the library received the second book, King Suckerman, which I had requested, so I read that one and then picked this one up again. I am now starting the third book in the series, The Sweet Forever. It is not essential that you read them in order. So far, I have liked the first one, The Big Blowback, the best of the four.
February 28, 2018
I've liked other Pelecanos novels before, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would like this one. It's grim stuff, preoccupied with grief and the fatal weight of the past, but while Pelecanos takes his themes seriously, he never belabors them but addresses them through character and story, and he seems in this novel to be taking a particularly sensuous pleasure in the storytelling. Rather than coming off seeming like a sadist, in his full-hearted engagement with the heavier side of life Pelecanos comes off as strikingly humane.
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June 13, 2025letto unicamente perché george pelecanos è uno degli sceneggiatori di the wire cioè la più grande serie tv di tutti i tempi. libro giallo con uso perfetto del narratore onnisciente in terza persona con focalizzazioni diverse + protagonista ricorrente di un ciclo di libri senza il fan service costante tipo rocco schiavone, il contesto sociale è fondamentale, pieno di personaggi reali e non di maschere. tutti i cerchi si aprono e si chiudono alla perfezione senza didascalismi. consigliato se vi piace il genere
September 20, 2025
Quella che doveva essere una normale rapina prende una piega imprevista e fragorosa. Gli autori si eclissano e per tre anni non ve n'è traccia. Poi ritornano "a casa". La parte migliore è l'inizio con una scena d'azione molto forte e riuscita. Buono anche il finale, con ottima tensione. In generale è uno strano poliziesco che dà poco spazio all'indagine e molto spazio agli attori protagonisti della storia. La parte poliziesca sembra quasi collaterale anche se è quella a muovere tutto. Lettura leggera e piacevole, niente di più e niente di meno.
January 9, 2020
4° volet de la série qui se passe à Washington. Description assez terrible de la vie américaine dans la capitale, des relations entre communautés, de la violence des rapports sociaux. Le tout sans manicheisme, avec une tendresse pour les personnages, l'absence de jugement moral, mais il montre bien les efforts pour s'en sortir et les chemins que les personnages suivent ou au contraire ce qui conduit au pire
Un bon polar
Un bon polar
January 7, 2022
A riveting crime by well drawn villains and their eventual comeuppance, sandwiches the majority of this work which centers on Washington D.C. - it’s music scene, bars, restaurants, and Greek community. This should be the formula for a solid work, but the end result is two separate books in which the plot is largely ignored for huge swaths of print. This is probably closer to 2.5 stars, but the writing is good and I stuck with it until the plot popped back up toward the end.
August 23, 2021
It all comes together in the end. Or, to put it another way, "all the pieces matter". Makes me wish I appreciated the first book a little more. Makes me wish I paid more attention while reading the second book. Makes me wish I took my time reading the third book. (I probably should have just linked this page instead. ) Nick Stefanos is next. Then I'll probably have to go back and read this series again.
June 26, 2023
Knows how to press your buttons
I hate reviews that reveal the plot...so....this is engaging; along with the 'hard men' it also has reflective, even sentimental moments. Worth every penny and as the title of this review refers, Pelecanos knows how to 'press your buttons' with this excellently constructed tale.
I hate reviews that reveal the plot...so....this is engaging; along with the 'hard men' it also has reflective, even sentimental moments. Worth every penny and as the title of this review refers, Pelecanos knows how to 'press your buttons' with this excellently constructed tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews