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Derek Strange & Terry Quinn #1
Right as Rain
Derek Strange is a black ex-cop in Washington D.C. who now makes a living running his own private detective agency. He is hired to investigate the killing of an off-duty black policeman by a white police officer -- a killing that was supposedly accidental, but that has opened difficult questions about racism on the force. In the course of that investigation the white officer, Terry Quinn, becomes Strange's friend and then his partner. Together they try to uncover what really happened that night, when Quinn came upon a confusing and treacherous crime scene. Along the way they confront the kingpins of a flourishing drug trade and some of the most implacable, dead-eyed killers ever to grace the pages of a novel.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
262 people are currently reading
3,690 people want to read
About the author
George P. Pelecanos
57 books1,598 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 10, 2024
L'UMANITÀ DELLA VIOLENZA
George Pelecanos mentre dirige un episodio della serie da lui creata “DC Noir”.
Ogni tanto ho bisogno di prendere in mano un libro di Pelecanos.
Come ogni tanto si ha voglia di tornare a mangiare quel certo croissant proprio in quel bar che li fa così buoni, o tornare a cena in quel posto dall’altra parte della città dove però si mangia così bene.
Probabilmente un tempo quando avevo un desiderio simile leggevo Chandler, o Jim Thompson, o Ross Macdonald.
Adesso Pelecanos, o Den Meyer, o Massimo Carlotto.
Perché, come potrei sentirmi a casa per le strade di Washington, città che conosco solo cinematograficamente, e quindi, conosco essenzialmente, Capitol Hill, conosco il cosiddetto miglio quadrato del potere federale, come potrei sentirmi a casa guidando per queste strade, attraversando incroci, prendendo svolte, a destra o sinistra, ma senza esitazione, camminando per i marciapiedi, fermandomi a pranzo in un ristorante vietnamita che fa la zuppa tanto buona, e dopo cena in quel bar dove il bourbon lo si beve con la giusta illuminazione, se non fosse perché George Pelecanos è la mia guida amorevole?
George Pelecanos sul set della serie TV “DC Noir” con gli attori Judith Hoag e Ben Mathews.
Quello che caratterizza le storie scritte da Pelecanos è l’atmosfera, i personaggi, sfaccettati e mai monolineari, i dettagli, quel particolare che rivela un lato della personalità, la cura per la toponomastica, la musica (un’autentica colonna sonora), gli abiti, le auto, tutti aspetti che arricchiscono i caratteri, non rimangono sterili e indulgenti esercizi da esibizionista o collezionista. La descrizione dei caratteri e degli ambienti è molto attenta, il realismo delle situazioni e dei dialoghi impressionante.
La gente di cui parla sono i washingtoniani comuni, non politici e lobbisti e agenti, segreti o meno. Sempre molto attento alla multiculturalità della capitale USA, in queste pagine ci fa incontrare neri, emigrati greci, ispanici…
Baristi, negozianti, cuochi, impiegati, poliziotti, ex poliziotti, perfino il detective privato è persona comune che più comune non si può, spacciatori, tossici…
Pelecanos non indugia nella violenza, non prolunga descrizioni macabre o splatter: quando arriva, la violenza è brutale, perché la violenza “è” brutale, ma non è mai insistita. A metterla in atto è gente comune, a volte bastardi corrotti, a volte chi cerca giustizia.
La suspense si costruisce così, man mano, in un lento crescendo che non ha cedimenti, senza pause ma neppure accelerazioni brusche.
I buoni non sono mai privi di macchia, e i cattivi non sono mai solo tutto marciume: c’è qualcosa che li rende in qualche modo simili, una parentela fatta di disperazione e sopravvivenza.
Il New York Times ha definito i libri di Pelecanos “reportage metropolitani”. È stato anche usato il termine di "gialli sociali", e in effetti la desolazione della società americana, le difficoltà delle minoranze, la situazione tragica degli adolescenti "a rischio", la durezza esasperata della vita di tutti i giorni, la fragilità dei legami sentimentali, emergono prepotenti da queste storie.
Ma Pelecanos non scrive romanzi “a tesi”, politici o engagé: scrive storie che hanno il sapore e il colore della realtà, della verità. Emozionanti e appassionanti.
George Pelecanos mentre dirige un episodio della serie da lui creata “DC Noir”.
Ogni tanto ho bisogno di prendere in mano un libro di Pelecanos.
Come ogni tanto si ha voglia di tornare a mangiare quel certo croissant proprio in quel bar che li fa così buoni, o tornare a cena in quel posto dall’altra parte della città dove però si mangia così bene.
Probabilmente un tempo quando avevo un desiderio simile leggevo Chandler, o Jim Thompson, o Ross Macdonald.
Adesso Pelecanos, o Den Meyer, o Massimo Carlotto.
Perché, come potrei sentirmi a casa per le strade di Washington, città che conosco solo cinematograficamente, e quindi, conosco essenzialmente, Capitol Hill, conosco il cosiddetto miglio quadrato del potere federale, come potrei sentirmi a casa guidando per queste strade, attraversando incroci, prendendo svolte, a destra o sinistra, ma senza esitazione, camminando per i marciapiedi, fermandomi a pranzo in un ristorante vietnamita che fa la zuppa tanto buona, e dopo cena in quel bar dove il bourbon lo si beve con la giusta illuminazione, se non fosse perché George Pelecanos è la mia guida amorevole?
George Pelecanos sul set della serie TV “DC Noir” con gli attori Judith Hoag e Ben Mathews.
Quello che caratterizza le storie scritte da Pelecanos è l’atmosfera, i personaggi, sfaccettati e mai monolineari, i dettagli, quel particolare che rivela un lato della personalità, la cura per la toponomastica, la musica (un’autentica colonna sonora), gli abiti, le auto, tutti aspetti che arricchiscono i caratteri, non rimangono sterili e indulgenti esercizi da esibizionista o collezionista. La descrizione dei caratteri e degli ambienti è molto attenta, il realismo delle situazioni e dei dialoghi impressionante.
La gente di cui parla sono i washingtoniani comuni, non politici e lobbisti e agenti, segreti o meno. Sempre molto attento alla multiculturalità della capitale USA, in queste pagine ci fa incontrare neri, emigrati greci, ispanici…
Baristi, negozianti, cuochi, impiegati, poliziotti, ex poliziotti, perfino il detective privato è persona comune che più comune non si può, spacciatori, tossici…
Pelecanos non indugia nella violenza, non prolunga descrizioni macabre o splatter: quando arriva, la violenza è brutale, perché la violenza “è” brutale, ma non è mai insistita. A metterla in atto è gente comune, a volte bastardi corrotti, a volte chi cerca giustizia.
La suspense si costruisce così, man mano, in un lento crescendo che non ha cedimenti, senza pause ma neppure accelerazioni brusche.
I buoni non sono mai privi di macchia, e i cattivi non sono mai solo tutto marciume: c’è qualcosa che li rende in qualche modo simili, una parentela fatta di disperazione e sopravvivenza.
Il New York Times ha definito i libri di Pelecanos “reportage metropolitani”. È stato anche usato il termine di "gialli sociali", e in effetti la desolazione della società americana, le difficoltà delle minoranze, la situazione tragica degli adolescenti "a rischio", la durezza esasperata della vita di tutti i giorni, la fragilità dei legami sentimentali, emergono prepotenti da queste storie.
