...make it this one. This book provides an extremely well organized and well presented history of the war, focusing on the personalities involved without short-shrifting the sweep of events. I picked it up because my knowledge of this conflict was very limited (schoolboy-level) hoping for a good read that would fill in the gaps in my knowledge, and wasn't disappointed. The individual battles are well described within a framework that makes it clear what was at stake each time and how even small conflicts fit into the grander scheme of things. Particularly riveting is General Washington's campaign in which he loses battle after battle, but by keeping his army intact, prolongs the war and makes final victory possible. Benedict Arnold, the British Commanders, US militiamen, and the US Congress are all important background "characters" which fill out this excellent history. After finishing the book, I not only have an appreciation for the chronology of events, but also for the personalities and the character of the times that led to American Independence. That's exactly what an excellent history should provide, and this definitely falls into that category.

This book provides a vivid history of the American Revolution. I was enthralled by it. Whereas many history books only state fact after fact, Leckie describes the war with brilliant detail as if it were occurring but a few days ago. I could almost feel the thoughts of the "Yankee Doodle" marching half-naked through the snow of Pennsylvania. His superb beginning with the Battle of Quebec up to the "shot heard around the world" was a fascinating hundred pages on the causes of the war. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I bought Delivered from Evil, None Died in Vain and From Sea to Shining Sea. his writing style makes history extremely enjoyable to read. In one of his other books he stated that he did not include footnotes or endnotes because he wanted his books to read like a narrative, though I wish he included endnotes to the source of his quotes, facts, etc. for cross-referencing. Other than that, this book was superb.

Before picking up this book, the only full-length treatment of the Revolution that I had read was Barbara Tuchmann's The First Salute (excellent book). Before that, I being a good Civil War buff, had contented myself with receiving Revolution history through general (high school and college) American history courses and History Channel episodes. Boy, oh boy, what I missed. I have not been able to stop reading George Washington's War, an for someone woefully unversed in the Revolution (save Tuchmann), this was an excellant starting point. The layman reader need not fear this book, for Leckie does not get bogged down in heavy tactical analysis, but rather illuninates the reader with the reasons why things happened. The best part of this book, though, is his portrait of Benedict Arnold. Before reading GWW, the name Benedict Arnold was synonymous in my mind with "traitor". Now, it is "fallen hero," admitedly by his own design. That Arnold turned traitor in a foul way (wanting to surrender a fort and 3,000 American soldiers) is not in dispute. But I am compelled to agree with Leckie that if it were not for Arnold's actions from '75 through '77, there would be no United States of America.

How many people travel back into time, get to help out with a march in a war, and have the courage to care for a friend in the freezing snow? Not many people I know!!! Wow!! George Washington's Socks is a fascinating book about a boy named Matt and a group of friends. They decide to camp out in their backyard. Suddenly, Matt's sister Katie finds an old rowboat. When they travel on the rowboat it takes them back into George Washington's time! Matt helps out with a march in the Revolutionary War, and meets a very special friend. Matt is cold and hungry, when a gentelman takes him into his home. Will Matt ever find his friends? Will Matt ever get home? Read this book to find out!!!!

This book was read to 3rd and 4th graders. It made learning about the Revolutionary War much more interesting. After listening, they could relatate historical facts while learning them. There should be more children's books like this one. I. Han

I just finished reading this book to my fourth grade class. The students were so interested in it that they never wanted read aloud time to end! They learned a lot from this historical fiction piece, as well. Some of the people, places, and ideas have been seen in our social studies curriculum, and they REMEMBER them! This includes things like who the Hessians were, where Trenton is located, and Washington crossing the Delaware. Woodruff's writing has made this time in history so much more real for my students. They have a new understanding of what war is like and a new appreciation for history, unlike any they could have from reading a textbook.

I really liked this book. It is a perfect example of its genre -- hardboiled, 40s style, film noir, tough-guy-with-no-heart-of-gold fiction. I have lived in the DC area for over 30 years so I especially appreciated the geographical nuance. There is much more to this city than politics, media and sex. There is crime, gangs and sex, too. Pelecanos knows this intuitively and gives the reader a great ride thru the "seamy underbelly" of Washington, DC. Pelecanos has a keen understanding of the racial dynamics of the city in the 30s and 40s, which pervades our lives today. Overall, this is a really good story well told. I can't wait to read another of his books.

