OK, I've read three George Pelecanos novels now. I think I'm beginning to see his style clearly, and while I wasn't universally impressed with the books (Shame the Devil was a bit slow, far as I was concerned) I think I like the overall mood he sets and what he tries to do.
So, some observations. All three of the books have included an extended prologue, which backgrounds the characters in the main part of the story, and sets the stage for what's to occur in the main part of the book. This latest book, Hard Revolution, does this differently from the other two, because here Pelecanos is writing a prequel to some later detective stories he was writing, with his main character detective learning his place in the world, so to speak. So as a result, the first part of the book takes place in 1959, and the main part of the story nine years later, in 1968.
Second, Pelecanos is clearly a person who pays a lot of attention to pop culture. Reading his books one imagines he's one of those guys who can tell you who covered a particular song by a particular artist, who wrote it, when it was released, whether it was a hit, and so forth, and do this for practically everything you can imagine. At least half the scenes in Hard Revolution are set with some reference to music from the period. The author also tells you about cars, and other items of pop culture or commerce that the characters use, in considerable detail.
Third, the author has a thing for secrets buried in the past. Considering that I grew up reading Ross MacDonald, this is a good way to rope me into reading these books; the idea that someone has done something, gotten away with it, and now, many years later, may have to face the consequences, has always been appealing. No one likes to think these people get away with stuff forever.
One last thing that's interesting. Most novelists have trouble setting their stories in the middle of events in the outside world. Those events tend to distract from the main plot, and that would worry some; your plot has to be pretty strong to stand up to such distractions. Hard Revolution, set during 1968, with Johnson quitting the presidency, King getting shot, and so forth, uses the events of that year (or some of them anyway) to provide context for what's going on in the main plot.
I really enjoyed this book, the plot, the characters, and the action. I would recommend it.
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