Ma Pelecanos non scrive romanzi “a tesi”, politici o engagé: scrive storie che hanno il sapore e il colore della realtà, della verità. Emozionanti e appassionanti.
June 21, 2019
The first of the Strange-Quinn mystery series, with a black and white pair of former cops working as private detectives in the D.C. area. It is an effective and violent thriller, and deals perceptively with issues of race.
June 1, 2013
A white cop kills an off-duty black cop and the black cop's mother hires Derek Strange to get to the bottom of things. Strange stumbles into a world of drug dealers and dirty cops, and the only man who can help him is Terry Quinn, the white cop who shot the son of the woman who hired him...
Right as Rain kicks off the Derek Strange series. Strange, a sixty-ish black PI, is a pretty smooth character, a former cop who is fond of westerns. Terry Quinn is a white disgraced former cop who works in a used book and record store. Pelecanos uses their contrasting characteristics to explore race relations in Washington DC while they tackle the case of Chris Wilson, the off-duty cop Quinn killed.
Sound like Lethal Weapon? It's not, although Strange and Quinn poke fun at the Gibson and Glover action comedy a couple times. Strange and Quinn are both very well developed characters. Quinn's an intense guy and isn't sure if he shot Wilson because he was brandishing a gun or because he was black. Further complicating Quinn's feelings on race is Juana, his half-black, half-Puerto Rican girlfriend. Strange has been in a casual relationship with his secretary for years but won't commit despite feeling fatherly toward her son Lionel.
The friendship between Strange and Quinn grows naturally, first over westerns and boxing, and seemed pretty believable to me. I found myself caring about their relationships with their women and with each other more than the eventual gunplay I knew was coming.
The villains of the piece, the drug dealers, aren't as developed as I would have liked but the story is more about the interactions between Strange and Quinn anyway. Although I did like that Pelecanos had them leave DC for the country a bit. Both men emerge from the story changed men to some degree. Strange's case turns out well and Quinn learns a few things about himself.
4 stars. I'll be reading more of Strange and Quinn in the future.
Right as Rain kicks off the Derek Strange series. Strange, a sixty-ish black PI, is a pretty smooth character, a former cop who is fond of westerns. Terry Quinn is a white disgraced former cop who works in a used book and record store. Pelecanos uses their contrasting characteristics to explore race relations in Washington DC while they tackle the case of Chris Wilson, the off-duty cop Quinn killed.
Sound like Lethal Weapon? It's not, although Strange and Quinn poke fun at the Gibson and Glover action comedy a couple times. Strange and Quinn are both very well developed characters. Quinn's an intense guy and isn't sure if he shot Wilson because he was brandishing a gun or because he was black. Further complicating Quinn's feelings on race is Juana, his half-black, half-Puerto Rican girlfriend. Strange has been in a casual relationship with his secretary for years but won't commit despite feeling fatherly toward her son Lionel.
The friendship between Strange and Quinn grows naturally, first over westerns and boxing, and seemed pretty believable to me. I found myself caring about their relationships with their women and with each other more than the eventual gunplay I knew was coming.
The villains of the piece, the drug dealers, aren't as developed as I would have liked but the story is more about the interactions between Strange and Quinn anyway. Although I did like that Pelecanos had them leave DC for the country a bit. Both men emerge from the story changed men to some degree. Strange's case turns out well and Quinn learns a few things about himself.
4 stars. I'll be reading more of Strange and Quinn in the future.
January 25, 2024
Very fun crime novel. The first half or even three quarters is almost like a breezy Elmore Leonard crime hangout, except here it's with two PIs, and then at the end everything comes together brilliantly and there's a great climax with a lot of action.
There's a lot of stuff on race relations, a Black PI working with a white PI who shot a Black cop on the job, but because it's the central crime of the novel there's a lot more to it than that. I don't want to pick it all apart here. Pelecanos wrote for The Wire, so it's on about that level of liberalism. Some of it works for me, some of it doesn't.
I will definitely be reading the sequels.
There's a lot of stuff on race relations, a Black PI working with a white PI who shot a Black cop on the job, but because it's the central crime of the novel there's a lot more to it than that. I don't want to pick it all apart here. Pelecanos wrote for The Wire, so it's on about that level of liberalism. Some of it works for me, some of it doesn't.
I will definitely be reading the sequels.
October 19, 2018
There's a lot going on in this first of the Derek Strange and Terry Quinn tomes by George Pelecanos, but it never feels overwhelming, with the narrative and the characters moving along at a steady speed in this gritty, earthy detective novel.
It's true that there is violence here, but it is not overplayed nor drawn out in lurid details. The world Strange and Quinn are involved in in the nation's capital is one that lends itself to violence. An absence of it in the story would feel unreal.
But this story is as much about relationships between people, principally Strange and Quinn, but other characters, too, as it is about detection and shoot-'em-up scenes. In reality, considering the sordid under-culture with whom the protagonists become involved, the violence may be understated.
The characters feel true-to-life with their quirks and flaws -- like actual human beings.
I'll be back for more of this series in the future.
It's true that there is violence here, but it is not overplayed nor drawn out in lurid details. The world Strange and Quinn are involved in in the nation's capital is one that lends itself to violence. An absence of it in the story would feel unreal.
But this story is as much about relationships between people, principally Strange and Quinn, but other characters, too, as it is about detection and shoot-'em-up scenes. In reality, considering the sordid under-culture with whom the protagonists become involved, the violence may be understated.
The characters feel true-to-life with their quirks and flaws -- like actual human beings.
I'll be back for more of this series in the future.
December 3, 2018
Osservazioni e appunti sparsi su pregiudizi, stereotipi e ingenuità di una lettrice
Derek Strange e Terry Quinn, anche se appartengono a due generazioni diverse, hanno molto in comune: vivono a Washington D.C., sono entrambi ex poliziotti e amano i western (Derek i film e le colonne sonore, soprattutto quelle di Ennio Moricone; Terry i libri da cui quei film sono tratti): potrebbero essere subito grandi amici ma li divide un elemento essenziale, impossibile da ignorare: uno è nero, l’altro è bianco.
Il film western preferito da Derek Strange.
Embè? Ancora questa storia! Ho pensato io, che vengo da una regione dove il colore della pelle è variegato (eredità delle tante dominazioni succedute nei secoli) e le differenze che marcano i confini dell’appartenenza sono altre (le coordinate geografiche nord/sud ed est/ovest tanto per dirne una).
Invece no, essere bianchi o neri a Washington (e in tutti gli USA) è un fattore con cui fare i conti ogni giorno perché si può essere uccisi per il colore scuro della pelle o, viceversa, essere creduti sulla parola perché biondi e con gli occhi azzurri. Ancora peggio, le circostanze vengono interpretate in maniera differente in base al colore della pelle. La situazione è ulteriormente complicata da un terzo incomodo: gli ispanici, che odiano bianchi e neri (ma più i neri dei bianchi), però ne parliamo un’altra volta.
(Ok, faccio questo mea culpa di un giudizio superficiale sulle problematiche razziali e chiedo scusa a tutti gli psicologi sociali che hanno in modo convincente dimostrato l’influenza di pregiudizi e stereotipi nella formulazione di opinioni e valutazioni. Il punto è che vorrei che la “razza” o il luogo di provenienza non influisse a priori sull’interazione tra le persone e anche nella mia vita di tutti i giorni resto spiazzata quando questo accade.)