Pelecanos continues to amaze me. The thing that particularly struck me about this book was the way he is able to transfer his scene writing skills to an earlier era. He's just as effective in putting the reader in a scene in the 1940's as he is in writing more modern material. Other than that, this book is just what I've come to expect from this author: great character development with complex personalities, gritty people and places, a twisting, hard story that truly holds your interest, etc.

I particularly liked the way the author worked World War II service into the lives of these characters, along with the fear of the big bomb being dropped on Washington, D.C. Also, as usual, the good guys are not even close to being all good and not everything turns out OK in the end.

Let me just sum up my thoughts on this book and this writer like this: If you think you like crime fiction and you're not reading everything Pelecanos has written, it's your loss.

Fans of George Pelecanos will not be disappointed in this excellent novel. Set in D.C. during the years just before and after WWII, his familiar cast of characters inhabit a world of hope and violence that somehow seems appropriate to the American Dream. The plot is engaging and believable, the action is fast paced, and the character portrayals are as satisfying as a reader could want. This is a great story of friendship, betrayal and flawed redemption. Much more than just a 'crime novel' (and this is true of his other books as well) The Big Blowdown evokes a time when everthing seemed possible, from great success to 'the Big Blowdown' (atomic annihilation) and tells the story a few immigrant kids whose future turns out to be quite different from any they would have imagined.

Reading a Pelecanos book always leaves me feeling as though I had touched a piece of real life. This book has the added appeal of touching a real piece of time gone by as well. Very satisfying. I highly recommend it.

"The Sweet Forever" is the first George P. Pelecanos book that I've read, but it won't be the last. Like most gifted writers, Pelecanos writes rich-bodied characters with all of their phallacies and strengths. However, what sets Pelecanos apart from the others is his ability to capture the time and the place so successfully. Gary Phillips, author of the Ivan Monk Mysteries, which are set in Los Angeles, and Grace Edwards, author of Mali Anderson Mysteries, set in Harlem, New York, have similiar gifts for capturing the essense of the era in the black community. Washington, DC, in the mid-1980's is no easy read. A city where the mayor and those close to him were convicted of crimes while congress sat less than a mile away issuing edicts and strangling the eagle until it screamed and caused the city's infrastructure to fail. On a philosophical level, Pelecanos is on target with the sermons that he sometimes delivers through his characters, but he fails to go far enough. Washington, D. C. was in the 80s and is today the last working plantation.

Writers dislike being compared to one another, but readers find the shorthand of similarities helpful when searching for new authors to read. Take the hard edged tone and flare for local color of James Crumley, give him an ethnic Greek background and raise him in Washington, D.C. and you will discover George P. Pelecanos, one of the finest but least recognized writers of crime fiction in America today. One can only hope that The Sweet Forever, Pelecanos' seventh novel, corrects that latter fact.

Think of a novel of suspense set in Washington and grand monuments and politics come to mind. That is, after all, all that most of us know about our nation's capital. But Washington is a real city as well, a city apart from national politics where ordinary people of all sorts live and work and die. This is Pelecanos' Washington, and he knows it well. His characters do not live at the Watergate or work on Capitol Hill. They live in neighborhoods never seen on the nightly! news and work in diners and discount appliance stores, listen to local bands in bars no tourists ever stumble into and, on occasion, become embroiled in the 'meat and potatos' crimes that serve as the stock in trade of mysteries.

The Sweet Forever embroils Dimitri Karras and Marcus Clay, recurring Pelecanos characters, in a cocaine ring's search for stolen money. Cops on the take and the already frightening lives of children on the pre-crack D.C. streets of the 1980s intertwine the plot line against the backdrop of the NCAA basketball tournament the year U. Maryland's Len Bias enthrawlled the city's many round ball fans. The pacing is brisk, the characterizations and dialogue believable, and the net effect is a thoroughly enjoyable read. (Non-fans of basketball may have to ask a friend why the novel ends as it does, but this is a small point.)

The book does suffer, however, from underediting -- a weakness of several of his earlier novels. Someone should have insisted ! on deleting the incessant naming of some particular musicia! n playing some particular song from some particular album in scene after scene after scene. It is a tedious self-indulgence of Pelecanos that distracts from his otherwise strong writing. Even so, Pelecanos deserves a wider readership with The Sweet Forever and serious consideration from the folks who pass out the Edgars. Aside from changing for the better readers' sense of my home town (There, I've admitted my bias!), Pelecanos will engage and entertain those readers with The Sweet Forever, and then with each other fine offering in his generational, urban tapestry.

