Soul Circus, By George P Pelecanos

Most people know how much I love HBO’s The Wire (watch it, love it, then watch it again), and Pelecanos wrote a few episodes for the show. I’ve never thought I would like hard-boiled crime fiction, but his stuff is fantastic. You find empathy for the characters, even the street-level bangers who are in a situation they just don’t know how to get out of (another theme of “The Wire”). His main character, private investigator Derek Strange, is a terrific, complicated character to build a series around. The themes of one book are similar to the next, but the characters are so well-written, and the urban setting is so descriptive and well-established, you feel like he’s writing pure poetry of the streets. I can’t wait to read more of his novels.

4 out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Erin Payton, Library Services