Tra neri e bianchi c’è una netta separazione, difficile da colmare: i neri con la pelle chiara preferiscono pensare di avere tra i propri avi dei nativi americani, piuttosto che dei bianchi; i bianchi sentono il bisogno di giustificarsi con se stessi, se non con gli altri, per le proprie amicizie interrazziali: neanche l’amore, da solo, può bastare a superare tutti questi steccati. (Aggiungo che anche tra Afroamericani e Neri africani esiste la percezione di una netta differenza, come ci racconta Americanah).
Insomma, i neri devono stare in guardia costantemente e i bianchi devono agire tenendo presente l’influenza di quei condizionamenti culturali, talmente scontati da essere invisibili: può quindi accadere che alcune delle scelte del nostro Terry (stavamo parlando di loro, ricordate?) siano motivate dal voler continuamente dimostrare a se stesso che lui non è quel tipo di bianco, criptorazzista e ipocrita. Derek è più saggio: l’età e l'esperienza lo hanno portato a lasciarsi alle spalle molte illusioni, non è un paladino della razza: i neri hanno una vita molto difficile ma, in alcuni casi, ne sono in parte responsabili.
Geroge Pelecanos è uno dei creatori e soggettisti di The Wire, serie poliziesca pluripremiata della HBO.
Strade di sangue è il primo libro della serie di Derek Strange e Terry Quinn: ci viene raccontato come si conoscono e come iniziano a collaborare insieme. Il libro mi è piaciuto molto, nonostante i continui riferimenti a canzoni e generi musicali di cui non so nulla e la descrizione di modelli di auto di cui mi importa ancora meno; certamente leggerò altro di questo autore e cercherò di vedere uno dei filmi/serie tv che ha sceneggiato.
Derek Strange e Terry Quinn, anche se appartengono a due generazioni diverse, hanno molto in comune: vivono a Washington D.C., sono entrambi ex poliziotti e amano i western (Derek i film e le colonne sonore, soprattutto quelle di Ennio Moricone; Terry i libri da cui quei film sono tratti): potrebbero essere subito grandi amici ma li divide un elemento essenziale, impossibile da ignorare: uno è nero, l’altro è bianco.
Il film western preferito da Derek Strange.
Embè? Ancora questa storia! Ho pensato io, che vengo da una regione dove il colore della pelle è variegato (eredità delle tante dominazioni succedute nei secoli) e le differenze che marcano i confini dell’appartenenza sono altre (le coordinate geografiche nord/sud ed est/ovest tanto per dirne una).
Invece no, essere bianchi o neri a Washington (e in tutti gli USA) è un fattore con cui fare i conti ogni giorno perché si può essere uccisi per il colore scuro della pelle o, viceversa, essere creduti sulla parola perché biondi e con gli occhi azzurri. Ancora peggio, le circostanze vengono interpretate in maniera differente in base al colore della pelle. La situazione è ulteriormente complicata da un terzo incomodo: gli ispanici, che odiano bianchi e neri (ma più i neri dei bianchi), però ne parliamo un’altra volta.
(Ok, faccio questo mea culpa di un giudizio superficiale sulle problematiche razziali e chiedo scusa a tutti gli psicologi sociali che hanno in modo convincente dimostrato l’influenza di pregiudizi e stereotipi nella formulazione di opinioni e valutazioni. Il punto è che vorrei che la “razza” o il luogo di provenienza non influisse a priori sull’interazione tra le persone e anche nella mia vita di tutti i giorni resto spiazzata quando questo accade.)
Tra neri e bianchi c’è una netta separazione, difficile da colmare: i neri con la pelle chiara preferiscono pensare di avere tra i propri avi dei nativi americani, piuttosto che dei bianchi; i bianchi sentono il bisogno di giustificarsi con se stessi, se non con gli altri, per le proprie amicizie interrazziali: neanche l’amore, da solo, può bastare a superare tutti questi steccati. (Aggiungo che anche tra Afroamericani e Neri africani esiste la percezione di una netta differenza, come ci racconta Americanah).
Insomma, i neri devono stare in guardia costantemente e i bianchi devono agire tenendo presente l’influenza di quei condizionamenti culturali, talmente scontati da essere invisibili: può quindi accadere che alcune delle scelte del nostro Terry (stavamo parlando di loro, ricordate?) siano motivate dal voler continuamente dimostrare a se stesso che lui non è quel tipo di bianco, criptorazzista e ipocrita. Derek è più saggio: l’età e l'esperienza lo hanno portato a lasciarsi alle spalle molte illusioni, non è un paladino della razza: i neri hanno una vita molto difficile ma, in alcuni casi, ne sono in parte responsabili.
Geroge Pelecanos è uno dei creatori e soggettisti di The Wire, serie poliziesca pluripremiata della HBO.
Strade di sangue è il primo libro della serie di Derek Strange e Terry Quinn: ci viene raccontato come si conoscono e come iniziano a collaborare insieme. Il libro mi è piaciuto molto, nonostante i continui riferimenti a canzoni e generi musicali di cui non so nulla e la descrizione di modelli di auto di cui mi importa ancora meno; certamente leggerò altro di questo autore e cercherò di vedere uno dei filmi/serie tv che ha sceneggiato.
December 16, 2011
I just discovered Pelecanos, and I’d like to issue him a challenge, because I think he’s a very talented writer. Mr. Pelecanos, someday please write a buddy novel about, say, a middle-aged woman detective and the gay former football player she teams up with. I think you could do it, maybe even have fun with it. To make it even more of a departure, start the story out someplace bland like Old Town Alexandria.
“Right as Rain” is the first in a series about two former cops in Washington, D.C. Derek Strange is wiser, more seasoned, and African-American. Strange is reflective, well-rounded, methodical, and sometimes funny. Terry Quinn is younger, impulsive, and not African-American. He has a scrappy hot-headedness to him, some of which seems to be b/c he has a complex about his [lack of] height. They meet when Strange is hired to investigate an incident in which Quinn, when he was still a cop, fatally shot a fellow officer who’d been undercover. And who was African-American. Conversations about race naturally follow.
Positives: (1) The dialog is very well written. Pelecanos has a real gift. If I stick with the series, it’ll be because I’m a little in awe of how well he writes dialog. (2) The Georgia Avenue setting and the real-ness of the D.C. neighborhoods. Pelecanos’ characters refer to police incidents that I remember from the news when I lived in D.C. He touches on the city’s arguably unique class and race tensions. (3) The buddy dynamic carries over to the side characters too. The Latino brothers who supply drugs, the father-son racists who take the drugs into the District, etc.
Nuisance: There’s a crudeness in how even the most sympathetic characters talk and think about women. It’s part of the genre, I know, I know, I know. Hard-boiled crime fiction is not the place to expect any believable, multi-dimensional women characters. I haven’t found any in the pop fiction marketed to women either, for that matter (aka “chick lit”).
But in both Right as Rain and his 2011 The Cut, Pelecanos more than once has his protagonist come home in a restless, pacing mood and conclude that he “needs a woman.” Sort of like how I’d decide I need a bag of chips or a chocolate bar. Huh?