The Sweet Forever is a well done and engrossing crime novel. Pelecanos' story shifts from the Washington DC gang members to the corrupt cops to honest people just trying to get by and back again. It's not really about one crime, like a murder that must be solved. Rather it concerns a chain reaction of events which occur after a bag of drug money is taken from a flaming car. The characters are real and will stay with you after you put the novel down. The resolution is satisfying--nothing canned or predictible here. The Sweet Forever is an enjoyable, engrossing read.

This is a rather short book of 56 pages (8.5"x5.5" in size). However, it puts a good deal of infomation into those pages. The book starts with a short history of what leads to the French and Indian War, then gives information concerning George Washington's service under the British up to Braddock's march. In dealing with the begining of Braddock's Campaign, we are told of Benjamin Franklin's part in securing supplies for the march. There are illustrations and excerpts from first-hand accounts of those involved.
The author gives a fairly good account of the battle (Braddock's Defeat) itself, but there are some mistakes. For example, the book claims the French set up an ambush for the English at Braddock's Defeat. This is simply not true. It is true that the French were trying to set up an ambush at the river crossing, but the English had already crossed the river before the French arrived there, and the English spotted the French and Indians before any "ambush" could take place. When the French first met the British, both sides were equally surprised. This mistaken belief that the French ambushed the British, however, has been repeated by many historians. And the "Indian" the book claimed was spotted by the English was really the French commander of the attackers. Also, the book leads one to believe the Indian and French "ambushers" immediately routed the English but this is not true either. The English formed up into ranks and had the French and Indians in a near retreat after the French Commander was shot down. The English only began to retreat when the French and Indians regrouped under another commander and threatened to surround the English. This is when things turned ugly for the English.
There is really no excuse for these mistakes, but the story of George Washington's part in the Battle and his miraculous escape from injury is well told. Perhaps because of the rather short length of the book, the author simply skipped things which would be covered in a longer account.
One incident related is the story of Mary Draper Ingles, George Washington, and the Indian called Red Hawk. The author tells of an incident when Ingles met Washington. The author uses as his source for this information the book "Follow The River." Now, while I have read "Follow the River," and it is a very good book, it is a novel, and should not be used as a source. In fact, the author of that novel writes in his "notes" at the end of the book that there is NO record stating Ingles and Washington ever met. In other words, it isn't really true; the novelist just used the incident for dramatic effect. Also, the author of "Follow the River" states he used the book "Trans-Allegany Pioneers" by Hale for much of his information. This book relates the incident of Red Hawk and Washington, but Ingles is not involved in any way. And "Trans-Allegany Pioneers" uses for its source of information, the book "History of the Valley of Virginia" by Kercheval. Again while the story of Red Hawk and Washington is most likely true, Ingles is not involved in any way. Barton should never have used a NOVEL as a source because the author of the novel changes things for the benefit of the story and as a way to introduce the information. In other words, the incident with Ingles really never happened, but the information concerning Red Hawk and Washington is based on fact. (By the way, however, "Follow the River" is a very good novel, based on the life of Mary Ingles, but it is a novel, not a source for reference.) The other account of Washington and Red Hawk and Dr. Craik has as its original source a book by Washington's stepson, "Recollections and Private Memoirs of George Washington" (by George Washington Parke Custic).
So the story has some faulty history, but it does not distract from the main point of the story a great deal. Overall, the writing is well done and leads the reader on to the finish.
This is a good book for someone who has little knowledge of the French and Indian War, but anyone who has read of this account before will most likely find nothing new. For what the book is--a 56 page story of George Washington's part in the French and Indian War--this is not a bad book. The excerpts of original writings from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Indians involved in the fighting would probably be expecially interesting to those who haven't read a great deal about this time period. But in reality, there are better books (but also longer much longer, which may not be what the reader is interested in). That said, I would give this book to any child, and it is written in a manner that will most likely hold their interest more than any book about history they are given to read in school. In fact, if there were more books like this, children would probably have a greater interest in history, as this is the type of book that makes history "come alive" with a story of people and events instead of stale dates and places. A good read for adults too for those who have little knowledge of this event.
By the way, the book is somewhat religiously oriented in that it claims God personally protected George Washington during Braddock's Defeat (an idea that is repeated several times throughout the narrative). Whether that is true or not, or whether one even believes in God or not, does not really detract from the book. However, because of the faulty history, I downgraded my rating to 2 stars. Still a good book to give to your kids though.

