Right as Rain (Derek Strange/Terry Quinn) (Mass Market Paperback)

by George P. Pelecanos (Author) "WHAT Derek Strange was worried about, looking at Jimmy Simmons sitting there, spilling over a chair on the other side of his desk, was that..." (more)
Key Phrases: weight bench, Chris Wilson, Leona Wilson, Ricky Kane (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
George Pelecanos's Washington, D.C., is a far cry from the upwardly mobile, tourist-attraction-speckled enclave of Margaret Truman (Murder at the National Cathedral, Murder in Georgetown). Pelecanos's capital is a haunting terrain of drugs and death, a no man's land of posturing dealers and skeletal warehouses that shelter their buyers:

A rat scurried into a dim side room, and a withered black face receded into the darkness. The face belonged to a junkie named Tonio Morris. He was one of the many bottom-of-the-food-chain junkies, near death and too weak to cut out a space of their own on the second floor; later, when the packets were delivered to those with cash, they'd trade anything they had, anything they'd stolen that day, or any orifice on their bodies for some rock or powder.

When PI Derek Strange is hired by Chris Wilson's mother to find out why her son, a black cop, was killed by a white cop, Terry Quinn, on a dark night in that no man's land, Strange figures that the answer is painfully clear: a typical case of mistaken identity, fueled by the assumptions and preconceptions of Quinn's innate racism. But what Strange finds is a tentative kinship with Quinn, who is desperate to proclaim himself "color-blind." Kicked off the force and convinced that there's more to his own story, Quinn asks to join Strange in his investigation. As the two pry into the past, drifting through the neighborhoods both men have known all their lives, they find themselves enmeshed in a tangle of cold-blooded competition and heated personal enmity.

Pelecanos generally has a light touch with the treacherous quagmire of -isms, veering only occasionally into sententious meanderings about the consequences of an economically and racially divided society. His wry humor, particularly in his descriptions of Earl and Ray, the heroin middlemen who bring the concept of white trash to a depressingly low level, leavens the novel's noir bleakness. And Strange himself is a compelling character: a middle-aged black man who has seen more of life's callousness than he cares to admit, and whose jitteriness about personal commitment speaks volumes about his own expectations for happiness. A strong character and a good read--Pelecanos fans can settle in and look forward to Strange's next appearance. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Nearly a decade after Pelecanos (Shame the Devil; Nick's Trip) introduced Nick Stefanos to the private eye scene, the hard-boiled specialist has come up with a new urban gumshoe who's just as tantalizing to watch in action. Derek Strange, a black ex-cop in his mid-50s, walks the same Washington, D.C., streets as Stefanos, yet does so with far more experience under his belt. In his debut, Strange is hired to answer nagging questions about the death of black police officer Chris Wilson, who was killed by another cop in a shootout. Police investigators cleared Terry Quinn, the white cop who killed Wilson, but Strange soon discovers several hidden issues that may put a different spin on the case. Quinn confirms that he shot Wilson in self-defense, but admits he remains disturbed by the actions of the other people present at the scene of the conflict. Strange enlists his aid in the investigation and the case takes both men deep into the worlds of drug dealing, police corruption and racism. The plot rolls along in a workmanlike, almost predictable fashion. Yet as is usually the case with Pelecanos, it's the characters who give the story the gritty, dark twists that have become the author's trademark. The cast is wonderfully varied, yet Pelecanos also manages to capture the essence of most of his characters with just a few descriptive licks. It's Strange, however, who steals the show. He's a mature man with a highly defined sense of who he is--an aging private eye who knows that his best weapons these days are his wits and wisdom. (Feb. 6)Forecast: A new Pelecanos series hero is big news in the noir world. British, Italian, French and Japanese rights have already been sold, and a five-city author tour will start sales rolling in the U.S.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446610798
• ISBN-13: 978-0446610797
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #167,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Derek Strange Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More from the Mean Streets of DC, July 30, 2001

By	A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Right as Rain: A Novel (Hardcover)

Oddly, no one from DC has thrown in their 2 cents on the latest Pelecanos book, so I guess I'll give it a shot. I've lived in DC for 20 years, my family is from here, and Pelecanos is only the second author I've come across who writes about the DC that I know and recognize (the other Edward Jones, check out his story collection "Lost in the City" if you can find it). In this new book, he steps away from his established characters Nick Stefanos and Dmitri Karras, and launches a new duo, black, middle-aged PI Derek Strange, and younger, white ex-cop Terry Quinn. Through them, and the story of Chris Wilson, an off-duty black cop shot by Quinn, Pelecanos displays the racial awkwardness and tension that pervades Washington, D.C. The central message of the book is that everyone, regardless of race, carries preconceptions with them about other groups. That doesn't make them racist-that term is reserved for those who carry hatred in their hearts.

Strange is hired to investigate the shooting of her son, Chris Wilson, leading him to Quinn, who works in a little used bookstore in Silver Spring (Like all the locations in the book, the store really exists, it's a few blocks from my office and I sometimes swing by on my lunch break). The two men fall into an uneasy partnership as this discover more about he events that led to Quinn's killing of Wilson. They make an engagingly effective odd couple as they verbally spar with one another about race, underneath their respective flaws, they're good men. At the same time, both men are struggling to make relationships work, Strange with his divorcee secretary, and Quinn with a Latina student/waitress. As with most of Pelecanos's men, they often make selfish or simply clumsy moves in looking for love. And like most of those same guys, they have well-defined tastes in music, cars, movies, and books.