For all I know, Pelecanos, under a different name, writes fantastic women characters who offer more than sex. Even in these books, I understand that some part of the story is served by entire paragraphs describing how a male character thinks about a woman’s breasts. Character development. Escapist fantasies for some readers. Whatever. I’m not annoyed on prudish grounds. I’m more curious as to whether Pelecanos can show a range beyond the gritty/macho stuff he obviously has mastered.
“Right as Rain” is the first in a series about two former cops in Washington, D.C. Derek Strange is wiser, more seasoned, and African-American. Strange is reflective, well-rounded, methodical, and sometimes funny. Terry Quinn is younger, impulsive, and not African-American. He has a scrappy hot-headedness to him, some of which seems to be b/c he has a complex about his [lack of] height. They meet when Strange is hired to investigate an incident in which Quinn, when he was still a cop, fatally shot a fellow officer who’d been undercover. And who was African-American. Conversations about race naturally follow.
Positives: (1) The dialog is very well written. Pelecanos has a real gift. If I stick with the series, it’ll be because I’m a little in awe of how well he writes dialog. (2) The Georgia Avenue setting and the real-ness of the D.C. neighborhoods. Pelecanos’ characters refer to police incidents that I remember from the news when I lived in D.C. He touches on the city’s arguably unique class and race tensions. (3) The buddy dynamic carries over to the side characters too. The Latino brothers who supply drugs, the father-son racists who take the drugs into the District, etc.
Nuisance: There’s a crudeness in how even the most sympathetic characters talk and think about women. It’s part of the genre, I know, I know, I know. Hard-boiled crime fiction is not the place to expect any believable, multi-dimensional women characters. I haven’t found any in the pop fiction marketed to women either, for that matter (aka “chick lit”).
But in both Right as Rain and his 2011 The Cut, Pelecanos more than once has his protagonist come home in a restless, pacing mood and conclude that he “needs a woman.” Sort of like how I’d decide I need a bag of chips or a chocolate bar. Huh?
For all I know, Pelecanos, under a different name, writes fantastic women characters who offer more than sex. Even in these books, I understand that some part of the story is served by entire paragraphs describing how a male character thinks about a woman’s breasts. Character development. Escapist fantasies for some readers. Whatever. I’m not annoyed on prudish grounds. I’m more curious as to whether Pelecanos can show a range beyond the gritty/macho stuff he obviously has mastered.
May 19, 2020
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn book 1: The first book of this series, that introduces ex-cop private investigators, one Black, Strange and one White, Quinn - this is the intriguing story of how they first met as Derek Strange investigates the killing of a Black cop, by a white cop... Terry Quinn! Super idea for a crime fighting partner debut by George Pelecanos one of The Wire: A Dramatic Series for HBO writers 7 out of 12
August 2, 2017
RIGHT AS RAIN: A DEREK STRANGE NOVEL by George Pelecanos is the first book in the “Derek Strange & Terry Quinn” series that begins with an older detective named Derek Strange, who is black, (and a former police officer in D.C. from '68) who is requested by an older woman he knows from church to look into the shooting death of her son; a young police officer named Chris Wilson (who is also black) by a young white police officer named Terry Quinn.
Quinn has been cleared of any wrongdoing, and the shooting is called “a clean killing”, but he is unable to escape the cloud that is over him even though he’s tried to create a new life away from the force and works in a record store now sporting long hair and hoping for anonymity; until Strange contacts him to discuss the shooting which develops into a somewhat undefined partnership between the two.
George Pelecanos has written so many wonderful books that paint a visual picture of life in D.C., especially the ones written of days past in D.C., and the series of his books that are available; especially the “D.C. Quartet” and the 'Nick Stefanos' books being among his finest,it's really surprising that I waited so long to start at the beginning of this series, although I’ve read What It Was the fifth book in the series.
Far be it from me (I'm unworthy!) to complain about anything Pelecanos writes, but at times this felt a bit as if certain things discussed came off as being preached points of view by the characters that felt wrong & at times took away from the seamless effect he creates that immerses the reader into the story of his best novels. Difficult subjects such as racism, profiling, & gun control are definitely a challenge to present in a way that doesn’t offend someone, and maybe the difficulty in tackling these subjects resulted in giving this a bit of a Hollywood-like treatment that gets in the way of a great story and solid characters.
I’ll definitely be continuing to read the books in this series, and next up is Hell to Pay.
4 stars.
Quinn has been cleared of any wrongdoing, and the shooting is called “a clean killing”, but he is unable to escape the cloud that is over him even though he’s tried to create a new life away from the force and works in a record store now sporting long hair and hoping for anonymity; until Strange contacts him to discuss the shooting which develops into a somewhat undefined partnership between the two.
George Pelecanos has written so many wonderful books that paint a visual picture of life in D.C., especially the ones written of days past in D.C., and the series of his books that are available; especially the “D.C. Quartet” and the 'Nick Stefanos' books being among his finest,it's really surprising that I waited so long to start at the beginning of this series, although I’ve read What It Was the fifth book in the series.
Far be it from me (I'm unworthy!) to complain about anything Pelecanos writes, but at times this felt a bit as if certain things discussed came off as being preached points of view by the characters that felt wrong & at times took away from the seamless effect he creates that immerses the reader into the story of his best novels. Difficult subjects such as racism, profiling, & gun control are definitely a challenge to present in a way that doesn’t offend someone, and maybe the difficulty in tackling these subjects resulted in giving this a bit of a Hollywood-like treatment that gets in the way of a great story and solid characters.
I’ll definitely be continuing to read the books in this series, and next up is Hell to Pay.
4 stars.
October 29, 2018
This is my first read from this author, and the first in a series - and a very strong start, in my opinion. I definitely plan to read more of these.
It's a gritty, down-to-earth story that takes place in Washington, DC in places where most of us would never see, and about people we probably would never meet. And for many of them, we wouldn't want to meet, although there are some that I wouldn't mind meeting, such as Derek Strange, a Black detective/former cop and his office manager/girlfriend. He teams up with a troubled White former cop who is part of his investigation, and they become friends. Together, they go after some real low-life drug dealers.
I think the author did a great job of exposing the under-belly of Washington and making it seem real. I don't know if it's really authentic, of course, but the characters all seemed to come alive, and I felt I knew them all. I look forward to more from this author.
It's a gritty, down-to-earth story that takes place in Washington, DC in places where most of us would never see, and about people we probably would never meet. And for many of them, we wouldn't want to meet, although there are some that I wouldn't mind meeting, such as Derek Strange, a Black detective/former cop and his office manager/girlfriend. He teams up with a troubled White former cop who is part of his investigation, and they become friends. Together, they go after some real low-life drug dealers.
I think the author did a great job of exposing the under-belly of Washington and making it seem real. I don't know if it's really authentic, of course, but the characters all seemed to come alive, and I felt I knew them all. I look forward to more from this author.
July 22, 2014
Holy bejesus, Right as Rain is good. Workmanlike, maybe, but the kind of workmanlike that leads you to admire a well-made tool (heh) or table and say, "That sucker will last forever. Solid." I picked Right as Rain up after reading Drama City and finished the last sixty pages in the bath today. Very satisfying. Both the bath and the novel. Right as Rain is up there, as far as I'm concerned, with Ellroy's and MacDonald's best. Nothing too out of the ordinary here, nothing groundbreaking, but top-notch crime fiction, like a good burrito as compared to molecular gastronomy.