The historical evidence, much of which has been twisted or swept under the rug by revisionists, show that Washington was indeed a Christian. This excellent book chronicles what is possibly God's divine providence in his life. Here is the evidence that I speak of about Washington being a Christian; There have been numerous prayers written by Washington, verified in his handwriting, that mention Christ and his faith in Christ again and again. Many of these more poignant prayers reflect the way in which he felt guilty for his sins and he realized his need for the mercy of God....again, always making mention of Jesus in these prayers. After a request for a chaplain to accompany his army onto the frontier when Washington was a colonel was not fulfilled, Washington himself conducted Sunday worship services and preached to his troops for 2 full years. Washington forbade profanity by his troops explaining - and I'm paraphrasing - 'Our enemy is so great (at the time there were 500 British ships right offshore!) How can we expect the divine providence and assistance of Almighty God if we 'betray' him and do those things he despises with our speech.'
When Washington's father died - George was 11 - His mother required him to conduct daily worship services in their home for the whole family.
Upon reading his diary, you will see multiple references to his attendance of Church on Sunday ( Sunday - attended Church or Sunday - inclement weather - unable to attend Church )
The revisionists of history and indeed most history books for students today, dampen or even worse, reverse Washington's greatness. As one prominent historian wrote of the historical revisionists: " These termites of the timber of our history - they seek to destroy his(Washington's ) greatness because, they are not great and cannot be. They seek to destroy his goodness because they are not good. To face the father of our country as he really is......they (the revisionists) could not face themselves and what they are" -
This book is rooted in historical fact. Washington was a Christian if you look objectively at the historical evidence.
I don't know if having four bullet holes in your coat and two horses shot out from under you in battle and surviving is divine providence or not, but, if you're a Christian, you certainly know that it could be.

Whether God spared Washington's life in this account of battle, I know not. The author certainly seems to think so. And other accounts of Washington's career seem to indicate something of the Divine was involved in directing the steps of his life. Scripture teaches us that God directs the affairs of men, since there is no authority except from God. (Rom13:1-2) Therefore in the strictest since, the birth of America was ordained of God and Washington played an important role in the forming. But service to the Lord is quite another story. To imply that because the hand of God was obvious in the life of George Washington, that he was therefore a 'genuine' Christian is stretching the truth. True conversion to Christ is manifested in humbleness of character, purity of heart, meekness and love. Something very rare in our modern churches. Although Washington lived in a time where sound preached was the rule and not the exception (as it is in our day) he did not manifest the fruits of the Spirit in his life to prove that he had anything better than the 'faith of devils' (much like most professing Christians today)
He was indeed a highly principled man and probably moral in most of his conduct. But such were many of our founders. They excelled in the principles of sound leadership and upheld personal liberty. (unlike the reprobates in office currently) But MOST of them were not disciples of our Lord. We can remember Washington for his courage and determination in founding our Republic and pray to God that more like him would rise up to spare us the impending tyranny that is fast approaching.

Nick Stefanos returns in the third book of the series. If Nick had a small drinking problem in "Nick's Trip", it's developed nicely into full-blown alcoholism by this book. It was while on a bender one night that Nick passes out in a public park, only to be wakened in the early hours by a man being shot to death and dumped in the water. Due to some strange feeling of guilt or responsibility over the murder, Nick feels he should investigate what went on.

Once again George Pelecanos has produced a typically hard-bitten look at the seedier parts of Washington D.C. and paints the picture of a lonely man who can't seem to quite get his act together. The big development in this book is that Nick picks up a partner, a fellow private investigator who doesn't smoke and doesn't drink. He is probably the perfect foil for Nick's excesses, but he is a bit of an enigma with some closely guarded secrets about his personal life.

Just a word of warning while you are reading this book. Don't get too close to the pages or you'll run the risk of waking up the next morning with a doozy of a hangover, the Old Grand Dad and Bud does get a bit of a workout.

I've now read all of George Pelecanos' novels and I loved them all, including this one. If there's a better crime thriller author out there, I haven't found them. Gritty seems to be the operative word in describing his work and this story is no exception. His stories are all set in Washington D.C., with lots of great word pictures of places there and lots of music references. It's an outstanding formula and Pelecanos works it very, very well.

Having said all the preceding, I will say that I'd rate this as clearly one of his lesser works. If you haven't read the other books with Stefanos et al, I don't believe this book really gives you all the character development you'd like from a stand alone novel. This book is fairly short and maybe that's why I felt that the characters and the story were a little short changed relative to other books by the author.

