George PelecanosKing Suckerman: A Novel

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If you are a fan of Pelecanos, you will not be disappointed when you read this novel. Fantastic characters and a real life storyline make this a must-read.

It's a paradox. If there were more novels like King Suckerman, it would no doubt diminish one's sheer joy in discovering and reading them. As is the case with all forms of artistic expression, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - or reader, in this case. Not everyone will enjoy the 1970s blaxploitation-style prose George P. Pelecanos masterfully employs in King Suckerman, perhaps even those who are fans of his myriad other gritty crime novels.Bottom line: If you love the dead-on, but not overdone or obviously overwrought, dialogue of Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino, you'll love King Suckerman. And if you love King Suckerman, you have to check out Pelecanos' 2012 novel,  What It Was .

I started with "Down By the River Where The Dead Men Go", "The Night Gardner", "What It Was", and now "King Suckerman". This book almost reads like a blackploitation film I say almost because unlike blaxploitation this actually shows a more human aspect instead of a bunch of stereotypes. I like the writing of Pelecanos because all his stories take place in DC specifically in my own back yard. His dialogue humorous yet memorable, character development stays with you long after you have finished, and that's a good thing seeing as how the characters make cameos in other books. I highly suggest this book to anyone interested in serious crime fiction.

This was, without doubt, the absolute WORST book I have ever tried to read. And in a Universe in which there exists the dreck of One Second After, that is saying something. This book was definitely NOT what I expected. Too many references to arcane music and specific songs; poor, no, NON-EXISTENT character development. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to return for a refund by one day. $9.99 for a book not even worth 2-cents. I was looking for a true continuation of the DC Quartet series, but in a logical, readable sense. This is not that. Pelecanos must have written this in a feve dream, else he delegated the plot and character "development" to an infant child. Stupid, stupid stupid. I stopped reading around page 90 or so. My kindle only gives me percentages, and the percentage read was 30. That is part of my life I will never get back. I will also not read books 3 and 4 in the quartet. Pelecanos has lost his ever-loving mind. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.

Pelgranos is a great fabricator of fiction telling tall tales that are fun and enjoyable to read, especially if you are even somewhat familiar with Washington DC. Once you finish the book and seek out more you will understand how the cast of characters came together.The 1968 riots in DC changed the community and the atmosphere of the city radically. How that change effected different portions of the metro area is reflected in the stories.

Is it a finely rendered portrait of '70s DC? A deeply emotional tale of crime and revenge? Or pulp trash? It's all these things. King Suckerman is one of those books that transcends its genre. It's entertaining, yes. But it also has big themes on its mind, like racism, violence and redemption. And it's written in a style that integrates music, basketball, and a deep knowledge of DC's streets and sidewalks. A great example of modern hard-boiled crime.

Mr. Pelicanos did a good, but not great job describing the wasted lives of those young men with so much potential. But it is not his best effort. I enjoyed reading the cultural references to the 1980s, including the movies and the music. The story line dragged at times, but that's probably the way things really happened back then. I'm glad that I read the book and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

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an awesome book. totally recommend it. Cool tunes, threads and wheels. Great lingo, too

Great service & price. Thank You.

Absolutely brilliant - great story line with a tight plot , some humour and all in all a great read.

Love his analysis of life in the inner city.