July 23, 2007
Pelecanos is one of my standby favorites. Aside from being a writer on HBO's "The Wire", he's the only author that I bother to read in hardback. His stories are set in the District of Columbia and its surrounding counties, but have little to do with the bustling Federal City and its corridors of power. Pelecanos writes about the dispossessed of DC, those who scratch out livings in Anacostia and the Northeast. Hard-boiled fiction from a city that always seems on the edge of boiling over. Right as Rain is a great jumping on point as Pelecanos starts afresh with a new set of characters.
December 25, 2022
Review to Come
September 27, 2020
This book made its way onto my to reads list because I learned that the author was one of the many writers for the The Wire, a TV show that had fever pitch fandom all through its run and for a good long while after. Now for those that haven't seen the wire but like the true crime genre you need to stop what your doing and go watch some of it.
The story of Right as Rain is one that seems pretty simple on surface level but the further you get into it the deeper it becomes, the base story is as follows. Terry Quinn pulls over while on his beat and ends up shooting an off duty black police officer who was threatening another citizen. Years later a black private detective is hired to look back into the case and he uncovers a leviathan of information.
The best part about this book has to be the characters, weather its Terry Quinn, Derek Strange or any of the other characters all of them feel wholly unique and all of them clearly belong in the universe the book is set in. Both the dialogue and the writing are also great and both make the universe that Mr. Pelecanos sets up extremely convincing and extremely immersive. None of the novel feels like wasted space and it moves along at a satisfying pace that makes you want more right after you close the back cover.
I also appreciate that Mr. Pelecanos used the novel as a vehicle to explore some real issues, I think that too many detective and crime stories no a days simply have cookie cutter themes or characters. The book tackles perhaps one of the biggest themes with race issues and equality in our modern day people and police. It talks about the changing issues within racial tensions, profiling, and making oneself seem more diverse in order to be accepted. I think the smartest part with how Mr. Pelecanos deals with the topic of race is that he doesn't overdo it. Racism is something that can cause an author to get self righteous or take it to an extreme that isn't needed but Mr. Pelecanos is able to navigate the line between shying away from the issue and over doing the issue with the quality of a master.
The only thing I didn't like is really just a personal choice, if I had been writing it then I would have set the novel in the 1970's rather than modern day. This book has such a seventies vibe to it that there were moments that I think even Mr. Pelecanos wanted it to take place in the seventies and if he had this would have been one of the best crime novels I've ever read. I simply think that the plot would have been in perfect position if it had taken place in the mid or late seventies.
Right as Rain is a great novel with one of the best casts of characters that I've seen in a long while. If you like crime fiction or detective fiction then your going to absolutely love this one. If you like hard boiled writing with great character development then you'll also love this novel. This novel has very limited problems and its definitely just like its title, Right as Rain.
The story of Right as Rain is one that seems pretty simple on surface level but the further you get into it the deeper it becomes, the base story is as follows. Terry Quinn pulls over while on his beat and ends up shooting an off duty black police officer who was threatening another citizen. Years later a black private detective is hired to look back into the case and he uncovers a leviathan of information.
The best part about this book has to be the characters, weather its Terry Quinn, Derek Strange or any of the other characters all of them feel wholly unique and all of them clearly belong in the universe the book is set in. Both the dialogue and the writing are also great and both make the universe that Mr. Pelecanos sets up extremely convincing and extremely immersive. None of the novel feels like wasted space and it moves along at a satisfying pace that makes you want more right after you close the back cover.
I also appreciate that Mr. Pelecanos used the novel as a vehicle to explore some real issues, I think that too many detective and crime stories no a days simply have cookie cutter themes or characters. The book tackles perhaps one of the biggest themes with race issues and equality in our modern day people and police. It talks about the changing issues within racial tensions, profiling, and making oneself seem more diverse in order to be accepted. I think the smartest part with how Mr. Pelecanos deals with the topic of race is that he doesn't overdo it. Racism is something that can cause an author to get self righteous or take it to an extreme that isn't needed but Mr. Pelecanos is able to navigate the line between shying away from the issue and over doing the issue with the quality of a master.
The only thing I didn't like is really just a personal choice, if I had been writing it then I would have set the novel in the 1970's rather than modern day. This book has such a seventies vibe to it that there were moments that I think even Mr. Pelecanos wanted it to take place in the seventies and if he had this would have been one of the best crime novels I've ever read. I simply think that the plot would have been in perfect position if it had taken place in the mid or late seventies.
Right as Rain is a great novel with one of the best casts of characters that I've seen in a long while. If you like crime fiction or detective fiction then your going to absolutely love this one. If you like hard boiled writing with great character development then you'll also love this novel. This novel has very limited problems and its definitely just like its title, Right as Rain.
November 21, 2007
Derrick Strange sets out to investigate the shooting death of off-duty officer Chris Wilson, at the request of Wilson's mother. Wilson was shot by a fellow police officer, and the DC police force had already investigated and cleared Terry Quinn, the officer who shot Wilson, but Wilson's mother is not satisfied with their findings and doesn't like the way her son was portrayed through the official investigation. Strange not only uncovers new details in this unfortunate death, but he also uncovers a friendship with Terry Quinn.
If I could give a half-star rating, I would actually rate this at 4.5 stars. The characters are well developed and Pelecanos breaches a very touchy topic for most Americans. He handles it well, but I felt uncomfortable - maybe even offended - through a few parts, but I think that was his intention. The only area I think there was room for improvement was in his use of language. He tended to be crass and even vulgar in the narration. That language was appropriate at times with the characters themselves, but with the narration, he could have created a much more powerful effect had he not been quite so pedestrian in his language choice. If I had not read Daniel Woodrell or Pay Conroy, I may not have had that same opinion, but I've seen what magic those writers can weave with their words. So, I know it's possible - and effective!
If I could give a half-star rating, I would actually rate this at 4.5 stars. The characters are well developed and Pelecanos breaches a very touchy topic for most Americans. He handles it well, but I felt uncomfortable - maybe even offended - through a few parts, but I think that was his intention. The only area I think there was room for improvement was in his use of language. He tended to be crass and even vulgar in the narration. That language was appropriate at times with the characters themselves, but with the narration, he could have created a much more powerful effect had he not been quite so pedestrian in his language choice. If I had not read Daniel Woodrell or Pay Conroy, I may not have had that same opinion, but I've seen what magic those writers can weave with their words. So, I know it's possible - and effective!
December 11, 2010
Another disappointing novel from an author who I initially thought was a real contender, up there with James Lee Burke and Elmore Leonard. But he's at least a division below, relegated there with this story of a "good black ex cop" and "good-ish white ex cop" getting their relationship together through mutual respect. Pass the sick bag George, as the white boy brings his black father figure obscure Motown vinyl (of course) recordings from his record boutique.
I also didn't appreciate the occasional "observation" on race relations that pepper the novel, all along the lines of "It's so tough being black and you white boys will never understand a black man's point of view". Errm, sorry George, but aren't you a white boy
too? Nah, I gave this up and I'll be hard pushed to return to another I'm afraid.
I also didn't appreciate the occasional "observation" on race relations that pepper the novel, all along the lines of "It's so tough being black and you white boys will never understand a black man's point of view". Errm, sorry George, but aren't you a white boy
too? Nah, I gave this up and I'll be hard pushed to return to another I'm afraid.
