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THE DOUBLE

George P. Pelecanos

In this gritty, sexy novel, George Pelecanos finds a lot for Spero to do...
Spero’s job seems straightforward enough: retrieve the valuable painting - "The Double" - Grace Kinkaid's ex-boyfriend stole from her and get a handsome piece of the action when she sells the painting. It's the sort of thing Spero Lucas specializes in: finding what's missing, and doing it quietly. But Grace wants more. She wants revenge on the man who humiliated her - a violent career criminal with a small gang of brutal thugs at his beck and call.

As Lucas chases his target, he's also chasing someone else - a married woman. In the midst of a steamy, passionate love affair that he knows can't last, in pursuit of a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, Lucas is forced to decide what kind of man he is - and how far he'll go to get what he wants. Spero Lucas knows all too well that every man has a dark side and now, he confronts his own.

George P. Pelecanos was born in Washington, DC in 1957. His first novel was published in 1992 and alongside his consequential success as an author, he has also worked as producer, writer and story editor for the acclaimed and award-winning US crime series, The Wire. His writing for the show earned him an Emmy nomination. Pelecanos lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and three children.
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Book

Published 2013-11-01 by Little Brown

Book

Published 2013-11-01 by Little Brown

Comments

Pelecanos’ work has antecedents in the books and films of Richard Stark (Donald Westlake), John D. MacDonald, Elmore Leonard and Don Siegel but also a spooky magic all his own – thanks to the utter believability he maintains.

A solid and engaging crime drama which excels when it explores racial tensions. The Double will provide fans of the genre an enjoyable read. Read more...

It's astonishing all the good stuff Pelecanos can pack into one unpretentious book: meaty substance, multiple story lines, vital characters, choice dialogue and all those descriptive details ... that make the story so rich. What really stays with you, though, are those visits Lucas makes to veterans' hospitals ... and those quiet talks he has with the forgotten soldiers he calls brothers.

A shotgun ride with a guy who you know is bound to hit a wall, hard, at some point... a pleasure in itself, built by the same smooth narrative machinery that Pelecanos has fine-tuned in recent years.

The Cut leaves Spero in a poignant type of limbo. Aside from the jobs that give him his financial cut, what else is he doing? Like many a combat veteran he feels adrift with “no duties, no mission, no cause.” Whatever he is, he’s not a callous mercenary. He’d like to do some good in this world. Mr. Pelecanos will easily find ways for him to do it. (Review for THE CUT)

The author laces his story with vivid descriptions of Washington's changing urban landscape. The writing is taut, the violence is graphic and the characters are so well-drawn that they step off the page and into your life. Read more...