Soul Circus (Mass Market Paperback)

~ George Pelecanos (Author) "THE chains binding Granville Oliver's wrist scraped the scarred surface of the table before him..." (more)
Key Phrases: Dewayne Durham, Mario Durham, Granville Oliver (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

George Pelecanos's Washington, D.C., is a place rife with high-living drug dealers, easily obtained guns, and a generation depleted by ignorance, excessive machismo, and misplaced trust in the equalizing power of violence. Yet PI Derek Strange "did love D.C.," as Pelecanos acknowledges in Soul Circus, his third novel (after Right as Rain and Hell to Pay) to feature this mid-50s black detective and his younger white partner, Terry Quinn. Strange's optimism may be running at even higher gear than normal here, following his marriage to his longtime secretary, Janine Baker, and his determination to be a good stepfather to her son.

Picking up where Hell to Pay left off, we find Strange working in Soul Circus on behalf of Granville Oliver, a manipulative black mobster charged with murder and racketeering, who faces the death penalty. To help his client knock that sentence down to life imprisonment, Strange will have to find a nail salon worker named Devra Stokes, who used to be the girlfriend of Phillip Wood, a former associate of Oliver's and now the prosecution's chief witness against him. Stokes had sworn out an abuse complaint against Wood, and might testify that he was behind at least one of the killings Oliver is said to have planned. But, fearing for her own safety and that of her young son, she wants no part of Oliver's defense. Meanwhile, Quinn--against his better judgment--helps a homely, unpredictable gangsta-wannabe, Mario "Twigs" Durham, locate his girlfriend, who supposedly went missing, but in fact skipped out with his drug stash. Even as the threads of this yarn come together amid a deadly gang conflict, Pelecanos stays focused on his characters--not only his intriguingly troubled sleuths, but also a deftly nuanced cop-turned-gun dealer, Ulysses Foreman. Buttressed by Pelecanos's street-slangy prose, Soul Circus delivers an un-blindered perspective on urban life (and death) that manages to be both frightening and hopeful. Not so unlike the city in which it's set. --J. Kingston Pierce --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

PI Derek Strange continues to prowl the South East quadrant of Washington, D.C., in Pelecanos's 11th novel (after Hell to Pay), which caroms madly and brilliantly between warring drug crews, opportunistic gun dealers and intimidated witnesses. Strange is hired by lawyers defending Granville Oliver, a murderous high-profile drug dealer now headed for death row. Strange has to locate a reliable witness who could earn Granville a commutation to life in prison. His best bet is Devra Stokes, the former girlfriend of Philip Wood, a deputy drug dealer who had worked under Oliver and testified against his boss. Stokes filed a brutality complaint against Wood, and Strange might be able to cast doubt on Wood's credibility, if he can only find the disgruntled ex-girlfriend. Strange is growing weary of the dejection in this neighborhood, of fatherless black boys who become gullible thugs who go on to orphan another generation. But the real crime, Pelecanos suggests, is the ready supply of firearms ("Simple as buying a carton of milk. And you didn't even need big money to do it... the community could chip in to buy one. What they called a neighborhood gun"). These guns, Pelecanos reminds us, are wielded by little more than children who want to impress their friends. Dewayne and Mario Durham, teenaged brothers trying to work their way up the ladder of thugdom, are prime examples, and Mario's blind allegiance to his smarter younger brother has terrible consequences. The ensemble cast also includes charismatic mercenary gun dealer Ulysses Foreman. Foreman and Strange are the oldest characters in the cast, and as the body count rises, Pelecanos keeps readers guessing as to who will bow first. This is vintage Pelecanos, with characters to remember, dialogue that rocks, an unsentimental, kinetic tableau of the D.C. underworld and, most of all, a conscience.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Vision (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446611425
• ISBN-13: 978-0446611428
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #470,702 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Derek Strange Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty Urban Thriller Complete with Tragedy, Humor & More, March 3, 2003

By	JC "JC" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soul Circus (Hardcover)

The popularity of George Pelecanos is on the rise, and with good reason. Soul Circus is the third installment of his Derek Strange series, and it more than meets the high expectations set by the previous two. Pelecanos is to Washington, DC as Robert Crais and Michael Connelly are to Los Angeles. He knows the streets, the people, and the culture and his writing reflects the knowledge of an insider. His depictions of urban youth, gang violence, and drug culture are on the mark and he pulls no punches.