Following the tone of Pelecanos's previous work, what is gradually revealed is a sordid tale of drugs and corruption, with some powerful drug pushers, and a few violent rednecks. All this unfolds in a world instantly recognizable to Washington natives, where drug dealers work in the open, neighborhoods revolve around local restaurants, and corruption has spread to even the upscale oases (the well-known high-end restaurant Red Sage being one example). As we have come to expect from Pelecanos, everything comes together in a cinematic violent climax offering some attempt at justice. If you've read and enjoyed previous books of his, you're likely to enjoy this one as well. It's got two great new characters, and is a bit more explicit in examining racism, but is otherwise very much in keeping with his previous work.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT IS "RIGHT AS RAIN" -- THIS BOOK IS!!!, March 12, 2001

By	Nancy Martin (Pennsylvania (orig. NY)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Right as Rain: A Novel (Hardcover)

In a recent issue of Book Magazine, George Pelecanos claims that he
doesn't want the words "cool and tough" to dominate his dust
jacket blurbs in describing his writing so I'll have to come up with
some other adjectives to describe his explosive storylines and quick
dialogue. He describes one of the characters in his book as being
"violent, fearless, sensitive and disturbed" -- come to
think of it, these are the adjectives that could be used to describe
his own writing in this book. I had an opportunity to see Pelecanos
in person at a book signing in Philadelphia and if the words cool and
tough shouldn't be used to describe his books, they certainly can be
used to describe this author, as the picture in his book doesn't do
him justice.

In Right As Rain, Derek Strange is a 50 something
ex-cop who now has his own investigation agency. Terry Quinn is a 30
something ex-cop who now works in a bookstore. The shooting death of
black cop Chris Wilson at the hands of a white cop will bring these
two together as the white cop and shooter was Terry Quinn. Strange is
hired by Wilson's mother to clear her son's name since Quinn said he
acted in self-defense in shooting Wilson. The investigation will lead
Derek Strange to a drug trafficking ring originating out of Florida
and supplying the D.C. dealers with enough drugs to make everyone
rich. The middlemen in D.C. are lowlifes and their connection is even
worse. Pelecanos explores the lives of the junkies, the dealers, the
bad cops involved and some good cops trying to come to terms with
urban life in D.C. as well as their own prejudicial agenda. This
isn't the Washington, D.C. you see on CSPAN. The author states that
there are "more violent criminals there, per capita, than in any
city in the country." Yet it is quite obvious that George
Pelecanos loves this city and knows its good points as well as its bad
ones. His research is extensive and I've heard he's been known to
drive around with D.C. cops at night to further understand the inner
workings of the beat....after signing stacks of liability releases I'm
sure.

The story comes to a cataclysmic end as all roads lead to one
and everyone's story becomes connected. It was at this point in the
book that I truly became nervous wondering how it would all end up.
This is the true sign of a good mystery writer -- one who can keep you
on the edge of your seat.

Pelecanos makes some very good points on
social reform yet he doesn't lecture you as some other authors might.
He just throws his thoughts out there perhaps hoping they'll stick.
He's also obviously a music lover and aficionado of books with a
western theme as most every scene in the book has accompanying music
mentioned as well as many western book titles being read in the
bookstore where Quinn works. Lovers of music and westerns will eat
this up.

The teaming up of Derek Strange and Terry Quinn is one that
definitely works and this reader hopes to meet up with them again in
another Pelecanos' offering. If you've yet to check out George
Pelecanos, I'd suggest starting with this one since you'd be hard
pressed not to enjoy it. I know that Pelecanos is being compared to
many other authors out there right now. Believe me, there's no
comparison -- he's in a class of his own.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, Gritty, Good!, April 5, 2003

By	Stacey Cochran. Visit staceycochran.com (Raleigh, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

Right as Rain is gritty social realism at its best. Pelecanos works against the straight-jacket of the detective genre to bring us a novel that is equal parts detective novel, social commentary, and roller coast ride entertainment. In the end, it's easiest just to call Right as Rain a detective novel, but it could just as well fit on the literary or mainstream book shelf inside a bookstore. It is that good!

One honest word of caution to anyone who may be reading this review trying to make up her mind whether or not to buy or read Right as Rain -- it is a very "male" novel. It is macho. It is violent and gritty in its depiction of drugs and drug use, and women take subordinate roles to men. If you want great women characters go read Jane Austen, if you want a shotgun and Sharmba Mitchell, Pelecanos is your man.

Right as Rain is the story of private detective Derek Strange and former cop Terry Quinn's first meeting and first work together. Quinn has been forced into retirement for shooting and killing a plain-clothed black cop (Chris Wilson) in a morally compromised situation, and the story is primarily about his ability to redeem himself. The race issue is described in multi-textured layers where honesty proves the better line to walk than PC social convention.

Both Quinn and Strange have mature issues to work through. For Strange, he must decide how much to commit to a role as father and husband, while working the thankless streets of D.C. And at the center of their work is the lost junkie sister (Sondra Wilson) of the cop Quinn killed. She may hold the answers to why Wilson was going ballistic on a slimeball kid named Ricky Kane, which drew Quinn into pulling his gun in the first place.

All of this makes Right as Rain sound like a heavily weighted character novel, and while the characters are heavy the novel itself never gets weighted down. Pelecanos's pacing is about as good as any writer writing today, regardless of genre. You get the sense that he just writes each chapter on the fly, and when done well this makes for the best kind of novel -- one with a pulse, man. One with a very strong pulse.

I highly recommend Right as Rain to ...anyone who likes really good fiction. I'd also suggest checking out "Shame the Devil," a novel who's opening twenty-five pages may be the best opening twenty-five pages I've ever read. Pelecanos doesn't mince words. When he gets into writing a novel, it's the fiction equivalent of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. The fight is for truth, justice and moral redemption, and the result is an undisputed knockout!

Stacey...