Hell To Pay (Hardcover)

This series is proving every bit as powerful as Pelecanos' earlier D.C. Quartet and, while I still long for the return of alcoholic P.I. Nick Stefanos, you have to admire the man for knowing when to leave his characters be. Pelecanos' powers show no sign of diminishing and, as the recent republication of the "lost" novel Shoedog proves, he is pretty much incapable of writing a dud book. His one weakness is that his female characters are not as fully realised as his male protagonists, but this is a book about men involved in violent situations and about male friendships. If you have any interest in US crime writing then this is as good a place as any to introduce yourself to the Peckinpah of crime fiction.

If the theme of that last book was racism, this one's is hopelessness. The two main stories revolve around teenagers who have lost any sense of hope and whose existence has spiraled into ugliness from which they are incapable of breaking free. One of these stories follows three boys as they peddle hydro (pot), boost cars, bet o dogfights, listen to tunes, eat fast food, and eventually commit murder. The trio are emblematic of many kids who grow up in the ghetto, with no fathers, no guidance, and ultimately no hope. All they have is their street rep and a resignation that they will die young. When they murder someone close to Strange, he races to identify and track them down before the police do. The other story revolves around a nasty pimp (as if there's any other kind) who specializes in teenage talent, and what happens when Quinn helps a prostitution support group try and extract one of the girls and take her home.

The antidote to this theme of hopelessness is Strange and Quinn's coaching a neighborhood Pee-Wee football team where they try to teach the boys the right way to live and to see that life holds possibilities for them. Of course, as in all Pelecanos' books, there's a running dark tone that lets the reader know there are few happy endings in this world. Mixed in with the two "cases" are the duo's personal struggles, the main one being Strange's attempt to come to terms with his relationship with his office managed Janine and her son. Quinn, meanwhile, struggles with his own inner rage and embarks on a new relationship. As in the previous book Strange and Quinn make a nice odd couple as they verbally spar with one another about race, although Pelecanos has subtly made them more comfortable with each other.

If you’ve enjoyed Pelecanos' previous books, you’re likely to enjoy this one as well. It’s a definite step up from Right as Rain, and full of all the usual Pelecanos details about music, cars, and sports.

Derek Strange, is a black, middle class, middle-aged man, a former cop and a successful private investigator. Although tough, his heart is in the right place. Derek has worked before with Irish ex-cop, turned PI, Terry Quinn, in "Right As Rain." The two detectives hook up again in "Hell to Pay," to find a fourteen year-old girl who has run away from her home in middle class suburbia, and is determined to be the star hooker for one of DC's most vicious "handlers." The two are interrupted, mid-investigation, by the merciless drive-by shooting of one of the neighborhood kids. The boy, ten-year Joe Wilder, was a most promising member of the peewee football team that Strange and Quinn coach. He was also a good candidate for life outside the projects. Devastated by the death, and the feelings the loss triggers, Strange becomes a man on a mission to personally take down the killers.

Pelecanos delves into the private lives of both Strange and Quinn, which makes for a richer narrative, and gives the reader more insight into these two protagonists. Derek has a long-term relationship with Janine, his office manager. Although the two love each other, Strange, who has a settled life, and is committed to help his community's young black men make good futures for themselves, is unable to commit to a monogamous relationship. Janine's teenage son, Lionel, to whom Derek feels very close, points out that he doesn't want to get too tight with a man who might be gone tomorrow. The volatile Quinn, a loner who has never had a successful relationship with a woman, meets Sue Tracy, of Bagley and Tracy Investigative Services, "Specializing in Locating and Retrieving Minors." Quinn feels strongly enough for Sue that he is willing to try breaking his track record. The new couple could make it, with lots of work. Quinn also needs to deal with his hair-trigger temper and not so latent racism.

The clear, straightforward writing is outstanding, but the pace does not pick-up speed until near the conclusion. The tension is there from the beginning, however, and builds in intensity. This is as much a character-driven novel as plot-driven, thus the slower momentum. I find it a plus. The author has an ear for street talk that just brings conversations to life. His dialogues are unlike any other. Sometimes when the characters are back-and-forthing, especially about music, there is almost a rap-like rhythm to the prose. The narrative is imbued with a certain nostalgia. Someone is always remembering the old neighborhoods and the way things used to be, (for better or worse), going back to the Vietnam War and the riots in the 1960s. This is real icing on the cake, which few can deliver like George Pelecanos. A terrific noir novel.
JANA