The action is fueled by the heat of race relations, which Pelecanos explores with acuity-particularly in his portrayal of Derek, who as a black cop is considered an enemy by many other blacks. The ensuing narrative swirls around two scenarios: a plan by Dennis and two street-thug pals to rob a local Greek-owned store (Pelecanos wrote extensively about D.C.'s Greek community in early novels, and many of the nonblack characters here are Greek-American) and a plot by three young white hoods to rob a bank, but only after they drunkenly kill a young black man for sport. By 1968, Derek is a young cop partnered with a white guy Dennis is a pot-smoking slacker and many of their acquaintances from '59 are working dead-end jobs with an eye toward crime. The first few chapters, though, unfold in 1959, introducing major characters whose paths will entwine later: Derek-who's nabbed for shoplifting but given a break that will set his life on a (more or less) law-abiding path-and his older brother, Dennis their hardworking parents and some ancillary figures.

This memorable tale is a prequel to those novels, set in Washington, D.C., mostly just before and during the 1968 riots sparked by the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. , etc.) so strong that one critic has dubbed Pelecanos the Zola of contemporary crime fiction.

The author's admirers are familiar with middle-aged black PI Derek Strange, featured in several novels ( Soul Circus

Hard revolution george pelecanos