December 3, 2022
Un romanzo realistico che racconta di una Washington oscura e corrotta
July 5, 2014
RATING: 3.5
Here’s the situation in a nutshell. On a dark side street in Washington, DC, a black man is holding a gun to the head of a white man lying on the ground. When the police arrive, there’s a lot of noise and confusion. The black guy is yelling something at the cops, but they can’t hear him. When he sweeps his gun in their direction, the white cop, a guy by the name of Terry Quinn, shoots him down. It turns out the black “assailant” is also a cop named Chris Wilson who had been screaming out his badge number. Question: If Wilson had been a white man, would Quinn have been so quick to shoot him? The killing is declared righteous, but the issue remains: does a white cop see skin color first when in a dangerous situation? Isn’t he programmed to react that way in our society?
Derek Strange is an ex-cop has been a private investigator for over 25 years. He’s a black man who’s done well and likes to serve as a role model in the troubled community in which he operates. He is hired by Wilson’s mother to see if he can find anything that will ennoble his character after his death. As it is, he has been portrayed by the press as being drunk and out of control, holding a gun on an innocent man. She doesn’t dispute anything about his killing, just hopes to salvage his name somehow. In an interesting twist, Strange investigates Quinn and gets him involved in chasing down the truth as well. The investigated becomes the investigator. The two men play off each other well.
At the same time, we follow a parallel story of two white trash drug runners, Ray Boone and his father, Earl. At first, they appear almost comical—the son compensating for his lack of height with high-heeled boots, the father with his inexplicable lust for a strung-out black drug addict. The journey into their world is dark and disturbing. They are two nihilistic rednecks dealing in drugs and death, and the fact that they are so realistically portrayed is completely frightening. The reader is led deep into the drug trade and sees the chain of distribution close up. It isn’t obvious at first, but somehow we know that their story is interconnected with the Wilson saga.
I had 2 major problems with this book. The first is the fact that the narration is viewed through racially tinted glasses. Everything in the book has some kind of black or white twist to it, and Pelecanos kept hammering it in. Black people do this; white people do that. I really objected to the premise that white people judge black people primarily on the basis of their skin color and only secondarily on other aspects of their character.
My second problem was that all the female characters in the book were defined in terms of their sexual relationships with the various male characters. There was not one fully realized female character who stood alone and apart as a non-sexual object. The one with the most promise was Strange’s assistant at the agency, Janine. But then again, she’s sleeping with the boss, so that dissipated her individual effectiveness.
In spite of these obstacles, the book was almost redeemed for me by the sheer strength of Pelecanos’ writing. The revelation of what actually happened in the primary situation was totally surprising, and the resolution of all the plot lines was totally credible. He is a master at drawing the DC setting, particularly in depicting life on the street and the activities of the drug dealers. When he describes a visit to a crack house, you feel like wiping your shoes at the end of the scene. And just as in his Stefanos books, there’s a strong reliance on music to add to the ambiance. His male characters are tough and hard. It was the treatment of the racial theme and the sexist attitudes towards the female characters that made this book less than satisfying to me.
Here’s the situation in a nutshell. On a dark side street in Washington, DC, a black man is holding a gun to the head of a white man lying on the ground. When the police arrive, there’s a lot of noise and confusion. The black guy is yelling something at the cops, but they can’t hear him. When he sweeps his gun in their direction, the white cop, a guy by the name of Terry Quinn, shoots him down. It turns out the black “assailant” is also a cop named Chris Wilson who had been screaming out his badge number. Question: If Wilson had been a white man, would Quinn have been so quick to shoot him? The killing is declared righteous, but the issue remains: does a white cop see skin color first when in a dangerous situation? Isn’t he programmed to react that way in our society?
Derek Strange is an ex-cop has been a private investigator for over 25 years. He’s a black man who’s done well and likes to serve as a role model in the troubled community in which he operates. He is hired by Wilson’s mother to see if he can find anything that will ennoble his character after his death. As it is, he has been portrayed by the press as being drunk and out of control, holding a gun on an innocent man. She doesn’t dispute anything about his killing, just hopes to salvage his name somehow. In an interesting twist, Strange investigates Quinn and gets him involved in chasing down the truth as well. The investigated becomes the investigator. The two men play off each other well.
At the same time, we follow a parallel story of two white trash drug runners, Ray Boone and his father, Earl. At first, they appear almost comical—the son compensating for his lack of height with high-heeled boots, the father with his inexplicable lust for a strung-out black drug addict. The journey into their world is dark and disturbing. They are two nihilistic rednecks dealing in drugs and death, and the fact that they are so realistically portrayed is completely frightening. The reader is led deep into the drug trade and sees the chain of distribution close up. It isn’t obvious at first, but somehow we know that their story is interconnected with the Wilson saga.
I had 2 major problems with this book. The first is the fact that the narration is viewed through racially tinted glasses. Everything in the book has some kind of black or white twist to it, and Pelecanos kept hammering it in. Black people do this; white people do that. I really objected to the premise that white people judge black people primarily on the basis of their skin color and only secondarily on other aspects of their character.
My second problem was that all the female characters in the book were defined in terms of their sexual relationships with the various male characters. There was not one fully realized female character who stood alone and apart as a non-sexual object. The one with the most promise was Strange’s assistant at the agency, Janine. But then again, she’s sleeping with the boss, so that dissipated her individual effectiveness.
In spite of these obstacles, the book was almost redeemed for me by the sheer strength of Pelecanos’ writing. The revelation of what actually happened in the primary situation was totally surprising, and the resolution of all the plot lines was totally credible. He is a master at drawing the DC setting, particularly in depicting life on the street and the activities of the drug dealers. When he describes a visit to a crack house, you feel like wiping your shoes at the end of the scene. And just as in his Stefanos books, there’s a strong reliance on music to add to the ambiance. His male characters are tough and hard. It was the treatment of the racial theme and the sexist attitudes towards the female characters that made this book less than satisfying to me.
April 14, 2023
Very good novel; I enjoyed it.
Pelecanos writes a very good novel about crime/mystery in the city (Washington, DC) while exploring the relationship between white people and black people in modern America, performing a public service in that way.
I recommend this novel!
Pelecanos writes a very good novel about crime/mystery in the city (Washington, DC) while exploring the relationship between white people and black people in modern America, performing a public service in that way.
I recommend this novel!
August 2, 2020
First installment of a P.I. duo of Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. Fun read.
July 28, 2012
The first Derek Strange novel. Strange, an ex-MPD cop getting into the PI business, is approached by the mother of a fellow black police officer who was shot during an arrest by a white cop, now off the force also. The shooting was cleared, but the mother wants to clear her own son’s name, to counteract the popular image of him raving and pointing a gun at police officers. Strange questions the shooter, a wiry bundle of rage named Terry Quinn, now working at a bookstore. They get along, despite Quinn’s reputation and the very real racial divide. Convinced that there is more to the shooting than appears, Strange and Quinn track the original perp in the incident and discover a connection to drug dealers both white and black, crooked cops, and maybe the dead officer’s estranged, drug-addled sister.
