Amazon.co.uk Review
Pelecanos' new book, Hell To Pay, demonstrates that, as a key player in the film production company that creates the quirky movies of the Coen Brothers, he can give that duo a run for their money when it comes to bizarrely fractured narratives and idiosyncratic dialogue. This exhilarating piece marks another appearance for private investigators Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, who tread the meaner streets of Washington in the course of their dangerous work.
An apparently senseless death rocks the capital, and Strange finds himself personally involved in a bitter hunt for the killers. As he closes in, Derek finds the very tenets that guide his existence on the line, and only he can resolve a conflict that involves lacerating self-examination. Strange's wrestling with his personal problems is handled by Pelecanos with all the psychological acuity we expect from him, and the set-pieces are dispatched with the panache that is the author's hallmark:
Potter swung the gun so quickly that it lost its shape in the light. He slashed it across the brow of the man, the blow knocking the cap off his head. The man's hand went to his face, blood seeping through his fingers immediately and he stumbled back against the wall. Potter flipped the gun in the air and caught it on the half turn, so that he held it by the barrel. He moved forward...--Barry Forshaw
Review
Hardened, cynical investigator Derek Strange and erratic ex-cop Terry Quinn return in this second novel set in deepest downtown Washington, DC, which begins with Strange and Quinn having to deal with two of the usual by-products of the murder capital of the world - corrupt police and a missing teenaged girl turned prostitute. However, as the story progresses, the real issue - the real crime - becomes clearer. Lorenze Wilder is an enemy of the most dangerous street criminal around - Garfield Potter, also known as 'Death'. But in the final reckoning, when Wilder's not the only victim, Strange and Quinn, although seemingly unlikely partners, must avenge the soul they thought they'd saved. This is cool lit-fiction at its best, appealing to crime and literary fans of both genders. Continuing the style of the excellent Right as Rain, Hell to Pay can only enhance Pelecanos' reputation as one of the hippest thriller writers around.