To sum it up, definitely read Pelecanos and you'll almost surely want to read this book and all his work, but don't select this as the first of his books - go with The Big Blowdown, A Firing Offense or Nick's Trip.

This is the last and most cynical novel in the Nick Stefanos trilogy. Nick has now travelled far down the dark road, and his struggle to get some peace of mind is more then ever tangled up in his love for a drink, some good music, and the warmth of a womans body. It's also in one of his more delerious nights that the story gets started. Nick happens to witness a murder when he's lying half unconscious in a pile of himself and his vomits; which is going to be the start of a dangerous ride that leads right into the drug and porn industry of Washington DC.

Down by the river where the dead men go is an excelent hard-boiled novel in all its ways. But what makes Pelecanos unique toward other writers, in this genre, is all his references to pop music, and film. This he uses in a very subtle way to describe his chracters and where in the subcultures of Washington DC's street life they belong. It is this total awareness of popular culture combined with his perfect feeling for street dialogue that makes Pelecanos not just a great crime writer, but a great writer in all terms of judgements. And it is in this third novel that he best manages to combine his feeling for pop music, and dialogue with a good and intriguing story.

"Soul Circus" is the darkest and most complicated in the Derek Strange series by George Pelecanos. There are fewer pop culture references as you experience the violence of the inner city.

"Soul Circus" is a western set in the part of D.C. "rarely seen by commuters and generally ignored by the press, out of sight and easily forgotten." PI's Derek Strange and Terry Quinn are lawmen in a lawless society.

Dialogue driven, full of vivid cultural realism, it is an intense story of the urban battlefield...not a whodunit, but rather a haunting crime novel with all the collateral damage and unintended consequences.

In the midst of a looming gang war between rival drug lords, Strange is driven by a complex moral anger, as he feels inadvertently responsible for a murder.

The interconnection of the subplots is profound. Mr. Pelecanos does have an agenda, but he integrates it seamlessly into the story without preaching.

The reality is truly disturbing, but it is skillfully written and a compelling read.

Not for the sqeamish...highly recommended!

Soul Circus, George Pelecanos' third installment of the story of Derek Strange, the proud private detective in Washington DC is excellent. Pelecanos does not shy away from disturbing story lines and this novel is no exception. Strange and his partner Terry Quinn are caught, as they always are, in the middle of violence and drug dealing turf wars in Washington. The cast of characters is not pretty, nor is the action. You've got drug dealers, gun dealers, murderers, gang wars, etc. While the stories are disturbing, they are also entertaining. The background of the novel is filled with Pelecanos trademark soundtrack. The novel makes for a quick, gripping read. The one caveat I would give you is that Pelecanos gets a little preachy, through the characters, regarding gun control and the death penalty, but I do think his is an honest exploration of the ramifications of both of those hot potatoes. Enjoy.

Reading fiction is a form of escape, of course. If you want reality, you read nonfiction. But after reading SOUL CIRCUS, the latest novel from George P. Pelecanos, you may find yourself wondering what it is about reality that made you want to escape into a world so dark and disturbing and so, well, real.

The eleventh novel from Pelecanos and the third to feature private investigators Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, SOUL CIRCUS also includes a number of characters that have appeared in previous Pelecanos novels, including Nick Stefanos, another private detective whose character is based on Pelecanos himself.

SOUL CIRCUS finds Derek Strange searching for evidence that will mean the difference between life in prison and the death sentence for Granville Oliver, a dangerous gang leader and drug dealer on trial for murder. Strange has resolved to perform this service, despite Oliver's reputation, for a couple of worthwhile reasons, not the least of which is that decades before, while serving as a police officer, Strange killed Oliver's father. Strange feels that, in depriving Oliver of a father, he set a boy on the path to gangs, drugs, guns and violence, and therefore bears some responsibility for the situation in which Oliver now finds himself. But as Strange explains it to those who question his judgment in the matter, he is not defending Oliver --- he is defending Oliver's rights.

Strange's investigation leads him to a young woman who may have evidence that will keep Oliver off the injection table. But there are those who prefer to see Oliver dead and not just the prosecution. These people have long since rid themselves of the burden of conscience that might otherwise interfere with plans for kidnapping, extortion, murder and the other tools of the bad guy trade.