This is a powerful, exciting, and visceral novel. Pelecanos knows DC streets, restaurant culture, the way criminals move and talk, types of weapons, and all the other little details that bring characters and plots to life. He gives motivations and dreams to minor characters, dwells on the kinds of cars that a man likes only to have him killed a page later, and so on. And of course, as with his other work, he doesn’t shy away from race. Quinn is a good guy, but he did shoot the officer because a black man – not simply a man – was screaming at him with a gun; and everyone around him knows this. Sure, Pelecanos writes his own interests into his characters as well – this is a world where all the women are hot and sensual and always interested and there is no foreplay; everyone worth knowing likes Western music or college rock; everyone eats oysters and spicy food and reads quality fiction. (And also I wonder whether he meant to set this in the past, with the answering machines and tape decks – in 2001?) But those are minor authorial quirks. Strange and Quinn are memorable characters and serve as interesting foils; and the snappy, taut dialogue, along with a fascinating plot, kept me avidly turning the pages and rooting for the good guys, whoever they are.
This is a powerful, exciting, and visceral novel. Pelecanos knows DC streets, restaurant culture, the way criminals move and talk, types of weapons, and all the other little details that bring characters and plots to life. He gives motivations and dreams to minor characters, dwells on the kinds of cars that a man likes only to have him killed a page later, and so on. And of course, as with his other work, he doesn’t shy away from race. Quinn is a good guy, but he did shoot the officer because a black man – not simply a man – was screaming at him with a gun; and everyone around him knows this. Sure, Pelecanos writes his own interests into his characters as well – this is a world where all the women are hot and sensual and always interested and there is no foreplay; everyone worth knowing likes Western music or college rock; everyone eats oysters and spicy food and reads quality fiction. (And also I wonder whether he meant to set this in the past, with the answering machines and tape decks – in 2001?) But those are minor authorial quirks. Strange and Quinn are memorable characters and serve as interesting foils; and the snappy, taut dialogue, along with a fascinating plot, kept me avidly turning the pages and rooting for the good guys, whoever they are.
March 17, 2025
nagyon könnyed kis krimi, vicces, jók a karakterek és okos is. néha belement, hogy milyen a feketéknek a 90-es évek tájékán amerikában, amire tökre nem számítottam de nagyon-nagyon jó kis adalék volt.
January 22, 2021
George Pelecanos isn’t for everyone, he goes to the darkest places in the human heart, he’s in your face about racial issues, he’s edgy in his description of sex and human relationships, violence is graphic and brutal without being romanticized. Characters are well-defined and complex. This is the first of several books featuring Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, a Black man and a White man who team up under unusual circumstances. I first read it years ago and enjoyed reading it again.
July 16, 2008
Gritty and makes me want to drink.
January 21, 2018
Astreiner Privatdetektiv-Roman. Mir hat besonders der Aufbau, die Konstruktion des Falls gefallen, aber auch die Figuren, die in all ihrer Moral oft sehr widersprüchlich und damit spannend waren.
November 10, 2010
George Pelecanos has his fingerprints all over this book. He has written 16 books and Right As Rain is the ninth. In this book Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are introduced for what turns out to be a three book series. He published his first novel in 1992; Right As Rain was published in 2001. As you can see, he writes about one book per year.
You know it is Pelecanos because there are cars, music and location. Let’s check it out!
And remember that you don’t want to ask Pelecanos what a detective has in his car unless you want to know and have a couple of minutes. You’ll have to read the book to find out what Strange has in his trunk!
If you are a kid from the suburbs in the 1950s, you know about crime from Jack Webb and Harry Morgan on Dragnet. If you are a kid from the 1970s or 80s, one of your sources is George Pelecanos. And crime is not all he will tell you about.
His street code: “What breeds respect. Not to walk away from a fight. Take a beating if you have to, but a beating’s never as bad as the feeling of shame you get when you back off.”
About Prince and gays:
Pelecanos can also pack a lot into just a few words: “Strange had been thinking of Terry Quinn all night. Quinn was violent, fearless, sensitive, and disturbed…all of those things at once.”
Pelecanos has his PG sex: “Ray was on the short side, but he did make her damp down there when he took off his shirt at night. She liked that bulldog look.”
Society and culture:
Sociology:
Law changes:
Since Right As Rain is about halfway through Pelecanos’ list of novels, you might imagine he gets even better on his following efforts. And I say you would be right. But 4 stars for this page turner is not a bad place to start.
If you are a Pelecanos fan or think you might be, here is a link that you should check out:
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/03...
You know it is Pelecanos because there are cars, music and location. Let’s check it out!
Strange sat low behind the wheel of his white-over-black ’89 Caprice, listening to a Blackbyrds tape coming from the box as he cruised south on Georgia Avenue. Next to him on the bench was a mini Maglite, a Rand McNally street atlas, and a Leatherman tool-in-one in a sheath that he often wore looped through his belt on the side of his hip. He wore a Buck knife the same way, all the time when he was on a job. A set of 10 X 50 binoculars, a cell phone, a voice-activated tape recorder, and extra batteries for his flashlights and camera were in the glove box secured with a double lock. In the trunk of the car . . .
And remember that you don’t want to ask Pelecanos what a detective has in his car unless you want to know and have a couple of minutes. You’ll have to read the book to find out what Strange has in his trunk!
If you are a kid from the suburbs in the 1950s, you know about crime from Jack Webb and Harry Morgan on Dragnet. If you are a kid from the 1970s or 80s, one of your sources is George Pelecanos. And crime is not all he will tell you about.
His street code: “What breeds respect. Not to walk away from a fight. Take a beating if you have to, but a beating’s never as bad as the feeling of shame you get when you back off.”
About Prince and gays:
[Strange] Maybe so but I listen to his music, I picture the way he’s licking his fingers to smooth down his eyebrows, crawling across the floor, wearing the makeup and shit . . . Can’t get past it I guess.
[Quinn] Racism’s bad, but that kind of ism is all right?
[Strange] Just being honest with you. You get to know be better, you’ll see; I tell it straight, whether you like what I’m say or not. All I’s saying is, your generation, y’all can deal with that homosexuality thing better than mine can.
[Quinn] It’s black men in general who can’t deal with that homosexuality thing, you ask me. If you were really honest, you’d admit it.
Pelecanos can also pack a lot into just a few words: “Strange had been thinking of Terry Quinn all night. Quinn was violent, fearless, sensitive, and disturbed…all of those things at once.”
Pelecanos has his PG sex: “Ray was on the short side, but he did make her damp down there when he took off his shirt at night. She liked that bulldog look.”
Society and culture:
People came here because they were told to come here, knowing full well that it was a rip-ff, too. Same reason they read the books their friends read, and went to movies about convicts hijacking airplanes and asteroids headed for earth. Didn’t matter that none of it was any good. No one wanted to be left out of the conversation at the next cocktail party. Everyone was desperate to be a part of what was new, to not be left behind.
Sociology:
Half the couples, some of’em had babies in strollers, were interracial. Fifteen years ago, when I was hanging out up at the Plaza, you wouldn’t have seen it. It’s just natural for these kids now. And it made me think, the way my generation is, it’s our hang-up, man. It’s something we’ve got to get over, ‘cause the world’s changing whether we like it or not.
Law changes:
”Two things I would do,” said Strange. “First thing, I’d legalize drugs. …Legalization, it works in some of those European countries, right? You don’t see this kind of crime over there. The repeal of prohibition, it stopped a lot of this kind of thing we got goin’ on right here, didn’t it?” And second “Make handguns illegal, nationwide. “
So why haven’t these changes happened in the U.S.? Derek Strange is glad to tell you. “Cause you put all those politicians down on the Hill in one room and you can’t find one set of nuts swingin’ between the legs of any of’em.”