Character development seems to be a strong suit of Pelecanos, as Derek Strange is one of the best around. There is not a reader around who will dislike him. He is not perfect - in fact, he is quite flawed. He's married, but he's reluctant to fully immerse himself in family life. He opposes the death penalty and hates the drugs that plague his neighborhood, but at times resorts to violence and illegal activities himself. He is constantly trying to help the younger men with whom he comes in contact, but realizes that he can only go so far.

Terry Quinn is his partner, and he is just as flawed as Strange. He does not believe in stronger gun control laws, and hates when he is 'punked' due to the fact that he is white. He is prone to violence and has a temper. He often steps over the line, but he is just as loveable as Strange and brings a great deal to the story.

Soul Circus is a novel filled with violence and the death of the young. It is at times brutal, and Pelecanos does not flinch when he relates the reality of murder to his readers. He does not, however, portrey all those involved in the drug trade as evil thugs. No character in this book is drawn so black and white as to be wholly good or bad. From Mario Durham, who is constantly laughed at for wearing a pair of used 'ordans,' to the feared Granville Oliver on trial for his life, everyone has their flaws, and all have redeeming features.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, but readers would probably maximize their enjoyment of this novel by reading Right as Rain and Hell to Pay beforehand. They are both excellent as well.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT!!, April 29, 2003

By	Glenn (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soul Circus (Hardcover)

George Pelecanos is one of todays best crime writers. Ive read all of his novels and I can honestly say that Ive never been disappointed. In his latest novel, Soul Circus, Mr. Pelecanos returns us to the Washington D.C. of Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. Its a Washington that most of us dont know about. Drug dealers, gangs, guns and violence abound, but thats not all these neighborhoods are about. Mr. Peleconos takes us deep into our capitols neighborhoods and culture.
If youve been keeping up with Mr. Pelecanoss writing youll know that, Harriet Klausner pay attention here, this is Derek Strange and Terry Quinns third appearance and Mr. Pelecanoss 11th novel.
As I said before Ive enjoyed every one of his novels but the ending to Soul Circus is a surprise that I wasnt prepared for. It may just signal the end to Derek Stranges stories. I guess well just have to wait and see.
If youve read Right as Rain and Hell to Pay then pick up this novel as soon as possible. If you havent..What are you waiting for?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A THINKING MAN'S THRILLER VERY WELL READ, April 9, 2003

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Soul Circus (Derek Strange/Terry Quinn) (Audio Cassette)

With his 11th novel bestselling author George Pelecanos offers another powerful, disturbing and highly readable story set on the mean streets of Washington, D.C. Private investigator Derek Strange with the aid of Terry Quinn again takes center stage as turf battles erupt in violent grabs for territory and money.

Accomplished voice performer Richard Allen adds just the right amounts of menace and bravado to his reading, ably inhabiting the skins of both good and bad guys.

When a D. C. crime boss is captured and imprisoned he seems a shoo-in for the ultimate punishment. Lawyers representing the gang leader hire Strange to help in getting a lighter sentence. A witness is needed to cast doubt on testimony against the drug lord, and that witness might just be an angry former girlfriend. After all, hell hath no fury like a you-know-who.

Meanwhile with the crime boss in jail two young drug dealers are jousting for the apparently up for grabs neighborhood and profits to come. It is, as Pelecanos makes clear, a vicious circle that goes round and round in an amoral neighborhood where fear rules and friendships are forsaken.

Pelecanos writes thinking man's thrillers, as his legions of fans will attest.

- Gail Cooke