In the midst of this investigation, Strange and Quinn take on another small case: locating an absent girlfriend for Mario Durham, a petty crook and no deep thinker whose motives, unbeknownst to Strange and Quinn, have more to do with settling a score than they do with faltering romance. Mario, it turns out, is the brother of Dewayne Durham, another feared gang leader and drug dealer. It is Mario's desire to impress his brother that leads to the death of the absent girlfriend and sets in motion a series of events that trigger a cascade of gunplay and violence that winds its way back to Strange and Quinn.

SOUL CIRCUS intricately weaves several subplots into a taut and compelling story that plays out in neighborhoods of Washington D.C. that are so removed from the pomp and photo-op politics of the nation's capital that they might as well be in some third-world hellhole. Pelecanos very effectively demonstrates that living within sight of those familiar, gleaming white symbols of democracy are citizens whose voices are never heard and whose issues offer insufficient political payback to draw the attention of those in power.

But while Pelecanos has a political agenda, his message integrates seamlessly with the story. There's no preaching here and no soapbox --- just finely wrought characters playing out their interconnected destinies in prose that snatches you up and propels you along like a cigarette butt being washed down a storm sewer.

While the story is indeed dark and populated with cold, stone-hearted people, Pelecanos peppers SOUL CIRCUS with details and crisp, often funny dialogue --- particularly between Strange and Quinn -- that provide a precise balance of elements that keep the narrative well within the parameters of noir, without tumbling into a thoroughly depressing, hundred-proof nightmare. But be warned, there's enough violence and nasty business here to make you check to see that the cat is in and your doors are locked.

Readers already familiar with Pelecanos will find in SOUL CIRCUS the unblinking realism and relentless pace they have come to expect. Those new to Pelecanos will find themselves reaching eagerly into his backlist to devour every delicious, hyper-hardboiled scrap. As a vehicle for escape, SOUL CIRCUS will take you as deep into the urban battlefield as you can go without having to actually dodge bullets.

--- Reviewed by Bob Rhubart

Washington D.C. private investigator Derek Strange, a 50-something black man who keeps a well-run office in his old neighborhood, but prefers working from the street, and his younger, hot-head, white associate, ex-cop Terry Quinn, team up again (after "Right as Rain") to rescue a 14-year-old suburban white girl from her new life as a prostitute.

It's an old story with a predictable arc, like the tragic act of senseless violence brewing separately from page one. And that inevitability is a central theme in George Pelecanos' warmhearted, gritty, streetwise series. While the music pounds, shouts and wails to fit his (and others') moods, Strange fights the ugly lure of street swagger by coaching a youth-league football team and instilling respect not only for teammates but the opposing team as well. Meanwhile he's wrestling his own demons and endangering his relationship with Janine (also his office manager) by massage parlor sorties.

Though the spotlight stays on Strange, Pelecanos switches viewpoints to include boys trifling with murder; Strange's young office helper, Lamar, a frightened kid trying to stay alive; Quinn, his life saved by the woman he's falling for, and others reflecting the streets that make up Strange's D.C. - pimps, broken drunks, young mothers, prostitutes.

The story, with its throbbing undercurrent of violence and wasted lives, generates plenty of suspense. Quinn ready to meet any insult with his fists, Strange working on a longer, slower, but perhaps more deadly fuse, work both sides of the color divide, mixing it up with dangerous, confident, soulless people, death an inflection away. Strange is an involvingly complex character, wise and impulsive, moral and angry, goodhearted, blunt, smart, sometimes annoyingly opaque. And Pelecanos brings D.C. alive as an edgy place of thriving, striving neighborhoods marred by drugs and easy money, hot cars and dead-eyed kids. A stand-out series.

Derek Strange and Terry Quinn, who were introduced to us in Right As Rain, return for a second gruelling case that once again takes them (and us) through the sleazy, dangerous backstreets of Washington DC.

Strange is a middle aged black private investigator who is essentially a good man who has to deal with all manner of low-lifes, and consequently is forced to do things that weigh heavily on his mind. Hell To Pay focuses on Strange's devotion to the black youth living in the projects of Washington. He is determined to give them every possible chance to make something of themselves by building self-esteem and confidence.

Furthering the youth theme and, in a way, counterbalancing all his good work, are the two cases that Strange and Quinn work on throughout the book. The first involves a fourteen year old prostitute and their attempts to get her off the streets and back home to her family. The second is the investigation of the murder of a child. This becomes a much more emotional case that turns personal, with Strange walking a moral tightrope.