Since Right As Rain is about halfway through Pelecanos’ list of novels, you might imagine he gets even better on his following efforts. And I say you would be right. But 4 stars for this page turner is not a bad place to start.
If you are a Pelecanos fan or think you might be, here is a link that you should check out:
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/03...
January 10, 2015
In un mondo dove il crimine è la regola e la giustizia l'eccezione, Derek Strange, al volante della sua Caprice nera e bianca dell'89, ascoltava una cassetta dei Blackbyrds mentre percorreva Georgia Avenue in direzione sud.
Strade di sangue, titolo più scontato rispetto all'originale Right as rain, parte un po' confuso, ma poi, come fosse un corridore nero che calpesta con grinta le piste di atletica leggera, si allunga e alla distanza mostra la sua gagliardia.
Sarà ma il problema è che io non sono un corridore allenato e alla distanza non ci sono arrivato lasciando il romanzo a metà :-)
George Pelecanos ha fama di essere uno dei grandi scrittori del genere hard boiled perciò mi riservo di leggere almeno un secondo libro prima di etichettarlo in un modo o nell'altro.
Siamo sempre dalle parti di Washington con l'investigatore Derek Strange (non compare sempre nei romanzi di Pelecanos, ma è un buon diavolo, appassionato di blues/soul anni '60, delle colonne sonore di Morricone, con una vita sentimentale che, ahinoi per una volta, ricalca quella di centinaia di tutori dell'ordine: scalcinata, incerta, a volte drammatica) e siamo sempre alle prese con poliziotti corrotti e giri di droghe.
I riferimenti musicali sono molti Cercava School Days di Stanley Clarke, su vinile. A Raphael piace il jazz-funk. Dexter Wansel, George Duke, roba del genere. Liston Smith.
Lei tornò a casa ascoltando una cassetta di Cassandra Wilson, senza smettere di pensare a lui
Niente rende meglio l'atmosfera di questo genere di libri quanto Isaac Hayes cosi, oltre il celebre Theme from Shaft, ascoltiamoci Joy....Isaac Hayes... wow...Joy... Una volta avevo il disco. Con uno stereo buono si riuscivano a sentire persino le bollicine di champagne.
Chiudo con una verità che nasce dall'esperienza "Prenditi le botte, se proprio devi: non sono niente in confronto alla sensazione che provi scappando." "Si vede che è giovane" replicò Strange. "Un giorno capirà che anche scappare non è poi così sbagliato."
Strade di sangue, titolo più scontato rispetto all'originale Right as rain, parte un po' confuso, ma poi, come fosse un corridore nero che calpesta con grinta le piste di atletica leggera, si allunga e alla distanza mostra la sua gagliardia.
Sarà ma il problema è che io non sono un corridore allenato e alla distanza non ci sono arrivato lasciando il romanzo a metà :-)
George Pelecanos ha fama di essere uno dei grandi scrittori del genere hard boiled perciò mi riservo di leggere almeno un secondo libro prima di etichettarlo in un modo o nell'altro.
Siamo sempre dalle parti di Washington con l'investigatore Derek Strange (non compare sempre nei romanzi di Pelecanos, ma è un buon diavolo, appassionato di blues/soul anni '60, delle colonne sonore di Morricone, con una vita sentimentale che, ahinoi per una volta, ricalca quella di centinaia di tutori dell'ordine: scalcinata, incerta, a volte drammatica) e siamo sempre alle prese con poliziotti corrotti e giri di droghe.
I riferimenti musicali sono molti Cercava School Days di Stanley Clarke, su vinile. A Raphael piace il jazz-funk. Dexter Wansel, George Duke, roba del genere. Liston Smith.
Lei tornò a casa ascoltando una cassetta di Cassandra Wilson, senza smettere di pensare a lui
Niente rende meglio l'atmosfera di questo genere di libri quanto Isaac Hayes cosi, oltre il celebre Theme from Shaft, ascoltiamoci Joy....Isaac Hayes... wow...Joy... Una volta avevo il disco. Con uno stereo buono si riuscivano a sentire persino le bollicine di champagne.
Chiudo con una verità che nasce dall'esperienza "Prenditi le botte, se proprio devi: non sono niente in confronto alla sensazione che provi scappando." "Si vede che è giovane" replicò Strange. "Un giorno capirà che anche scappare non è poi così sbagliato."
September 25, 2008
this is a real-deal page turner. i can't remember the last time i read a book this quickly. i flew through all of its 360-ish pages in a day and a half.
beyond that, it was the perfect remedy for the withdrawl i've been feeling since hbo's the wire (which pelecanos wrote for) came to its conclusion. like the wire, this novel is full of complex, three-dimensional characters dealing with complex, three-dimensional circumstances. it also shares the tv show's sensitive (but not touchy-feeley sensitive) handling of race. the plotline even mirrors the story arc concerning prez in season 3, if there are any wire fans reading this.
at times, the cinematic nature of the story threatened to override its realism. some of the bursts of violence felt a bit forced to me. its otherwise realistic universe didn't seem like the best fit for shoot-outs and cold-blooded killers. but there isn't much along those lines, and the characters more than make up for it. it ends on a nice, morally-ambiguous note, pulling back from the potential hero-mythology that could have enveloped one of its main characters. i'll definitely read more from this series.
beyond that, it was the perfect remedy for the withdrawl i've been feeling since hbo's the wire (which pelecanos wrote for) came to its conclusion. like the wire, this novel is full of complex, three-dimensional characters dealing with complex, three-dimensional circumstances. it also shares the tv show's sensitive (but not touchy-feeley sensitive) handling of race. the plotline even mirrors the story arc concerning prez in season 3, if there are any wire fans reading this.
at times, the cinematic nature of the story threatened to override its realism. some of the bursts of violence felt a bit forced to me. its otherwise realistic universe didn't seem like the best fit for shoot-outs and cold-blooded killers. but there isn't much along those lines, and the characters more than make up for it. it ends on a nice, morally-ambiguous note, pulling back from the potential hero-mythology that could have enveloped one of its main characters. i'll definitely read more from this series.
January 30, 2019
A middling start to a new series, the book in a nutshell is unremarkable. There is nothing especially wrong with the book, there is an attempt to provide depth to the protagonists, the gritty setting of a dilapidated Washington DC is recreated pretty well. But the story seems to lack tension, it goes though the motion with a workman like vigor, perfectly acceptable but perplexingly average.
Ultimately it is like driving a car in third gear on an empty road or having just a couple of beers at the happening party on a Friday night. There is nothing wrong with it but there is so much more that could have been done under the circumstances. Rating - 3/5.
Ultimately it is like driving a car in third gear on an empty road or having just a couple of beers at the happening party on a Friday night. There is nothing wrong with it but there is so much more that could have been done under the circumstances. Rating - 3/5.
July 21, 2017
“Right as Rain” is the first novel in a series of four novels by George Pelacanos about Washington, D.C., detectives Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. It was followed by “Hell To Pay,” “Soul Circus,” and “Hard Revolution.” This is the first novel in the series (although Hard Revolution, a far more ambitious work, goes back to childhood origins). All of these novels are excellent and highly recommended.
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