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The Big Blowdown (Five Star) (Paperback)

by George Pelecanos (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 313 pages
  • Publisher: Serpent's Tail; New Ed edition (1 Jun 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1852427388
  • ISBN-13: 978-1852427382
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.4 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 34,666 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

In the quartet of novels about life in Washington DC of which The Big Blowdown is chronologically the first, George Pelecanos intelligently breaks down the thin barriers between the noir thriller and the character-driven novel of embattled masculinity. In the 1930s, Pete Karras and Joey Recevo are friends, backing each other up in street fights round the projects. Both go to war and come back changed; Joey is capable of buying into the criminal subculture and cutting adrift from community and Pete, almost fatally, isn't. He ends up betrayed and crippled and, more than ever, obsessed with doing the right thing himself and making Joey do right again... The observation here of small immigrant subcultures, and different kinds of honour, and the getting of wisdom about things as disparate as a good sharp knife for cooking and killing and the purer sorts of jazz, is stunning. He knows what people are doing whether they are Greek cooks learning about African-American food or cops chasing a serial killer. Above all, though, this is a novel about flawed people making bad choices and worse ones; Pelecanos's sense of place and period is always in the service of his subtle grasp of psychology and his passionate moral commitment. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Review

"'Pelecanos has enormous strengths as a crime writer. He can't write a dull sentence, his dialogue has great rhythm, his action scenes are ferociously effective. But more than that, he has a powerful social conscience' Observer; 'Pelecanos has joined James Lee Burke and Lawrence Block at the high table of contemporary crime greats' The Times"
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars simply brilliant, 30 Jan 2002
By A Customer
pelecanos captures the atmosphere of post war washington and portrays the characters against an emerging social structure. The hero is a typical "noir" character, with understated violent tendencies, coupled with a strong belief in what is "right". Typically flawed, the hero, Karris, takes us on a journey through his brief life from childhood, in a poor, immigrant neighbourhood, culminating in his inevitable destiny. Suviving superbly described horrors in the pacific theatre of the 2nd world war, Pelecanos conveys, via Karris, the problems faced by the non "american" population of washington as they attempt to forge a new working life in the USA, after the war. The plot is sufficiently diverse without becoming confusing, and I found myself sympathising with the characters and their dilemmas. I have read Mosley, Burke etc and found this to be the most refreshing novel in a long time. Bring on the rest of the DC Quartet.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Cracking, 2 Dec 2001
By J. Mcgregor "jiy126" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This was the first Pelecanos novel I've read, and it reminded me of discovering Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely or A Morning for Flamingoes by James Lee Burke. This is American crime writing at its best. Great plot, characterisation, atmosphere and credibility. If you're into this type of novel, then The Big Blowdown is an absolute must.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars James Ellroy meets Raymond Chandler's Greek cousin!, 10 April 2004
By P. D. Copley (Letchworth, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Simply superb - the best novel I've read in years.

This is like early Ellroy, before he went virtually unreadably staccato - pure noir, wisecracking, big city street life, with a bit of Greek and DC to make it refreshingly different.

This is the first Pelecanos I've read, and I'm now going to devour his other books - on the basis of the Big Blowdown, I won't be disappointed.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars glorious pup fiction
My first Pelecanos -but not the last- I had been intrigued by the reviews and the link to the Wire.
Pelecanos has a great ear for dialogue and superb characterisation,... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Pelecanos delivers again
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5.0 out of 5 stars Washington in the 40s
We follow the fortunes of Peter Karras, a Greek American living in Washington DC, before, during and after World War II. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
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5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing implosion of elements
Superbly written and fast paced, you're right there on the streets of DC just after the war. The episodic broken timeline of the first few sections is heart rending and thrilling... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2000

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