King Suckerman
A Novel

In the summer of ‘76 best buddies Marcus Clay and Demetri Karras are spending their free time playing pick-up basketball games while everyone in Washington DC is buzzing about the upcoming bicentennial celebration and a new blaxplotation flick called King Suckerman. As a Vietnam veteran and owner of......more

I evidently read this book in print over 12 years ago but I have just finished listening to it in the audible version today. I bumped it up a star, which probably means that I’ve enjoyed the audible version. Or maybe I have just realized that I have missed reading George pelacanos. This book seemed......more

It’s not difficult to see why Pelecanos spends more of his time screenwriting these days. His stories really need a soundtrack. He tells you what’s playing during this novel, so perhaps the way around it is to take time out and find and play the track. As with The Deuce it’s set in the seventies;......more

This is the eighth Pelecanos book I've read. I'm starting to recognize his favored tropes, narrative devices, themes, and character traits. While there is plenty of carryover from book to book, there is a whole helluva lot to love. And, perhaps what is most enjoyable, he can still surprise you. Damn......more

It is the summer of 1976 and 'King Suckerman' is the title of a new film ("the one about the pimp?") that virtually every character in the novel is dying to watch. Taking place throughout Independence Day weekend of the Bicentennial Year, the novel portrays a melting pot of Washington D.C. denizens;......more