Once again, Pelecanos has delivered a powerful story that graphically portrays the mean streets and dangerous characters of modern day society. Although relentlessly illustrating the everyday tragedy surrounding us all, there is at least an underlying tone of hope.

In this realistic and thought- provoking crime story set in the poor violent section of Washington D.C., Derek Strange, who owns and operates a private investigator business, is hired by two women investigators who have been working with APIP (Aiding Prostitutes In Peril). They hire Strange to help find a john who has been acting weird and talking about rough sex. He is also hired to follow a friend's daughter and the man she is dating. His friend Quinn becomes involved with one of the women investigators and helps Strange coach a Youth football team. His interactions with the team add depth to the characters and provides the setting, situation and relationships for the main action of the story. The innocence of youth football is juxtoposed within The Culture of Violence found in inner cities. Pelecanos intentionally uses Washington D.C. which is ironically just miles from the seat of government of the most powerful nation in the world.

HELL TO PAY made me angry and pulled at my heartstrings. It is written so descriptively that it feels real; it takes the reader to the projects and portrays and examines the effect of a young innocent victim's death on everyone else in the story. The story also describes racism and illustrates how kids grow up fast, are exposed to violence, drugs, and fear. Strange, who wants to find the killer before the police, struggles with his own beliefs and values. HELL TO PAY will transport most readers to where they've never been. It's worth the trip!

Though certainly the most ubiquitous, George Washington has also always been the most mysterious of the Founding Fathers; the one whose greatness is most difficult for us to comprehend. Here was a man who was less well spoken and less brilliant than many of his peers. He was not a great philosophical or political thinker. He lost most of the military engagements he led. And yet, the men of whom we think more highly in these regards almost universally revered him. What quality was it that made men like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquise de Lafayette defer to him ? The answer must surely lie in the character of the man, and character seems to be a uniquely difficult quality to convey in writing. Perhaps it is actually impossible to describe the quality itself; instead the effects of it must be described.

One example from Washington's life seems to me to stand out above all others : his handling of the Newburgh Conspiracy. When, after the War, disgruntled officers, led by Horatio Gates, circulated a letter suggesting that the Army march on Congress to demand back pay and hinted at taking control of the government, Washington used a simple but elegant ploy to defuse the crisis. Having summoned the men to his tent so that he could read a letter meant to dissuade them from their proposed course of action, he paused, reached into a pocket, and withdrew a pair of glasses, which, thanks in large part to his vanity, few knew he even required. As he unfolded them and put them on, he said :

Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.

It is reported, perhaps with some hyperbole, that men wept; but at any rate, the insurrection crumbled.

It is hard for us, jaded as we have become about our leaders, to imagine the drama of this scene and the effect it must have had on his comrades, but then again, we are unfortunate enough to have a recent Commander in Chief whose preference in underwear, bizarre sexual proclivities, and genital deformities were all common knowledge. It is perhaps instructive that when he was at Boys' State as a teenager (as related in David Maraniss's excellent biography First in His Class), Bill Clinton devoted himself to one single purpose and achieved it : to have his picture taken with President Kennedy. At a similar age, sixteen year old George Washington copied by hand 110 maxims from a guidebook on manners originally compiled by Jesuits in 1595. Both men were trying to improve themselves, but there's a key difference : Clinton sought a photo opportunity that would be personally gratifying and which he might use to advance his political career down the road; Washington sought out those precepts which would help him to discipline himself, to develop his character, and to make himself more presentable to society. The fundamental object of Clinton's effort was personal aggrandizement, of Washington's, to make himself a better person.

In this little book Richard Brookhiser, who wrote a terrific biography of Washington, reproduces the 110 "Rules of Civility" in a much easier form to read than the original text (for example, check out an online version), along with a brief introductory essay and explanatory, often amusing, comments on many of the rules. Here are some examples (with Brookhiser's comments in italics where applicable) :

(1) Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present.

(4) In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming noise or drum with your fingers or feet.

Don't carry a boom box either.

(13) Kill no vermin, as fleas, lice, ticks, etc., in the sight of others. If you see any filth or thick

spittle put your foot dexterously upon it, if it be upon the clothes of your companions put it off privately, and if it be upon your own clothes return thanks to him who puts it off.

Useful advice on the frontier. In 1748, when Washington was sixteen, he went surveying in

the Blue Ridge mountains and was obliged to sleep under "one thread bare blanket with double its weight of vermin." The last two clauses are useful anywhere: Don't embarrass those you help, and however embarrassed you may be to discover that you have been in a ludicrous or disgusting situation, don't forget to thank those who helped you out of it.

As the last example demonstrates, many of the rules seem at first to be hopelessly antiquated, but on further reflection, in the concern they display for personal dignity and humility, thoughtfulness of and respect for others, maintenance of civil standards, they are truly timeless. The final precept is the most famous and allows Brookhiser to sum up all that have come before :

(110) Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

The only open reminder of what has been implicit all along: Petty morals and large morals are linked; there are no great spirits who do not pay attention to both; these little courtesies reflect, as in a pocket mirror, the social and the moral order.

And this is the significance of Washington's attention to these seemingly petty rules, that the conscience is only a spark and that it may be extinguished unless one labors to maintain it. Because Washington did take that labor seriously throughout his life, he had the reserve of respect and honor built up with others which enabled him to cow the rebellious officers at Newburgh and had the personal moral fiber which enabled him, at the vital moments in the life of the new republic, to refuse political power, both when it was there for the taking and when it was freely offered. In some sense, these 110 maxims helped to create the man of whom King George III said, when he heard that General Washington planned to surrender command of the Continental Army to retire to his farm :

If he indeed does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.

That assessment, from a humiliated enemy, was accurate then, and the bloody course of every subsequent revolution, suggests that it may understate the case.

GRADE : A

I bought this book about six years ago because I had been told that George Washington had used these rules of civility to guide his own life and actions. I cherish this book. There are a few rules that are dated, but they are entertaining. The rest is pure gold and timeless.

A few examples:

5. If you cough, sneeze, sigh, or yawn, do it not loud but privately; and speak not in your yawning, but put your hankerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.

65. Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none although they give occasion.

82. Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.

If you can't figure out what to give that new graduate who already has everything, I highly recommend this book. I recommend it for everyone.

If I win the lottery I am buying the entire supply and handing them out on the street corners. Our society would be a lot more tolerable if everyone followed these simple rules of manners and courtesy. What would Washington have written about inconsiderate cell phone use? A must read for everyone. Buy this as a gift for your teenager or college student. Start your own revolution against boorish behavior.

Nick Stefanos is a private eye who helps make ends meet by working behind the bar at a place called the Spot. An old buddy from school tracks him down and asks him to find his wife. While working the case we are continually taken back to Nick's youth as he remembers old friends and family. The storyline lurches from chapter to chapter. One minute he's working on the case in search of a missing woman, the next he's running down leads about a murdered friend leaving us to make the necessary mental adjustments.

Nick's a hard-drinking, hard-smoking bloke who's marching to the beat of his own drummer. This is not a light hearted romp, rather, we trudge through the seedier parts of town with a character who tends to fit right in. The method of chasing up leads seems to be an endless series of visits to bars throughout the D.C. area with a necessary shot and a beer at each. You've got to be prepared to accept that Nick Stefanos has many faults and weaknesses and is not your average private investigator. Oh, by the way, even with all his faults, I still found the story quite enjoyable.

Another fine effort by Pelecanos. I had run across Nick in some of the author's other work, but I didn't really appreciate him until I read Nick's Trip. Nick Stefanos is a strong character in his own right - witty, versatile and resourceful. He handles a pretty tough situation in this well crafted story.

Better than any other crime mystery writer I'm familiar with, Pelecanos knows how to develop characters, paint interesting word pictures of what's going on and produce a fine story. If he writes it, I'm reading it and I'd recommend you check him out. This book is as good a place as any to start.

The three Nick Stefanos mysteries (of which this is the second) follow the linear descent of their hero from rebellious career stiff to hard drinking private eye to hopeless alcoholic. Along the way, Nick bares his soul more completely than do most first person narrative P.I.'s. His stories are also among the most darkly violent and gritty that I've come across in the genre. "Nick's Trip" is better than "A Firing Offense," the first Stefanos book, if only because it is more plausible and more focussed. Along the way, Nick reunites with an old friend who has become an obnoxious yuppie and whose wife has disappered. He also manages to lose his girlfriend and become a surrogate father. The whole book has an overwhelming feeling of lonliness to it, like a late night country song. It is definately NOT for readers of light mainstream fiction.

Overall, a must read for fans of authors such as James Crumley and Andrew Vachss and anyone else who likes their P.I. fiction truly hard boiled.